Editor, Gazette-Journal: The arc of history bending toward communist totalitarianism during the 2020s has taken a turn that is absolutely astounding. When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, the Biden/Harris administration assured everyone that they had strong leverage over the Taliban and that they could control the situation post-withdrawal. One of the many legitimate concerns that were raised that summer was what would happen to women’s rights. The administration assured us that they would protect the Afghan women who made great strides in educational/professional equality while the U.S. occupied Afghanistan. This turns out to have been another completely empty promise. Educational opportunities have been shut off to young girls after they complete sixth grade. This is a terrible waste of human potential, but it pales in comparison to the latest outrage that is breathtaking—the Taliban have passed a law that makes it a crime for a woman to speak in public without a ...