Black and Whitewashed Up at the Oscars
March 10, 2010
Seattle - Diversity ruled the the 2010 Academy Awards. It was all about the who would be the first woman director (“I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar”) or the first black director, or whether Mo’nique won a good award for an awful black part. Even Sandra Bullock won one for the Sara Palin Christian crowd, as there were cracks about Nazis surrounded by Jews. I was almost happy to see that the one movie with an Asian American lead was nominated for five categories, including best picture, original screenplay, and sound editing. “Up” the story about an old man and a pesky scout won Pixar’s fifth Oscar for best animated feature film as well as musical score. But I really got my buns steamed when I realized something was terribly wrong. If Asians are finally pulling head of the West in the Olympics, nobody seems to recognize that in show biz, it is the “model minority” that is the most pitifully represented. That might partly be due to a lack of even a minimal amount of “affirmative” casting and consciousness. But it might also be because we’ve spent so much of our cultural capital taking over Harvard, Stanford and the Boston Symphony at the expense of other cultural territory previously exploited by Asian greats such as Nancy Kwan and Yul Brynner (yes, Buryat on his mom’s side),
The first thing everybody says about the Princess and the Frog is that she was Disney’s first African American princess, even if she’s drawn as a frog for most of the movie. Pixar had cast just about every stereotypical ethnic part EXCEPT Asians, and painted a bleak Asian-free future in WALL-E. But when they finally cast an adorable Asian kid in a long tradition of Asian sidekicks, they not only failed to promote the unique diversity milestone, but they deliberately swept it under the rug. Daveonfilm.com noticed that the screener package sent to the judges traded the picture of Russell’s Asian American boy scout in favor of Carl’s wife Elle. As an adult, she didn’t even have a speaking part in the silent tear-jerker backstory. The awards audience saw only the solo picture of Ed Asner’s Carl. If the entire studio team including co-founder Steve Jobs was there, I couldn’t track down any trace of Jordan Nagai in press pictures, videos or stories. While the Asian American Movement ™ continues to crusade for alternative marriage and Affirmative Action Against Chinese, why is it me, the Asian American Glenn Beck-alike that spills his cold noodles when Hollywood diversity doesn’t even throw Asians a fortune cookie? My other Oscar mugging nomination goes to the score of Princess which was full Disney musical just like the Lion King. While disfunctional blacks have no problem attracting awards, when a movie features a rare feast of authentic African American soul, zydeco and blues, it loses to Up, which didn’t have enough catchy songs to even release as a soundtrack album.
Last year, Clint Eastwood’s Grand Torino was spurned by the Oscars despite or perhaps because of an under-appreciated Asian American cast. I would have nominated Star Trek’s John Cho (of Harold and Kumar Prove Asians Can Be Complete Asses Too) for the other Best Asian American Actor. The only Asian American actresses I noticed was Liza Lapria’s geek FBI agent in the disposable Fast in Furious (which at least outsold Hurt Locker by a bazillion dollars) No East or South Asian film made even a nomination for foreign films which were dominated by 3 Latin American films. Avatar featured two Latinas, both of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, Zoe Saldana as Pocahontas (also Star Trek’s young Uhuru) and Michelle Rodriguez as the chopper jockey. The only Asians I saw that night were the dolphin-clubbing Japanese in “The Cove”, who look like the inspiration for the “premeditated” lone-whale Orca jihad attack against its unfortunate trainer at Sea World.
As a Vietnam war buff, Avatar was hardly about “peace and harmony”. It was a high tech update on the old Cowboys and Indians / Viet Cong / Jihadist theme. If you took Star Wars, National Geographic, Miss Saigon, Dances With Wolves, Blackhawk Down and the Matrix and mixed it all together, you’d get Avatar.
America is oddly unfazed that the FBI still stands by their determination that Major Nidal Hassan’s Fort Hood rampage had no terrorist connection AFTER reviewing e-mails with Al Queda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki asking for “spiritual guidance”. What kind of spiritual guidance do you think he got from Imam Awlaki who celebrated Hasan as hero for defending Islam? How innocent can Awlaki (who wasn’t even named as a person of interest) be when his other student arrived in America in exploding underpants the day after America announced he was thought he had been killed in an airstrike?
Which brings me back to director Cameron’s script which boldly spoke of “fighting terrorism with terrorism” and contemplating “martyrdom”. It was the eyes of an enraged Nidal Hassan that I saw in Jake and pilot Trudy Chacon in Navi warpaint as they sent dozens of hapless “sky people” to their deaths in flames as we cheered them on. As much as any audience can feel the same passion in Avatar’s final “struggle for justice”, that’s exactly what drove people like Hasan or even disgruntled contract software engineers to shoot their comrades or fly airplanes big or small into buildings. Asians have been on both sides since the “The Sand Pebbles” showed how the Chinese pushed the Americans back across the sea before the Viet Cong did. I know what side I’m firmly on, but those who count Yassir Arafat, Che, Ho Chih Minh, Mao or Marx among your heroes might check where your true loyalties lie if you ever have to choose between America, Insert-Your-Race-Nationality-Or-Religion, or Mother Earth.
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Hail Queen Yun Na! (Or the Olympic Yellow Peril?)
March 4, 2010
Hail Queen Yun Na
Arthur Hu 3/4/2010 Seattle WA
It was only back in 1992 when America’s Kristi Yamaguchi and Japan’s Midori Ito were the first persons of Asian descent to win Olympic figure skating medals. Japan’s Shizuka got the first gold medal for figure skating for any Asian nation only in the last Turin Olympics. The Wall Street Journal noticed when it proclaims “a South Korean Teenager Leads an Emerging Group of Stars from the East” as Asian women from various nations dominating 3 of the top 4 top-billed women’s figure skating stars of the Winter Olympics. They were “redrawing the map of where skating stars come from “ signaling the “end of Europeans and North Americans own[ing] this sport”, Americans were disappointed that 2010 ended their medals streak. Korea’s Kim Yun-Na won gold, while arch-rival Mao Asada of Japan who had traded top titles with Yun-Na since 2004 got silver. Little-known Japanese America’s Nagasu Mirai at age 16 exceeded expectations by just missing the podium at fourth place, while the Boston Herald noted highly promoted Rachael Flatt ”struggles, finishes seventh” (with fourth place Mirai as a footnote, thanks for noticing) .
But it wasn’t just an Asian victory if we consider that Yun Na spent most of her time training in Canada. Count that with heartbreaker Joannie Rochette’s bronze finish, an equally dominant but different 3 out of 4 had trained in North America , and even Asada had trained with North Americans at some point. Yun-Na’s Canadian coach, Brian Orser had won silver medals as skater in 1984 and 1988, so many saw it as partially his first gold as well. Besides numerous other skaters from China, Japan and Korea, there was Cheltzie Lee of Australia who placed 20th. Her unusual background includes a father who is Chinese from Bangladesh, and her mother is African American from Louisiana in a year that didn’t have any other strong African descent skaters such as Debi Thomas (who is now a surgeon since I ran into her at Stanford Shopping Center).
The Olympics marks Yun-Na’s debut to American audiences, who are still probably more familiar with the name of Tonya Harding (Come to think of it, with a well placed tire wrench, all of the top 3 could have been Asian OWWWWW sorry about that). Sports Illustrated called Kim “queen of her court” and “will be ranked among the greatest Olympic Champions”, while calling Nagasu the “force at future games”.
After the initial fuss over whether Nancy Kerrigan got more endorsements than Yamaguchi , the LA Times in the 90s concluded that Yamaguchi ‘s deals were “as good as gold”. Certainly, Yamaguchi has emerged as the one featured dancing on television and still doing commercials aired during THESE Olympics. But in Korea, Kim Yun-Na is pretty much a publicity goddess. She made about $9 million in 1998 before winning any Olympic medals, compared to the $2 million Michelle Kwan or Tara Lipinski earned annually from endorsements in 2000. Traffic and stock trading in Korea stopped still to watch her skate as if it were the moon landing. She hawks products from Samsung to Hyundai. Her own branded cellphone sold a million copies, which would be gold or platinum if it were an American music single let alone an expensive consumer device in a 2nd tier industrialized consumer market. One clever banner proclaimed I “heart” YN (NY get it?)
Catholics also noticed her making the sign of the cross before her routines, thank goodness those “Freedom From Religion = Protest Mother Theresa” folks didn’t notice. She and her mother were baptized in May 2008. She’s a darling of Korean Americans, though I haven’t yet seen any schoolyard girls brawling over whether Japanese-Am Yamaguchi, Chinese-Am Kwan or Korean Kim are the greatest skaters of all time. Over in Asia , 10,000 indignant Korean hackers shut down Japan’s www.2ch.net over postings slighting their leading lady, evidently the final last straw after enduring the usual right-wing nationalist insults directed against Koreans and China. Canada’s Olympic strong showing clearly makes them stand out as more than just a more culturally refined appendage of America. But if Canada were truly serious, they should offer her dual citizenship, and to conquer America like the Beatles or Celine Dione, she should start by doing McDonalds commercials for the Great White North with her coach.
On the men’s side, Canada’s 19 yr old Patrick Chan of Toronto with parents from Hong Kong was played up as Canada’s Great Yellow Hope for a men’s gold medal. He finished fifth, which is nevertheless quite a strong showing for a first Olympics. With Japan’s Takahashi Daisuke winning bronze, Asians still placed 4 of the top 10 men’s figure skating places. Evan Lysacek, now headed for dancing with the Stars performed neater than Russia’s Yevgeny Plushenko who seemed to be a villain plucked out of a bad Yugi-Oh episode. He gave himself a “platinum” medal on his own website. LBGT bloggers lamented that Johnny Weir who always seemed dressed like a Tim Burton movie protagonist was “robbed”. (Of course there was less comment about the ladies outfits that made you wonder if you’d walked by these outfits at a Victoria Secret display window, or if you really saw what you thought you saw or just some fabric) While Wikipedia still wouldn’t divulge “is he or isn’t he” , the adoring Asian girls who handed him a giant black heart and oversized Hello Kitty seemed to like him just fine.
Ice dancing Asian-Americans Chris and Cathy Reed of New Jersey actually skated on the Japanese team. Their mother is from Japan and the family has dual-citizenship. But if that wasn’t interesting enough, their little sister Allison was skating for Georgia which gave her citizenship just for the games. She met the other fellow at her rink who also needed a partner. Cathy placed 17th, ahead of China’s Huang Xintong and Zheng Xun, while Allison and Otar Japaridize placed 22nd, so Asians have quite a ways to go in this event.
Allison ended up wearing an armband for the unfortunate luger Nodar Kumaritashvili who was flung onto a support pole with a clang. Of course that clip didn’t see seem to hurt as much as the slo-mo shots of women crashing down the hills like a spinning NASCAR with breaking skis, and charts comparing how much damage skier Lindsey Vonn had suffered compared to Evil Knievel. And it was different to see guys from China flying off a ramp like an upside-down helicopter successfully doing what used to be exclusively crazy California white kid stunts, if not yet winning medals.
Apolo Ohno became the most decorated American Olympic athlete with 8 medals (2 gold), though it was somewhat Ameri-centric for the announcers to loudly crow about YET ANOTHER MEDAL when the Koreans were cleaning up on 1st and 2nd place finishes ahead of him when they didn’t crack up. Given his appearances on TV and commercials, it appears that at least happa guys like Ohno and Celski don’t have the “male image” problem that seems to afflict the rest of us Asian guys. Crashes, bumps and barbs traded back and forth between Ohno and the Koreans have elevated Ohno hating beyond Korea’s usual Japan hating, as death threats in 2003 caused the American short track team to skip Korea, and he needed police guard to visit the country in 2005. On the women’s side, NBC headlined that Germany’s Jenny Wolf lead a “pack of Asians” (Could you write “pack of Caucasians???”) including Korea’s Lee Sang-Hwa and China’s Wang Beixing. Nevertheless, Korea may be getting over their inferiority complex knowing that they nearly matched Russia and beat China with 14 medals, 6 gold compared to Japan’s 5 medals, zero for gold, on top of Toyota’s killer floor mat problems.
If Asians were conspicuous by their absence in the opening ceremony, the bunch of young snowboarders that stormed out seemed to be dominated by Asians (both the east and the south Asian Indian kind) that you’d see around Richmond. Likewise, the orchestra which seemed to be dominated by young people had plenty of Asian faces. It’s too bad NBC didn’t spend more time highlighting the sights of Vancouver and Victoria, but it was pretty good exposure. Oh yeah, don’t forget that here in Washingon State we’ve got pretty much the same scenery and Native American culture without having to cross the border, and it’s just a 2 hour drive from here to get to Canada.
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Stand and Be Counted in US Census
February 17, 2010
This month, ten questions are coming to your mailbox. Amid the myriad of mail, this is one you will not want to toss. It is the constitutionally mandated decennial Census, which dictates congressional representation, determines how $400 billion in federal funding is spent on hospitals, schools, job training centers, senior centers, bridges, tunnels and public works projects, and emergency services, and creates 1.4 million jobs. Millions of forms, however, will elude the Census, either because people do not know about it or because they are fearful of the assumed consequences of participation, specifically data sharing with immigration authorities.
Nonparticipation costs us dearly. In California, the state with the most uncounted in 2000, the Census missed over 522,000 persons, resulting in a loss of $1.56 billion in federal funds over 10 years. Nationally, for every one percent of forms that go unfilled, the financial cost is $100 million for door-to-door collection of unreturned forms. That’s 3 million people missed, often the minority and low-income communities who could benefit mightily from representation and aid.
The need to participate, then, is vital and we all must do our part to communicate this to our neighbors and our communities. With impending deadlines and with precious little time left, we must redouble our efforts so our counts do not fall short.
First, we must make sure we’ve funded outreach sufficiently. As a member of the House Commerce, Science, and Justice Appropriations subcommittee, which oversees Census funding, I advocated for boosting FY10 funding to over $7 billion and fought several floor amendments to cut Census spending. In California, the story is dismal, given Sacramento’s fiscal shortfalls and the Governor’s misguided priorities: the $25 million in state Census funding in 2000 was slashed to $3 million in 2010. To counteract California’s cuts, I led a delegation letter asking Governor Schwarzenegger to boost funding for community-based organizations that conduct local outreach. Shortly after, the State announced an increase, albeit substantially smaller than needed. In California’s 15th district, organizations like the Silicon Valley Community Foundation have come to the rescue by giving $250,000 to community-based organizations. Given state limitations, it is these local organizations that hold the key to a successful count.
Second, the Census must ensure outreach is targeting hard-to-count communities by speaking their language, since one in five residents speak a language other than English at home. This is particularly important for CA-15 district. In 2007, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Santa Clara County (SCC) is the California County with the highest percentage of immigrants, with 36 percent of its population born outside of the United States. SCC also ranks first nationally in terms of Vietnamese speakers, second in Hindi, third in Chinese and fourth in Farsi. That the Census Bureau increased SCC census staff to 33 in 2010, up from 3 in 2000, will certainly help with outreach to hard-to-count communities. Additionally, the Census is spending much of its $133 million ad campaign to reach linguistically isolated ethnic audiences.
This is a good thing. Television spots in 28 different languages, and consultations with 150,000 business and community groups, indicates that the Census is serious about ensuring comprehension. Yet errors still exist. Guides and forms are still missing the mark, with one poorly translated form for Vietnamese speakers describing the Census as a “government investigation”. One state erred by hiring Chinese linguists in response to a recent request for Korean and Vietnamese specialists. The lack of specialists is impacting a broad swath of Asian Americans, including Bangladeshi, Korean, Cambodian communities and South Asians more generally. We must remedy this and fast.
Third, our outreach to these hard-to-count populations must convey the Census commitment to confidentiality. To use the information for any other purpose puts any Census official at immediate risk of imprisonment. It is a federal offence, one taken seriously by the courts, and one I’ve articulated at every opportunity.
Lastly, our outreach must leave no stone unturned. My meeting with Census’s regional director, my video and online public service announcements, and my advocacy for a strong paid media plan for SCC are representative of the diversity of approach needed. This, along with more traditional press conferences, including statewide conferences we’re organizing on February 26, meetings, and coordinated messaging with community-based organizations, businesses and schools, we can together make sure that we do not fall short of a full count in SCC.
While the 2010 Census will not be perfect, hopefully we avoid a repeat of the 4.5 million missed in the 2000 census. Between now and April, when Census forms are resent, we must do everything in our power to get as close to perfect as possible. Our ability in Congress to shape sound policy depends on it.
Rep Michael Honda is the Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. This article first ran in the San Jose Mercury News.
68th Annual Day of Remembrance
February 16, 2010
Washington, DC,- The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF) and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program will be commemorating the 68th anniversary of the February 19, 1942 signing of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, which led to the imprisonment of 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
NJAMF and the Smithsonian will hold a discussion on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 2:00pm at the National Museum of American History’s Carmichael Auditorium (14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC).
“It is important this year, and every year, to remember such events as the Day of Remembrance. As generations pass on, we tend to forget the darker chapters of American history. It is vital we honor those Japanese Americans who heroically fought during World War II, and did so with distinction,” said Norman Y. Mineta, former U.S. Cabinet Secretary and NJAMF Vice Chair. “It’s important to remember, too, that these Japanese Americans who fought for our nation did so despite civil rights violations against themselves and their families here at home.”
The discussion will feature award-winning playwright Philip Kan Gotanda and historian Dr. Scott Kurashige. Philip Kan Gotanda is revered as the chronicler of Japanese America on the American stage and will talk about one of his latest plays, After the War, which captures postwar life for 11 Americans of diverse backgrounds brought together by a shared address in San Francisco’s Japantown. Through deft characterizations, Mr. Gotanda explores the delicate balance amidst diverse communities in post-War San Francisco.
Dr. Scott Kurashige, an associate professor of Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies, American Culture, and History at the University of Michigan, will discuss his debut title, The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles. Dr. Kurashige examines both the conflicts and combined activism of the Japanese American and African American communities within a predominantly white but quickly changing Los Angeles during the last century.
This event is free and open to the public. For information call NJAMF at (202) 530-0015 or visit http://apanews.si.edu/2009/12/07/annual-day-of-remembrance-at-the-smithsonian-2010/
Asian Slant on the Vancouver Olympics
February 16, 2010
Well here I am just a 2 hour drive from the Vancouver 2010 winter olympics with no plans and not heard of anybody who’s going up there to see it, but it comes in fine on NBC HD on my cable, even if they’re not carrying the Canadian channel we had in 2008. There were no news reports of people wandering the streets of the OTHER Vancouver Washington at the other side of Washington state. The Beijing 2008 opening was hard to top, but I was pretty impressed with the use of cameras to transform the entire floor, and fabric going to the ceiling into a display canvas, even creating the illusion of orcas swimming across the floor. While they didn’t have the entire People’s Liberation Army as performers, they also made pretty good use of performers hanging from wires without any practice accidents. For Canada’s relatively small population, China doesn’t have even one perfomer on the level of any of the Canadians who performed, even without Celine Dion. Who is the Chinese KD Lang anyways?
Canada obviously tried to show politically correct diversity (for a nation even more PC than the Americans) with correct “first nation” peoples (contrasted to the “fake” minorities of Beijing), prairies, skiiers, celitc dancing and fiddlers. But the one group that nearly owns Vancouver was conspicuously absent, the Chinese, not to mention the other odd groups such as Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus so much more prevalent in Canada than in the states.
Seattle local hero Apolo Ohno (whose Japanese-born father is named Yuki) became USA’s most decorated male Winter Olympian with six career medals. South Korea, led by Lee Jung-Su was about to snag all 3 medals when two of them crashed, leaving Ohno and teammate J.R. Celski to get the silver and bronze medals. Celski had recovered from slashing his leg with a skating blade. His mother Sue is of Filipino descent, and he grew up with Ohno in Federal Way (which boasts a strong Korean and Asian community), between Tacoma and Seattle.
There was also a fairy tale ending for the Chinese husband and wife team of Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, who had been skating if I remember since something like the ages of 13 and 18, finally marrying only a few years ago. Considered by many to be the best skating couple in the world, they were the oldest competitors but came back to get the gold medal that had eluded them in three previous Olympics. The finally got their gold, becoming the first figure skaters from China to win gold, with teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian taking silver. They broke a winning streak of Russians or Soviets since 1964, and have added to the increased visibility of Asians and Asian Americans in the sport of skating since the 1980s, and China emerging more fully as a world class power in more ways than just military and manufacturing muscle.
APIs Need to Take a Stronger Stance on Immigration Reform
February 5, 2010
When it comes to the issue of immigration, what quickly comes to American minds? Given that reporters repeatedly write about immigrants crossing the Mexican-U.S. border, the likely response: Hispanics. This focus, unfortunately, has devolved into deleterious scapegoating of immigrants from Central and South America. This is hardly a fair burden for Hispanics to carry, as immigration realities are much more diverse.
Reform will affect millions who emigrated from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, who come with a shared struggle, shared dreams and shared abilities to contribute to this country. Standing side by side, Hispanics are diverse minority groups who will be equally impacted by immigration reform, including Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs). As chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and as a Japanese-American born to migrant workers, I know firsthand the frustration felt by API immigrants. Our stake in the immigration debate is substantial, our concerns unique, the reasons many.
Harvard Senior Selected ASPIRE’s Woman of the Year
February 2, 2010
Boston, MA - Asian Sisters Participating In Reaching Excellence (ASPIRE) is proud to announce Rashmi Jasrasaria as the grand prize winner of the 2nd Annual ASPIRE Outstanding Woman of the Year Award. ASPIRE’s Outstanding Woman of the Year award celebrates female high school or college students of Asian American decent that are proven leaders with the initiative and determination that make changes in their community.
Jasrasaria was formally awarded at the 2009 ASPIRE Asian American Women in Leadership (AAWIL) Conference on October 3, 2009 at Boston University. This year’s keynote speakers included Carmen Van Kerckhove, Co-Founder and President, New Demographic and Rosie Abriam, President and CEO, The Center for Asian Pacific American Women.
Jasrasaria is a volunteer with Support for International Change (SIC), a non-governmental organization in Tanzania that raises awareness about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention in rural areas. Since 2007, Jasrasaria has dedicated her time to teaching SIC’s HIV curriculum in village primary schools as well as leading teaching sessions for the village locals, athletes, and religious communities.
Be Part of the Wall of Chinese in America
January 28, 2010
Chinese Americans now have the chance to be part of the the upcoming Shanghai Expo which will draw more than seventy million people and 200 nations for 180 days.
From May 1-October 31, one of the largest events in history will take place in Shanghai, China – the World Expo 2010. The USA Pavilion, in partnership with the Committee of 100, will feature an exhibit on “The Chinese in America” to show America’s unique strengths as a nation embracing diversity, offering freedom of choice and providing the opportunity for everyone to succeed. At more than 60,000 square feet, the USA National Pavilion will be one of the largest pavilions and will showcase American culture, values and businesses while celebrating the friendship between the peoples of the US and China.
The Committee of 100 is rallying everyone of Chinese descent across America to submit their photos to create The Wall of the Chinese in America. In it first weeks of announcement, over 1000 photos have been submitted for this wall which is hoped to feature thousands of photos organized by family names to demonstrate that “We are Family.”
Michael Minakawa, one of the organizers of the wall project, said, “We are anticipating approximately 100,000 photos to be submitted over the course of this exhibit. We accept all photos as long as the submission is in compliance with our terms and conditions available during the photo upload process at jointhewall.org. We encourage the participation of everyone who is of Chinese descent, how large or small. They will need to have a Chinese surname to be placed under that surname family page. Their name can be listed as John Wong Smith and it would be placed with the Wong Family name page.”
The idea for the wall came through a collaboration between Committee of 100 and Ogilvy Worldwide and is the only section specifically for Chinese in America. Since the video wall will be dynamic and attention getting, there are plans for certain effects to also highlight Chinese American achievements along with recognizing the Chinese in America. Chinese American achievers can be those who have contributed to important aspects of American life such as technology, the environment, the arts, sports, business, community service and government. It will show how America, as a cradle of freedom, helped shape these extraordinary pioneers. A public campaign has been launched in traditional and digital media to reach out to everyone of Chinese descent across America to submit their photos to www.jointhewall.org.
To help fund this effort, the Committee of 100 is inviting participation as Master Builders of the Wall by purchasing a Brick at the USA Pavilion with the name of the person/family/organization they wish to honor. C100 Chair John Chen said, “We are honored and pleased to be the strategic partner of the USA Pavilion at the World Expo 2010, a historic opportunity to build bridges between China and the U.S.A.” Those donating to be Master Builders of the wall will receive special benefits and privileges associated with this important event.
The Master builder program has different category ranges. Honor Role $10,000 Master Builders will have their Honor Roll Gold Brick placed in a premium location on the physical wall, have their name listed on internet “Builders’ Wall as Honor Roll Master Builders, and receive VIP privileges at the Expo for 8 guests. Other Master Builder categories include Diamond $5000, Platinum $2500 and 24K Gold $1000 with appropriate bricks with name placed on the physical wall at the Expo USA Pavilion’s “Chinese in America” exhibit in Shanghai, China May – October, 2010. Depending on the response, there are plans afoot to having this wall become a permanent virtual wall for view in cyberspace after the Expo is over. Details on Master Builder donations can be seen on www.comebuildthewall.org with the proposed deadline February 15.
George Koo, C100 member from Silicon Valley, encouraged all to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join fellow kinsmen in a Chinese in America exhibit. He said, “We look to a wonderful exhibit with limitless amount of pictures of Chinese Americans to show the people attending the Expo that we have a numerous and diverse population of ethnic Chinese living in America. This would be of special interest to the native Chinese, who no doubt would be the majority of people visiting the Shanghai Expo 2010, to look for and possibly see long lost relatives living in America.” For further information contact mminakawa@committee100.org or call 212 371 6565.
The Committee of 100, who should be commended for taking the lead on this project, was founded in 1989 as a national non-partisan, non-profit membership organization comprised of prominent Chinese Americans in a broad range of professions. With members’ knowledge and experience, the Committee has dedicated its efforts to a dual mission: (1) encouraging constructive relations between the peoples of the United States and Greater China and (2) encouraging the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life. www.committee100.org
UC Hastings Names Frank H. Wu New Chancellor and Dean
December 28, 2009
Bold Step Marks New Generation of Leadership at Top California Law School
San Francisco — The Board of Directors of UC Hastings College of the Law announced today its new Chancellor and Dean, Frank H. Wu, Professor of Law at Howard University and the former dean at Wayne State University Law School, where he was the nation’s youngest law school Dean. The selection of Wu, who is closely connected to high-level legal, business and political leadership in the Asian and Asian-American world, is viewed as a dramatic and bold step to bring an entirely new level of leadership to Hastings.
“Frank Wu is a brilliant, world-class scholar and national leader in higher education. He was selected because of his powerful strategic vision for raising our 131-year-old law school to a new level. He has the experience and commitment to develop unprecedented private support for the College,” said Bruce Simon, Chair of the Board of Directors of Hastings and co-chair of the Dean Selection Committee, along with Professor Richard Boswell. ”With today’s significant fiscal challenges, UC Hastings needs dynamic, top-flight leadership fully engaged in the legal and greater community at large.”
Chancellor and Dean-designate Wu, 42, was selected following an extensive and careful search among highly-qualified candidates. All of the final candidates visited the campus for two-day interviews with faculty, students, staff, and alumni. The Dean Search Committee, comprised of four board members and three faculty members, took into account opinions from a wide variety of sources. The Board was assisted in the search and selection process by the firm of Major, Lindsey & Africa.
Chancellor and Dean-designate Wu provided a compelling vision for UC Hastings, including a concrete three-point plan to build on the school’s historical strength in scholarship and education. Wu said: “This is an exciting and extraordinary opportunity to elevate UC Hastings even higher on the national scene, and I am deeply honored and privileged to bring my experience and skills to bear on this challenge.” Wu emphasized that higher education must prepare students for their careers by giving them the skills needed to succeed; that the lawyers and the leaders of today and the future must be ready to work within a global economy with a Pacific Rim emphasis; and students must be able to blend their technical abilities in analyzing doctrine with the strengths of other disciplines.
Wu called special attention to the need to increase private support to ensure talented students continue to have meaningful access to a quality legal education, and toward that end he intends to begin the first-ever capital campaign for UC Hastings. He is forming a transition team to advise him, ensuring all stakeholders are able to participate in implementing these ideas.
“There is no question Frank Wu’s positive fund-raising experience at Wayne State and throughout his entire academic and legal career was a critical factor in our decision,” Board Chair Simon emphasized. ”He has the skills, energy and vision to make it happen.” Acting Chancellor and Dean Leo Martinez added: ”A figure of his stature and national presence is a huge win for UC Hastings. This spells success on a new scale.”
Chancellor and Dean-designate Wu’s biographical background is extensive and distinguished. He is currently a member of the law faculty at Howard University, among the nation’s leading historically black colleges and universities. He also has taught as a full-time Visiting Professor at the law schools of Peking University, University of Maryland, George Washington University, and University of Michigan, in addition to having taught undergraduates at Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, and Deep Springs College.
Wu is nationally known for his leadership in higher education and human rights. He returned to his hometown of Detroit to be Dean at Wayne State. His extensive service also includes his role as a Trustee of Gallaudet University, the only institution of higher education in the world serving people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and Vice-Chairman of their Board since 2006. Last week, Wu was appointed to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), a high-level advisory body on accreditation. In 2009, he was appointed to the Congressionally-mandated Military Leadership Diversity Commission, and he joined the Board of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund in 2004. Chancellor and Dean-designate Wu was appointed by Mayor Anthony Williams as Chair of the D.C. Human Rights Commission for 2001-02, and by the D.C. Court of Appeals to its Board on Professional Responsibility, which adjudicates attorney discipline matters. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and he has been recognized for his work with the 2008 Chang-Lin Tien Education Leadership Award from the Asian Pacific Fund, named for the late Chancellor of University of California at Berkeley and selected from a national pool of nominees, and the 2007 Trailblazer Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
Chancellor and Dean-Designate Wu is the author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White, which was immediately reprinted in its hardcover edition, and co-author of Race, Rights and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment, which received major grants from the federal and California Civil Liberties Public Education Funds. Prior to his academic career, Chancellor and Dean-Designate Wu held a clerkship with the late U.S. District Judge Frank J. Battisti in Cleveland, and he then practiced law with the firm of Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, devoting a quarter of his time to pro bono representation. He received a B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan. He has completed the Management Development Program of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is married to Carol L. Izumi, a distinguished legal scholar and law professor.
Chancellor and Dean-designate Wu will assume his new position on July 1, 2010, and will have a salary of $350,000. He has already announced his intention to demonstrate his commitment to UC Hastings by donating $25,000 of his salary every year to the College for scholarships and academic support. He hopes that his example will encourage greater philanthropy among Hastings’ alumni community.
Since the departure of former Chancellor and Dean Nell Newton in the summer 2009, UC Hastings Professor Leo Martinez has served as Acting Chancellor and Dean. ”During the interim period, Leo Martinez has been providing Hastings with inspired leadership - applying his trademark cool, level-headed and thoughtful judgment, but also jumping with enthusiasm to grapple with every imaginable challenge in running UC Hastings. We are hugely fortunate in having Professor Martinez at the helm at this critical time,” said Don Bradley, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.
Hastings College of the Law was founded in 1878 as the first law department of the University of California, and today is one of the top-rated law schools in the United States. Its alumni span the globe and are among the most respected lawyers, judges and business leaders today.
2010 Open Enrollment for Medicare Prescription Drug and Health Plan Coverage Kicks Off
December 17, 2009
WASHINGTON (U.S. ASIAN WIRE) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is encouraging Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of the annual Open Enrollment period to make sure they have the best coverage available to meet their healthcare needs in 2010.
The Open Enrollment period began on November 15 and runs through December 31. It’s the one time every year when all people with Medicare can review and, if necessary, change their current health care coverage.
“Medicare beneficiaries will continue to have a wide range of health and drug plan options in 2010, including Original Medicare,” said Jonathan Blum, director of the Center for Medicare Management and the acting director of the Center for Drug and Health Plan Choice. “Open Enrollment is the time for those with Medicare to double-check that they have the best coverage for their individual needs. They may find that they like what they have, or may find a coverage option that better fits their needs.”
Since November 15, beneficiaries can go to www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to make changes in their Medicare prescription drug and health coverage. People in Original Medicare without prescription drug coverage can enroll in a drug plan or health plan that offers drug coverage during Open Enrollment.
Just as always, it is important for people with Medicare to review their coverage during Open Enrollment. Since coverage varies by plan, CMS recommends that those with Medicare use Open Enrollment to think about how their health may have changed, and what their needs will be for the coming year.
Resources for Medicare Beneficiaries
There are a number of easy ways that beneficiaries can get information and assistance about what plan is best for their needs. These include:
· Calling Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY#: 1-877-486-2048) or visiting www.medicare.gov to review plans to see how the costs and coverage compares for different coverage options available in their area. Medicare customer service representatives are available 24-hours a day/7 days a week with multiple language options and resources for people with disabilities.
· Reviewing CMS’ Medicare and You handbook. The handbook was mailed to all Medicare beneficiaries in October and provides a listing of available prescription drug and health coverage plans in their areas. All people with Medicare should also have received information from their current health and prescriptions drug plans. This handbook is also conveniently available online at www.medicare.gov
· Meeting one-on-one with a trained Medicare specialist. To find a Medicare specialist in their area, seniors should call 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-MEDICARE) or visit www.medicare.gov.
· Medicare beneficiaries who cannot meet the costs of prescription drugs may be eligible for extra help. Medicare has a program in which those who are eligible for extra help pay no more than $2.50 for each generic drug and no more than $6.30 for each name brand drug. The program can also help pay for premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit www.socialsecurity.gov to find out more about getting extra help.
At www.medicare.gov, beneficiaries and those assisting them can access interactive tools that will help them learn more about all of the prescription drug plans and health plans – including Original Medicare – that serve their area. In addition to providing overviews of coverage and premium costs, there is also information about the quality and performance ratings of participating plans.
Protecting Against Fraud and Identity Theft
CMS also offers tips to help beneficiaries protect themselves against fraud and identity theft during the Open Enrollment period. Medicare recommends that people treat their Medicare number as they do their social security number and credit card information. Beneficiaries should not give personal information to anyone who comes to their home uninvited or makes an unsolicited phone call selling Medicare-related products or services. Beneficiaries who believe they are a victim of fraud or identity theft should contact 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)/ (TDY#:1-800-377-4950) to report the incident. More information is available at www.stopmedicarefraud.gov
The Fort Hood Shootings Have Al Qeda Written All Over It
November 20, 2009
When the first reports came out of a terrible shooting at Fort Hood, there was no hints of who might have committed such an act. Then a television station reported that a woman called her parents saying “we’ve been attacked by terrorists” and she heard the shooter cry “Allah Akbar”, which has become known in America as the signature war cry of the 9/11 hijackers. When they finally announced the name of Nidal Malik Hasan, a lot of people instantly knew that it could explain a lot of things. If you’d believe his family who lives “near Jersalem,” he’s a nice all-American boy who wouldn’t harm anybody and never said anything radical or bad about America that was picked on for being a Muslim who was a psychiatrist deeply affected by horror stories of returning veterans.
Clearly the government was concerned about Muslim connections when Obama to asked America not to ”jump to conclusions.” Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano vowed to stamp out the imminent threat of Islamaphobia, while General George Casey bravely stated “as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.” It’s bad enough FBI officials still state the “motivation has not been determined” but the booby prize has to go to Max Fisher who wrote on the Atlantic “Why Home-Grown Islamic Terrorism Isn’t A Threat.”
There’s no need to immediately expel or investigate all Muslims in the military, but what’s with all the op ed pieces that point the blame on Post Traumatic Stress disorder while either leaving out or condemning any mention of Islamic terrorism? We don’t need to get rid of all Muslims, just the ones that think they are on a mission to kill people. The whole problem with the Japanese internment of WWII is that it didn’t stop any real bad guys like the embassy officer who flew around Pearl Harbor taking pictures. Surely Virginia Tech’s Seung-Hui Cho, Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, and anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder acted didn’t need a Quran, but that hardly proves this wasn’t terrorism, or wasn’t motivated by radical religiouis beliefs.
If we had proof or reasonable evidence that Hasan was directed or influenced by an affiliate of Al-Qeda to kill soldiers justified by radical Islamic beliefs, then we call it an act of Islamic Terrorism. We don’t need a smoking gun CC of the actual order when “Blind” Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman issued a fatwah, but it was his followers who first bombed the World Trade Towers based on his Rahman’s instructions and religious justifications. The fact that he had advocated an act which had influenced his followers was good enough to justify a life term and making him the one responsible for the attacks. Now if we know that Hasan had been convinced by his spiritual leader to put god first, and that god wanted all good Muslims to kill soldiers, how is that any different?
Though Hasan is a native born American, both of Hasan’s parents are from the same Palestine (as in PLO which revolutionized modern terrorism) which has served as poster child to those with grievances against Israel. His mother was traumatized by her experience in the 1967 Six-Day war as Israel captured the “occupied territories” when she was 15. Hasan’s family still owns land “near Jerusalem” in Ramallah, which is in the occupied West Bank, and the capital of the Palestinian National Authority. While his family states that his parents opposed Hasan’s joining the Army, one wonders if Mom and Dad might have set up little Nidal as a Manchurian Candidate planted in the Army.
Hasan wasn’t just any muslim, he was considered a devout radical even by friends in his own mosque and fellow muslim soldiers. His favorite flavor of Islam was that of his personal spirtual mentor Anwar al-Awlaki, who is widely considered to be the leading English language clearance house for iihadist publications from al Queda, and author/translator of the virtual “lone wolf jihadist bible.” Unlike most of Awlaki’s internet fans, Hasan was an in-person follower at one of Awlawki’s mosques, where the FBI also notes that 3 of the 9/11 hijackers had “developed close relations” and may have had “closed door meetings” with the imam. By continuing to seek out Awlawki in Yemen, Hasan stumbled over a national security trip wire because Awlakwki was on FBI terrorism radar even before 9/11, and he was still deemed worth gathering signals on by US intelligence agencies. The FBI first conducted a counterterrorism inquiry after he was visited by Ziyad Khaleel who helped buy bin Laden’s satellite phone. The FBI also belives Awlawki has contacts with the Holy Land Foundation and others raising money for Hamas, but there was not enough evidence for criminal charges.
Hasan’s 10-20 e-mails worth of “spiritual guidance” starting in December 2008 were handed over to a joint FBI / Defence Department terrorism task force. But investigators promptly hit the snooze button when they didn’t see anything that wouldn’t be at home in a research paper about “Islamic Jihad in the US Army”. [”Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda” By Susan Schmidt Washington Post February 27, 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267_pf.html ] One source told the London Telegraph that they decided to keep in in place and monitor him. It was hoped that his contact with Awlawki would lead them to a “big fish”, though they could have known Awlawki was already a pretty big fish. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6532904/Fort-Hood-massacre-Gunman-linked-to-al-Qaeda-as-he-awakes-from-coma.html
London Telegraph Fort Hood massacre: Gunman linked to al-Qaeda as he awakes from coma Nick Allen Nov 9, 2009]
The National Security Agency couldn’t find anything over Bin Laden’s satellite phone either until they figured out the code phrases for terrorist acts.[PBS: Nova The Spy Factory] But there are no hidden messages when Awlawki has called for the faithful in clear text to serve Allah by killing US soldiers. In case there can be any question if he was just kidding, Awlawki’s website announced that Hasan was “a hero” and declared “The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason”. It isn’t hard to guess what kind of spiritual guidance went into the powerpoint slide that warned of “adverse events” if Muslim soldiers were called upon to fight in Afghanistan. Duane Reasoner who had accepted Hasan as his spiritual mentor eerily echoes Awlawki’s statements. Whether it was from Hasan or reading, the notion “They were troops who were going to Afghanistan and Iraq to kill Muslims” could only have come directly from the radical Imam.
And where is Awlawki now? His website has gone dark, and authorities have been searching for Awlawki who has disappeared for eight months after having been released from prison. The government’s counterterrorism sweeps have killed many al Qaeda fugitives, and detained hundreds of suspects, possibly provoking the Yemen US Embassy bombing in 2008. Awlawki only popped up in Shabwa province which is part of the ”triangle of evil” so named because it has become a known refuge for extremists, and recruiting al Queda members fleeing other nations. The Washington post learned that Awlawki confirmed that he blessed the killing of soldiers who were about to be shipped off to combat anyways. But since he “neither ordered nor pressured Maj. Nidal M. Hasan to harm Americans”, and insists that it was actually Hasan’s idea that Islam demanded shooting soldiers, we still can’t tie anything to al Queda.
The FBI probably didn’t notice that Hasan’s favorite imam was also a visiting professor at Yemen’s Iman University. Sure, they’ve claimed to have cured 20 cases of AIDS completely, this Institute of Terrorist Technology is runs the ROTC version of the training camps that were shut down in Afgahnistan. Among its notable alumni are people thought to be responsible for killing three American missionaries, the second in charge of the Yemeni Socialist Party, and John “Jihad” Walker Lindh who is prison for being picked up as part of the Taliban army.
The man who founded and leads this fine institution of higher armed resistance in 1995 is none other than Awlawki’s former boss, the red-bearded Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani. This fellow has managed to get himself on the al Queda / terrorist / banned lists of no less than the US Treasury Department, United Nations and the United Kindom. Zindani is still wanted for questioning by the FBI over the attack on USS Cole in Yemen which killed 17 and injured 39. In the good old days when the United States backed the Mujahdeen against the Soviets, Zindani was a recruiter for fighters who was reputed to have fought alongside and was one of Bin Laden’s most trusted “spiritual advisors”. He later helped raise funds and recruit volunteers for the Bin Laden organization.
While Kevin Bacon might be only six degrees away from everybody, Hasan was only two connections away from Bin Laden through Awlawki and Zindani. Zindani is now a prominent businessman and leader of the most radical wing of the Islamic reform party. Back in the early 2000s Zindani ran a Charitable Society for Social Welfare (CSSW) which the FBI called “front organization to funnel money to terrorists” where Awlawki served under him as Vice President. That outfit also had ties to the Islamic Cultural Institute in Milan, Italy which is a center for al-Qaeda in Europe.[ [Burr and Collins, 2006, pp. 243; Washington Post, 2/27/2008] Zindani’s office is now the contact for the Ansar al-Sunna group that took credit for the explosion at an American base in Mosul, Iraq that killed 22. Military commander Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar is Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh’s half-brother who recruited mujaheddin fighters for Bin Laden who established establish training camps in Yemen. The US Justice Department believes Zindani suggested using charities in Pakistan to bin Laden as a front for terrorists.
In the Yemen Post, Zindani largely denies all of the accusations made against him, adding “America has proved to the world that it is the most oppressive nation in history. It is the country which killed two million and displaced five million in Iraq by a lie it spread to the world. In all its accusations to its enemies it fabricates lies and depends on its arrogance of power”.
Given Zindani’s position as the leading radical Islamist in Yemen and his recent ties to Alwaki, it can only be assumed that any investigation of Awlawki must also look into Zindani whether or not they lead to Bin Laden himself.
Only a terminal case of Political Correctness can explain why nobody (that can’t immediately be dismissed as a right wing kook) from President Obama down can utter the obvious. Fox news contributor Walid Phares was quick to call it a “terrorist act”, and possibly the “largest terror attack on America since 9/11. Phares believes that the Obama admininstration can’t use the t-word because of its rebranding of the “global war on terror” to the “Overseas Contingency Operation”.
Once I heard the name of the Virginia Tech shooter, I instantly knew he was a Korean whose parents worked too many hours in a dry cleaning store who were dissapointed he didn’t get into Princeton. NASA could have recognized and announced in a minute that the “foam strike” people were right about the Space Shuttle. Nobody wants to even speculate about who might have sexually assaulted and stabbed Robert Eric Wone in DC in a house full of the people and devices that could have done the job. Yes, our initial hunches can be wrong, but it doesn’t mean they are wrong, and we can’t get to the truth spending all our resources on everything but the obvious. We have a complete picture linking Hasan to known al Qeda terrorists who all show us their party membership cards and send telegraph a declaration of war to Obama. Few have seen the cartoon “Invader Zim” where a thinly disguised alien invader is liked by everybody except when he continually rants about wanting to destroy the planet. But he is cruelly harassed by a troublesome boy who is the only person crazy enough to realize Zim’s true identity. That explains everything about how the US authorities dropped the ball with the Fort Hood shootings. If McCain or GW Bush were in charge, the US would have sought and charged Awlaki and Zindani within hours. But at this rate our Commander in Chief is clearly in charge of an outfit determined NOT to connect any dots.
The Fort Hood Shootings Have Al Qeda Written All Over It
November 16, 2009
When the first reports came out of a terrible shooting at Fort Hood, there was no hints of who might have committed such an act. Then a television station reported that a woman called her parents saying “we’ve been attacked by terrorists” and she heard the shooter cry “Allah Akbar”, which has become known in America as the signature war cry of the 9/11 hijackers. When they finally announced the name of Nidal Malik Hasan, a lot of people instantly knew that it could explain a lot of things. If you’d believe his family who lives “near Jersalem,” he’s a nice all-American boy who wouldn’t harm anybody and never said anything radical or bad about America that was picked on for being a Muslim who was a psychiatrist deeply affected by horror stories of returning veterans. Clearly the government was concerned about Muslim connections when Obama to asked America not to ”jump to conclusions.” Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano vowed to stamp out the imminent threat of Islamaphobia, while General George Casey bravely stated “as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.” It’s bad enough FBI officials still state the “motivation has not been determined” but the booby prize has to go to Max Fisher who wrote on the Atlantic “Why Home-Grown Islamic Terrorism Isn’t A Threat.” There’s no need to immediately expel or investigate all Muslims in the military, but what’s with all the op ed pieces that point the blame on Post Traumatic Stress disorder while either leaving out or condemning any mention of Islamic terrorism? We don’t need to get rid of all Muslims, just the ones that think they are on a mission to kill people. The whole problem with the Japanese internment of WWII is that it didn’t stop any real bad guys like the embassy officer who flew around Pearl Harbor taking pictures. Surely Virginia Tech’s Seung-Hui Cho, Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, and anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder acted didn’t need a Quran, but that hardly proves this wasn’t terrorism, or wasn’t motivated by radical religiouis beliefs. If we had proof or reasonable evidence that Hasan was directed or influenced by an affiliate of Al-Qeda to kill soldiers justified by radical Islamic beliefs, then we call it an act of Islamic Terrorism. We don’t need a smoking gun CC of the actual order when “Blind” Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman issued a fatwah, but it was his followers who first bombed the World Trade Towers based on his Rahman’s instructions and religious justifications. The fact that he had advocated an act which had influenced his followers was good enough to justify a life term and making him the one responsible for the attacks. Now if we know that Hasan had been convinced by his spiritual leader to put god first, and that god wanted all good Muslims to kill soldiers, how is that any different? Though Hasan is a native born American, both of Hasan’s parents are from the same Palestine (as in PLO which revolutionized modern terrorism) which has served as poster child to those with grievances against Israel. His mother was traumatized by her experience in the 1967 Six-Day war as Israel captured the “occupied territories” when she was 15. Hasan’s family still owns land “near Jerusalem” in Ramallah, which is in the occupied West Bank, and the capital of the Palestinian National Authority. While his family states that his parents opposed Hasan’s joining the Army, one wonders if Mom and Dad might have set up little Nidal as a Manchurian Candidate planted in the Army. Hasan wasn’t just any muslim, he was considered a devout radical even by friends in his own mosque and fellow muslim soldiers. His favorite flavor of Islam was that of his personal spirtual mentor Anwar al-Awlaki, who is widely considered to be the leading English language clearance house for iihadist publications from al Queda, and author/translator of the virtual “lone wolf jihadist bible.” Unlike most of Awlaki’s internet fans, Hasan was an in-person follower at one of Awlawki’s mosques, where the FBI also notes that 3 of the 9/11 hijackers had “developed close relations” and may have had “closed door meetings” with the imam. By continuing to seek out Awlawki in Yemen, Hasan stumbled over a national security trip wire because Awlakwki was on FBI terrorism radar even before 9/11, and he was still deemed worth gathering signals on by US intelligence agencies. The FBI first conducted a counterterrorism inquiry after he was visited by Ziyad Khaleel who helped buy bin Laden’s satellite phone. The FBI also belives Awlawki has contacts with the Holy Land Foundation and others raising money for Hamas, but there was not enough evidence for criminal charges. Hasan’s 10-20 e-mails worth of “spiritual guidance” starting in December 2008 were handed over to a joint FBI / Defence Department terrorism task force. But investigators promptly hit the snooze button when they didn’t see anything that wouldn’t be at home in a research paper about “Islamic Jihad in the US Army”. [”Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda” By Susan Schmidt Washington Post February 27, 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267_pf.html ] One source told the London Telegraph that they decided to keep in in place and monitor him. It was hoped that his contact with Awlawki would lead them to a “big fish”, though they could have known Awlawki was already a pretty big fish. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6532904/Fort-Hood-massacre-Gunman-linked-to-al-Qaeda-as-he-awakes-from-coma.html London Telegraph Fort Hood massacre: Gunman linked to al-Qaeda as he awakes from coma Nick Allen Nov 9, 2009] The National Security Agency couldn’t find anything over Bin Laden’s satellite phone either until they figured out the code phrases for terrorist acts.[PBS: Nova The Spy Factory] But there are no hidden messages when Awlawki has called for the faithful in clear text to serve Allah by killing US soldiers. In case there can be any question if he was just kidding, Awlawki’s website announced that Hasan was “a hero” and declared “The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason”. It isn’t hard to guess what kind of spiritual guidance went into the powerpoint slide that warned of “adverse events” if Muslim soldiers were called upon to fight in Afghanistan. Duane Reasoner who had accepted Hasan as his spiritual mentor eerily echoes Awlawki’s statements. Whether it was from Hasan or reading, the notion “They were troops who were going to Afghanistan and Iraq to kill Muslims” could only have come directly from the radical Imam. And where is Awlawki now? His website has gone dark, and authorities have been searching for Awlawki who has disappeared for eight months after having been released from prison. The government’s counterterrorism sweeps have killed many al Qaeda fugitives, and detained hundreds of suspects, possibly provoking the Yemen US Embassy bombing in 2008. Awlawki only popped up in Shabwa province which is part of the ”triangle of evil” so named because it has become a known refuge for extremists, and recruiting al Queda members fleeing other nations. The Washington post learned that Awlawki confirmed that he blessed the killing of soldiers who were about to be shipped off to combat anyways. But since he “neither ordered nor pressured Maj. Nidal M. Hasan to harm Americans”, and insists that it was actually Hasan’s idea that Islam demanded shooting soldiers, we still can’t tie anything to al Queda. The FBI probably didn’t notice that Hasan’s favorite imam was also a visiting professor at Yemen’s Iman University. Sure, they’ve claimed to have cured 20 cases of AIDS completely, this Institute of Terrorist Technology is runs the ROTC version of the training camps that were shut down in Afgahnistan. Among its notable alumni are people thought to be responsible for killing three American missionaries, the second in charge of the Yemeni Socialist Party, and John “Jihad” Walker Lindh who is prison for being picked up as part of the Taliban army. The man who founded and leads this fine institution of higher armed resistance in 1995 is none other than Awlawki’s former boss, the red-bearded Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani. This fellow has managed to get himself on the al Queda / terrorist / banned lists of no less than the US Treasury Department, United Nations and the United Kindom. Zindani is still wanted for questioning by the FBI over the attack on USS Cole in Yemen which killed 17 and injured 39. In the good old days when the United States backed the Mujahdeen against the Soviets, Zindani was a recruiter for fighters who was reputed to have fought alongside and was one of Bin Laden’s most trusted “spiritual advisors”. He later helped raise funds and recruit volunteers for the Bin Laden organization. While Kevin Bacon might be only six degrees away from everybody, Hasan was only two connections away from Bin Laden through Awlawki and Zindani. Zindani is now a prominent businessman and leader of the most radical wing of the Islamic reform party. Back in the early 2000s Zindani ran a Charitable Society for Social Welfare (CSSW) which the FBI called “front organization to funnel money to terrorists” where Awlawki served under him as Vice President. That outfit also had ties to the Islamic Cultural Institute in Milan, Italy which is a center for al-Qaeda in Europe.[ [Burr and Collins, 2006, pp. 243; Washington Post, 2/27/2008] Zindani’s office is now the contact for the Ansar al-Sunna group that took credit for the explosion at an American base in Mosul, Iraq that killed 22. Military commander Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar is Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh’s half-brother who recruited mujaheddin fighters for Bin Laden who established establish training camps in Yemen. The US Justice Department believes Zindani suggested using charities in Pakistan to bin Laden as a front for terrorists. In the Yemen Post, Zindani largely denies all of the accusations made against him, adding “America has proved to the world that it is the most oppressive nation in history. It is the country which killed two million and displaced five million in Iraq by a lie it spread to the world. In all its accusations to its enemies it fabricates lies and depends on its arrogance of power”. Given Zindani’s position as the leading radical Islamist in Yemen and his recent ties to Alwaki, it can only be assumed that any investigation of Awlawki must also look into Zindani whether or not they lead to Bin Laden himself. Only a terminal case of Political Correctness can explain why nobody (that can’t immediately be dismissed as a right wing kook) from President Obama down can utter the obvious. Fox news contributor Walid Phares was quick to call it a “terrorist act”, and possibly the “largest terror attack on America since 9/11. Phares believes that the Obama admininstration can’t use the t-word because of its rebranding of the “global war on terror” to the “Overseas Contingency Operation”. Once I heard the name of the Virginia Tech shooter, I instantly knew he was a Korean whose parents worked too many hours in a dry cleaning store who were dissapointed he didn’t get into Princeton. NASA could have recognized and announced in a minute that the “foam strike” people were right about the Space Shuttle. Nobody wants to even speculate about who might have sexually assaulted and stabbed Robert Eric Wone in DC in a house full of the people and devices that could have done the job. Yes, our initial hunches can be wrong, but it doesn’t mean they are wrong, and we can’t get to the truth spending all our resources on everything but the obvious. We have a complete picture linking Hasan to known al Qeda terrorists who all show us their party membership cards and send telegraph a declaration of war to Obama. Few have seen the cartoon “Invader Zim” where a thinly disguised alien invader is liked by everybody except when he continually rants about wanting to destroy the planet. But he is cruelly harassed by a troublesome boy who is the only person crazy enough to realize Zim’s true identity. That explains everything about how the US authorities dropped the ball with the Fort Hood shootings. If McCain or GW Bush were in charge, the US would have sought and charged Awlaki and Zindani within hours. But at this rate our Commander in Chief is clearly in charge of an outfit determined NOT to connect any dots.
