REGISTER TO VOTE
Download the https://ssl.capwiz.com/congressorg/e4/nvra/,
print it, or call your county
election clerk, complete and sign it, and mail it
today!
Block Bill
Richardson's nomination!
Find your senator at www.senate.gov,
especially those on U.S.
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (see below)
"Dear
Senator _____, Vote against Bill Richardson's nomination as Secretary of
Commerce. During the Wen Ho Lee debacle, Governor Richardson and the
Clinton Administration persecuted Dr. Lee as a spy for Communist China while
letting Islamic Fascists in the U.S. plot the terror attacks of 9-11.
Unlike spies for Israel, Russia and other countries, Dr. Lee was jailed in
shackles and solitary confinement. Dr. Lee pled guilty to a minor offense
and the federal judge, a Republican, apologized to him. People who
discriminate against Asian Americans are unfit for public office."
See www.wenholee.org and Hall of Shame: Wen
Ho Lee Debacle
Sign the petition
"Gov Bill Richardson should not be nominated"
http://www.petitiononline.com/GovBillR/petition.html
Members
of
U.S.
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Democrats
Daniel K. Inouye (HI) (Chair)
John D. Rockefeller, IV (WV)
John F. Kerry (MA)
Byron L. Dorgan (ND)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Thomas Carper (DE)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Republicans
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) (Ranking Member)
John McCain (AZ)
Olympia J. Snowe (ME)
John Ensign (NV)
Jim DeMint (SC)
David Vitter (LA)
John Thune (SD)
Roger Wicker (MS)
3 other Republicans were defeated
Please write Yale to protest this harassment of an Asian American, especially if
you attended Yale.
Harold Koh
Dean
Yale
Law
School
P.O. Box
208215
New Haven CT
06520-8215
203-432-1660
harold.koh@yale.edu or
georganne.rogers@yale.edu
Bigots for the Left Harass
Asian American
1/10/08 Wall Street Journal: Editorial: Yale and the Terrorist
John Yoo can be forgiven if he's having second thoughts about
his career choice. A
Yale
Law
School
graduate, the
Berkeley
professor of law went on to serve his country at the Justice Department. Yet
last week he was sued by convicted terrorist Jose Padilla and his mother, who
are represented by none other than lawyers at Yale. Perhaps if Mr. Yoo had
decided to pursue a life of terrorism, he too could be represented by his alma
mater.
Padilla
is the American citizen who was arrested in 2002, and detained as an "enemy
combatant" in a military brig in
Charleston
,
S.C.
, under suspicion of plotting to set off a radioactive "dirty bomb"
in a
U.S.
city. Padilla fought his detention on Constitutional grounds, losing his case
in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In January 2006, the feds
transferred him out of military custody to be tried in civilian court in
Miami
. The dirty bomb charge was never filed because the military hadn't read him
his Miranda rights or provided him a lawyer when he was interrogated. A jury
nonetheless took a day and half last August to convict him of conspiracy to
murder, kidnap and maim people overseas. Padilla could get life in prison.
Mr. Yoo
is the former deputy assistant attorney general who wrote memos laying out some
of the legal parameters in the war on terror. Those memos most famously
pertained to interrogation techniques, some of which were used against such
enemy combatants as Padilla. Mr. Yoo long ago returned to
Berkeley
, and we are happy to say he sometimes writes for us.
Now, years later, Mr. Yoo is being harassed by a lawsuit
claiming he is personally liable for writing those memos as a midlevel
government official. "Defendant Yoo subjected Mr. Padilla to illegal
conditions of confinement and treatment that shocks the conscience in violation
of Mr. Padilla's Fifth Amendment Rights to procedural and substantive due
process," the complaint asserts.
But Padilla's rights weren't violated, and certainly not by
Mr. Yoo, whose legal arguments at the time were accepted by his superiors,
including Attorney General John Ashcroft. The decision to hold Padilla as an
enemy combatant was made by President Bush, and defended in court by executive
branch lawyers. They won that case in the most senior court in which it was
heard, in an opinion written by then-Judge Michael Luttig of the Fourth Circuit.
The Bush Administration later transferred Padilla to be tried in the
Miami
court, and the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal. Padilla got his day in
court -- on both Constitutional and criminal grounds -- and lost.
What we really have here is less a tort claim than a
political stunt intended to intimidate government officials. Nothing in the
claim will change Padilla's future, and the suit asks for only $1 in damages,
plus legal fees. Instead, the suit seeks "a judgment declaring that the
acts alleged herein are unlawful and violate the Constitution and laws of the
United States
." In short, the Yale attorneys are using Padilla as a legal prop in one
more attempt to find a judge willing to declare that the Bush Administration's
antiterror policies are illegal. And if it can harass Mr. Yoo with bad publicity
and legal costs along the way, so much the better.
This is nasty business and would have damaging consequences
if it worked. Government officials have broad legal immunity (save for criminal
acts) precisely so they can make decisions without worrying about personal
liability. If political appointees can be sued years later for advice that was
accepted by their superiors, we will soon have a government run not by elected
officials but by tort lawyers and judges.
The antiwar left has failed to overturn
U.S.
policies in Congress, or by directly challenging the government in court. So
its latest tactic is suing third parties, such as the telephone companies that
cooperated on al Qaeda wiretaps after 9/11. And now it is suing former
government officials, hoping to punish them and deter future appointees from
offering any advice that the left dislikes.
Which brings us back to Yale. The real litigant here is the
National Litigation Project at the Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic
at
Yale
Law
School
. That sounds august, but this is really a leftwing bucket shop using Yale's
sponsorship to achieve antiwar policy goals via lawsuit. We trust the dean of
Yale Law, Harold Koh, is proud of suing an alumnus on behalf of a terrorist, and
that Yale's other alumni know how their donations are being used.
HELP CHINESE PARENTS KEEP THEIR DAUGHTER
I have
contributed and I encourage you to do so.
If you would like to show your
support for the He family, you can:
6/26/07
ABC News Law & Justice Unit: "Supreme Court: Decision Stands for Anna
Mae He; High Court Won't Intervene in Bitter Custody Battle Over 8-Year-Old
Girl,"
by Teri Whitcraft
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review a bitter
custody battle over 8-year-old Anna Mae He, whose biological parents have been
fighting for years to get her back from the family that has raised her since she
was an infant.
The high court denied an application by Jerry and Louise
Baker to stop a Tennessee Supreme Court mandate ordering that Anna Mae He be
reunited with her natural parents, Jack and Casey He.
The court also denied the Bakers' petition to review the case
and reverse the Tennessee court's decision.
The Hes put Anna Mae in what they said was temporary foster
care with the Bakers when she was nearly a month old. They have been fighting to
reunify with their daughter for seven years.
The Bakers have argued that the Hes agreed to let Anna Mae
live with them until she was 18 years old. The Bakers had an early victory when,
in 2004, a state court granted them parental rights over Anna Mae, a decision
that was upheld in the lower courts. Then, in January, the Tennessee Supreme
Court reversed that decision, ordering that Anna Mae be returned to Jack and
Casey He.
Joy and Devastation
The two families, expectedly, had sharply differing reactions
to the Court's decision in the controversial custody battle Monday.
"This is the most wonderful and amazing news for my
whole family," said Jack He. " I want to sing the song 'Amazing Grace'
to everybody!"
On the other side of the story, Jerry and Louise Baker, who
have waged a desperate fight to keep the 8-year-old, were reportedly devastated
by the news.
According to their attorney, Larry Parrish, Jerry Baker said,
"We can get through this."
'A Bomb Dropped'
"Once again, the U.S. Supreme Court has slammed the door
of justice in the face of an innocent child who has nowhere else to turn,"
said Debbie Grabarkiewicz of the child advocacy organization Hear My Voice,
which has supported the Bakers in their fight to keep Anna Mae. "We had
hoped, that after eight years, this court would finally take a look at the
injustice that has been done to this child."
The Bakers' attorney said that even though the Bakers were
prepared for the decision and knew that the Supreme Court would most likely deny
their petition, they were still disappointed.
"This is such a major thing, that even if you expect it,
it's like expecting to have a bomb dropped on your head," Parrish told ABC
News' Law & Justice Unit. "You look up, see it coming, and hope it
won't go off. But it did."
"The recent decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court
speak for themselves," said Jack He. "While the recent actions taken
by the Bakers also speak for themselves. Out of respect for the juvenile court
gag order, I will not at this time be making any further comment."
Pastor LaSimba Gray of New Sardis Baptist Church, who is
president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Memphis and has been supporting Jack
and Casey He in their fight to get Anna Mae back, said he hoped today's ruling
would mark the end of Anna Mae's legal saga.
"I'm delighted. I'm hopeful this will expedite the
process of returning Anna Mae to her rightful parents. Hopefully, this will be
the last judicial appeal that the Bakers will have in this process to delay the
return of Anna Mae to her parents," he said.
"The court ruled that Anna Mae should be returned to
them in an expeditious manner, but it's been six months and we're going into the
seventh month. While we did not expect them to return Anna Mae to her parents
overnight, we certainly didn't expect it to take seven months."
Bakers Refuse to Give Up
Despite the Supreme Court decision, the Bakers continue to
fight.
In federal court papers filed June 12, 2007, the Bakers made
another plea to overturn the Tennessee Supreme Court ruling that orders Anna Mae
He returned to her biological parents. The Bakers argue for a "writ of
habeas corpus," that is, an order challenging the state's custody of Anna
Mae.
The Bakers said the Tennessee Supreme Court and others
involved were "amputating [Anna Mae's] legs" and that the court's
rulings "are indefensible violations of rights secured to [Anna Mae] by the
United States Constitution."
They called the Hes "strangers" who "have
become monsters in her world," while they say they are her parents in
"every single respect." Denouncing the court's rulings, the Bakers
said, "No civilized person ever would have conceived the child custody
exception as an instrument to leave this nation's children exposed to unbridled
& violation of the most fundamental and most basic and most elementary
rights conferred by the United States Constitution. If we have stooped to such a
level, we should re-examine if we remain a civilized society."
Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper Jr. argued in papers
filed June 18 that the Tennessee Supreme Court properly found that the Hes never
abandoned their daughter Anna Mae and that the district court lacked
jurisdiction to hear the case.
He also criticized Parrish for including "a number of
extreme and horrifying hypotheticals" in his filing. "The Hes have
full and intact parental rights. The Bakers should not be permitted to usurp
those rights," Cooper wrote.
Parrish filed a motion Monday, replying to the attorney
general's response to his petition for habeas corpus in U.S. District Court. In
it, Parrish argued that Anna Mae will suffer "substantial harm" if the
motion is denied, the federal court has jurisdiction to hear the case, and
"habeas corpus" applies here. (Habeas corpus is typically used to
challenge criminal detention and is not typically used in custody situations.)
By taking Anna Mae from the Bakers, the state is treating the
child as "nothing more than a sack of potatoes to be moved about as gently
or roughly as the state, without concern for [Anna Mae's] personhood,
chooses," the filing said.
The fact that Anna Mae suffers harm and trauma because of old
mistakes by Tennessee courts "is no solace" to the girl, Parrish wrote
in his response. "Harm is harm is harm and trauma is trauma is
trauma," he wrote. This final plea may be the Bakers' last hope.
"If the Federal District Court chooses to address the
merits to decide whether Anna's constitutional rights were violated, I am
extremely optimistic," said Parrish. "My concern is that the Federal
District Court will find a technicality to avoid deciding whether [Anna Mae's]
constitutional rights were violated."
If the federal court doesn't intervene, Anna Mae is expected
to be permanently reunited with her biological family and two younger siblings
sometime in late July.
With reporting contributed by Lauren Pearle.
5/07:
Idiot Lawyer Sues Korean-American Owners of Dry
Cleaner for $65 Million Over Lost Pants
Contribute to the Custom Cleaners Defense Fund.
I have done so. http://www.CustomCleanersDefenseFund.com
Write
the
District of Columbia
government to remove plaintiff as
an administrative law judge.
5/4/07
Washington
Post: Customer Sues for $65 Million Over Pants,
by Lubna Takruri, The Associated Press
Washington
-- A missing pair of pants has led to one big
suit. A customer
got so steamed when a dry cleaner lost his trousers that he sued for $65
million.
Two years later, he is still pressing his suit.
Press
Release: Commission Urged To Reconsider Tenure of Law Judge Who's Suing
Dry Cleaner for $65 Million Reappointment to New 10-Year Term, at Taxpayers
Expense,
Could Start Tomorrow
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
, CONTACT: Darren McKinney, dmckinney@atra.org,
202-682-0084
Washington, DC, May 01, 2007 -- The American Tort Reform
Association yesterday
delivered a letter to four District of Columbia officials, urging them to
consider carefully
the "judicial temperament" of an administrative law judge who is
seeking reappointment
while suing a local dry cleaner - over a lost pair of pants - for more
than $65 million.
His pants were found long ago and are readily available to
him, explained ATRA
president Sherman Joyce. What may no longer be available to him, unless he
withdraws
his lawsuit, is a reputation as a jurist with appropriate judicial
temperament.
As recently reported by The Washington Post, FOX News Channel
and other local
and national media outlets, D.C. administrative law judge Roy Pearson Jr. has
sued
Custom Cleaners in Northeast D.C. under the Districts Consumer Protection
and
Procedures Act, alleging among other things that window signs advertising
Satisfaction
Guaranteed and Same Day Service fraudulently deceived customers.
The Districts consumer protection act and many others
in states across the country
are well-intentioned but loosely worded, Joyce continued. They were
crafted largely
in the late-1960s and into the 1970s, before personal injury litigation was
industrialized
by the trial bar in the 1980s, and Judge Pearsons lawsuit appears to be a
somewhat
typical, if wholly outrageous example of the exploitation such laws are
increasingly
subject to these days.
ATRA pledges to raise sufficient funds to buy Judge
Pearson a high-quality suit of
his choosing if hell do the right thing and let this hardworking family
business get back
to serving its community and paying taxes to the District government, added
Joyce.
But since that may not do the trick, weve reached out to the commission
considering
his reappointment to the well-paid, taxpayer-supported position hes held
since May 2, 2005.
He noted that D.C. administrative law judges first serve a
two-year term upon initial
appointment and can then apply for reappointment to a 10-year term. Judge
Pearsons
initial term expires today, and a source at the Commission of Selections and
Appointments
of Administrative Law Judges of the Office of Administrative Hearings confirmed
to ATRA
that he has applied for reappointment. The OAH telephone number is (202)
478-1421.
Joyces letter to Chief Administrative Law Judge Tyrone
Butler and Commissioners
Robert Rigsby, Henry Levine and Peter Wilner also was copied to D.C. Mayor
Adrian
Fenty, all members of the D.C. Council and D.C. Superior Court Judge Rufus King,
all of whom have a role in deciding who will serve on the commission in the
future.
Judge Pearson also was copied. Full text of the ATRA letter follows below:
April 30, 2007
Chief Administrative Law Judge Tyrone Butler
D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings
825
N. Capitol Street,
NE
Washington
,
D.C.
,
20002
Commissioner Robert Rigsby
Commissioner Henry Levine
Commissioner Peter Wilner
Commission on Selection and Tenure of Administrative Law Judges
441
Fourth Street NW, Suite
540
S
Washington
,
D.C.
20001
RE: Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearsons Pending Reappointment to a 10-Year
Term
Dear
Judge Butler and Commissioners Rigsby, Levine and Wilner:
On
behalf of the American Tort Reform Association, which works to combat lawsuit
abuse,
I urge you to carefully reconsider the reappointment of Administrative Law Judge
Roy
Pearson Jr. to a 10-year term scheduled to commence in three days on May
2.
As you are almost surely aware by now, thanks to extensive
local and national media
coverage, Judge Pearson has chosen to exploit the Districts well-intentioned
but loosely-
worded Consumer Protection and Procedures Act in suing a family-owned D.C.
dry
cleaner for more than $65 million over a lost pair of suit pants.
Though the pants have long since been found and made
available to him, Judge Pearson
has stubbornly continued to waste precious Superior Court resources in a clearly
misguided
effort to extort a hardworking family that provides a service to its community
and tax revenue
to the District government.
In a letter to the editor in todays Washington Post,
former National Labors Relations Board
chief administrative law judge Melvin Welles urged any bar to which Mr.
Pearson belongs to
immediately disbar him and the District to remove him from his position as an
administrative
law judge.
To those of us who
carefully study the litigation industrys growing abuse of consumer protection
laws around the country (see ATRA general counsel Victor Schwartzs recent
article from
Executive Counsel magazine, Consumer Protection Acts Are a Springboard for
Lawsuit Abuse,
enclosed) and to everyday D.C. taxpayers who collectively provide Judge Pearson
with a
considerable salary, his persistence in this lawsuit raises serious doubts about
his capacity to
serve the city as a fair, impartial, effective, and efficient judge, as
required by the Office of
Administrative Hearings Establishment Act.
If Judge Pearson goes ahead with his lawsuit, any party who
comes before him in future
administrative hearings could understandably lack confidence in his judgment and
judicial
temperament. Furthermore, this case will become fodder for late night comics,
various members
of Congress and other assorted critics of D.C. government if this case,
scheduled for trial
June 11, remains in the headlines.
Judicial temperament
is a critical characteristic of an outstanding jurist. Any individual who
chooses to pursue a case such as Judge Pearsons, at a minimum, calls into
question his or
hers. As you consider his reappointment, we strongly urge you to examine closely
his judicial
temperament and decide whether it is sufficient to serve the people of the
District of
Columbia
properly as an administrative law judge.
Sincerely,
Sherman
Joyce
President
American Tort Reform Association
Enclosure: Consumer Protection Acts
Are a Springboard for Lawsuit Abuse,
Executive Counsel, March/April 2007, Vol. 4 No. 2
Cc:
Mayor Adrian Fenty, Council Chair Vincent Gray, Superior Court Chief Judge Rufus
King,
all D.C. Council Members and Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearson
The
American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is the only national organization
dedicated
exclusively to tort and liability reform through public education and the
enactment of legislation.
ATRA's membership includes non profits, small and large companies, as well as
state and
national trade, business, and professional associations.
3/07: Condemn anti-Asian hate crimes and
hold MTA accountable!
Click on the link to sign the
petition!
http://www.petitiononline.com/mtahate1/petition.html
To: Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force Commanding
Officer Inspector Michael Osgood, MTA Bus President Tom Savage
On March 16, 2007 the New York Post reported that 17 year old Asian
high school
student, Marie Stefanie Martinez was assaulted in
New York
by a group of teenagers
on a MTA B82 bus due to their perception that she looked Chinese even
though
she is of Filipino descent. Ms. Martinez was punched, kicked, and subjected
to
slurs in what can be categorized as a hate crime based on her attackers
animus
towards her perceived ethnicity.
Reportedly, the MTA bus operator who witnessed the assault did nothing to
intervene
during the course of the assault on Ms. Martinez and neglected his moral and
ethical
duty to ensure the safety of MTA riders and punctuated his negligent conduct
by
allegedly advising Ms. Martinez, who was still wearing her Catholic school
uniform,
to "go talk to a priest" after the assault.
This petition seeks the following:
1) The MTA and NYPD conduct a vigorous full and complete investigation into
the
incident ensuring that any violations found of any applicable hate crimes
statutes are
fully applied.
2) The bus operator be subjected to discipline commensurate to the action
of
permitting riders to commit a hate crime on a MTA rider. If the bus operator is
found
to have permitted the assault to have taken place and informed Ms. Martinez
to
go talk to a priest, MTA should subject the bus operator to termination
from his position.
By signing this petition, you state that you agree with the aforementioned two
points.
Let this serve as notice that the Asian American community remembers the hate
crimes
perpetrated on Fermin Tobera, Vincent Chin, Thong H. Huynh, An Pech, Ly Yung
Cheung,
Navroze Mody, Raphanor Or, Ram Chun, Sokhim An, Thuy Tran, Oeun Lim, Ming Hai
"Jim" Loo, Heng Lim, Hung Truong,
the Nakashima Family, Luyen Phan Nguyen,
Sam Nhang Nhem, Thanh Mai, Eddy Wu, Thien Minh Ly, Kanu Patel, Mukesh Patek,
Naoki Kamijima, Won-Joon Yoon, Joseph Ileto, Sandip Patel, Theo Pham, Ji-ye
Sun,
Anil Thakur, Thung Phetakoune, Kenny Chiu, Balbir Singh Sodhi, Waqar Hasan,
Mijanaur Rahman, Mohammed Sakawat, Vasudev Patel, Lili Wang, Bang Mai,
Charlotte Colton, Ze Fairchild, Maleka Higgins, Nicola Grant, Guadalupe
Swartz,
Dexter Shannon, Beverly Graham, Song Sun Lee, Stephen Kam Yan Li, and the
countless other Asians and Asian Americans who have suffered the ultimate
price
due to racial hatred aimed at the Asian/Asian American community.
We will not tolerate hate crimes and will vigorously act to ensure justice in
our communities.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03182007/news/regionalnews/girls_bloody_beating_regionalnews_dan_mangan________and_leela_de_kretser.htm
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03212007/news/regionalnews/girl__14__nabbed_in_student_bus_beating_regionalnews_erika_martinez_and_leela_de_kretser.htm
Sincerely,
The
Undersigned
3/07: Vote Against John Deutch as a Director of Citigroup
The Clinton Administration attempted to crucify Wen Ho Lee for mishandling
classified information. See Hall of
Shame: Wen Ho Lee Debacle. John Deutch, former CIA director, also
mishandled classified information by placing them on an unsecure home computer
which could have been accessed via the internet. Bigot for the Left Bill
Clinton pardoned Deutch but did not pardon Lee. Vote against Deutch as a
director of Citigroup.
Is
Princeton
discriminating against Asian American applicants?
Click on the link to sign the petition!
http://www.petitiononline.com/prince07/petition.html
To: Princeton University
Is Princeton University discriminating against Asian-American applicants?
A study published by Princeton's own researchers concluded that an Asian-American applicant must score 50 points higher on the SAT than a white applicant just to have the same chance of admission.
(http://opr.princeton.edu/faculty/Tje/EspenshadeSSQPtII.pdf)
However, Princeton refuses to release test scores and admission rates by ethnicity, saying the public has not asked for the information.
As a member of the public, I request that Princeton release average test scores and admission rates on its applicants by ethnic group (African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, and White). Only a more transparent process can shed light on allegations of discrimination.
If Princeton refuses to do so, what is it trying to hide?
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
(If you graduated from Princeton, please indicate in
the comments section.)
April 2006: Protest racist articles at Yale Rumpus
Dear AASA Members,
"Asian girls are like
New Orleans
levees; they only stay tight for so long" -- Rumpus 4.15.2006 titled
"Me Love You Long Time: Yale's case of Yellow Fever" in their Bulldog
Days Issue
"If you have Yellow Fever... Where can you find the largest gatherings of
Lees, Wangs and Kims on campus this weekend? For once, the answer isn't at the
library.'" -- Herald 1.20.2006 Calendar Section
"[cartoon] I figured I'd vote for Larry Wise 'cause he's got a better
platform...and plus, isn't Emery Asian?" -- Herald 4.14.2006 Comics Section
Many of you may have read the
recent articles in the Rumpus' Prefrosh Issue ("Me Love You Long Time:
Yale's Case of Yellow Fever" and "Miscegenation Station: Interracial
Dating at Yale") and the newest cartoon in this week's edition of the
Herald. Unfortunately, this is not the first time such sexual and racial
stereotypes have been propagated under the guise of jokes in either newspaper.
These comments are made as jokes, but not all jokes are
appropriate. Weve been
silent when incidents such as these have occurred, but this time we need to be
heard. These incidents
occur against our community because we have ignored, and therefore implicitly
condoned them. The most effective way to voice your disgust is to let the
administration know that this will no longer be tolerated.
Weve begun an e-mail campaign, and we urge you to voice
your opinion to those that can do something about this, the administration. This
campaign will only be effective if you send out these emails. If you are offended by these articles, Yale needs to hear your
voice and know you care.
We are not providing you with a stock email to send out,
because a personalized email with your own views and opinions will be most
effective. Weve attached a few points below that you may want to consider
when emailing these administrators. An example letter is also attached to this
email; feel free to use parts of it for your email.
Email the following people
to voice your opinion:
Dean Peter Salovey, Dean of Yale
College
Dean Betty Trachtenberg, Dean
of Student Affairs
Dean Jeffrey Brenzel, Dean of
Admissions
Dean Saveena Dhall, Dean of
the Asian American Cultural Center
CC the Editors of the Herald
and Rumpus, so they know youve contacted the Deans about this.
Herald Editors: Tamara Micner: yh-editor@yaleherald.com
Rumpus Editors: miriam.gattis@yale.edu
<mailto:miriam.gattis@yale.edu>,
samuel.heller@yale.edu <mailto:samuel.heller@yale.edu>
Points to consider in
your email (the articles are attached to this email):
The latest issue of the
Rumpus is the prefrosh issue, meaning that it is read by prospective students
and parents while deciding which college they will enroll in. Though Yale
students understand the nature of the Rumpus, prefrosh and their parents do not
have the same context for it that we do. This may counteract many of the
diversity initiatives that Yale has been implementing over the last decade.
How is So just remember,
in the words of one yeller feller,Asian girls are like
New Orleans
levees; they only stay tight for so long at all appropriate?
The editor of the Rumpus said
that they had been planning on doing an article on self-segregation and the Af/Am
house and another on racial supremacy and La Unidad Latina (the Latino
fraternity on campus), but the editorial board shot down the idea because they
"thought it would kick up a shitstorm."
Asians and Asian American currently make up 13% of the
Yale
College
population.
It is extremely troubling that both of the publications
involved are institutionally sponsored. Because the Herald and Rumpus
receive UOFC funding, we effectively subsidize the mockery that is directed back
at us.
Amit Mahadevia
Asian American Student Association
Monday, April 17, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to protest the prevalence of racism aimed
directly at Asians and Asian Americans in Yale-funded student publications and
the refusal of both the administration and editors of the offending papers to
address these issues. These incidents have occurred throughout the school year
and we feel that they are continually overlooked, ignored, and thus implicitly
condoned.
Examples of these incidents may be found in the January 15th,
2005; September 9th, 2005; January 20th, 2006; January 27th,
2006; and April 14th, 2006 editions of the Yale Herald and the April
14th, 2006 edition of the Rumpus. The calendar section of the
1/20 issue of the Herald highlights the Asian American Film Festival with the
headline If You Have Yellow Fever, continuing with, Where can you find
the largest gatherings of Lees, Wangs, and Kims on campus this weekend? For
once, the answer isnt at the library. The article unfairly
discredits the film festival through the perpetuation of negative
stereotypes. Unfortunately, this is not atypical of campus publications.
The 4/14 edition of the Herald included a comic about the YCC
runoff elections between Larry Wise and Emery Choi that implied that race is a
primary factor in voting for a presidential candidate and that being Asian
discredits otherwise legitimate candidates. Other articles and comics may be
seen in the attached packet.
The 4/14 edition of the Rumpus both treated Asian women as
sexual objects (So just remember, in the words of one yeller feller, Asian
girls are like
New Orleans
levees; they only stay tight for so long.) and attempted to emasculate Asian
men (Asian guys have no game.). We understand that the Rumpus is a
satirical publication, but it has shown itself to be capable of satire without
stooping to the marginalization of an entire community. The fact that these
comments are made as jokes does not mean they are appropriate. These stereotypes
are not jokes to those who have to face them on a day-to-day basis.
Asian-American students make up 13% of
Yale
College
. It is appalling that their peers continue to use outdated stereotypes as a
source of humor, and to belittle them when they object to being categorized as
such. We are also extremely troubled that the examples of racism mentioned
above are institutionally sponsored. Because the Herald and Rumpus
received UOFC funding, Asian American students are effectively subsidizing
their own subjugation.
Yale
College
is a liberal place, and not
necessarily the most politically correct, and we accept that. But this is
also a community of equals, and we cannot stand idly by while our equals are
treated with disrespect based solely on their race. I join the Asian
American Students Alliance, Alianza, Black Students Alliance at Yale, Chinese
American Students Association, Dominican Student Association, East Coast Asian
American Students Union at Yale, InSight, Japanese American Students Union,
KASAMA: Filipino Students at Yale, Korean American Students at Yale, Manifesta,
MEChA, Muslim Students Association, Political Action and Education Committee of
the Asian American Students Alliance, Realizing Race, Social Justice
Network, South Asian Society, Students of Mixed Heritage and Culture, Taiwanese
American Society, the Vietnamese Students Association, and the Womens Center
in petitioning for action from the editors of these papers and the Yale College
administration.
Sincerely,
3/06: Vote Against John Deutch as a Director of Citigroup
The Clinton Administration attempted to crucify Wen Ho Lee for mishandling
classified information. See Hall of
Shame: Wen Ho Lee Debacle. John Deutch, former CIA director, also
mishandled classified information by placing them on an unsecure home computer
which could have been accessed via the internet. Bigot for the Left Bill
Clinton pardoned Deutch but did not pardon Lee. Vote against Deutch as a
director of Citigroup.
12/24/04 Dallas
Morning News:
Coppell family keeps faith while pastor
clings to life. After
stroke, generosity for immigrant couple transcends boundaries,
by Esther Wu
As the wife of a preacher, Sook Jeon knows that Christmas is more than
holiday cookies and presents under the tree. She believes it is about teaching
people about the birth of Jesus Christ, peace on earth and good will toward
others.
MARK M.
HANCOCK/Special Contributor
Sook Jeon cares for her husband at their Coppell
apartment. The Rev. Jong Jeon was left paralyzed by a stroke in 2002.
But even knowing the true meaning of the holiday, Mrs. Jeon said,
she couldn't help hoping for one Christmas wish.
"I
want my husband to wake up. I still have hope that he will come through
this," she says as she massages the arm of her husband, the Rev. Jong Jeon, who lies semiconscious
in a borrowed hospital bed in the living room of their sparse Coppell apartment.
The
preacher's eyes dart back and forth as his wife speaks. She says he knows when
people are in the room and understands what is said. Standing next to the bed, Mrs.
Jeon reaches down, puts her hands to her husband's face and speaks directly at him, but he is
unresponsive. It has been this way for almost three years.
Theirs is
a situation that would make even the most stalwart Christian question his or her
faith.
But not Mrs. Jeon.
How You Can Help
The Dallas
Korean Cultural Foundation has opened an account for the family of Jong Jeon
at the Bank of Texas,
2650 Royal Lane
,
Dallas
,
Texas
,
75229
. Donations can be made to the foundation, with Jong Jeon designated as the
beneficiary. Contact James Posey with the Bank of
Texas
at 972-443-2800. For more information, contact Helen Kim at 972-484-5758.
"The Lord watches over all of us. He has led us here,
and he is still with us. He will get us through," Mrs. Jeon said through an interpreter. "Miracles can
happen."
Evidence
of miracles already surrounds these strangers from a foreign land.
Mr. Jeon,
now 49, suffered a massive stroke on Feb. 10, 2002, that left him
completely paralyzed. He gets nourishment through feeding tubes. Trachea tubes help him
breath. But infection, bedsores and pneumonia are a constant battle, so trips to
Parkland
Memorial
Hospital
's emergency room are routine.
"When
he had his stroke, the doctors told me there was no hope. He was going to die.
But see ... he is getting better. He can move one finger. He can tell me 'yes' or
'no' now," said Mrs. Jeon, 47. But her husband's hands lay limp on the bed.
Desperate
needs
The family
who came to the
United States
from
Korea
in 1997 has no medical insurance, no income and very few friends in the
United States
. Mrs. Jeon, whose job has been to take care of the couple's two children, does not speak any English. Attempts to
obtain local, state or federal assistance have failed.
So for
now, Mr. Jeon, a former preacher for the
First
Full
Gospel
Korean
Church
of
Dallas, lies in a borrowed hospital bed. Instead of brightly wrapped Christmas presents,
boxes of medical supplies are stacked against the wall. The rhythmic sounds from the
machine that keeps his trachea tubes clear as he breathes in and out are a sharp reminder of
the fragile line between life and death.
Some
North Texas
residents have stepped forward to help the Jeons people of differing races and religions. They have been giving from the heart to help someone in
need. And while not all are Christians, they are living in the true spirit of Christmas not
just today, but all year long.
Helena
Kim, a member of the St. Andrew Korean Catholic Church, read about the Jeons in the local Korean newspaper two years ago and has been a steady resource for
the family since.
A former
nurse and now a business owner, Mrs. Kim and her husband have helped
support the family for the last two years by providing groceries, medical supplies and
even cash.
"When
I read about this family, I thought someone has to help them. They have
nobody," said Mrs. Kim. "And they need so much."
Mrs. Kim
admits that there have been times when it has been difficult to stay on with
the family. "I have a business and my own family, too," she said.
"But when I see Mrs. Jeon and think about what she is going through, well, how can I stop?"
The local
chapter of the Tzu-Chi Foundation, a Taiwanese Buddhist organization, has been providing financial aid to the family, which has enabled them to pay their
rent each month.
Y.L. Ling,
the local Tzu-Chi president, said the purpose of his organization is to
provide relief where it is needed.
"The
Jeons are Christian, and we are Buddhist. But there are no boundaries when
people need help," explained Mr. Ling. "We do this voluntarily, with no
expectation of anything in return."
Tzu-Chi
members have also arranged to have their doctors examine Mr. Jeon from time
to time and to provide acupuncture treatments to help the recovery process.
These
volunteers help sustain Mrs. Jeon's faith.
"You
ask how I remain true to my church after all that has happened. I say it is only
through our faith that we are where we are," she said.
Finding
faith
Mr. Jeon
was born in
Seoul,
South Korea, in 1955. He once told his wife that while serving in the South Korean military, a bomb went off during a skirmish with the North
Koreans. Most everyone was killed and Mr. Jeon thought that God spared him for a
reason. He later dedicated his life to serving God, Mrs. Jeon said.
Mr. Jeon
became an ordained minister of the
Korean
Full
Gospel
Church
, a Christian church with Pentecostal roots established in South Korea
in the late 1950s.
He served
as a minister in
Seoul
for 17 years and immigrated to the
United States
with his family in 1997 when he was called to pastor a church in Hawaii.
Two years
later he moved to a church in
Colorado
, and in October 2001, he came to Dallas. Five months later, while visiting a church in
Oklahoma
, Mr. Jeon had the stroke.
He was
hospitalized for a month in
Oklahoma
before he was transferred by ambulance to Parkland in
Dallas, where he stayed another month. When doctors told Mrs.Jeon there was nothing more they could do for her husband, she brought him home to care for him
herself. A hospice organization provided the necessary home-care medical equipment and
supplies for a year.
"But
hospice is for the dying," Mrs. Kim said. "And you can see the pastor
is still very much alive."
So the
hospice caregivers left, taking with them all their equipment.
Mrs. Kim
managed to borrow a bed from
Parkland
and found people to donate money for an air mattress and medical equipment. Mrs. Jeon has learned how to care for her
husband herself.
"Just
when it seem impossible to go on another day, God provided for us in one way
or another," Mrs. Jeon said.
Mrs. Kim
visits regularly to run errands, translate and fill out medical forms and to
keep Mrs. Jeon company.
With no
steady income except what comes from Tzu-Chi, Mrs. Kim has been trying to get public assistance for the family.
"Because
Mr. Jeon has worked less than 10 years, he is not eligible for Social
Security," Mrs. Kim said. "Now I am trying to help the family get food stamps and
welfare, but it is very frustrating. No one seems to know if the family is
eligible."
Officials
with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in
Austin
are trying to determine if the family would benefit from any of their programs.
"A
manager from our local eligibility offices in the
Dallas
-
Fort Worth
area will be contacting Mrs. Kim to determine the household's potential eligibility. Our staff is also
working on some other avenues outside the HHSC to try to get some immediate resources for the
family this holiday season," said Jennifer Harris, an agency spokeswoman.
When asked
how she manages, Mrs. Jeon looked at her husband and said, "How can I
not? It is unbearable to think of him not here."
Thanks to
student loans and grants, the couple's two children, Laura and Daniel, are attending college away from home. Mrs. Jeon is hoping they'll be home for
Christmas. She has put up an artificial Christmas tree in the living room, by her husband's
hospital bed.
"He
knows it is Christmas. It makes him happy to see the tree."