Line Cutters (Afghan 56)

 (This is the latest in a series of reports secretly filed by an Afghan friend of mine about life in his country under the Taliban. I am withholding his identity to protect his safety.)

Dear David:

As usual, I went to the bank at 6:30 a.m. to stand in line to get my salary. There were already more than 200 people lined up, and the line was getting longer by the minute. This time, however, there were some new people in the crowd.

Previously, the salaries of  teachers were remitted three days before Taliban soldiers' salaries. But this time, our livelihoods were remitted together. Therefore, the new people in line were the Taliban. 

Normally, these lines are orderly. The rule is that anyone when he arrives must stand at the end of the queue so each will enter the bank in turn. This is important because the bank sometimes runs out of money. 

Teachers and civil servants carefully follow the rules and even if they are very old, they stand at the end of the queue according to their turn. But the Taliban soldiers don’t understand the rules; they come from mountains and forests and are accustomed to getting their way by force.

So on this occasion, they simply went straight to the head of the line and tried to enter the bank. At the gate, the bank guards, who are also Taliban, did not allow them to enter.  There was a tense standoff but the Taliban soldiers eventually went to the end of the line.

During my wait in the line, which lasted many hours, several more groups of Taliban soldiers arrived and each proceeded to the front of the line. There, they argued vociferously with the bank guards. Some of them managed to enter the bank and others tried to stand at the front of the queue instead of their proper place at the end of the line. 

A man near me muttered, "The country has fallen into the hands of these kinds of people. When the Taliban themselves do not observe order, how can they be expected to rule a country?”

LINKS:

•  The Taliban’s campaign against women continues. Don’t look away. (Edit Bd/WP)

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• Biden’s visit to Kyiv shrouded in secrecy (WP)

• Biden in Kyiv to show solidarity as Ukraine war nears 1 year (AP)

• New powerful earthquakes rock Turkey and Syria (Al Jazeera)

• A nuclear reactor was melting down. Jimmy Carter came to the rescue. (WP)

• Supreme Court for first time casts doubt on Section 230, the legal shield for Big Tech (LAT)

• The return to the office could be the real reason for the slump in productivity. Here’s the data to prove it (Fortune)

• DA drops gun enhancement charge against Alec Baldwin in 'Rust' shooting (ABC)

• 7 things you didn’t know that ChatGPT can do (Tom’s Guide)

• AI is starting to pick who gets laid off. With software that analyzes performance data. In a recent U.S. survey, 98% of human resources leaders said software and algorithms will help them make layoff decisions this year. (WP)

• New methods will have to be invented to test students in era of ChatGPT (The Federal)

• Charges Against Trump Lawyer ‘Very Likely,’ Colleagues Warn Donald (Rolling Stone)

• California’s Budget Deficit Blows Up (WSJ)

• World risks descending into a climate ‘doom loop’, warn thinktanks (Guardian)

• Israel declares temporary pause on new West Bank settlements (BBC)

• We’re Living in an Age of Small Creatures — 340-pound penguins were once normal—and maybe they will be again someday. (Slate)

• Inside the Hunt for U.F.O.s at the End of the World (NYT)

• Sea level rise poses ‘unthinkable’ risks for the planet, Security Council hears (UN)

• Jane Fonda says she isn't scared of dying, but she has regrets (CNN)

• Abraham Lincoln’s love letters captivated America. They were a hoax. (WP)

• Mature Cat Not Going To Waste Time Chasing Laser That Doesn’t Want Her (The Onion)

  LYRICS:

  “I Can’t Help It”

  by Hank Williams

  Today I passed you on the street
  And my heart fell at your feet
  I can't help it if I'm still in love with you

  Somebody else stood by your side
  And he looked so satisfied
  I can't help it if I'm still in love with you

  A picture from the past came slowly stealing
  As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you
  Then suddenly I got that old time feeling
  I can't help it if I'm still in love with you

  It's hard to know another's lips will kiss you
  And hold you just the way I used to do
  Oh, Heaven only knows how much I miss you
  I can't help it if I'm still in love with you