Minority Report

I Hate The Final Week Before Finals

I'm not going to be able to post that much this week since it's my last week before finals and all of my professors have decided to backload the semester and dump all the really big assignments into the last week. Unfortunately, unlike the big time bloggers, there's no one to fill in for me as a guest blogger (or is there? Email me if you're interested.) In the interim, check out my daily affirmation sites. Hopefully, things'll be back to normal by Saturday.

Bombay Nightmare

Today's New York Times story about the new Broadway musical, Bombay Dreams makes me want to wretch.

First, the article comes from the framework of South Asians, yet every single reference is India and Indians. There is nothing remotely 'South Asian' about the piece. The show gets it's title from India, it's basis is the Indian film industry; the promotion is taking place at the Indian consulate; the promoter is Indian, promotes Indian concerts, and is quoted talking about the growing power of India; the advertising they're talking about is in Indian newspapers, radio, and television; the movies that they cite that have crossed over with mainstream audiences are about Indian characters. Even the people they interview are all Indian.

For the record, "South Asia," in addition to India includes Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. South Asia should not become synonymous with India - it minimizes people of non-Indian origin. The New York Times ought to know better than that.

Second, I hate these cheerleading articles that talk about the many accomplishments of India and/or Indians. Other than inflate the Indian community's ego, it also gives the community a false sense of security about its position in this country. Indian Americans should not be deceived into thinking the far and few successes of a small set of individuals translates into mainstream acceptance. All the Pulitzer-prizes, Oscar-nominated films, Tony-aspiring Broadway shows, multi-zillionaire Indian startup CEOs and venture capitalists doesn't mean a damn to an American bigot anxious to exact revenge after losing his job to outsourcing or to an American politician who thinks an appropriate way to maintain national security is to restrict the civil liberties of brown people. "Success" in this community too often breeds apathy.

Worse, we blind ourselves to the injustices faced by those in the community who are more vulnerable to civil liberties restrictions, hate crimes, and other social problems.

Third, why do Indian Americans act as if the recent adoption of aspects of Indian culture is somehow unique and novel? India has long been a fascination of this and other Western countries for a very long time. In the late 1800s, Indian spirituality was of enormous interest, leading to the founding of the transcedental meditation centers here. History shows that American interest in India is often cyclical - what we're experiencing now is just the peak of another cycle.

Finally, Bombay Dreams is nothing more than another example of the commodification of Indian culture by Western monied interests. The failure to capture and own our own culture means that Indian Americans are losing control over the ability to define how our culture is presented and perceived. In a few years, being "Indian" will be nothing more than drinking chai, getting a henna tatto, and then getting down to some Jay-Z rapping over an Asha Bhosle track.

About Pat Tillman

Obviously, the death of the former Arizona Cardinal strong safety-turned Army Ranger in Afghanistan has been covered relentlessly by the media, especially with the $3.6 million salary in the NFL that Tillman walked away from to join the military. I've heard the figure so much that it's left a bad feeling in my stomach. On one hand, there's no question that the man made an enormous (indeed, the ultimate sacrifice) but by lionizing his salary and the life he walked around, it seems like the media is minimizing the deaths and the sacrifices made by other soldiers who've lost their lives.

I'm not suggesting that Tillman is undeserving of the heroic treatment. From the coverage, it appears that he was a truly incredible human being who had strong feelings and had the integrity to back his beliefs with action.

But the universal treatment of the story, couched in terms of what he gave up, minimizes the sacrifices made by other soldiers for whom arguably the stakes were similar if not greater. A soldier from a lower socioeconomic strata certainly might be taking a greater risk and therefore make a greater sacrifice since his/her income may mean more to his/her family.

The Washington Post's Sally Jenkins has a respectful piece on the sacrifices that are being made by soldiers and their families, particularly those in the National Guard and the Reserves.

It took Jay Johnson seven years to build up his mobile catering business and a year to nearly lose it all. When he enlisted in the Tennessee National Guard, Mr. Johnson thought he might be away from home for six months, a year at most. But as he and other members of the 269th Military Police Company enter their 18th month of deployment, his well-laid plans for keeping the business afloat in absentia, and ensuring his family's financial security, have begun to falter.

Mr. Johnson's business, Johnson & Son Catering, is down to one lunch truck, from three before he left for Iraq, leaving his wife, Candace, and two young children to scrape by with half as much money. Although she has eliminated contributions to the family's college and retirement accounts, and cut all but the most essential spending, Ms. Johnson is still struggling to make ends meet.

"If he doesn't come back soon, we're going to lose it all, and he's going to have to start all over again," said Ms. Johnson, who works full time as an insurance adjustor. "He's proud to serve his country, but the Army doesn't seem to care about him or us."

As the war in Iraq continues, and the Pentagon prolongs the mobilization of tens of thousands of troops, the toll on both the soldiers, and the families they have left behind, is mounting. But while the war has been hard on all military personnel and their loved ones, the financial and emotional impact has been particularly acute for the members of the Guard and the Reserve who have been forced to give up civilian jobs, in a few cases, for 20 months.

The National Guard and the Reserves weren't meant to be used like this. This is further evidence that this war was poorly thought-out and executed. Giving up your business and the livlihood for your family is too much sacrifice for a country to ask. And the best we can do is let them run down their retirement accounts early? I don't think there's a time that we've treated military soldiers so shoddily.

Downside of Military Coffin Photos

Don't get me wrong - I think it's wrong for the US government to use military families as a shield to prevent the public from understanding the real costs of war by preventing news media from showing pictures of our dead. We want people to recognize that these images send powerful messages about the value of our efforts there. Unfortunately the power of these images cause some to act on their emotions:

DENTON - Vandals used a pellet gun to break a window and a glass door at a mosque Thursday night in what police are investigating as a hate crime, authorities said today.

...

No other incidents had occurred at the mosque in recent months. But a firebomb was thrown at it in September 2001, shortly after 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The fire bomb caused $2,500 damage to the building.

Bush Fo Shizzle

Salon suggests that Republican hostility towards pop culture and specifically rap and hip-hop music makes them "playa hatas."

But any google search will tell you that our commander-in-chief (aka HHIC - the head honky in charge) has recognized and stepped up:

President Bush said Friday that Africa’s contribution to the world of music, specifically rap and hip-hop, serves as a example of how Africa has a great effect on the world.

Okay, that one's a joke but here's life imitating art:

African-American music continues to influence the American music scene today with styles such as rap and hip-hop. As we celebrate the many creative and inspiring African-American artists whose efforts have enhanced our Nation, we recognize their enduring legacy and look to a future of continued musical achievement.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2003 as Black Music Month. I encourage Americans of all backgrounds to learn more about the heritage of black musicians, and to celebrate the remarkable role they have played in our history and culture.

Look for Snoop Dogg at the GOP Convention.

God Bless Tom Toles

Terrorists Raiding Social Security?

The AP reports that a Kansas City man was mistaken for a 9/11 terrorist:

On April 10, when Van Chevrolet in Kansas City checked his credit, [Ryan] Allen's Social Security number came up as belonging to Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, described by federal authorities as a senior al-Qaida operative suspected of helping to coordinate the September 11 attacks.

Al-Shibh is on a list kept by the U.S. Treasury that orders U.S. banks to block assets of suspected terrorist financiers and enforces sanctions against some countries and suspected drug overlords.

The dealership called police, who called the FBI, which said the matter did not have a high priority because al-Shibh was arrested two years ago in Pakistan, Allen said.

Nevertheless, the dealership refused to sell to Allen. A manager at the dealership declined to comment Wednesday.

...

He says he has received no clear explanation of how his number could be connected to al-Shibh. And he said Treasury officials could not assure him the number wasn't used in other ways or that the problem would not recur.

Of course it needs to happen to a non-Muslim for this to become newsworthy. False positives within the Muslim community have been a major problem for those who have the unfortunate coincidence of sharing the same name as one of the 9/11 terrorists or others on government watchlists.

Since September 11th, dozens of agenicies have circulated lists of potential terrorists. These lists were circulated to businesses which then forwarded them on elsewhere and the whole thing really got out of control. Financial services companies were denying Muslims credit and people who tried to get their names off the lists were out of luck. The government only recently put together one list but to give you an idea of the scale of the problem consider this:

He quoted Homeland Security Department Secretary Tom Ridge, who told an appropriations hearing earlier this month that, of more than 50,000 names currently in the database, only 500 or so were actually wanted for crimes. "How did the rest of the names get on that he list?" he asked.

"There have to be a clear set of standards which are ... public and articulable" for U.S. citizens to be placed on the list, he argued, acknowledging that different rules might apply for foreigners.

Here's how it works:

During routine interactions with members of the public such as traffic stops, officers often check an individual's name with the National Crime Information Center through terminals in their patrol cars. If the individual is on the watchlist, the check brings up a message, telling the officer to contact the center.

If you have the misfortune of having your name coincide with one of 50,000 other people on the list (and it's not as uncommon as you think) prepare to spend at least a few hours of having your patriotism impugned by your local FBI office.

At least Dubya can argue that he's dismantling Social Security in order to save it from terrorists...

Hey Sierra Club, Ever Heard of Malthus?

Anti-immigration candidates for the Sierra Club board lost in a landslide election that served as a referendum on the organization's position on immigration:

The election was the second time in less than a decade that the Sierra Club, arguably the nation's most influential environmental group, has publicly wrestled with the issue of restricting immigration. Members voted to remain neutral on the issue in 1998, following a campaign that featured accusations that conservationists were resorting to immigrant bashing, and counterclaims that political correctness was leading to environmental cowardice. The same accusations were raised this year.

Despite the 1998 vote, an increasingly vocal group of environmentalists continued to argue that the Sierra Club needed to aggressively support strict immigration controls, citing the destructive effect of unchecked U.S. population growth on the nation's natural resources.

While I'm happy that the anti-immigrant candidates were not elected to the board of one of the most influential conservationist groups in the country, I can only suggest that they tackle the argument against immigration head-on. Namely, where's the evidence that immigrants are draining natural resources any more than real estate developers, energy companies, corporate polluters, or any host of other groups that take advantage of the natural resources of this country? These guys should be focusing major causes of environmental degradation, not this sideshow stuff.

Besides, this argument has been addressed before: Thomas Malthus warned 200 years ago that the exponential growth of the world population threatened the world's food supplies. Instea of running out of food, however, we developed new and more efficient ways to increase food production. While certainly there is hunger in the world, it is not due to lack of global supply or abundance. The same argument can be applied to our natural resources - certainly there are finite resources, but there are not finite ways of addressing the growing needs of the world's population.

Malthus was wrong. So are these xenophobic environmentalists.

Bush Flips. He Flops. Mostly Flops.

"A greater challenge comes from former Baath Party and security officials who will stop at nothing to regain their power and their privilege. But there will be no return to tyranny in Iraq. And those who threaten the order and stability of that country will face ruin, just as surely as the regime they once served." - President George W. Bush, from remarks at re-enlistment ceremony for members of the Armed Forces, East Room of the White House, July 1, 2003 via Federal News Service

Apparently, the Baathists have succeeded since they will now be allowed to return to public life in a reversal of the De-Baathification policy. Reversal is the nice way of saying flip-flop.

God, I love Lexis-Nexis!

Serving Only White, Heterosexual Christians

Atrios points out some awful legislation that is making its way through the Michigan statehouse:

Doctors or other health care providers could not be disciplined or sued if they refuse to treat gay patients under legislation passed Wednesday by the Michigan House.

The bill allows health care workers to refuse service to anyone on moral, ethical or religious grounds.

The Republican dominated House passed the measure as dozens of Catholics looked on from the gallery. The Michigan Catholic Conference, which pushed for the bills, hosted a legislative day for Catholics on Wednesday at the state Capitol.

The bills now go the Senate, which also is controlled by Republicans.

The Conscientious Objector Policy Act would allow health care providers to assert their objection within 24 hours of when they receive notice of a patient or procedure with which they don't agree. However, it would prohibit emergency treatment to be refused.

While this surprisingly doesn't violate the AMA's

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