Two weeks until November 7th, and there’s quite a lot of Buzz in the Vietnamese political arena, this time making national headlines, so let’s get right to the point with the much-talked about voter intimidation letter...
Tan Nguyen’s voter intimidation letter
In short, Tan Nguyen is a Republican coming-out-of-nowhere-financial-advisor-turned-politician who is running for the 47th California Congressional District, where long-time Vietnam supporter and Democrat Loretta Sanchez is currently holding the seat. If you live in Little Saigon, I am sure you have seen the many green Go-with-Tan signs at every street corner. Well, about two weeks ago, this bilingual mailer was sent to about 14,000 foreign-born Hispanic Democrat households warning them that voting as an illegal immigrant will result in jail time and that they will be deported. The letter states that a new computer system is being installed to allow anti-immigration organizations to obtain voter’s names, and that voting is dangerous and that they should stay home. This mailing was traced back to Tan Nguyen’s campaign and has stirred much controversy making national headlines, receiving condemnations from both parties of the house. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called the letter "a despicable act of political intimidation and a hate crime." Tan Nguyen’s office has being raided last Friday in a state probe, while members of both parties are urging Tan Nguyen to withdraw from the race.
Tan Nguyen, on the other hand, denies any wrongdoings and refuses to withdraw from the race, despite the public’s immense call for him to withdraw (especially that of Orange County Republican Chairman Scott Baugh). While he has prematurely fired the campaign worker who has apparently sent out that mailing without his approval, he has invited her back, also noting that the English draft of this letter was incorrectly translated into Spanish. Uuuhh... so why was this only sent to 14,000 foreign-born Hispanic households?
I am tired of politicians who come out of nowhere and expect our support because they carry our last names. Very much like the Lynn Daucher vs. Lou Correa race that is being watched in Little Saigon, I am asking the Vietnamese public to look at candidate’s track record of what they have done for Vietnamese community. To those involved in the Vietnamese community, the name Loretta Sanchez is pretty much a household name, while none of us ever heard of Tan Nguyen until this year.
Jed Levine’s satire gone wrong
Speaking about controversial letters, Jed Levine is a contributor to the University of California, Los Angeles newspaper The Daily Bruin. In a recent article named A modest proposal for an immodest proposition he responds to a recent student rally to ask for more diversity at the campus, and writes a complete satire on why the growing Asian population at California universities should be capped to allow the underrepresented white minority students to attend the school. While his article was a complete satire, he uses analogies and statements that could have easily been interpreted as racists remarks if taken out of the context of the satire, and that’s exactly what happened. The Asian student population is not impressed, nor amused, again causing national headlines among Asian student groups across the nation.
Vietnam hosting APEC and ascends to the WTO
The Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation is an annual forum facilitating economic growth, trade and investment in the Asian Pacific region. Unlike WTO, APEC does not have any treaty obligations and is based on suggestions and non-binding conventions only. Well, the annual APEC forum is going to take place in Hanoi next month and the President Bush is scheduled to attend as well, making this a rather high-profile event for the second fastest-growing economy in Asia. Bush is expected to also meet with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The Vietnamese Diaspora is having an eye on Bush, as many pro-democracy groups have met with White House officials in the past weeks urging Bush to address the question about human rights at this upcoming trip.
Remember a few years ago, when former President Clinton made a speech in Hanoi, and when the interpreter on the Vietnamese TV carrying the live speech suddenly had some translating difficulties when Clinton was talking about the differences that they would have to overcome when it comes to human rights? Let’s see what next November will bring. Oh, and speaking about WTO, a draft report by the World Trade Organization obtained by the Associated Press yesterday states that Vietnam is ready to become the trade body’s 150th member. Hanoi has been seeking membership since 1995, and the country will be able to officially enter the WTO as early as December. One of the biggest hurdle of Vietnam’s ascension into the WTO is the question about labor rights, but this draft has not addressed this at all.
Journey From The Fall wins more awards and gets distribution
And now... to answer the question you all have been waiting for. Ham Tran’s boat-people drama/documentary “Journey from the Fall” has finally found a distributor. After winning the Jury Award at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas and the Grand Jury Prize at the San Diego Asian American Film Festival last month, distributor ImaginAsian has purchased the rights to the movie, paving the movie’s entry into American main stream theaters and stores. ImagineAsian works together with the famous Weinstein brothers, so we’ll be able to see the movie coming soon to a movie theater near you .... as early as Spring 2007. Can't wait until next year? See it this Thursday on an IMAX theater in Austin!!! After the theatrical release, expect to find the DVD at regular stores like Best Buy, Walmart or Fry’s. Now, that’s the news I’ve been waiting for for the past two years when I first saw it in 2005 at the San Jose pre-screening. I am dead-serious when I say that this movie has the potential to snap up a few Academy Awards at the Oscars in 2008 the way underdog Crash has surprised everyone a year after its original release. Go Pig Meat!
Past Vietnamese Buzz entries: September 2006 July 2006 June 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006