Eugene Kang's Blog

Nevada Veteran for Obama

Eugene Kang — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:34:56 EST

As we celebrate Veterans Day today, I wanted to share an inspring post from a Nevada Veteran who supports Barack.

"It is with intense interest and gratitude that I note the strong and untiring support Barack Obama has provided to the veteran population. American veterans have a lot to be thankful for because of the many bills he has introduced in the Senate to make sure veterans are treated with respect, new disability benefits are provided, and services are available for transitioning into civilian life.

One of the veteran-related bills that is currently stalled in both the Congress and the Senate is the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 ( HR-760, and S.1315 ), which aims to recognize the sacrifices made by Filipino WWII veterans who fought alongside the U.S. troops against the Japanese during WWII. This equity bill will fulfill America’s long promise to support these brave comrades by providing them with full veteran benefits similar to those enjoyed by their American counterparts, such as health care in VA hospitals, outpatient clinics and nursing homes, and non-service disability pension averaging about $300.00 per month.

Why should these Filipino veterans be officially recognized for VA benefits? These Filipino U.S. servicemen were conscripted by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt under his Military Order dated July 26, 1941 during which the Commonwealth of the Philippines, being under the sovereignty of the U.S., was legally committed by the U.S. in the war against Japan. About 120,000 of these brave men responded to this call to duty and fought alongside the American troops against the Japanese. Fighting as guerilla forces, they were credited for inflicting continued losses to the enemy during the duration of the war, and they provided critical information to the returning forces of Gen. McArthur, resulting in reduced U.S. casualties. Many perished while fighting side-by-side with American troops.

Today, there are about 6,000 of these veterans in the U.S. who are still alive, as well as about 12,000 still living in the Philippines. Most of them are in their 70’s and 80’s, are poor and in need of medical care. I feel it is time for the U.S. to correct 62 years of neglect and injustice and recognize the contributions of these brave men who were sent to harm’s way then quickly forgotten.

Senator Barack Obama is a cosponsor and an advocate of this Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007. I feel confident that there is no one else in the long line of Democratic and Republican candidates who is more committed than Barack Obama, in correcting this dark spot in U.S. history and in recognizing the sacrifices that veterans made for America."

Fernando Taverna, MCPO

U.S. Coast Guard (Retired)

Barack in The New York Times Sunday Magazine

Eugene Kang — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:24:38 EST

The Sunday Magazine, in a piece written by James Traub, discusses an element of the Senator's candidacy that is a large reason why many of us in the AAPI community support him. As the economy becomes an increasingly global marketplace, as our security interests stretch across all corners of the world, it is very appealing to imagine our commander-in-chief, our face to the world, has a background and a cultural understanding that sets him apart from any candidate that has run for president in our history. Indeed, many of us cannot imagine a better way to turn the page on cowboy diplomacy than electing a president who is at ease on the international stage.

Here's an excerpt of the piece:

"If I am the face of American foreign policy and American power,” Barack Obama mused not long ago aboard his campaign plane, “as long as we are also making prudent strategic decisions, handling emergencies, crises and opportunities in the world in an intelligent and sober way. . . .” He stopped. He wanted to make sure he got this just right, and he had got a little caught up in rebutting the claim, which Hillary Clinton has artfully advanced, that he is not prepared to handle emergencies. Obama stopped picking at his grilled salmon in order to stare out at the sky for a few moments. “I think,” he said, in that deep and measured voice of his, “that if you can tell people, ‘We have a president in the White House who still has a grandmother living in a hut on the shores of Lake Victoria and has a sister who’s half-Indonesian, married to a Chinese-Canadian,’ then they’re going to think that he may have a better sense of what’s going on in our lives and in our country. And they’d be right.”

For the full article, click here.

Welcome to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Obama!

Eugene Kang — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:39:26 EDT

We are a community of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who believe in being an important voice in American politics and who recognize the urgent need to make a positive change to our country.

With Barack Obama we have a truly unique candidate for our community. A candidate with an unparalleled personal connection and understanding of our needs and our culture.

Raised in Indonesia and Hawaii, active in Chicago’s vibrant AAPI neighborhoods, and close with his sister and brother-in-law of Asian descent, Barack Obama has firsthand experience with the issues that impact us. And after a lifetime spent as a community organizer, constitutional law professor, civil rights advocate and legislator, Barack has the experience of getting us results on the issues that matter to AAPIs.

We need your help building our grassroots movement for change. We encourage you to use this site to access Barack’s AAPI policy platform, to find current news and topics relevant to AAPIs, and to learn how to involve your family, friends and colleagues in this campaign for a stronger AAPI voice in politics and building a better America. On this site you can find events and like-minded supporters in your country, plan gatherings and share with one another your experiences as a member of the AAPI community. You can also find out how to join the 360,000 Americans who have helped Barack break fundraising records while not accepting a dollar from federal lobbyists and PACs.

Barack has the character, the values, the judgment and the connection to our community to transform the way American sees itself, how America is seen by the world, and most of all, the ability to restore America’s place as a beacon of hope throughout the world.

A new America begins here. But only with your help.

Obama Announces Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders National Leadership Council

Eugene Kang — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:38:31 EDT

Continuing to expand on the historic grassroots campaign to bring fundamental change to Washington and our politics, the Obama for America campaign today announced its Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders National Leadership Council. This Leadership Council consists of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders leaders and activists from across the nation, representing every sector of our society, including community, nonprofit, entertainment, business, government, law, academia and media.

“I am proud of the strong personal ties I have had with the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders communities that go back to my birth, and I am humbled to have the widespread support from these communities in my campaign,” said Barack Obama. “Like most Americans, the AAPI community knows that with the great challenges facing our nation today, we need leadership that can unite us to bring change we can believe in.”

The Obama campaign also unveiled its Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders website today (http://aapi.barackobama.com). This tool will provide Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from across the country the ability to connect with one another and to learn how to educate their friends and neighbors about Obama’s record of bringing change to their communities.

Senator Obama was born in Hawaii, a state where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up a significant portion of the population. As a child of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic family that included Asian Americans, Obama lived in Indonesia, sharing some of the same personal experiences that many Asian immigrants in the United States have also experienced before arriving on these shores.

“My brother is the only candidate with an intimate connection with Asia and the Pacific,” says Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama’s sister of Indonesian descent. “Our mother’s work and values brought us into contact with a wide range of worlds. The movement of our childhood and adolescence required that we be able to walk between worlds and, in particular, to communicate broadly within Asian and Pacific Islands cultures. Barack understands the values, needs, and expectations that are unique to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.”

“There hasn’t been a presidential candidate who understands the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders experience as intuitively as Barack,” says Konrad Ng, Obama’s brother-in-law of Chinese descent. “I hope that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will recognize this opportunity to support a candidate who can speak to our diverse communities and bring real and beneficial change to our country. It is time that we have someone in the White House who can do it all.”

Obama studied and worked alongside strong and diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston. After college, he moved to Chicago, another city with a large and diverse Asian American population, where he worked as a grassroots organizer, advocating for civil rights and economic fairness.

"Barack Obama has a long track record of promoting policies that are important to the AAPI community. His depth of experience in bridging the many divides combined with his sound judgment is what I believe will make a better America,” says Ann Lata Kalayil, Chicago-based AAPI community leader and Co-Chair of the Obama Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Leadership Council.

In state and federal elected offices, he continued to push for legislative policies to protect the rights of immigrants and minorities at the local, state, and national levels. For example, he led the fight in Illinois to identify and end racial profiling and provide health insurance coverage to 150,000 low-income children and parents. And in the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leader in the bipartisan effort to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

As president, he will continue to chart a better course for all Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can be assured that Obama will continue to work for these communities, as he has already demonstrated throughout his life. Former New York Solicitor General Preeta Bansal says, “As we try to work to clean up America’s image and policy toward the world and its policies at home, I can think of no better leader than Senator Obama, who – in part because who he is and where he came from, but also because of what he believes in – would give America a whole new fresh chance.”

Members of the Obama Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders National Leadership Council include (Note: Their affiliation is to be used for identification purposes only):

Nancy Chen, IL, Former APA Outreach Director for the Office of Presidential Personnel (1996 – 1997) and Former Chicago Director for Senator Paul Simon (D – IL) (1991 – 1996); Co-Chair, Obama AAPI National Leadership Council

Ann Lata Kalayil, IL, Former DNC At-large Member and APIA Caucus; Co-Chair, Obama AAPI National Leadership Council

Stanley Toy, CA, Chairman of Los Angeles County Hospital and Healthcare Delivery Commission and President and CEO of TEAM Healthcare; Co-Chair, Obama AAPI National Leadership Council

Preeta Bansal, NY, Former New York State Solicitor General (1999 – 2001) and Partner, Skadden Arps, and Former Counselor, U.S. Department of Justice and Special Counsel, White House (1993 – 1996)

Paul Igasaki, Former Vice Chair and Commissioner, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1994 – 2002)

Angela Oh, CA, Former Member, President’s Initiative on Race (1997 – 1998)

Amy Agbayani, HI, Community Activist and Administrator, University of Hawaii

Anilesh Ahuja, NY, Investment Banker

Tania Ahuja, NY

Della Au Belatti, HI, State Representative

Som Baccam, IA, Community Activist

Priya Bhatia, IL, Attorney, Goldberg Kohn

Umbreen Bhatti, PA, Attorney

Eric Byler, VA, Activist and Award-winning Filmmaker

C.W. Chan, IL

Wilma Chan, CA, Former Assemblywoman

M. Hasan Chandoo, NY, Businessman

Raazia Chandoo, NY, Artist

Subodh Chandra, OH, Principal, The Chandra Law Firm

Kan Chou, IL, President, Elitegen Corp

Marisa Chun, CA, Partner, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP

Jerry Clarito, IL, Skokie Park District Commissioner

Jun Choi, NJ, Mayor of Edison

Siddharth Desai, GA, Management Consultant and South Asians for Obama – Atlanta

Naisy Dolar, IL, Community Activist

Selma D'Souza, IL, Attorney; President, AAA Fund of Chicago

Tong-Jen Fu, IL, Former President, Naperville Chinese Association

Ram Gajjela, IL, President, Indo-American Democratic Organization

Kasturi Haldar, IL, Professor, Northwestern Medical School

Alamdar Hamdani, Partner, Hamdani & Simon, LLP

Ferial Hamid, NY

Wahid Hamid, NY, Senior Vice President, PepsiCo

Anjana Hansen, IL, Alderman in Evanston

Pakou Hang, MN, Community Activist

Kelly Hu, CA, Actress

Imad Husain, MA, Director of Credit Risk, Enterprise Risk Management, State Street Corporation

Jin, Hip-Hop Artist

Jon Karamatsu, HI, State Representative and House Vice Speaker

Hrishi Karthikeyan, D.C., Attorney and Co-Founder of grassroots South Asians for Obama

Eddie Kim, CA, Executive Producer, Projekt Newspeak

Paul Kim, CA, Executive Director, Kollaboration Talent Show

Ming King, WI, Chairman, Precast Engineering Company

Ramey Ko, TX, Attorney and Chair of grassroots Asian Americans for Obama

Ann Kobayashi, HI, Honolulu City Councilmember

Russell Kokubun, HI, State Senator

Raja Krishnamoorthi, IL, Deputy Treasurer for Policy and Programs, State of Illinois

Dave Kumar, D.C., Attorney, Goldberg, Godles, Wiener & Wright

David Lang, CA, Principal, Lang/Pan/Chan Public Relations

Russell Leong, CA, Editor, Amerasia Journal UCLA

Henry Lo, CA, Garvey School Board Vice President

Monica Macer, CA, Television and Feature Screenwriter

Theresa Mah, IL, Assistant Director and Lecturer, Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, University of Chicago and Board Member and Chicago Chapter Coordinator, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (APAP)

Zachariah Mampilly, CA, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Vassar College

Hydra Mendoza, CA, Commissioner, San Francisco Board of Education

Ken Mok, CA, President of 10 x 10 Entertainment

Hung Nguyen, D.C., Chair, Asian American Advisory Board and Former President of the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans

Clarence Nishihara, HI, State Senator

Catherine Park, CA, Chief Operating Officer of Giant Robot

Jan Pastores, IA, Community Activist

Anhoni Patel, CA, Writer

Robert Plang, IA, Community Activist

Sunil Puri, IL, President, First Rockford

Rahul Rajkumar, MA, Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Anita Ramasastry, WA, Law Professor

Scott Saiki, HI, State Representative

Rahul Sharma, IL, Founder of Funkades

Pramod Shah, IL, Niles Township Trustee

Woon-Wah Siu, IL, Attorney, Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP

Mora Mi-ok Stephens, CA, Activist and Award-winning Filmmaker

Udai Tambar, NY, Chair, New York/New Jersey/Connecticut grassroots South Asians for Obama

Cary Tagawa, HI, Actor

Christina Tchen, IL, Partner, Skadden Arps

Vinai Thummalapally, CO, President, Mam-A Inc.

Nancy Tom, IL, Director, Center for Asian Arts and Media, Columbia College

State Representative William Tong of Connecticut

Emme Tomingbang, HI, Television Personality

Eddie Wong, CA, Executive Director of the Center for Asian American Media

Martin Wong, Co-Editor, Giant Robot Magazine

Swallow Yan, IA, Business Owner

Janet Yang, CA, Film Producer and Producer, Joy Luck Club