Letters: Shame on Louise Renne
July 30, 2004
DEAR EDITOR: I am outraged by former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne’s comments about immigrants and the proposal to allow non-citizens to vote in school elections. Her comment — “If non-citizens can vote, can Osama Bin Laden vote in a school election?”— in the July 10 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle is irresponsible and further perpetuates a negative stereotype about immigrants.
More than 37,000 non-citizens serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Immigrants pay their fair share of taxes and contribute to the U.S. economy. As a legal advisor to the San Francisco Unified School District, Renne should know that a significant portion of SFUSD students come from immigrant households.
Allowing all parents to vote in school board elections will increase accountability and responsiveness so that all parents will have an equal voice in addressing their children’s educational needs.Renne should be held accountable. Publicly making a statement linking immigrants and Osama Bin Laden is shameful. Comments like this continue to stifle our democratic process and further marginalize underrepresented communities.
Renne should publicly apologize.
Stephanie Ong
San Francisco, Calif.
Radical Citizenship
DEAR EDITOR: After redefining marriage, now it’s time to redefine U.S. citizenship! I guess anything goes in radical San Francisco, which has become the joke of America. Radical politicians like Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, Assessor-Recorder Mabel Teng and Assemblyman Leland Yee are so out of touch with mainstream America. At least Supervisor Fiona Ma has enough sense to oppose that notion by saying, “It is a slippery slope.” Of course, masses of illegal aliens have voted illegally for years, to the delight of the liberal Democrats, but now the kookiest city in America wants to decriminalize and even celebrate such actions.
Question for Yee and Teng: What next? Can non-citizen homeowners vote on property-tax propositions? Can non-citizen BART riders vote on BART issues? Once you open this Pandora’s box … why not?
Just as gay marriage cheapens marriage, this latest fiasco cheapens citizenship and its precious meaning to millions. Perhaps Yee should propose redefining Chinese. Many wonder whether Yee has forgotten that he is Chinese because of the fact that he opposes legalization of in-laws in homes and one-man-one-woman marriage.
Raymond Kwong
San Francisco, Calif.
Doggone It
DEAR EDITOR: How can you print a headline like “Asians Eat Dogs” (July 8)? Here we are trying to move away from the stereotype of all Asians eating dogs, and you guys went ahead, without thinking perhaps, and printed out that headline. This is uncalled for, especially from a so-called Asian Pacific American newspaper. I would think that you folks would be more educated than that. I am now wondering how many actual Asians that work there are proud of their skin color. Congratulations on a job well done stirring up controversy because you folks need some publicity. And whoever gave the green light for printing that headline deserves a pat on the back and some positive reinforcement for the “dog” that they are.
Jeo Lee
Via e-mail
Chickens and Monkeys
DEAR EDITOR: We are Filipino Americans who have families in the war risking their lives and dying for our country and its allies in the war against terrorism. We do not need ugly Americans to raise the ugly head of racism. No form of jest that is offensive is excusable or acceptable.
Mark Williams of 1530 AM KFBK radio in Sacramento, Calif., must apologize to the Filipino community and everyone offended for playing on his July 15 evening show the sound of chickens crowing and for calling Filipinos monkeys as part of his “award” to the Philippines for pulling out of Iraq.
Williams shows his insensitivity to Filipino Americans and all people in this time of high tension and fear for our families in the war zone and in our own homelands.
We need to call the KFBK business office at 916-929-5325 and let them know of Williams’ promotion of racism. We need to contact Mayor Heather Fargo at 916-264-5407 and let her know we are offended by a local station’s racist radio production and demand that the station apologize to Filipinos.
Liz Fenkell
Via e-mail
Rich Enough to Own a Camera
DEAR EDITOR: The person identified as Walter Dang in the group photo featured in your July 1 issue is Glen Wool, my cousin who now lives in Fresno.
This photo and many of the others used as illustrations in the previous parts of the feature were taken by George H. Fong who was the only one rich enough to own a camera with a self-timer. The occasion was the farewell party for Kenny Kai-Kee on his call to active duty in 1942. For a brief moment, I was 21 again. Half of the group is gone but the memories still remain. My compliments to writer Douglas Chan.
Walter Joe
San Francisco, Calif.
Correction
In the July 16 edition of AsianWeek, “Capitol Watch” should have listed the late Julian Dixon as a congressman.
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