Ron Paul Supporter’s Video Attacks Jon Huntsman’s “Un-American” Values
This latest in racist presidential campaign ads is from someone claiming to be a Ron Paul supporter, attacking Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman for his “un-American” values. The video claims among Huntsman’s un-American values are: his ability to speak Mandarin and having adopted children from China and India. China is once again linked to evil doers. An ‘Oriental’ track is made to sound sinister. As a former U.S. Ambassador to China, his multi-cultural skills and appreciation may be explained. The Ron Paul campaign disavowed and condemned the video.
US Presidential GOP Hopeful Romney Takes Heat on China Criticisms
Republican US presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney took heat recently over his fierce criticisms of China from a Chinese-American woman who bluntly told him, “it just doesn’t make me feel good.” The woman, sitting near the stage at a political rally held by the former Massachusetts governor and veteran Republican Senator John McCain, repeatedly said she loved the United States and asked Mr. Romney not to put Asians down. “I heard all this degrading thing about China this and China that, it just doesn’t make me feel good,” she scolded the candidate.
“I hope I haven’t put any Asians down,” said Romney, who in his campaign speech routinely accuses Beijing of cheating on global trade rules and vows to ‘clamp down’ on China, said somewhat stiffly.
Private Chen’s Family Learns More About Hazing by Fellow G.I.’s
The officers in command of the battalion of Pvt. Danny Chen, who the Army says committed suicide in Afghanistan in October after being hazed by fellow soldiers, were aware of the harsh treatment he had repeatedly received, his family told the New York Times. At a news conference, family members and their supporters said Pvt. Chen had been mistreated virtually every day of his six-week stint in Afghanistan. They said he had been called a “gook,” a “chink” and “dragon lady.” He was also forced to wear a green helmet and shout orders in Chinese, to a battalion that had no other Chinese-American soldiers, they said. Previously, the family “had no idea of the extent or how long this mistreatment had been going on,” said Elizabeth R. OuYang, president of the New York chapter of OCA, a civil rights group. The family learned of the new details — which they said were in the fullest account yet of what happened to their son — in a three-hour briefing with Army officials, including Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick and Col. Thomas P. Weikert, at Ft. Hamilton in Brooklyn.
In an indication of the prominence of Pvt. Chen’s case, several officials, including City Comptroller John C. Liu and City Councilwoman Margaret S. Chin, attended the news conference. The case has generated considerable interest in New York’s Asian neighborhoods because Pvt. Chen was a Chinatown native and because of some Asian-Americans’ ambivalence toward the United States military. Pvt. Chen, 19, was found dead in a guard tower, of what a military statement called “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head. The Army has charged eight members of Pvt. Chen’s battalion, including one officer, in connection with the death. The most serious charges are manslaughter and negligent homicide.
In a statement, George B. Wright, an Army spokesman, said, “The Army is a values-based organization. We inculcate our soldiers with the need to treat all with dignity and respect. We enforce standards, and when our soldiers fail to meet those standards, we take appropriate action.”
First Asian NBA Player Passes on Advice to Lin
Sixty-four years ago, the New York Knicks made Wat Misaka, 88, not only their franchise’s first draft pick, but the first Asian American in the NBA. He’ll share his team decades later with new Knicks recruit, Jeremy Lin. Lin, who played Harvard basketball, was recruited by his hometown Golden State Warriors, then brought on to the Houston Rockets. On Christmas, the Rockets let Lin go, who then joined the Knicks. “I wish him luck,” Misaka told ESPN from his home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Misaka continues to work as an electrical engineer. “I don’t know exactly what kind of player he is, except for what I’ve read about him. I sure hope that he can stick. New York could be a great place for him, although Oakland would’ve been great too with all of the Chinese people that are in California. I think it was one of the reasons why they drafted him. He should have a big following [in New York] if he gets a chance to play.” According to ESPN, in a surprise move, the Knicks went with a young, untested player whose career average is 2.6 points in 29 games. Misaka said he had a hunch the Knicks also signed him in part, because of his ethnic background, a strong tie-in with New York City’s large Asian population. “It makes a difference,” he said. “That’s certainly one of the reasons why people draft players. It’s not strictly about their talents, but their ability to draw fans.”
Papa John’s Worker Nicknames Customer “Lady Chinky Eyes”
Minhee Cho, a recent customer at a New York City Papa John’s Pizza, was given this receipt for her transaction. The employee took the liberty of renaming the customer “lady chinky eyes.” Cho posted the photo to her Twitter page, where it was quickly retweeted by hundreds of people. By the next day, the photo had been viewed at least 25,000 times.
The Papa John’s store owner initially blamed the teenage employee’s behavior on “modern culture,” and said he planned to have “sensitivity trainings” to avoid situations like this in the future. Ultimately, the employee was terminated and Papa John’s apologized for the racial slur. The apology, posted on Papa John’s company Facebook page read: “We were extremely concerned to learn of the receipt issue in New York. This act goes against our company values, and we’ve confirmed with the franchisee that this matter was addressed immediately and that the employee is being terminated. We are truly sorry for this customer’s experience.”
