Edwards favors gay immigration rights

This is an incredibly ballsy and courageous move by a politician. I have just moved this much closer to throwing my support behind John Edwards. This move might hurt him a lot in Iowa, where he needs to win to maintain momentum in the primaries, but it's just such a principled thing that I can't help but admire the guy. Of course, the xenophobic, homophobic parts of the GOP will probably only exponentially increase their hatred and disgust of Edwards and people in this unfortunate situation.

Although it seems like a natural next step in the gay rights movement - expand marriage rights domestically, and then abroad, it is also a controversial thing within both the LGBT and immigrant communities - not all LGBT groups are fully inclusive, and there are definitely homophobic immigrants. I once met a woman who had been persecuted in her home country for being a lesbian. Here, she had multiple black marks against her for being a "multiple minority" but she still loved America because she was more able to be open.

And I know that my friend who has been living abroad for the past 2 years with his lover would welcome this type of immigration policy change.

Mother's Day

This Mother's Day I would like to thank my mother for having the strength to come to America. She didn't face the obscene obstacles that some of my friends and their families did, but I know that in the beginning, she didn't see her friends or relatives for over 8 years. And when she left, she didn't know if she would ever see them again.

She isn't a CEO or a big shot writer, a politician or a nonprofit leader. In fact, she doesn't do anything that generates lots of money or fame. But her coworkers appreciate her, and so do some members of our small community. My mom doesn't do anything revolutionary - she is not a revolutionary woman, and I hardly think she would consider herself a feminist. But she is one of the hardest workers that I know, and she has a deep deep ocean of patience.

Thanks for teaching me how to read. It's still one of my favorite past times, and even though I've moved on from reading Narnia books to avidly scanning political newspapers, I still read like a demon. I still devour books and magazine with a stupendous ferocity, and I owe that to you.

I'm even going to thank you for pushing me as a kid. Some time ago, I was complaining to a friend about you sending me to all those extracurricular activities on the weekends, and my friend said, "Well, at least you got all those great opportunities." I guess I never looked at them like that, just as burdens, just as another notch on the resume. And I resented spending my free time learning, and pulling all-nighters to finish projects. But I guess it built character. And it got me the grades I needed to write my own ticket, even if it's not where you wanted me to go originally. You gave me the best foundation, and I know how hard you worked.

I know how you would come home tired and then cook for us. And I know how closely you cherish your family, even if you don't get to see them more than once a year at best. And I thank you for teaching me the value of friendship - the way you've kept in touch with childhood classmates and friends is a real testament to your perseverance and warmth.

I think of what I was doing at the same age that my mother came over, and I wonder if I would have had the same strength, the same determination, the same adventurous spirit. I think that in some ways, I do. I'm not sure where I got the rebellious streak from, though!

Kai gives some of the history of racism against Asian American immigrants. I am happy to say that my mom didn't encounter all of this, but she is a strong woman nonetheless. Here's to you, mom.

And here's to all the immigrant women who came over to start afresh, or to create better opportunities, and who had children along the way. Happy immigrant mother's day!

The Census senses you

I'm overdue on some thought pieces, as I've been getting slammed with work, work, and personal stuff (nothing bad, just busy.) But I saw an article about how the US Census sold out Japanese Americans during WWII on angryasianman and couldn't help but comment. The Los Angeles Times' article gives credibility to the long-held suspicion of many in the Japanese American community that in 1943, the Census Bureau turned over confidential information including names and addresses that allowed the US government to quickly locate and intern Japanese Americans.

Why does this relevation matter? Because it could still be happening today. The Bush administration could be using the same faulty arguments to gain access to info on Muslim Americans.

Apart from this being a terrible breach of confidence, and a terrifying proposition that Alberto Gonzales has the goods on you and where you live regardless of your citizenship status, it undermines the very trust and nonpartisan nature of the Census. (Although, I wouldn't be surprised if this is how the Bushies are compiling their hit list a la Nixon.)

Look, I have friends who have been Census workers. They have found it very difficult to get an accurate count of immigrant communities, because Latinos, APIAs, and other immigrants are TERRIFIED that if they fill out a Census, the info will promptly get turned over to BCIS (the new and improved INS - unofficial motto: "less questions, more deportations.")

Okay, you might ask, and why does this matter?

The short answer is that Census figures are considered the most accurate representation of our nation's population, and as such are used to determine federal budgets. If you remember the whole brouhaha in 2000 over adding in different ethnicities and allowing people to check off multiple boxes about race, many major civil rights groups were concerned that if the numbers of X racial group were originally 20 million, that counting hapas and those of mixed heritage would dilute their numbers (and perceived power) to say, 3 million mixed and 17 million X Americans. Then federal funding for health care, education, etc. that depended on Census figures would be reduced accordingly. One of the most important functions that Census numbers are used for is drawing Congressional districts and the Voting Rights Act (especially Section 203). There are some congressional districts that have been drawn to more or less ensure that a minority candidate will win the seat. Additionally, S 203 of the Voting Rights Act states that if a certain percentage of people in a district are monolingual in a given language (Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.) then the county has to provide translations of all elections materials and ballots so that they can also vote. So if minorities are under-counted in a district because they're scared to return the forms, it could have huge repercussions that they wouldn't be able to vote for candidates that would represent their concerns. And so the cycle would continue.

Oh, and by the way, all Census workers were specifically trained to tell people with these concerns that the US Census does not share individual information with other government agencies. So the Census workers and the people polled were lied to. And if I recall correctly, the Census has to put this disclaimer on its posters, and its pamphlets and reports. So it's a pretty big deal.

P.S. If you think that this blog post title is corny, you may be correct. Nonetheless my limited resources of wit are currently being pulled in 4 other directions, like a very taut piece of laffy taffy. Mmmmmm. Nothing like going bananas!