>> WE HAVE A NEW VISA WAIVER PROGRAM SNUCK IN, AS A LOT OF
THESE LAWS ARE THESE DAYS, INTO A BIGGER BILL, AND THEY DECIDED
WE WILL GET TOUGH ON MUSLIM COUNTRIES.
GOOD FOR YOU.
THE
ONLY PROBLEM IS, IT ALSO AFFECTS CITIZENS OF OUR ALLIES,
INCLUDING THE U.K., EUROPE, AND EVENTUALLY OUR OWN CITIZENS.
THE INTERCEPT
SAYS --
>> THAT LAST PROVISION IS EVEN MORE DEVASTATING, BECAUSE IT
DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE FROM THERE, EVEN IF YOU VISITED THERE
FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES, ANY OTHER PURPOSE, NOW THE RULES HAVE
CHANGED AND YOU HAVE TO GET A VISA AND IT WILL BE HARDER TO
COME INTO THIS COUNTRY OR MANY OTHER COUNTRIES.
>> YOU KNOW WHO THIS COULD HAVE AFFECTED IF HE WAS STILL ALIVE
IS STEVE JOBS.
HIS FATHER WAS BORN IN SYRIA, SO ACCORDING TO
SYRIAN LAW HE COULD'VE TACTICALLY BEEN A DUAL CITIZEN.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT EVER CAME UP FOR STEVE JOBS, AND OBVIOUSLY
THIS LAW WAS NOT IN EFFECT, BUT THEN YOU COULD SAY WAIT A
MINUTE, YOUR DAD IS FROM SYRIA, THAT MAKES YOU A SYRIAN CITIZEN
AS WELL AS A U.S. CITIZEN, THAT PUTS YOU ON A DIFFERENT
LIST WHERE YOU ARE BASICALLY AN INFERIOR CITIZEN IN THIS
COUNTRY, YOU HAVE TO GET WAIVERS AND WAIT UNTIL THE OTHER
COUNTRIES STRIKE BACK AT US.
THAT BRINGS US TO THE NEXT
PORTION --
>>SO IF YOUR FATHER WAS PERSIAN AND YOU LIVED IN THE U.K., AND
YOU NEVER WENT TO IRAN, DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, IF YOU
WANT TO COME TO THE U.S., IF YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF THE U.K.
NORMALLY YOU CAN JUST COME IN.
NOW THEY ARE LIKE, WE THINK YOU
ARE IRANIAN, SO YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH A DIFFERENT PROCESS.
THE
U.K.
GOES I WILL STRIKE BACK, AMERICANS WHO ARE IRANIAN OR
SYRIAN, OR OF THAT DISSENT, YOU HAVE TO GET A WAIVER TO COME
INTO THE U.K.
WAIT A MINUTE, I AM A U.S. CITIZEN, I NEVER
NEEDED A WAIVER TO GO TO EUROPE.
YOU DO NOW, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT
THE RIGHT KIND OF AMERICAN CITIZEN.
MAYBE WE CAN MAKE IT
APPLY TO STEVE JOBS'S KIDS, LET'S GO BACK EVEN FURTHER.
>> THAT MIGHT ALSO VIOLATE OUR AGREEMENT THAT WE JUST SIGNED
WITH IRAN, BECAUSE IN THAT AGREEMENT WE SAID WE WILL NOT DO
ANY ECONOMIC SANCTIONS OR HURT YOUR ECONOMY IN ANY WAY.
BUT NOW
IF ANY BUSINESSMAN TRAVELS TO IRAN FOR ANY REASON, THEY ARE
FROM JAPAN, SPAIN, IT DOESN'T MATTER -- YOU TRAVELED TO IRAN,
YOU ARE DANGEROUS BY DEFINITION SO NOW YOU HAVE TO GET A VISA TO
COME INTO THE UNITED STATES.
THAT IS A PAIN IN THE ASKED FOR
A LOT OF BUSINESSES AND THEY DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT,
SO THEY DON'T GO TO IRAN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND THE
REPERCUSSIONS GO ON AND ON, LET ALONE AID WORKERS, THE MOST
DECENT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, DON'T GO TO SYRIA TO HELP PEOPLE
WHO NEED THE HELP BECAUSE THEY BASICALLY BECOME A SECOND-CLASS
CITIZEN IN AMERICA THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
LASTLY HERE --
>>
THAT IS
ACCORDING TO JAMAL ABDI, WHO RUNS THE NATIONAL
IRANIAN AMERICAN COUNCIL, HE IS THEIR SPOKESPERSON.
SO IRANIAN
AMERICANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROVISION, IT MAKES THEM
SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS.
MY GUESS IS IF YOU ASKED A LOT OF THE
PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY PASSED THAT PROVISION, THEY WOULD GO, YEAH?
BUT THAT IS NOT THE AMERICA WE GREW UP IN, THAT IS NOT THE
AMERICA WE LOVE, THAT IS NOT WHAT AMERICA IS SUPPOSED TO
STAND FOR, WHERE ALL THE SUDDENLY HAVE SECOND-CLASS
CITIZENS WITH INFERIOR RIGHTS.
UNFORTUNATELY THAT IS THE
AMERICA WE ARE HEADED TOWARDS, SO LET'S STOP IT BEFORE IT GETS
ANY FARTHER THAN THIS.
AND THEY HAVE TO REPEAL THIS, THIS IS NOT
THE RIGHT WAY TO GO ABOUT PROTECTING THIS COUNTRY.
ALL IT
DOES IS PUT US IN A DEEPER HOLE, IT IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE, AND IT
STARTS TO SEPARATE US, AND QUESTION EACH OTHER AS FELLOW
AMERICANS.
THAT IS NOT THE SHINING CITY ON A HILL.