FamiLee Life

It's Politics, It's Art - Getting Out the Vote!

I did it. I went ahead and bought the Shepard Fairey print of Barack Obama, titled CHANGE. HW doesn't want me to get all messianic about supporting Barack and I concur. But I believe he's the right choice. Plus, supporting his campaign in this way provides the bonus of supporting my Art-A-Month habit. Why? Because Shepard Fairey is the artist who is most popularly known for his Obey Giant. Having grown up on Andre the Giant, I have a fondness for this art.

Taken from Wikipedia,

Fairey created the "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign in 1989, while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).[3] This later evolved into the "Obey Giant" campaign, which has grown via an international network of collaborators replicating Fairey's original designs.[4] In a manifesto he wrote in 1990, and since posted on his website, he links his work with Heidegger's concept of phenomenology.[5] His "Obey" Campaign draws from the John Carpenter movie "They Live" which starred pro wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper, taking a number of its slogans, including the "Obey" slogan, as well as the "This is Your God" slogan. [6]. Fairey has also spun off the OBEY clothing line from the original sticker campaign.[7] He also uses the slogan "The Medium is the Message" borrowed from Marshall McLuhan.

Yes We Can by will.i.am

Read more about the making of this song here. Whether it's Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or someone on the other side - John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee -- VOTE!

The Yes We Can Song
by will.i.am

I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates...
Torn between the candidates

I was never really big on politics...
and actually I’m still not big on politics...
but 4 years ago, me and the black eyed peas supported Kerry...
And we supported Kerry with all our might...
We performed and performed and performed for the DNC...
doing all we could do to get the youth involved...

The outcome of the last 2 elections has saddened me...
on how unfair, backwards, upside down, unbalanced, untruthful,
corrupt, and just simply, how wrong the world and "politics" are...

So this year i wanted to get involved and do all i could early...

And i found myself torn...
because this time it’s not that simple...
our choices aren’t as clear as the last elections ...
last time it was so obvious...
Bush and war
vs
no Bush and no war...

But this time it’s not that simple...
and there are a lot of people that are torn just like i am...

So for awhile I put it off and i was going to wait until it was decided for me...

And then came New Hampshire...

And i was captivated...

Inspired...

I reflected on my life...
and the blessings I have...
and the people who fought for me to have these rights and blessings...

and I’m not talking about a "black thing"
I’m talking about a "human thing" me as a "person"
an American...

That speech made me think of Martin Luther King...
Kennedy...
and Lincoln...
and all the others that have fought for what we have today...

what America is "supposed" to be...

freedom...
equality...
and truth...

and thats not what we have today...
we think we are free...
but in reality terror and fear controls our decisions...

this is not the America that our pioneers and leaders fought and
died for...

and then there was New Hampshire

it was that speech...
like many great speeches...
that one moved me...
because words and ideas are powerful...

It made me think...
and realize that today we have "very few" leaders...
maybe none...

but that speech...

it inspired me...
it inspired me to look inside myself and outwards towards the world...
it inspired me to want to change myself to better the world...
and take a "leap" towards change...
and hope that others become inspired to do the same...
change themselves..
change their greed...
change their fears...
and if we "change that"
"then hey"..
we got something right...???...

1 week later after the speech settled in me...
I began making this song...
I came up with the idea to turn his speech into a song...
because that speech effected and touched my inner core like nothing in a very long time...

it spoke to me...

because words and ideas are powerful...

I just wanted to add a melody to those words...
I wanted the inspiration that was bubbling inside me to take over...

so i let it..

I wasn't afraid to stand for something...
to stand for "change"...
I wasn't afraid of "fear"...
it was pure inspiration...

so I called my friends...
and they called their friends...
in a matter of 2 days...
We made the song and video...

Usually this process would take months...
a bunch of record company people figuring out strategies and release dates...
interviews...
all that stuff...
but this time i took it in my own hands...
so i called my friends sarah pantera, mike jurkovac, fred goldring, and jesse dylan to help make it happen...
and they called their friends..
and we did it together in 48 hours...
and instead of putting it in the hands of profit we put it in the hands of inspiration...

then we put it on the net for the world to feel...

When you are truly inspired..
magic happens...
incredible things happen...
love happens..
(and with that combination)

"love, and inspiration"

change happens...

"change for the better"
Inspiration breeds change...

"Positive change"...

no one on this planet is truly experienced to handle the obstacles we face today...
Terror, fear, lies, agendas, politics, money, all the above...
It’s all scary...

Martin Luther King didn't have experience to lead...
Kennedy didn't have experience to lead...
Susan B. Anthony...
Nelson Mandella...
Rosa Parks...
Gandhi...
Anne Frank...
and everyone else who has had a hand in molding the freedoms we have and take for granted today...

no one truly has experience to deal with the world today...

they just need "desire, strength, courage ability, and passion" to change...
and to stand for something even when people say it's not possible...

America would not be here "today" if we didn’t stand and fight for
change "yesterday"...
Everything we have as a "people" is because of the "people" who fought for
change...
and whoever is the President has to realize we have a lot of changing to do

I'm not trying to convince people to see things how i do...
I produced this song to share my new found inspiration and how I've been moved...
I hope this song will make you feel...
love...
and think...
and be inspired just like the speech inspired me...

that’s all...

Let's all come together like America is supposed to...
Like Japan did after Hiroshima...

that was less than 65 years ago...
and look at Japan now...

they did it together...
they did it...

"We can't?...

Are you serious..?..

WE CAN!!!

Yes we can...
A United "America"
Democrats, Republicans and Independents together...
Building a new America

We can do it...
"TOGETHER"

Please visit www.yeswecansong.com

Thank you for reading and listening...
will.i.am

On Becoming American

My grandmother is ill with pneumonia and making a slow recovery, as it is to be expected by someone who is 94 years old. She was hospitalized for just shy of one week. I am fairly certain it was her only time in her life ever to be admitted to a hospital. She has always been that healthy. Of course, when she lived in Korea, there also were few hospitals and few ever were admitted to hospitals for illness. Often, people just died in their homes - like my grandfather, her husband.

When my grandmother immigrated to the United States in the late 1960s, she was a widow in her mid-50s. Halmoni (as she is called in Korean) spoke no English, did not drive, and had no employable job skills beyond being a caretaker and homemaker. She could have worked in a factory or perhaps a restaurant. Instead, she cared for her grandchildren and tended to a small garden in the backyard. Forty years later and halmoni still speaks no English, never learned to drive, and never held a "real" job. She only has returned to visit Korea on three or four occasions.

After she was released from the hospital, my brother and I were talking on the telephone about her condition and care. He commented that Medicare and Medicaid would hopefully cover all the costs, as my halmoni has no income and no savings.

In the 1990s, halmoni finally became an American citizen. It was during this period when Congress was pushing legislation to restrict Medicare/Medicaid to only U.S. citizens (i.e., not to permanent residents). There was a lot of fear in the immigrant communities, including many Korean immigrants, and many elderly Koreans rushed to get their citizenships. Some were fearful of being sent back to Korea if they failed. It was a horrible time. I remember volunteering in California to encourage people to apply for citizenship.

I believe my aunt took her to take the citizenship test and served as her translator. Back then, as it is still required today, people must pass a brief civics quiz (answering something like 6 out of 10 questions correct) to gain citizenship. Imagine a 80+ year old non-native speaker taking this test. Amazing. She was so proud. Fortunately, Congress never passed the law making citizenship an eligibility requirement for Medicare/Medicaid. She would still receive these health benefits even without citizenship.

Well, the NYTimes reported today that the Immigration officials have unveiled a new, harder citizenship test.

Legal immigrants who are eligible to become citizens must pass the civics exam as well as a test of English proficiency in reading and writing. In a one-on-one oral examination, an immigration officer asks the applicant 10 questions of varying degrees of difficulty selected from the list of 100. To pass, the applicant must answer 6 of those 10 questions correctly.

I was struck by the underlined requirement of passing a test of English proficiency in reading and writing! What?! Huh?! When did this addition get added to the mix? I cannot imagine my halmoni passing this new set of requirements.

After living in this country for over 40 years, I think she is as American as apple pie and baseball. Heck, this is a woman who loves professional wrestling. How much more all-American can a woman get? Yet by today's standard, she would not be an American citizen. Good grief, Charlie Brown.

College Student Tasered and Sen. Kerry Jokes

I was disheartened to read in the Chronicle of Higher Education that a U of Florida student was tasered for "disrupting" a townhall meeting with Senator John Kerry (story or click at bottom to read story). It was all caught on videotape, much like the UCLA incident from last year. In this instance, the student in question appeared to intentionally disrupt things, which he has every right to do, and then is asked to leave. At this point, he begins to resists, almost mockingly, and then things get more serious. You can hear Senator Kerry make a joke prior to the student being tasered. At no point did Kerry tell the officers to back off. It was pretty pathetic on his part, especially given his own anti-war protests back in the 1960s/70s. In my opinion, it was a hypocritical act. I think he could have intervened given his authority.

See for yourself.

U. of Florida Police Subdue Student With Taser at Speech by Sen. Kerry

By SARA LIPKA

University of Florida police officers subdued a student with a Taser stun gun on Monday afternoon during a speech by Sen. John F. Kerry. The student, Andrew Meyer, had raucously questioned Senator Kerry, then resisted a police escort out of the auditorium, in an incident recorded on video.

Mr. Meyer, 21, had approached an open microphone toward the end of the speech and demanded that the senator explain why he did not challenge the results of the 2004 presidential election and seek to impeach President Bush, according to The Gainesville Sun. Senator Kerry, a Democrat of Massachusetts, said there was insufficient evidence that the election had been stolen for him to pursue such a challenge. He also urged the student and the audience to calm down, said the local newspaper.

Mr. Meyer continued his questioning, asking the senator whether he was a member of Skull and Bones, the secret society at Yale University to which many prominent political figures have belonged. At that point, the microphone in the aisle of the auditorium was turned off, and police officers tried to remove Mr. Meyer.

The video shows Mr. Meyer, wearing a blue-collared shirt, jumping and flailing his arms, trying to wriggle out of the officers' grasp. He shouts, "They're arresting me for nothing!" and "Get off of me! What did I do? Help! Help!"

Six officers wrestle him to the floor in the back of the auditorium as Senator Kerry continues speaking.

"I'll answer his question," the senator says. "Unfortunately he's not available to come up here and swear me in as president."

In the video, an officer warns the student, still pinned to the floor, that if he continues resisting, he will be "tased." The video concludes with Mr. Meyer's cries of pain and students' calls of police brutality.

Sponsors of the event, a town-hall forum, had summoned officers to remove Mr. Meyer from the building, according to a written statement from the campus police department. The officers used the Taser because Mr. Meyer disregarded orders and physically resisted arrest, the statement said. The police charged him with disrupting a school assembly and resisting arrest with violence. They took him to the Alachua County jail.

The university will investigate the incident as it does any case of a police officer using force, said Stephen F. Orlando, a campus spokesman. "There is going to be an internal investigation to determine whether the officers followed procedure and acted appropriately," he said.

Mr. Orlando expected that process to take three days.

A similar investigation at the University of California at Los Angeles -- where campus police turned a Taser on a student who refused to show his ID in a campus library -- found that the officers had used "excessive force and poor judgment." A lawsuit by the student, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, is scheduled to go to trial next year.

Mr. Meyer, a telecommunication major, brought a video camera to the event at the University of Florida and handed it to the person next to him when he got up to speak, Mr. Orlando said. "It appeared that whatever he was going to do, he wanted to document on video."

Some students at Florida are planning a "march against police brutality" at noon today. The students are demanding that the university police drop all charges against Mr. Meyer, suspend the officers involved in his arrest, and remove all Tasers from the campus, said Krissy Abdullah, a junior who is coordinating the protest, with support from Students for a Democratic Society.

Ms. Abdullah said she was shocked and angered by the police officers' response to Mr. Meyer's conduct. "He was definitely acting a little out of line, but I think that they definitely escalated it way too fast," she said. "Someone made the point that he wasn't disrupting the educational event; he was the educational event."

The Facebook group "Gators for Andrew Meyer" had drawn more than 200 members by Monday evening. "Part of me feels bad for you ... but part of me can't help but laugh," Chris Newman, a junior at Florida, posted on the site. "Ur a character," he said. "Stick it to the man bro!!"

When Fancy Pants Sue and Loses and Other Life Lessons

My parents (and my oldest brother) owned (and still own) dry cleaners. Their odyssey in the dry cleaning business started when I took a part-time job working in the dry cleaners owned by a family who went to the same church as my family. A short time after I began to work there, my parents and brother realized that the corporate world was not for them (or rather, the glass ceiling prevented such a future for my parents and my brother was sorting out what he wanted in life) and they apprenticed at the same cleaners by the time I was in college. They opened FamiLee Dry Cleaners and Tailors (hence my blog name) around 1987. They subsequently opened FamiLee Too and FamiLee Three which were/are drop-off locations. The actual cleaning was done at the main shop. Around 2001 (I forget the exact date), they sold the main business and retained the two drop-off businesses. My mom and dad "officially" retired, but they kept working part-time at one of the smaller shops. As most know, my mom passed away in December 2002 and so she never go to enjoy the fruits of her labor. My brother and dad continue to run the shop, so to speak, though I am unsure for how much longer. Still, it's been 20 years and there are many stories to tell.

In the news today is a story about a lawsuit in which a district judge suited a Korean-owned dry cleaners in Washington, DC for 54 million dollars!!!! Read story here. It's a completely ridiculous lawsuit and fortunately the presiding judge agreed with the defendant. Plus, the judge made the plaintiff pay for all the legal fees and more. It had all started with a missing pair of pants. Apparently, very fancy pants. They were part of a pricey suit that the cleaners had lost. Sometimes it happens in the dry cleaning business. In return, cleaners usually pay the cost of the pants. If they are old pants, you pay their "blue book" value, so to speak. If they are new pants, you pay the retail cost. However, you do not have to pay 54 million dollars. Somehow, this plaintiff/judge thought "satisfaction guaranteed" meant you got this much money. Ridiculous.

MINOR UPDATE - From the AP, [Judge] Bartnoff wrote that Pearson, an administrative law judge, failed to prove that the pants the dry cleaner tried to return were not the pants he took in for alterations. Makes you wonder if the guy was really just feeling vindictive and needed some way to soothe his wounded ego.

My parents had many such encounters at the dry cleaners. They had individuals who requested strange things such as dry cleaning and pressing underwear, laundering cheap, polyester dress shirts purchased from Sears in 1970, and more. On occasion, clothing would get lost. My parents would have to pay for the current value of the sweater or shirt or pants. Most customers were understanding, but some would get enraged. A few customers would leave and some of them actually would return after a time because my parents' business was the best in town. Such was life.

Having previously worked in a dry cleaners as a high schooler and then having had to work every summer and vacation in my parents' cleaner, I learned the value of hard work, patience, monotony and repetition, attention to detail, and customer service. Learning when to just smile and when to stand up for oneself. How to bargain and how to accept a deal. You also learn how to spend lots of time in silence, alone with your thoughts, as you tirelessly press suits as 110+ degree steam hits you in the face for hours upon hours on end. It was a valuable learning experience. At the same time, I realized from these experiences that I did not want to be a small business owner (at least not as a full time occupation).

So, being the son of dry cleaners is a part of the reason why I am in academia. It's completely different but in some respects it is the same. The lessons learned still apply. Plus, on a day like today, you feel good when Judge Fancy Pants loses a lawsuit!

Famous Friends :: A Reporter's Take on the War

When I was in graduate school, I befriended a total stranger one day. It happened as I was getting my haircut and I was eavesdropping on the conversation going on at the next hairstylist's chair. I forget the conversation but I recall that it was an animated Asian American woman who was carrying on about something. Laughter seemed to fill the room. After the haircut, I was grabbing a drink next door at a local watering hole when this laughing person walked by. On impulse, I introduced myself to her and we briefly chatted. Sensing I was safe, not creepy (and probably surprised to meet another Asian American in Richmond, VA), she invited me to her birthday party that upcoming weekend. Well, fast forward 15 years and we are still friends!

The other day, as I was preparing for work and listening to NPR on the radio, I heard a story about Ali al-Marri, the only person being held as an enemy combatant on U.S. soil. I think Ari Shapiro was reporting on it. I thought to myself, this is so whack!

Well, it turns out that Ari was not the only one reporting on this story. That is, my laughing, haircut friend of 15 years -- Zinie -- was and still is a reporter for the Associated Press and continues to live in Richmond. She also wrote a great piece on the (il)legality of the detainment of what Bush calls "enemy combatants." It is a very fascinating legal case on Constitutional rights with clear implications for immigrants and refugees. Read her story by clicking here. From the article:

"If the U.S. can do this, it's contrary to the Constitution," Motz said. "It would give other nations the ability to do that by declaring a U.S. citizen an enemy combatant."

The case, which is expected to reach the Supreme Court, could help define how much authority the government has to indefinitely detain those accused of terrorist acts and to strip detainees of their right to challenge the lawfulness or conditions of their detention.

Unoriginal Journalism :: It's Not New

I am behind on blogging, so I am making up for it with random thoughts from the past week or so....

Ever read the writings of the Strib columnist Katherine Kersten? As the story goes, she was brought in by the newspaper bosses to bring "balance" to the supposedly liberal leaning Strib. I am not sure if the Strib is very liberal leaning or in need of balancing, but that is another story. Here is what I find interesting. Kersten seems to pride herself on strong conservative values and views. So people were shocked by her apparent "extending a hand across the divide" column on Dec 20th, calling for a truce on the culture war over Christmas in her article, titled "Culture wars over Christmas -- how about a cease-fire?"

What I find so amazing about this article by Katherine Kersten is that is is wholly unoriginal! Of course, many people have made such a call or pleading over the years, so this is not my problem with her article. What makes this case somewhat unique (to me) is that she wrote her article just a couple of weeks after Nicholoas Kristof wrote his psuedo-plea (really an attack), titled "A Modest Proposal for a Truce on Religion" in the New York Times on December 3rd! Hm...notice the similar headlines? Truce? Cease-fire? And she conveniently fails to mention his article, although she cites many of the same storylines. To her credit though, she takes a slightly more modest stance than Kristoff who is more obnoxious. For rebuttals to Kristof, check out Harris and Dawkins reponses at Edge.

Hm....imagine if journalists had to cite their references to opinions and ideas, just as we are expected to do in academia. It would not only keep them more honest, but it would help to better educate the readership and allow the readers to develop stronger critical thinking skills (rather than rely on the hot air of columnists alone). One advantage to the web (vs print) is that it gives readers the chance to search out these references and get a truly more balanced viewpoint. Of course, this approach requires more legwork on the readership which is why people subscribe to newspapers (and watch television news) to begin (i.e., to avoid legwork and the ease of convenience). Maybe something like NewsTrust is a compromise.

Zombie Rights

Back in July, I was hanging out with friends, shooting pool at Grumpy's on Washington Ave. While playing a bad game of pool, a group of hipsters dressed as zombies made their way into the bar. They were funny and nice. I thought nothing of it, given that this group also had performed at the Art Shanty Projects over the winter. They were a known group in town and harmless as the walking dead.

Well, it turns out that this group of fun loving zombies were arrested by Minneapolis police under suspicion of carrying "simulated weapons of mass destruction." No joke. Here is the article on it from back in July.

Now, it is the zombie's turn to strike back. Looks like they have filed a lawsuit against the city for violating their civil rights. Click here for full story.

I also noticed that one of the arrested individuals has the last name of Utne....hm, I wonder if he is related at all to the founders of the Utne Reader. I imagine it is the case given the uniqueness of the surname. Incidentally, ten plus years ago, I used to read the Utne, not knowing that it was based in Minneapolis. Seems the past and present intertwine again and again.

Infuriations :: Wartime Chinese Laborers Sue Japan

World War II and the preceding Japanese occupation of Korea, parts of China and elsewhere in Asia are well documented historical events filled with atrocities, horrors, and gross abuses of power. Yet still in Japan there remains defiance toward these crimes - 60+ years later.

The NYTimes has a great article on recent efforts by elderly Chinese men who were forced into labor in Japan during the war and now are seeking apologies and reparations. It is ennobling of them and yet the response by Japan is infuriating.

Sometimes shaking a fist and grumbling grrrrr is all I can muster but not enough.

Of course, there is so much pain and misery associated with war in general. Closer to home, the University will be bringing to the Twin Cities a traveling exhibit - Still Present Pasts - on the Korean War created by Korean American artists and scholars. Stay tuned for more to come on this event which I along with a great steering committee have been working on for the past 6 months now.

Virginia Is For ... Swing Voters!

It's was an amazing election day yesterday and I found myself switching from channel to channel trying to get the latest poll counts. I am amazed and relieved and happy at how well the Democrats did in all levels of government (State, House, and Senate). Now, it looks like it's up to Virginia - my former residency for four years of graduate school. While living in Richmond, I became friends with an AP reporter (Zinie Sampson) and have continued to keep in touch with her, especially when its related to a hot news item.

Well, lo and behold, Zinie wrote a great story yesterday that has received a lot of press coverage. In fact, I heard about this voting intimidation on the radio and it turns out that she wrote the story! Click below to read the full story.

Stay tuned and fingers crossed! Remember -- Virginia is for Swing Voters!

FBI investigating Va. voter calls

By ZINIE CHEN SAMPSON
Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 7, 5:53 PM ET
RICHMOND, Va.

In Ohio, a prosecutor also warned voters to be wary of fraudulent calls claiming that their voting precincts had been changed.

Get Out and Vote!

If you have one thing to do on the day's "to do" list, it is to get out and vote! If you don't know all the issues and are still figuring out the candidates, check out the Select a Candidate site on Minnesota Public Radio. Quite helpful but not definitive.

My first vote was back in 1992 when Clinton won the election. Legally, I was eligible to vote in 1988 and 1990 but I was a college student back then and not a very motivated one. Plus, I was out of state and completely clueless about mail-in ballots, but I digress. During the primaries, I remember mulling over all the Democratic candidates and not knowing a thing about them. However, I was one of those struck by Clinton's charisma and message. He was an underdog but I remember telling some classmates that he was the one. That was perhaps the most exciting election for me because I really felt that my vote counted. But, of course, they all count.

Heck, perhaps this one will be even more exciting if there are changes in power at the state and federal levels.

DNA Testing and Immigration

I wonder whether I would be here today if my father had to take a DNA test to get his visa back in 1964. In the Washington Post, there is an interesting article about the rising number of cases in which immigrants seeking to sponsor their families are being asked to undergo DNA testing to prove familial relations. On the surface, this seems a reasonable advance in immigration procedures given the increased accuracy of DNA testing. However, it is equally troubling on a number of fronts.

First, it reminds me of the difficulties that were imposed on Chinese immigrants during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 when the U.S. government intentionally and forcibly sought to exclude Chinese from coming to America, even those with family here. A visit to Angel Island is a history lesson that is often not told.

Second, DNA testing takes a very narrow, very biological view of family. What about families formed through adoption or through second marriages? What about extended kinship families that may even include non-relatives who are raised as part of a larger family system (e.g., Hawaiian Hanai)?

Third, immigration is costly yet the return to American society is immeasurable. The cost of DNA testing makes it financially impossible for some families to be reunited. At $800 a pop, many people will not be able to afford to get the testing done, except those who are privileged and affluent.

Tokyo Rose - A Lesson to Still Learn

I read yesterday in the NYTimes that the famous and mythical Tokyo Rose died on Tuesday. (You can read the full article by clicking More... below).

Iva Toguri D’Aquino, the Japanese-American convicted of treason in 1949 for broadcasting propaganda from Japan to United States servicemen during World War II as the seductive but sinister Tokyo Rose, died Tuesday in Chicago. She was 90.

As I read this story, I started to think about the wacky politics of today and the way in which the government uses threats of treason as a means to engage in unjust actions to justify the war.

D’Aquino, Convicted as Tokyo Rose, Dies at 90

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
Published: September 27, 2006

Iva Toguri D’Aquino, the Japanese-American convicted of treason in 1949 for broadcasting propaganda from Japan to United States servicemen during World War II as the seductive but sinister Tokyo Rose, died Tuesday in Chicago. She was 90.

Her death, at a Chicago hospital, was confirmed by a nephew, William Toguri, who said only that Mrs. D’Aquino had died of natural causes, The Associated Press reported.

Tokyo Rose was a mythical figure. The persona, its origin murky, had been bestowed by American servicemen collectively on a dozen or so women who broadcast for Radio Tokyo, telling soldiers, sailors and marines in the Pacific that their cause was lost and that their sweethearts back home were betraying them.

The broadcasts did nothing to dim American morale. The servicemen enjoyed the recordings of American popular music, and the United States Navy bestowed a satirical citation on Tokyo Rose at war’s end for her entertainment value.

But the identity of Tokyo Rose became attached to Mrs. D’Aquino, a native of Southern California and the only woman broadcasting for Radio Tokyo known to be an American citizen. She emerged as an infamous figure in a rare treason trial.

Convicted by a federal jury in San Francisco on one of eight vaguely worded counts, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. She served 6 years and 2 months, then lived quietly in Chicago, running a family gift shop. On Jan. 19, 1977, she was pardoned, without comment, by President Gerald R. Ford on his last full day in office, and her citizenship was restored.

“A mere wartime myth, Tokyo Rose was to become a disgrace to American justice," Edwin O. Reischauer, the American Ambassador to Japan from 1961 to 1966 and a scholar at Harvard specializing in East Asian affairs, wrote in his introduction to “Tokyo Rose: Orphan of the Pacific,” by Masayo Duus. (Kodansha International, 1979)

The treason charges, Mr. Reischauer wrote, were “egged on by a public still much under the influence of traditional racial prejudices and far from free of the anti-Japanese hatreds of the recent war."

Iva Ikuko Toguri was born in Los Angeles on the Fourth of July 1916, a daughter of Japanese immigrants who owned a grocery store. She graduated from U.C.L.A. in 1940 with a degree in zoology, hoping to become a physician.

In the summer of 1941, she visited an ailing aunt in Tokyo at the request of her mother. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, she was stranded in Tokyo, knowing virtually no Japanese, deprived of a food ration card by the authorities after refusing to become a Japanese citizen and hard-pressed to find work.

In 1942, she obtained a job with Japan’s Domei news agency, monitoring American military broadcasts, and late in 1943 she became an announcer and disc jockey for Radio Tokyo’s propaganda broadcasts, playing American musical recordings on the “Zero Hour” program beamed to American servicemen. She called herself “Ann” or “Orphan Ann,” short for announcer and a play on the Orphan Annie character.

While continuing to work for Radio Tokyo in 1945, she married Felipe D’Aquino, a Domei news agency employee with Portuguese citizenship but Japanese ancestry.

When the war ended, several American reporters learned of Mrs. D’Aquino’s broadcasts and interviewed her in Japan. She said that she was Tokyo Rose, evidently presuming that no great notoriety would be attached to that and perhaps hoping to embellish an intriguing story for American readers, having been paid for her account in a magazine article. She subsequently denied ever having called herself Tokyo Rose in her broadcasts, and no evidence was produced to the contrary.

As an outgrowth of the publicity, Mrs. D’Aquino was arrested and questioned by American military occupation authorities and the F.B.I. The United Press quoted her at the time as saying, “I didn’t think I was doing anything disloyal to America.”

In the fall of 1946, Mrs. D’Aquino was released from custody in Japan after the Army and the Justice Department concluded that there were no grounds for prosecuting her. But the Justice Department reopened the case in 1948. Loyalty issues were becoming a national political flashpoint, although mainly in the context of the Cold War, and the American Legion and the powerful columnist and broadcaster Walter Winchell had spoken out against Mrs. D’Aquino.

Mrs. D’Aquino, who had unsuccessfully sought permission from American authorities to return to California, was arrested on charges of treason, transported to San Francisco, held in a county jail for a year, then put on trial in 1949.

Treason, the only crime outlined in detail in the Constitution, is defined as “levying war” against the United States or giving “aid and comfort” to its enemies. A defendant may be convicted only “on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.”

Up to the end of World War II, there had only been some 30 treason cases in United States history. When Mrs. D’Aquino went on trial, five Americans had been convicted of treason for actions in the war, four having broadcast for Nazi Germany, most notably Millard Gillars, known as Axis Sally.

Tom DeWolfe, a special assistant attorney general, told the jury that Mrs. D’Aquino had engaged in "nefarious propagandistic broadcasts” without being under duress. Former supervisors for Radio Tokyo testified that she had made propaganda broadcasts willingly, and a few broadcast tapes were played for the jury, though none were identified as containing Mrs. D’Aquino’s voice.

Testifying at the 12-week trial, Mrs. D’Aquino denied that she had ever made any disloyal statements on Radio Tokyo. She was supported in testimony from former Allied prisoners of war who had worked in the Japanese broadcasting operation. In a statement that she had given to the F.B.I. in Japan and that was entered in the court record, she said that she had sought to reduce the programs’ effectiveness as propaganda by inserting double meanings in some of her broadcasts.

Mrs. D’Aquino was convicted on a single count of treason, relating to a broadcast she was alleged to have made to American servicemen in October 1944, referring to the loss of their ships. According to prosecution testimony, she said: “Orphans of the Pacific, you really are orphans now. How will you get home now that all your ships are lost?”

After serving her sentence at the federal penitentiary for women in Alderson, W. Va., Mrs. D’Aquino fought government efforts to deport her. She ran an Asian grocery store and gift shop on Chicago’s North Side that family members had opened after their release from a wartime internment camp in Arizona. Her husband returned to Japan after her trial, and she never saw him again.

President Ford pardoned Mrs. D’Aquino after she had appealed to him in writing. The decision was supported by a unanimous vote of the California state legislature, the national Japanese-American Citizens League, and S.I. Hayakawa, then a United States Senator-elect from California.

“It is hard to believe,” Mrs. D’Aquino said on receiving word of President Ford’s action. “But I have always maintained my innocence — this pardon is a measure of vindication.”

Another Jap Car...

Just when you thought the congressional campaign between John Kline and Coleen Rowley couldn't get any weirder, a video appeared on a Minnesota political blog showing Kline's district director screaming about "another Jap car."

"I apologize if my words offended any Americans of Japanese descent, including my sister-in-law," Osskopp said. "I allowed my emotions to get the better of me and used a phrase commonly used in my youth, but which is now inappropriate and offensive." From the Star Tribune You also can watch the video of this racist comment at this anti-Kline blog.

Hm....so sad, so sad. It reminds me of the time when I attended a third-party candidate debate that was part of a Nightline program hosted by Ted Koppel. I was a new faculty member at Minnesota and happened to get tickets to this taping. I arrived early and sat front and center -- just three rows back from the stage where Jesse Ventura (still govenor at the time) and Ralph Nader were seated with Ted Koppel.

During the taping, Nader began to speak about minority votes and he starts listing the various racial groups...."African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Orientals..." My mouth dropped. This was Nader, Mr. Liberal, on national television. Shortly thereafter, there was a commercial break.

I stand up and shout out to them, "Mr. Nader, oriental is a rug, not a person. We are Asian American." He looks out at me and profusely apologies, saying he realized his mistake just after the words left his mouth. He seemed sincere, although he never corrected himself on-air. Still, I felt vindicated. Then, Jesse Ventura butts in with stupid comments about how we are all just American and there is no need to label oneself Swedish American, African American, etc. I debate him for the next minute, explaining that such self-labeling does not work the same way for Whites as for racial minority when Whites continue to view and judge me according to my skin color. He just idiotically keeps repeating this rhetorical question. I never got an apology from Jesse Ventura, though I am waiting......waiting.....waiting....

Let's get it straight on the Kline-Osskopp bungle. Osskopp's apology is not really an apology. The Pope's apology to Muslims is even a bit better than this one. Read Osskopp's (and Kline's) statement, he's sorry that his comments offended others, but not sorry for saying a racist comment. I really hate when this sort of fake apology is offered. Have some courage, man, to admit a mistake and to take responsibility for one's words and actions. He further minimizes his sincerity by saying the word "Jap" used to be appropriate and not offensive when he was a youth. Uh, huh? It was ALWAYS offensive and inappropriate! And then to infer that his comment was not racist (or he is not prejudiced) because his in-law is Japanese American is pathetic. Much like someone simply saying they have Black friends and therefore are not racist. Ugh.

History Lessons Not Learned : From Korea to Iraq

Hapa9 sent me a recent Washington Post article on the discovery of a U.S. memo, dating back to the Korean War, that ordered the shooting of Korean refugees fleeing from North Korea.

The letter -- dated the day of the Army's mass killing of South Korean refugees at No Gun Ri in 1950 -- is the strongest indication yet that such a policy existed for all U.S. forces in Korea, and the first evidence that that policy was known to upper ranks of the U.S. government.

This news comes on the heels of the latest inquiry into the killing of innocent Iraqi by U.S. Marines last November. From the NYTimes article,

A military investigator uncovered evidence in February and March that contradicted repeated claims by marines that Iraqi civilians killed in Haditha last November were victims of a roadside bomb...

The three-week inquiry was the first official investigation into an episode that was first uncovered by Time magazine in January and that American military officials now say appears to have been an unprovoked attack by the marines that killed 24 Iraqi civilians.

Sometimes, we just don't learn or won't learn.

Chernobyl and Me:: 20 Years Later

It was twenty years ago today that the Chernobyl reactor exploded, releasing radioactivity hundreds and thousands of miles. For a Q&A of the event, click here. Today, they are still reinforcing the sarcophagus that was erected to surround the reactor to prevent further radioactive leakage.

Twenty years ago, for me, brings me back to my junior year of high school. I was junior class president, captain of the wrestling team, top 20 in my class of 300 or so, dating a varsity cheerleader, and soon to get kicked out of school. In a way, I was undergoing my own nuclear (family) meltdown and I had already built up my own sarcophagus.

You see, my oldest brother had dropped out of college and was soon-to-be engaged to a woman who was (gasp!) not Korean American (btw, she is now his lovely wife). My middle brother also had dropped out of college, was in/out of a hospital, and trying to figure out his life. My father had quit his job in advertising because of racism and the glass ceiling effect and was cobbling together part-time work. My mother was working two full-time jobs and trying to keep everything together. Me? I was stuck somewhere in the middle of all of this mess, trying to find my own identity and place in the world.

It was a time in our lives that I can now look back upon and say "Thank God, we made it through." It also was a time when we really grew in our lives, as individuals and as a family. Sometimes, it takes a nuclear meltdown for a family to rebuild itself up in a healthier and stronger way.

As an immigrant family, we spent the first 20 years of our lives in America just trying to make a go of it. Trying to live the American Dream, not knowing the dream was unrealistic and not really meant for folks who aren't wealthy and White. This disconnect between immigrant reality and immigrant dream added to our frustrations and exacerbated all the other acculturative issues that were purcolating to the top.

After our personal and familial chernobyl, we spent many, many years building up our sarcophagus to try to hide the pain, shame, and bitterness. Then, slowly, we started to look inward, reflecting on what had happened, what had gone wrong. We began to talk more openly with each other. We started to forgive each other. We acknowledged our pains and silently and collectively decided to make changes in our individual and familial lives.

Today, twenty years later, my father is retired and enjoying life as a painter. My eldest brother is a successful businessman and proud pappa of three wonderful children. My middle brother also is a wonderful father to a boy and a great elementary school teacher. My mom...my mom...she lived her life to the fullest and we still miss her each day. As for me, well, here I am writing this blog, reflecting with a tear in one eye and a twinkle in the other eye. Who would have thought this is where I (or any of us) would have ended up a generation later.

May the people of Ukraine find a way to accept the pain, forgive the past, and move forward with their lives.

No speak English?

I awoke this morning ready to battle the snow. I put on my winter armor, opened the front door, and tackled the 6-8 inches that had accumulated over the night. As I was shoveling, I was carrying on a conversation with my next door neighbor, Mike, who is a public school teacher in a neighboring district. Conversations of this nature are generally trivial, like "The snow is heavy" and "Is school cancelled today?" After these formalities though, Mike asked if I heard about the bill being proposed to mandate that Minnesota state professors must speak plain English. I said, "No," as I heaved another heavy shovel full of snow off the sidewalk. He said he read it and immediately zipped off a letter to the editor to criticize the bill. I stopped shoveling and paused a moment...quietly thinking, "It is great to have this kind of neighbor." Then, after finishing shoveling (for now), I went inside and surfed the internet looking for this bill. Here it is.

A Minnesota state legislator by the name of Bud Heidgerken (R-Freeport) has "introduced a bill intended to ensure that all teachers use "clear English pronunciation" before being allowed to teach undergraduate students," as reported today in the Star Tribune. According to the newspaper article, "The bill would require that schools in Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) ensure their teachers speak plain English. It would 'request' that the University of Minnesota do the same; the Legislature can technically only request compliance from the U because it is an autonomous body under the state Constitution." Only three other states have such a law in place -- North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

This proposed bill is just ridiculous. First, the university already has a policy regarding language competency that dates back to 1985 when "the Minnesota legislature drafted the following language in Chapter 11, section 7 of its Laws: The university is requested to continue to ensure that classroom teaching assistants for whom English is a second language are proficient in speaking, reading, and writing English." Click here to read more on the university policies. The policy specifically states that "All nonnative English speaking Teaching Assistants (TAs) must demonstrate proficiency in spoken English appropriate to the demands of their teaching assistantship." A nonnative English speaker is defined as a "Person for whom the primary language in the home during childhood was not English. Country of citizenship and language of elementary, secondary or undergraduate education are NOT factors in this definition."

I first learned of this understandable yet poorly operationalized requirement when an Asian American graduate student of mine was questioned about whether she had taken the required language proficiency test. She was shocked by this question because she immigrated as a child, is a U.S. citizen, received her entire education in this country, and speaks fluently. However, none of this mattered because (a) she had an Asian sounding name and looked "foreign" and (b) the primary language spoken in her home was not English, as her parents were immigrants. I immediately began making calls and the situation was rectified. However, when asked if the policy could be changed, I never heard back from the College or Human Resources. The only response given was that it was a legislative policy.

The second reason that this bill is ridiculous is that it is clearly discriminatory. In the case just given, my graduate student has every right to not be questioned about her language abilities. Yet according to current policy, she can be questioned. As my neighbor and I discussed, the bill also would outlaw a deaf person who is capable of teaching a course using American Sign Language, via a interpreter. For that matter, technically, I also would not be allowed to teach (let alone be hired as a professor) because my parents did not speak English as their primary language in the home.

Third, such a bill (if passed) would contribute to the brain drain from Minnesota and significantly undermine our efforts to recruit and retain the best of the best. After 9-11, the inflow of international students declined and we are just now rebounding at every major university in the country. These students are the life force behind many departments and contribute immensely to the education of the general public. Plus, many of these graduates stay in Minnesota to work for major companies. They also contribute taxes just like everyone else.

I urge everyone to contact their state legislators to not just kill this bill but to also encourage their legislators to come out with a strong statement against such future proposals. To find your legislator, click here.

-----------------------------
UPDATE
-----------------------------

This is an email response from my state representative, Frank Hornstein.

From: Frank Hornstein
To: richlee@umn.edu
Date: 13 Mar 06, 12:16pm

Dear Dr. Lee:

I share your outrage regarding Rep. Heidgerken's bill. This is but the
latest in a series of outrageous anti-immigrant bills, all of which I
oppose.

I appreciate your well thought-out arguments against this bill and will
refer to them if the legislation ever gets to the House floor.

Thanks for writing and sharing your stories and perspectives.

Frank Hornstein
State Representative

Immersion Journalism (vs. Safety of Blogging)

I just read a fascinating story about a 16 year old boy (Farris Hassan) who was taking a class on immersion journalism at a prep school in Florida when he decided to do it for real as part of a class assignment. His choice of location? Baghdad, Iraq! No joke! Click here to read the full story. It is pretty amazing in terms of gonzo journalism, risk taking, and pure luck. Boy, it makes blogging about the comfort of bi bim bop seem pretty small in comparison.

Don't Give Up (Inspiring)

I came across this amazing song and video performed by Bono and Alicia Keys. It is the beautiful song "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel. Visit www.keepachildalive.org to view the music video. The haunting photograph montage is by Kristen Ashburn.

Keep A Child Alive provides life-saving AIDS medicines directly to children and families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and other impoverished countries

As we approach Christmas, let's all take a moment to think of and pray for those struggling to just live another day.

White Men, Korean Women : Random Observations

Note. The original title to this entry was "White Men and Korean Women" but was changed to be more accurate. Also, please read my comment posted after this entry.

I was perusing the Washington Post today and came across this photo of Bush amongst all these Korean women in traditional dress. Given my political leanings, it's a bit tough to absorb this image.

Then again, my aversive reaction is a bit stronger to Nicholas Cage and his Korean American wife, Alice (Yong-gyong) Kim. More bizarre is this quote from Cage -- "Kimchi is in my spirit and in my mind, it balances my soul." Oh, what would Elvis say!?

Of course, the supreme kicker still goes to Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn. In describing his relationship to Soon-Yi, Allen is quoted as saying, "It's got a more paternal feeling to it." 'Nuf said.

Lessons on Ethnic Identity and Foreignness in France and US

The NYTimes has an article in today's paper entitled "What Makes Someone French?" It focuses on the case of French citizens of Algerian descent who situate a unique position in France because these individuals were born in Algeria when it was a French territory, migrated to France as infants/children, and became citizens. Yet their stories are like those of the newer immigrants; they share a common theme of feeling like foreigners in their own country. At the same time, there are differences too...

[Mr. Arhab] said earlier generations like himself have had it easier than the frustrated youths in the housing projects today, because his generation had closer ties to their homelands. "When someone says to me, 'you're not French,' I can take refuge in my origins," he said, "but the young can't do that."

In other words, earlier generations could anchor themselves and find pride in their ethnic heritage. This ethnic solidarity provides stability and a sense of worth in times of discrimination and oppression. I think this same attitude/belief holds true for earlier generations of Asian immigrants who came to this country as adults with their identities already formed.

For the more recent generation of immigrants or children of immigrants, the challange is greater because they are more disconnected from their ethnic roots, even though they may seem more connected on the surface.

Most second-generation Muslim immigrants are generally no more observant than young French Catholics. But the legacy of discrimination creates the conditions for young people who feel neither French nor North African to seek an identity in Islam - often anti-Western, political Islam.

We see the same sort of retreat into one's ethnicity in the US, as well. In psychology, this phenomenon is often referred to as rejection-identification. In feeling rejected by the majority, members of a minority group identify more strongly with their ethnicity. However, how is their notion of ethnicity constituted? Is it similar or different than their parents or earlier generations? My sense is that it often is not the same. It is its own entity that is unfortunately less anchored in the collective history of its people. Without this deeper foundation, this ethnic identity is more vulnerable to extremist views.

I am reminded of the life of Malcolm X and his tranformation after visiting Mecca. He realized praying beside muslims of different colors that his original understanding of being Black and Muslim was skewed. By returing to his roots and learning about the collective history of his people, he found a more stable, secure ethnic identity that allowed him to find alternate ways to manage discrimination.

Claire Jean Kim's writings on racial triangulation are very relevant to this discourse as well.

In this model, Kim contrasts the experiences of Asian Americans with those of Whites and Blacks. She argues that Asian Americans are positioned as more foreign than Blacks, yet more valorized (i.e., viewed as more superior) than Blacks. This triangulation creates more tensions among minority groups, pitting them against each other while conveniently keeping Whites out of the conflict.

To some extent, this phenomenon (or at least the foreigner-insider polarization) seems to be happening in France. French government likes to think they are treating everyone as insiders, but the reality suggests many are treated as foreigners in their own country. The more excluded people feel from their own country, the more likely they will then seek refuge in other social groups and identities...for better or worse.

Voter #272, Gambling, and Patriotism

Note. This entry has been edited (slightly) since its original posting

It's election day, although many people may be unaware of it. As an off-year election, there are not many big state or national races today. Living in Mpls, we have a mayoral election, a city council seat open, and a park board seat open (and some other smaller races). I was voter #272 in my district.

To find out where to vote or whom to vote for, check out the Star Tribune Politics section which allows you to find your voting precinct and find out a bit more about the candidates.

In my opinion, the most important vote is for the city council seat because Mpls has a relatively weak mayoral system in which the city council holds more legislative and administrative power than the mayor. In addition, the two mayoral candidates are not very different, given their party affiliation is the same (DFL) and their platforms are very similar (better schools, less crime, more police).

Need another reason to vote? How about equating voting with gambling? A few weeks ago, we had a big PowerBall lottery worth nearly $300 million, if I remember correctly. I confess to having bought $4 worth of tickets, winning absolutely nothing like most people. If you love to gamble and to win, then vote. This year is a good time to vote because it is an off-year election (no gubernatorial or presidential election). Not as many people will vote, so you will increase your odds of picking a winning candidate. I know, silly logic, but just trying to find more ways to inspire folks to vote and to make a difference in their local communities.

On an arts-related note about politics, there is a new multimedia play at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown called Patriot Acts.

What is patriotism? What role with art play in the "war against terrorism"? What role does race, culture, and class play? What is an American? How do we engage in an international dialogue? What does freedom feel like? What does it mean? What Acts of Patriotism can you implement on a day-to-day basis? Canvassing an international array of artists' voices, LP: Patriot Acts uses one on one interviews, video, performance, song, spoken word, storytelling, visual arts, photography, music, and movement. Curators e.g. bailey and Sha Cage, in partnership with some of the most prolific artists from the UK, the USA, and France, challenge, anger, humor, and above all provoke in this revealing work of new theater.

My good friends, Ken and Me-K, have a great video piece in Patriot Acts. I plan to check out the show on Wednesday night. It only plays till Wednesday, so go today or tomorrow!

CIA Leak, Rove, Libby, and Cheney: A Case of GroupThink?

I've become a bit absorbed lately in the whole CIA Leak investigation [see NYTimes or WashingtonPost]. Here is a thought experiment that came to mind while watching Carson Tucker on MSNBC last night. On the show, Tucker argued that it would be stupid and uncharacteristic for Cheney and company to made such an intentional slip in releasing Valeria Plame Wilson's identity as a CIA operative. But is it unrealistic to assume that it could happen? In fact, this very well might be a case of groupthink. In which case, it makes complete sense how such a gaff could have occurred in the White House.

Groupthink is a term coined by psychologist Irving Janis in 1972 to describe a process by which a group can make bad or irrational decisions. In a groupthink situation, each member of the group attempts to conform his or her opinions to what they believe to be the consensus of the group. In a general sense this seems to be a very rationalistic way to approach the situation. However this results in a situation in which the group ultimately agrees upon an action which each member might individually consider to be unwise (the risky shift). Janis' original definition of the term was "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action."

Moreover, here is what Janis considers the antecedent conditions of groupthink. As I read through this list, I became more compelled by the evidence. To me, these characteristics describe the Bush-Cheney cronyism

* Insulation of the group
* High group cohesiveness
* Directive leadership
* Lack of norms requiring methodical procedures
* Homogeneity of members' social background and ideology
* High stress from external threats with low hope of a better solution than the one offered by the leader(s)

Each characteristic fits with the current Bush-Cheney administration. This is a very exclusive group who are all cronies. They are highly cohesive in their voice and actions. In fact, they seem to pride themselves on the tight cohesion. Cheney-Rove-Bush are a very directive leadership group. The leadership consists of wealthy White men with the same conservative mindset. The post-9/11 trauma and assault and seemingly no enemy (or external threat) to which to retaliate against. Hm...seems to be to be ripe conditions for groupthink.

Perhaps this cartoon (taken from David Myers' excellent Social Psychology Textbook) best sums up the situation.

What Rice Can't See (Post Op-Ed)

Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post wrote a wonderful op-ed piece today about Condi Rice, following up on my earlier morning post. Read the full piece right here -- What Rice Can't See.

It's as if Rice is still cosseted in her beloved Titusville, the neighborhood of black strivers where she was raised, able to see the very different reality that other African Americans experience but not to reach out of the bubble -- not able to touch that other reality, and thus not able to really understand it.

Civil Rights and Condi Rice: What If...

A photograph of Condi Rice? I know what you are thinking...why would Rich put up a photo of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice? Has he gone crazy? Is he coming out as a Republican? Well, I am not crazy and I am not switching parties. I was intrigued by an interview with her that revealed some childhood experiences that likely affected who she is today (and how she thinks about things). In this respect, it is a lesson in cultural socialization -- which is what I study in my research on Asian American immigrant, refugee, adopted, and U.S.-born children.

Secretary of State Rice returned to her home state of Alabama and shared some memories of her childhood, which includes having been friends with one of the girls who was killed in the infamous Birmingham church bombing that helped spark the Civil Rights movement. I was most struck with the following comments that she made, as reported in the New York Times.

Ms. Rice said she did not learn about the difficulties encountered by her father, a prominent minister, in trying to vote until she was a professor of international relations at Stanford.

Ms. Rice said she also wished she had talked more with an aunt who earned a doctorate in Victorian literature in the 1950's from the University of Wisconsin, but who had difficulty finding a place to live while she studied there.

After reading the excerpt, I started to wonder if Ms. Rice would have a different attitude about racial and world politics if her family had spoken more honestly and openly with her about the challenges and difficulties of growing up Black in American in the 1960s. Might it have affected her differently if her parents had racially inculcated her by talking about their experiences with racism? Might she have developed a different outlook or chosen a different course in life? Put bluntly, would she still have become the ardent Republican who downplays the need for affirmative action and advocates for the Iraq War or would she have become a moderate/liberal Democrat with a different understanding of living in a racially diverse world? Perhaps there is still time to change...