Letters to the Editor
January 28, 2005
A Borderline Debate: Immigration
DEAR EDITOR: While we do not agree with Yeh Ling-Ling’s call for a moratorium on immigration (“My New Year’s Wish: A Sustainable Immigration Policy,” Jan. 13), we do support enforcing the immigration laws. In fact, enforcing these laws would benefit Asian immigrants.
This is because 85 percent of illegal aliens are Hispanic. When they are inevitably “adjusted” to legal status, they sponsor their relatives for immigration. This crowds Asians out of the family-preference immigration categories.
We wonder why Asians sit idly by and permit this discrimination to occur. Have Asians learned nothing from the Chinese Exclusion Act, the laws preventing Asians from owning land and the apartheid statutes aimed at Asians? This type of discrimination is starting to reappear, this time led by Hispanic organizations and politicians.
Tim Binh
Vietnamese for Fair Immigration
Lompoc, Calif.
DEAR EDITOR: Thank God someone out there with a voice has finally said what has been obvious to me for years. For instance, an illegal 20-year-old maid I knew had her illegal boyfriend and her two American-born children receive a refund of federal tax dollars withheld from his legal job (she worked under the table) and also qualified for the earned income credit.
Rose Glaze
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: Again, Ms. Yeh Ling-Ling has written a thought-provoking column. Does the president know that the Mexican government wants to colonize the United States? Or does he care? Mexican President Vicente Fox makes demands, and this administration does his bidding.
June Venable
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: Former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo and the current one, Vicente Fox, are right in recognizing the domain of Mexico in the southwestern United States. It belonged to Mexico before it belonged to the United States. Huge tracts of California belonged to the Californios, Mexicans living in what is now a part of the United States called California.
Why is the United States so concerned about the “intrusion” from Mexico when there is little attention paid to the U.S.-Canadian border?
Toni Martinez
via e-mail
Canada Repeating U.S. History
DEAR EDITOR: Thankfully we are all progressing toward more racial understanding and a more tolerant world. It was interesting to see that the same injustices in the United States were followed by our more silent Canadian government (“Acts of Exclusion,” Jan 14).
B. Bartlett
via e-mail
Trafficking and Women’s Lack of Progress
DEAR EDITOR: Women in America (“Stemming Trafficking Helps Few,” Jan. 5) have taken on many of the roles traditionally held by men in the past few decades. This is definitely a step up from the relatively more restrictive lives women used to lead. However, how far has the women’s liberation movement come if gendered domestic work is simply being pushed upon women from the Third World?
It is immensely upsetting to read the news that there is an increase in the trafficking of people — and this is only the report on the United States.
Tina Tsai
via e-mail
Chow Should be the Norm; Chang’s Pro Chances
DEAR EDITOR: I like your stories on Norm Chow and Timmy Chang (“Chang, a Down-to-earth Superstar,” Jan 13). They hit upon issues of how true the notion of meritocracy is in America versus that of race.
Chang’s statistics are incredibly deceptive. He does not have a particularly strong arm, and his decision-making skills are quite bad. He routinely throws for between one and four interceptions.
He’s a marginal pro player at best, and he does not have great size.
Jon Chang
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: Good luck to Norm Chow (“When Will It be Chow Time?,” Jan. 14). I enjoyed watching his offenses over the years at BYU and most recently at USC. I hope he gets his chance; he’s earned it.
Mike Holt
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: I have personally met Timmy Chang, and he seems to be a very humble person. It’s good that he represents the Asian Pacific American community. I hope he makes it in the NFL and does well.
Darren Fong
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: I have been associated with college football for nearly 50 years as a player, coach and lastly a professor at three major universities (including the University of Hawai‘i). Timmy Chang has and continues to exhibit the qualities that make all of us — those who know him and know about him — proud to be Americans.
James Little
via e-mail
Is Jin Golden?
DEAR EDITOR: Jin (“Jin Tha MC’s Spinal Rap: ‘Rest is History,” Dec. 30, 2004), like many rappers, is young and speaks from his experience. He has the skills to pay the bills.
I am interested in following this young man’s path and future development and involvement in society — in particular, his interpretations and changing views of living as a young, non-professional or non-academic API/man of color in the industry. If the “rest is history,” what will the future be for Jin? I anxiously await.
Wilson Nelson Chan
Oakland, Calif.
Magical Bhutan
DEAR EDITOR: If you would like to know more about Bhutan (“Magic of First Bhutan Film,” Jan. 13), please visit www.friendlyplanet.org. This small charity published the world’s largest book titled Bhutan — A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom.
Pem Wangdi
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: Indeed Travellers & Magicians is a movie with magic, beauty, wit, wisdom, art, humor and truth … a philosophical work of art that is woven around the tapestry of human desires and the bitter and the sweet of temporary things. A must-see movie for all people wishing to give and love more!
Yeshe Lhendup
via e-mail
Impeach Bush, Cheney
DEAR EDITOR: Excellent article (“2005: The Times They Are A-changin’,” Jan. 13); thanks for speaking the truth. Most newspapers won’t even mention the word “impeach.” I think President Bush is the most impeachable president ever. Let’s impeach him, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld!
Marcia Bracciano
via e-mail
Really, RCV Helps Asians
DEAR EDITOR: Douglas Chan of CAVEC is pushing an anti-democratic agenda by smearing ranked-choice voting (RCV) as “racist” (“Rank Choices: RCV Excludes APA Challengers,” Jan. 6). Ironically, he and his cabal at CAVEC are fronting for the white establishment who are major investors in the status quo of winner-take-all elections.
Contrary to his lies, RCV actually has a greater chance of getting Asians, Latinos and other racial minorities elected than the old system does. Unfortunately, Chan has to turn to the race card like his fellow Mandarins from the Willie Brown days in order to drive a wedge between San Franciscans who yearn for true democracy. Acting like the Republicans in their recall campaign, they can’t accept the fact that the majority of San Franciscans voted for RCV, so they have to play dirty to try and revoke it.
Kevin Weaver
via e-mail
Still No Justice for David Wong
DEAR EDITOR: David Wong (“Wrongfully Convicted in America,” Dec. 17, 2004) is free after serving 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. This is no justice. As the writing on the bricks of the federal courthouse in Alexandria states, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” I do applaud the support committee for perseverance and commitment to the cause after all these years. But why did it take so long?
Will Soong
via e-mail
Fifth-grader on MLK
DEAR EDITOR: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest human beings who ever lived. King taught us the importance of living together with diversity and interracial understanding, respect and harmony and to work for peace and nonviolence — rather than to wage war and kill our fellow human beings.
Minh Jeffrey Anh Le
fifth-grader
San Francisco, Calif.
Please Consult With the President, Rebels
DEAR EDITOR: Excellent article (“Nature Taught Sri Lanka a Lesson,” Jan. 6); please submit your story to our president in Sri Lanka.
Upali Silva
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: Just wanted to keep you informed that there is a difference between rebels and terrorists. You may be one of their well-paid supporters, but please consider the massive destruction these Tamil Tiger terrorists have done to Sri Lanka when you write your next smart article.
Hari Miniha
via e-mail
Phil’s Mom and Neighbors
DEAR EDITOR: That was such an interesting and touching description (“Washington Journal: Of Lines and Circles,” Dec. 31, 2004) of Phil Nash’s mom and her life. Now I know where he is coming from and the great loss he must feel — but also the great gift she gave him and everyone who benefits from knowing him.
Barbara Proctor
via e-mail
DEAR EDITOR: I was surfing the net and found this story about Phil Nash and his mother. I went to elementary school in Maywood with Phil, went to his house and also went swimming at the Hackensack YMCA. I do not remember anything about the Nash boys ever being harassed; they were just part of Maywood. In fact I was the one who had the most problems with bullies.
Rick Schmidlin
Santa Monica, Calif.
Inspired by Betty Yee
DEAR EDITOR: I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for the article (“Betty Yee Faces Governor and Confirmation Vote,” Dec. 30, 2004). I had the distinct pleasure of assisting Ms. Yee here at the board. Her commitment and drive are both inspiring and rewarding. I look forward to many more hearings where I can lend a hand.
Tabitha Baland
California Board of Equalization
Sacramento, Calif.
Try Proportional Representation
DEAR EDITOR: It’s important to understand (“Don’t Kill Our Messengers,” Dec. 30, 2004) that San Francisco’s supervisor races require more than 50 percent of the vote for a win.
If minorities want their fair share of representation, they should look to proportional representation, where a group getting 40 percent of the vote is guaranteed to get 40 percent of the seats.
For cities, the best system is called single transferable voting (STV), or choice voting for short. They use it in places like Cambridge, Mass.; New Zealand; and Scotland. Some places in Canada are moving to adopt it, and the city of Davis, Calif., is currently studying it.
To learn more about STV, go to davischoicevoting.org or fairvote.org.
Chris Jerdonek
via e-mail
Nothing Fishy About Nature
DEAR EDITOR: “Abundant Catches Just Days Before” (Jan. 6) should be unselfishly spotlighted on the international media stage.
In an era where human beings are so out of tune with nature’s vibrations, we marvel at animals heeding alarms. We can reactivate our sensitivity to signs from nature. I recently saw Jack Hanna on TV being questioned about the ability of animals to sense impending danger. He said that the animals are always communicating with each other. Fish tell the birds, who then tell the animals on land what’s going on.
If nature doesn’t have any hang-ups about cross-species communication, why can’t we as only one single species drop our imaginary mental barriers and open up?
Gabriel Thomas
via e-mail
Democracy in the Philippines
DEAR EDITOR: When will democracy return to the Philippines? An honest Filipino politician cannot win in the national, local or provincial areas of government.
I would like to see President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo live in a slum area somewhere in the Philippines for 30 days and taste the poverty and sickness of the people — no clothes or shelter and little food.
It is time for the president to release millions of pesos to honest, hardworking Filipino citizens so they will not travel thousands of miles for greener pastures.
Gerald Williams
San Francisco, Calif.
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yeshe lhendup can i get your email ad?