Making Musical History (Feature) Patsy Mink Remembered at Two-Hour Memorial in Hawai‘i (in National News) State Labor Commissioner Pays Back Wages to Wins Workers (in Bay Area News) Fashion and Compassion (in Business) Dodgers Introduce Major Leagues’ First Taiwanese-born Player (in Sports) Asian American Jazz Festival Converges on Japantown (in A&E) Emil Amok: Selling War and Sleeper Cells (in Opinion)

Overlooked Candidate

DEAR EDITOR: A few days ago I wrote a letter about AsianWeek’s failure to profile any of the Libertarian Party’s candidates for state office, other than Mike Denny, in your “2002 APA Voter Guide” (Sept. 12).

At the time I sent that letter, I had not seen the local section of this guide. Upon reviewing the information on local candidates, I discovered that you also failed to mention my own candidacy for Board of Supervisors in District 8. While leaving out the sole alternative party candidate in the race (myself), you managed to find room for all five of my competitors — each of whom happens to be a Democrat.

I would like to think this was a simple error, or bad luck of the draw in who would fit on a page, but when candidates from a particular political party are repeatedly excluded, it begins to look like bias. In either case, I request that you make space in your publication before the Nov. 5 election to profile myself and the Libertarian Party candidates for state office, and apologize to your readers for misleading them about their choices.

As members of the only party that supports open immigration and full equal rights for immigrants and strongly condemns preferential admissions and hiring policies that punish your hard work and qualifications, Libertarians have a lot to offer to Asian Pacific American voters. All we’re asking for is a chance to be heard on an equal basis.

DEAR EDITOR: The movie Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, starring Lucy Liu, brings a new role for a Chinese American woman. Possessing hi-tech computer expertise plus martial art skills and ballistic weaponry, Lucy beats up and shoots up 51 bad guys of the West.

She noisily destroys 66 vehicles, 28 freight train cars and quietly kills an arch foe by using a computerized program, showing that an Asian can be more powerful and more intelligent than all others. This is a reversal of Hollywood history. It was not acceptable to portray Westerners losing to an Asian before.

The cool and beautiful Lucy hardly speaks, nary a smile, in this movie. At its conclusion is another historical first: no kiss with the leading man, Antonio Banderas. She simply says, “take care of your family.” Then walks away. Fin. Poor Tony, I know how he feels.

Asian women, you no longer need to play that stereotype role of a sex toy, to be used only as an object of pleasure to satisfy Western men. Lucy Liu has liberated you. This movie is a milestone, thanks to her.

DEAR EDITOR: I went to see Jackie Chan’s latest movie The Tuxedo, and came away less than satisfied. Sure, it was refreshing to see a white woman going after an APA male’s body. Perhaps it is about time that we Asian males can be viewed as sex symbols. And it was somewhat encouraging that at the end of the movie, there was just a slight hint of romance between Jackie Chan and his co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt.

But then again, the character that Jackie Chan portrayed is nothing more than a caricature of an Asian male. The only difference is that this time instead of being some kung fu fighter, he gets his supernatural powers from a tuxedo. He is only “ordinary” in the sense that he is subservient to some white person with an English accent. He is again stereotyped to be like the houseboy in the Bonanza series.

Is this really progress for APA males? I don’t think so. I can’t wait to see the day when some APA male wins the girl being just the way we are, without help from some supernatural power.

An Investigation of MUNI

DEAR EDITOR: This morning I observed an incident on MUNI that really made it seem that bus drivers are discriminating against elderly Asian women. I am not sure whether they are doing it consciously or not. I sent this letter to them:

This morning at 8:50 a.m., I witnessed an incident on the 15 Line heading towards downtown from the North Beach district. It was an incident that I have witnessed several times over the last three months that is quite disturbing. At the Columbus and Jackson stop, an elderly lady was attempting to board the bus when the driver told her not to board. It appeared the lady had a large bag full of cans for recycling.

I have witnessed drivers in the past with far more rudeness and verbal aggression towards these passengers. Today, I approached the driver and asked whether it was a personal decision to not allow elderly ladies with large bags to board the bus or if it was a MUNI policy. The driver told me it was a MUNI policy and that I should contact MUNI.

And so this is the purpose of this e-mail. I would like to view the exact wording of MUNI’s policy pertaining to what type of passengers can board and why some are denied boarding.

I was hoping that AsianWeek would take this on to investigate possible discrimination that still exists in San Francisco. These women are not in the best position to defend themselves, whether it is politically or verbally. MUNI and their drivers have picked up on this and have taken advantage of it by denying them transportation whenever they please. Please help. I believe your newspaper has the best resources and concern for the Asian community to help give us a voice in this issue.

Correction: In the Paying Attention column “Trying to Identify” (Sept. 12), writer Jenie Pak’s words were changed drastically. A line was added that read “I would never be in their shoes because as a lesbian, I am far from the stereotypical, virtuous, heterosexual Korean girl depicted in those soaps.” Pak emphasizes that she does not identify as lesbian, she identifies as queer. We apologize for the error.