iamasiam

Inside, Looking Out

On the way back from Zuccoti Park^[1] this weekend, care to check out two plays currently in preview?  I know art is a luxury for us 99’ers nowadays.  But if you do manage to see either of these, I’m curious about what the odds are that each would enlighten views from the other side?  One percent?

“Asuncion”^[2] is about a couple of friends whose liberal views are challenged when a Filipino woman moves in with them.  Jesse Eisenberg, famous for his role in “The Social Network”, is the playwright and one of the actors.

“Chinglish”^[3] by David Henry Hwang, Tony award-winning playwright (M. Butterfly), traces similar cross-cultural challenges, this time from the perspective of a businessman traveling to China.

 

 

^[1] scribd.com
^[2] rattlestick.org
^[3] cherrylanetheater.org

Shed Tears Yet?

“I’ve had enough of the Japanese earthquake news.  Can we switch to another channel now?”  The thought just left me aghast.  Can I be as stoic?  When was the last time I shed tears over similar devastating news?  Memories of 9/11 gushed in very quickly.  Then there’s Hurricane Katrina, then Haiti.

Hurricane Katrina and Haiti’s earthquake hit much closer to home, and The World Trade Center tragedy happened right in my work neighborhood.  Does the disaster in Japan seem more remote because it’s halfway across the world?  Maybe the early videos taken from the air or at a distance, described to be of “Steven Spielberg proportions” by one reporter, brings it away further from us.

The news will then start focusing on the people, the faces of the survivors and the bodies of the dead retrieved from the rubble.  Here’s where Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake and 9/11 really hit hard for me:  the mourning of the dead, the anguished pleas for help and relief, and the over-long search in desperate hope to find the missing.

Have you shed some tears yet?  There’s no need for tears, really, but here’s HOW YOU CAN HELP.

***

Viewers of “train wreck” TV programming can’t get their eyes off all the car chases, vacation accidents, people getting run over or falling, and more people getting hurt.  Most of the violence shown appears to be self-inflicted and often brought about by sheer stupidity.  Still, my blood curdles thinking how tragedy can be commercialized to such extent.  I’m wondering which advertisers invest on such shows?  How much do each shell out for, say, a 30-second spot? 

 

"A Bold Statement of Truth"

With the passing of the 9th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, cooler heads may have prevailed amidst the heated rhetoric surrounding this convergence of faith and politics.  Does an imam not have a right to build a mosque near the grounds of the fallen towers?   Does a pastor not have a right to burn Qur’ans to express his views about religion with regards to the attacks?  A blitz of press coverage fed on a nail-biting countdown leading to, fortunately, a less explosive outcome.  The imam took a more open stance negotiating the construction of his mosque.  The pastor held off on the Qur’an burning.

In the days leading up to these events, leafing through the finals chapters of a novel, I could not help but draw some albeit remote parallels.  Most disturbing was the dialogue of one of the fictional characters, a hard-line Christian televangelist promoting a right-wing politician running for office.  The character could not hide his slanted view that Islam has a direct role in terrorism, even as he tried finagling his way around his limited role in promoting his senatorial pick.  (Alert:  This is very twisted!) ^[1]

"We are surrounded by enemies of the state, my friends, and at their mercy when they explode bombs among us without warning.  Those bombs are political statements in the mind of a terrorist, but the evil behind them is religious in nature, being as it were inspired by a certain religion that is not our own."

"We know something bad is smelling up the planet but we dare not speak its name because to do so will create riots and revenge attacks and outrage that will spill innocent blood.  Because evil does not like to hear itself spoken of with disdain.  Evil is offended by that.  Evil, the practitioners of that other religion would have us believe, is sensitive, and will have its finer feelings offended by a bold statement of truth!"

And yet, reading “Callisto”, I could not help but think about the recent spate of events.  There obviously are those who believe Islam had a direct tie with the 9/11 attacks.  This would include the would-be Quran-burning pastor and perhaps some of the protestors of the mosque near Ground Zero.  So is there or is there not a cause-and-effect relationship here?  Is it because they were Muslims that the attackers dove into the towers?  Does the holy book contain terrorist propaganda that would deserve it to be burned en masse?  Perhaps, we should all read the book to make such a judgment.  (I know, for the Bible-taught, it was tough enough getting through Genesis.)

While the Quran itself is supposedly legit only if written in Arabic, it has been translated in many languages worldwide, English included.  Who’s going to enlighten us then?  Perhaps, the news media should. That should serve well to neutralize the bad press they received in firing up such a frenzy to begin with.  (Imagine FOX5 News’ 24/7 covering this.)  How about featuring a verse-a-day of Qur’an in your daily broadcasts or publications?  You can include commentaries from two perspectives, one imam and one pastor.  Certainly, that would make the “bold statement of truth” more accessible to all of us – doubters, believers, haters – even if just to forestall the next possible conflagration on this matter. 

Then there are public open spaces such as parks and plazas – and museums!  (Talk about accessible!)  Holland Cotter ^[2] of the New York Times is on the same track with me on this one. Reviewing Sandow Bark’s work, ”American Qur’an” ^[3], he writes:

For information value alone, and entirely apart from recent threats of book burnings, it would make sense for our museums to offer Koran-related exhibitions.

(See related article, "When Bells Toll, When Minarets Rise")

[1] Torsten Krol, “Callisto”, Harper Collins
[2] Holland Cotter, “Sandow Birk: American Qur’an”, The New York Times, 9/17/10
[3] Sandow Birk:  American Qur'an

 

BP’s All-Out Gulf Disaster. An All-Out Response?

Gulf Coast area residents and small business owners are scratching their heads over BP’s announcement today that it has put on hold current efforts to plug the hellhole.  More analysis is needed, the oil giant says. ^[1] However, to many, the final analysis is that the damage has been done and that ALL-OUT efforts are needed to stop and clean up the spill and, moreover, provide relief to the many people whose livelihoods are aversely impacted.

The BP disaster affects everyone, including the Asian American community.  As such, it is encouraging to know that the major AAPI groups have banded together to analyze the breadth and depth of the damage, particularly amongst Asian Americans who make their living in the Gulf.  Beyond the oil slick, plumes of “misinformation, confusion, and mistrust” cloud efforts for relief.  Let’s hope the ensuing joint efforts of these organizations are just as well ALL-OUT.

Hapa, Meet Korasian. Korasian, Hapa.

It is refreshing to know that Americans of mixed racial background are celebrating their identity more than ever before. ^[1] Still, one does not have to look too far back in time to see how ignorance and hate still fan stubborn resistance towards interracial relationships.

Just a month ago, a Louisiana justice of the peace has refused to officiate an interracial marriage.  The judge rejects that he is a racist and says he is merely concerned that the couple would produce a biracial offspring.  His belief is that their children would suffer by not being accepted by either side of the family. ^[2]

Regardless of the various pockets in today’s society that still believe it is unconscionable for races to mix, we have come a long way.  Think about the response you would have elicited last Thanksgiving if the dinner guest you may have brought home with you were of a different skin color.  Would it have carried the same punch as when Sidney Poitier walked in on that scene in “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” half a century ago? ^[3] In contrast, broad ethnic violence continues to split countries and families around the world.

In these times of mounting deficits, it is good to know that the spirit of racial tolerance and appreciation can be a valuable American export.  Yet, we still have much to learn from other societies who are just now experiencing the growing pains of dealing with interracial relationships and the soul searching as a result of the new generation of Korasians.  For example, South Korea is currently experiencing a baby boom from mixed marriages. In the last three years, their government has opened 119 multicultural family support centers across the land to offer help in education and vocational training to address the stigma associated with it. ^[4] In the spirit of free trade, can we have one of those centers installed in Louisiana, please?

^[1] See related post, “Hapa”
^[2] Associated Press, “Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License By Louisiana Justice Of The Peace”, The Huffington Post, Oct. 15, 2009
^[3] http://www.imdb.com
^[4] Martin Fackler, “Baby Boom of Mixed Children Tests South Korea”, The New York Times, Nov. 28, 2009

At The Polls Yesterday: Care and Attention

My participation in past elections has been largely limited to the early morning or last-minute evening dash to my precinct.  I'm one of those who tend to vote largely along party lines, partly because of my belief in the ideals of my party and also because I do have not enough information about each candidate running.

Regardless of the ridiculously overwhelming amount of campaign materials, which clog my mailbox at each election time, I end up just as ignorant about many of these candidates.  Arguably, the over-information and misinformation shoved recklessly into my mailbox daily results in cathartic effect that leads me to more so ignore candidates with the wider carbon footprint.

Also, it does not help that in local elections the size of the forum is more limited and the chatter of other districts, counties and even states often compete with each other, drowning out what may be salient to me in the airwaves.  There's also the spin-factor that adds to the clutter.  Everyone appears to be often for and seldom against something even if the issue is communicated from opposing views.  Then there's the sound byte that sometimes trumps the essence of the campaign narrative itself.

In the local elections that just passed, I have come to realize that I am fortunate enough to have access to all such inputs to begin with.  Volunteering for an organization that advocates greater access of ethnic minorities in the polls, I realize that language is still a barrier for some.  While I've come across no serious issues that may have barred one from fulfilling his or her electoral duty, it must have been tough for those who are not yet too comfortable in their English.  Translated materials and interpreters were on hand, of course, but I can just imagine how daunting it might have been, especially for those voting for the first time.

Even then I marvel at the zeal exhibited by those who've come armed only with a few words to get them started, "Do you speak Spanish?"  I admire those who cared to ask for help even in their broken English or, more confidently, in their own native language, "Who else can help me?"

I was particularly captured by the spirit of this Bengalese gentleman.  When I asked him to fill-up an exit poll questionnaire that I just handed him, he earnestly responded, "Yes, please read me your questions and write down what I answer."  Now, I assumed he either had vision problems or else was not that familiar with the alphabet, so I complied.  After my first few questions though, turning to him, I realized that he had closed his eyes presumably to focus on the questions that I read out to him.  With his eyes closed and a serious fold evident between his brows, I sensed his intent in capturing fully every question that I gave.  He evoked the same look of attention and care as he gave me his answers.  He had just come out of the polling place, and I felt his sense of pride and accomplishment having fared just as well, or even better, answering the real questions presented to him at the ballot.

I wonder if he voted every candidate in his party.  I wonder too how informed he was on the candidates and their campaign issues before he came to vote.  I wonder if he took the time to study each flier that came to his mailbox and to listen to what the candidates have to say on the airwaves.  Did he see through their spin?  Did he isolate and identify what is important to him through all the clutter?

Returning home from my volunteer duties, I proceeded to my own precinct to vote.  I took an extra minute or so to sort through all the different names listed on the voting machine.  Some names were more prominent than others.  The rest remained a blur to me, and on those, like in elections before, I based my decision based on their political affiliation.  Next time, I said to myself, I will take greater care and attention, thanks to the inspiration brought to me by that man from Bangladesh that I spoke with this morning.

Mao and Deng: Now and Then

“So on this 60th anniversary, we should join in the celebration of the Deng revolution and not be distracted by the portrait of Mao hanging in Tiananmen Square”, concludes Ezra Vogel in her op-ed today in The New York Times.¹  Mr. Vogel argues that while Mao Zedong should be credited for laying the base for his successors’ accomplishments, “The true revolution belongs to Deng Xiaoping.”

Mr. Vogel views the leader’s major achievements in further opening the country’s door to foreign trade and investment, triggering massive infrastructure and industrial development and thereby raising millions of his countrymen from poverty.  Still, he does not ignore the many challenges China faces now since Deng’s assumption into power: “corruption, crackdowns on dissidents, environmental degradation, unequal educational opportunities and a failing rural health system”.

Should Deng Xiaoping then be held in higher stature in commemorating China’s revolution now and in future?  Absolutely!  Will Deng replace Mao as the iconic symbol of China’s turning point in its history?  I doubt it.

¹Ezra F. Vogel, “... But Deng Is the Leader to Celebrate”, The New York Times, Oct. 4, 2009

Asian Americans: Hardest Hit by Home Foreclosures

Asian Americans experienced the deepest decline in home ownership, according to a recent U.S. Census report based on 2008 data.  This finding would at first come as a surprise given that Asian Americans typically have higher income and lower debt compared to other minority groups.  However, as Alex Veiga appropriately inferred in his recent column in the Washington Post¹, this may have more to do with the fact that one in three Asian Americans reside in California, one of the states hardest hit with property value declines and high foreclosure rates.

¹Alex Veiga for The Associated Press, “Homeownership fell in '08; Asians hit worst”, Washington Post, Sept. 21, 2009

Senator Edward Kennedy: Rest in peace!

The beloved senator strongly supported the Hart-Cellar Act of 1965, which sought to give people from all nations an equal footing for U.S. immigration, replacing an old system that gave preferential treatment to Europeans.¹

¹Center for Immigration Studies

Here’s to Hawaii’s 50th Anniversary: Okole maluna!

The youngest state in our nation deserves more than a toast, according to Jeff Yang today in his homage to and reflections about Hawaii.  For one, the state’s racial, cultural and ethnic diversity is like no other.  In this regard, Mr. Yang cites JFK’s declaration in the midst of the civil rights unrest that “Hawaii is what the United States is striving to become.”

“Two months later, a baby boy was born at that city's Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children who would grow up to exemplify the ideals cited in Kennedy's speech -- America's first multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural president, Barack Hussein Obama.”

In his article, Mr. Yang also cannot help but compare the challenges that JFK faced in his generation with those our president is dealing with now, including conspiracy theories borne of ignorance and fear and the desire to maintain the status quo.  Then, President Kennedy was subject to widespread rumors that his Catholic faith divided his loyalty between his country and the Vatican.  Now, recent polls indicate that one out of very ten Americans still believe that President Obama wasn’t born here and therefore should not have been eligible to run for president.

“It was fear, not hatred, that led many to whisper about Kennedy, and a similar fear is visible in the eyes of protesters raging against Obama's agenda.

“The fear then was of the unknown changes a racially integrated America might bring to the lives of white Americans. The fear today is of the next logical step beyond integration, into a future where the lines between peoples and nationalities are blurred entirely by racial blending and globalization.”

I agree with Mr. Yang that Hawaii’s dramatic history should serve as a blueprint for addressing the challenges we face in our time.  Fifty years ago today, with 40% of Hawaii’s population being Japanese Americans, the efforts of visionaries countered the opposition that fed on fear and anxiety.

“During that period, a diverse group of the island's community leaders fought to maintain ties across racial and ethnic lines, to forestall a mass internment of Hawaiians of Japanese ancestry, and ultimately, to pave the way for Hawaii's second-class standing as a territory to be replaced with the protected status of statehood.”

Before Jeff Yang’s “bottoms up” toast to 50 years of the 50th state, he reflects on the “fundamental concept underpinning Hawaiian society” that has been preserved to this day, “the spirit of aloha, an ideal of love, openness, nonjudgement, and generosity.”  Okole maluna!

I also call upon that spirit of aloha to descend upon the rest of our nation now and remove the log in the eyes of many who are still overcome by fear and anxiety.  Amen?

Cancer remains the number one killer among Asian Americans

Asian Week yesterday released several findings from the American Cancer Society showing that “racial and ethnic minorities and medically underserved groups are more likely to develop cancer and die from it than the general U.S. population”.

For Asian Americans, the pattern of cancer is unique; and, particularly disturbing among several findings is that for this group, the annual number of deaths due to cancer is higher than that for heart disease.  This sets Asian Americans apart from other major ethnic groups where heart disease in the number one killer.  Below are the other findings:

• Cancer affects Asian Americans in very different ways, based on country of origin. According to a study of the five largest Asian American groups – Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese – colorectal cancer rates are highest among Chinese Americans; prostate cancer is more common and more often deadly among Filipino men; and Vietnamese women have the highest incidence and death rates from cervical cancer.
• For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the annual number of deaths from cancer exceeds that for heart disease, making them the only major U.S. racial or ethnic group for which this is true.
• Asian Americans have higher rates of cancers related to infectious conditions, particularly tumors of the cervix, stomach, liver and nasopharynx and are at lower risk for cancers of the lung, colon and rectum, breast and prostate.
• Vietnamese men in California have by far the highest incidence and death rates (54.3 and 35.5 per 100,000, respectively) from liver cancer of all the Asian ethnic groups. Their incidence rate is more than seven times higher than the incidence rate among non-Hispanic White men.

Although Asian Americans have “lower incidence and mortality rates from all cancers combined than all other racial/ethnic groups”, it is imperative that cultural and linguistic barriers be overcome to better understand and address the implications of such findings.

In the current health care debate—or rather, the mob-rule opposition to intelligent and pragmatic discussions on improving nationwide health and wellness—statistics such as those revealed in these findings remain but a blip lost in all the noise and shouting.

Senator Webb Travels To Myanmar

The New York Times today reports that Virginia Senator Jim Webb is due in Myanmar this weekend to discuss with junta leaders the situation with pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.  Aung San Suu Kyi has recently been tried and sentenced anew resulting in the extension of her house arrest that now spans several years, essentially because of her opposition to the current government.  (See related post, “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Sentenced”.)

Senator Jim Webb is traveling independently, but State officials view it as an opportunity to opening communication lines between the two countries.  As chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, Mr. Webb is driven to re-engage with Southeast Asia at all levels.  Given his fine credentials, he is well qualified to lead this endeavor.  We join the global community‘s outcry against Aung San Suu Kyi’s unjust incarceration, and hope Mr. Webb’s efforts will lead to her release.

Asian Americans are more likely to commit suicide

Andrew Lam (New American Media) attempts to bring to light why Asian Americans are, according to a recent CDC report, more likely to commit suicide.  Mr. Lam also relays the recent death of three Chinese Americans at Caltech in the last three months, and moreover the disproportionately high suicide rate of students with an Asian background at Cornell University based on 10 years of data. 

Moreover, the author shares his personal encounters with friends who are so driven by so tall a calling and very well so challenged by the reality of failure (“not an option”).  He alludes to statistics that have fed the popular opinion that Asian Americans are über-achievers.  However, he acknowledges that such a notion also unfairly promotes undue expectations for the many less able or inclined to fit such a stereotype.

“What’s barely explored, sadly, is the darker narrative, that subterraneous stream that runs parallel to this shining path to academic success: stress, disappointment, depression, and, when failing to make the grade, a profound if not deadly identity crisis.”

I accept the author’s hypothesis that Confucian culture may have something to do with this, and that as a consequence of our upbringing we have “learned to measure the world and ourselves solely through a pedagogic lens”.  Even then, I mourn the loss of the three who have just lost their lives and that of the many young Asian Americans who continue to succumb to the seemingly inevitable option when they encounter defeat.  But I plead to the good in all of us to honestly appreciate and at best nurture the other facets of our children’s identity that may have escaped us in our own youth.

96.5% White, Vermont Looks At Racial Profiling

In response to complaints that law enforcement was targeting people on the basis of their race or ethnicity, Vermont formed a committee to study racial profiling in their state.  Following receipt of testimony gathered from the public and police and state officials, this panel recommended yesterday that “all police departments collect data on the race of drivers who are stopped, install video cameras in all cruisers, and expand mandatory antibias training for officers”, the Boston Globe reports.

The gathering of information is always constructive, offering a more pragmatic course to an issue that may yet steer its ugly head.  The initiative itself also serves to evoke confidence among its residents, old and new.  Vermont remains 96.5% white even with the rapid increase of ethnic and racial minorities in recent years.  According to latest census estimates, 1.2% are Asian, 1.3% are Hispanic, and less than 1% are black.

“Public trust is the essential foundation for effective law enforcement,’’ said the state’s public safety commissioner, Thomas Tremblay.  “We clearly have concerns within our growing multicultural community and the community as a whole in Vermont regarding whether it be perception or reality of racial profiling it needs to be addressed.’’

I am appalled by some of the readers’ comments to this report suggesting that there are “more pressing matters” and that the size of the non-white minority—e.g., “fifty African Americans”, “tourists, ski bums, and college students”—is negligible to warrant such attention.  I say that even if there is but one person living in the state who comes from different racial background, Vermont should not go down.  Living up to its history as a pioneer in this union, Vermont should be commended for taking these leading steps in addressing this issue.

AAPI's White House Briefing: What’s next?

Last Thursday’s White House briefing sought to engage Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders into public service.  Bringing over eighty interns from various organizations in Washington D.C., the Office of Public Engagement brought speakers to talk about “the importance of engagement and empowerment”.  Representatives from the Organization of Chinese Americans, Japanese American Citizens League, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Indian American Leadership Council, DC Mayor’s Office on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs, among others, were present.

It was an opportunity for the White House to reach out to Asian Americans to have a seat in the table and to point out that more Asian Americans have been appointed to office than previous administrations.  In turn, Brad Baldia, representing the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NACAP), hailed the meeting as “just the beginning of an ongoing dialogue” and an “unprecedented opportunity to have their voices heard and address important concerns”.

We salute this fine gesture from the administration and the strong presence of the AAPI coalition.  There are pressing issues where our voice needs to be heard.  In the ongoing health care debate, sensible talk that seeks pragmatic solutions should rise above all the distractive noise and the destructive political rambling.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Sentence: Shameful!

After 13 years under political detention, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to an additional 18 months for violating conditions of her house arrest.  Amnesty International calls for nothing but the immediate and unconditional release of the pro-democracy leader of Myanmar.

‘Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan described the verdict as ‘shameful’, adding that ‘her arrest and trial and now this guilty verdict are nothing more than legal and political theatre.’

A worldwide movement against human rights abuse, Amnesty International calls us to action by writing to Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and calling on them to secure the release of Myanmar's prisoners of conscience.

Federal Judge Takasugi: Rest in peace!

The Daily Breeze reports:  “U.S. federal Judge Robert M. Takasugi, a one-time internment camp inmate who became the first Japanese American to be appointed to the federal bench, has died. He was 78.”  Rest in peace!

See related post, “Seven:  The number of federal judges who are Asian American”

Hypernova Does Exist

“In Iran, we don’t have rock music like in your country.”

Hypernova, a Tehran-borne rock band, defies truths proclaimed by the Iranian government at the risk of fines, imprisonment, or even flogging.  Time.com updates us via this video on the group’s latest activities in response of the recent street protests.  Rock on!

Cory! Cory! Cory!

Thrust into the political arena following her husband’s assassination, Corazon Aquino, with her message of hope and her sincerity and the landmark People Power movement, catapulted into the Philippine presidency ending 20 years of the Marcos “national nightmare”. Rest in peace!



Seth Mydans of The New York Times writes about the significance of the peaceful uprising that brought Mrs. Aquino to power and why her survival in her presidency at such a tenuous time was a solid accomplishment by itself.

The Hardest Word: Sorry!

Time.com columnist Ling Woo Lui dissects the significance of saying sorry, following the California legislature’s approval of a bill to apologize for the racist laws directed against Chinese Americans since the mid-1800’s.

“What's in an apology? Some expressions of remorse are commonplace—we hear them on the playground when kids smack each other on the head, or they land in your inbox after a friend forgets your birthday. It's the grand-scale apologies, it seems, that are harder to come by.”

The formal apology comes more than a century and a half late.  The California Gold Rush precipitated an influx of Chinese migrant workers who were paid less and thereby resented by the local work force who of course had stronger political clout.  The state then enacted laws not only depriving the Chinese to work in the public sector and to own land or property, they were also barred to marry or testify against Whites in courts.  How contemptible was that!  (See related post “Happy Juneteenth”)

Hate Crimes Law Update: People first!

The Washington Post reported last Thursday the broadening of federal hate crime laws to include those motivated by “gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability”.  Before the expansion of the law, hate crimes cover only those motivated by race, color, national origin, or religion.  (See related post:  “Calling All Hate Crime Victims”)

The vote passed with a wide margin (63-28) overcoming efforts from Republicans to block the legislation.  Asian American groups support the new law, including the Asian American Justice Center who rallied for its passage.  Senators Akaka and Inouye of Hawaii voted yea.  Nevada Senator John Ensign voted nay.  (See related post:  “First Chinese American Woman in Congress”)

John Ensign, a veterinarian, pursues his animal advocacy as a U.S. Senator, particularly on federal legislature for the protection of animals against mistreatment.  Animals first, people second, Senator?

On Blue Bayou

President Obama announces this morning the nomination of Dr. Regina Benjamin as Surgeon General.  Describing her qualifications and background, the president alludes to a little known town in Alabama where the doctor left her mark.  “None has been more pertinent to today's challenges or closer to Regina's heart than the rural health clinic that she has built and rebuilt in Bayou La Batre.”

The president expounds, “Bayou La Batre is a rural town of about 2,500 people. It's a shrimping town, where a lot of folks work for themselves, scrape by, and can't usually afford health insurance.”  He added how interesting the town’s demography is “because you've got whites, blacks and Asians in this community. There are a lot of Laotians and Cambodians who have moved there and are a part of this shrimping town.”

Apart from the devastating damage Hurricane Katrina has brought to this area and how inspiring leaders like Dr. Regina Benjamin continues to contribute to its recovery, Bayou La Batre is also significant landmark for early Asian Americans.  In her book, “Survivors”, Sucheng Chan shares how Asian workers were brought in to this town to supplant the prevailing core of workers then, African Americans.  Divide and conquer!  “Owners and managers like employees from Indochina because they are concerned about the relative ease of controlling various groups of workers.” 

Likewise, Miss Chen describes the move as part of a campaign to bolster the industry’s suffering image in the wake of increased health consciousness in the late 70’s.  Perhaps, lack of compliance to FDA regulations was more prevalent then than they are now.  The plant owners have capitalized on this new awareness by conveying the message that “their plants were utterly clean even if they employed Indochinese workers.”

Dr. Regina Benjamin’s hope to be “America's family physician” will hopefully be realized if confirmed as Surgeon General.  We all will need to follow through her assurance that “no one, [she repeats] no one falls through the cracks” in this administration’s goal of providing health care to all.  We owe such supportive vigilance to the people of Bayou La Batre, given their history as a racial cauldron once subjected to such unapologetically unjust agitation.

American Justice Under Strain

In her New York Times article today, Julia Preston confirms what many already know, that U.S. immigration judges are overwhelmed by unrealistic goals, beset by mounting caseloads and the shortage of time and resources.  These findings are based on a new study published by a Georgetown University law journal.

In a related story, Miss Preston reports a White House program that extends federal immigration enforcement to state and local police with specific focus on the “capture of illegal immigrants who committed serious crimes”.  She cites resistance from immigrant advocates who argue that it will raise fear that a wider net will include immigrants with no criminal records.

These two developments underscore the same nagging issues that face our health care system, namely the focus on curing the symptoms rather on prevention.  Of course, we do not need more criminals in our already overcrowded prisons, the dark alleys of fugitives or, for that matter, the fathomless limbo of immigrant detention.  But, consider the wide spectrum of state-by-state action—or inaction—to this yet unclear process, the ill consequences of which can be as far-reaching and perhaps as uncontainable as is already the entire immigration system morass.

Addressing the challenges faced by the immigration judges should be of greater priority, ensuring that legitimate processes are not impaired by bureaucratic inadequacies or reactive expedience.  These challenges are as clear-cut as what the sensible and practical remedies should be.  Recognizing that a legal route is fair and just and workable is a prominent deterrent to going around the system or the fence.  In the meantime, let’s figure out a more pragmatic blueprint to ridding our streets of “serious” criminals, other than unleashing a potential witch-hunt.