Doris Matsui’s House race, and the Hot 97 tsunami song

Vol. 140, No. 4, March 4, 2005. 12 pages. View this issue

Politics and a radio controversy shared the front page of this 12-page issue. Jim Wasserman of the Associated Press reported that Doris Matsui raised nearly $700,000 in six weeks for the March 8 special primary to succeed her late husband, Rep. Robert Matsui. Another story followed Miss Info (Minya Oh), the Hot 97 employee who objected to the station’s offensive tsunami parody song, and Gil Asakawa wrote a commentary on the same episode. Lynda Lin covered the debate over a Bainbridge Island middle school’s lesson on the World War II incarceration (often called internment), and Edwin Endow introduced the JACL Millennium Club.

Elsewhere, the 36th Pilgrimage to Manzanar was announced for April 30, and a Minidoka interpretive center moved ahead. The USS Hornet will honor the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Sen. Inouye filed the Filipino Vets Equity Act, and the sports pages ran six stories.

What’s in this issue

National

• Doris Matsui Raises Nearly $700,000 in Race for Late Husband’s House Seat, by Jim Wasserman, Associated Press Writer, page 1. Doris Matsui, widow of the late Rep. Robert Matsui, reported raising nearly $700,000 in six weeks for the March 8 special primary election to replace her husband in Congress, far outpacing her opponents. Critics said the fundraising totals leave candidates beholden to wealthy interests, while Matsui’s spokesman cited an aggressive campaign to communicate her vision.
• HOT 97’s Miss Info’s Future Still Unknown, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 1. Miss Info (Minya Oh), the only HOT 97 employee to object to the station’s offensive tsunami parody song, says she will not return to work until personnel issues are resolved amid threats of firing. The controversy cost parent company Emmis Communications over a million dollars and led to two employee firings, while Oh says she now feels punished for speaking out.
• ‘Living’ History Lesson Revives Emotions, Debate, by Lynda Lin, Assistant Editor, page 1. Sakai Middle School on Bainbridge Island teaches an interactive internment history curriculum called ‘Leaving Our Island,’ which has drawn both community support and vocal opposition from a couple who call it ‘propaganda.’ One opponent, Captain James Olsen, was barred from school property after repeated disruptions, sparking debate about free speech, historical truth, and racism.
• APA Group Wants Smoke Free Parks, by Caroline Aoyagi, Executive Editor, page 1. The Asian Youth Center’s anti-tobacco campaign is pushing Monterey Park, the city with the nation’s highest percentage of Asian Pacific Americans, to adopt a ‘curb to curb’ smoking ban in its parks. Advocates cite high smoking rates among APA immigrant communities and note that tobacco companies specifically target the city, while the proposal awaits a Recreation and Parks Commission decision.
• Supporters May Take Hate Crimes Bill to the Ballot, by Associated Press, page 3. After nine years of legislative defeat in Utah, supporters of hate-crime legislation, likely led by the NAACP Salt Lake Branch, may pursue a statewide ballot initiative. A Sandy resident who lobbied for the bill reports receiving threatening phone calls, while polls show majority public support despite continued legislative opposition.
• Bill Would Ban Eating of Dogs and Cats in Hawaii, by Jeannette J. Lee, Associated Press Writer, page 3. A Hawaii state legislator introduced a bill to ban slaughtering dogs and cats for food, drawing protests from Asian ethnic groups who say it targets unfounded racist stereotypes. Investigations following reports of stolen and butchered dogs found no evidence of slaughterhouse operations, raising doubts about the bill’s justification.
• Sen. Inouye Files Filipino Vets Equity Act of 2005 in Time for 59th Anniversary of 1946 Rescission Act, page 3. Sen. Daniel Inouye filed S. 146, companion to HR 302, to restore full veteran status to Filipino WWII soldiers stripped of benefits by the 1946 Rescission Act. Advocates say the bill would finally recognize the service of 200,000 Filipino soldiers who fought under the U.S. flag during World War II.
• Honda Bill Remedies Injustice Done to Korean Immigrants, page 3. Rep. Mike Honda introduced legislation to provide relief to 275 Korean immigrants victimized in a massive green card fraud scheme perpetrated by a corrupt INS official who accepted over $500 million in bribes. The bill would allow eligible immigrants to regain their immigration status as if the fraud had never occurred.
• Wu Secures Equal Employment Requirement for Energy Dept., page 3. Congressman David Wu secured language in the energy bill requiring the Department of Energy to report to Congress on minority employment practices at its National Laboratories. The provision follows a 2002 report documenting racial and gender disparities at DOE weapons labs tied to the Wen Ho Lee case.
• Famed Unit of WWII to be Honored on Hornet, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. The USS Hornet will launch a permanent exhibit honoring the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the segregated JA Army unit that received the most decorations in U.S. military history. The exhibit, curated by the Friends and Family of Nisei Veterans, will feature videos, artifacts and photographs covering the war, internment, and postwar years.
• Historic Japanese School On the Market, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. The Japanese School of Greenwich, recently damaged by an arson fire, had quietly been for sale before the incident. The private school, which opened in 1992 and serves about 240 students using Japan’s national curriculum, has its property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Justice Campaign Launched for ‘Comfort Women’, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. V-Day, the anti-violence movement founded by Eve Ensler, launched a campaign seeking an official apology and compensation for women forced into wartime brothels by the Japanese army. The campaign includes a petition, museum construction in three countries, and demonstrations outside Japanese embassies worldwide.
• Chinese Double Agent Challenges Government Bid to Overturn Dismissal, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. Attorneys for Katrina Leung, accused of using her romantic ties with a retired FBI agent to access classified documents, asked a federal judge to reject the government’s bid to reinstate her case after a judge dismissed all charges in January. Leung’s lawyers called the government’s reconsideration motion impermissible and wrong.
• First APA Congressman Gets His Own Post Office, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. HR 120 was introduced to designate a U.S. Postal Service building in Temecula, Calif. as the Dalip Singh Saund Post Office Building, honoring the first Indian American member of Congress. Saund was elected to the House in 1956, six years after helping secure citizenship rights for Indian Americans.
• Shintani Recognized as Young Optometrist of the Year, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. The California Optometric Association named Kelly Shintani, O.D., its 2004 Young Optometrist of the Year. The award recognizes her contributions to optometry, the community, and her professional development.
• Lockheed Martin Employee Receives Engineer of the Year Award, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Wei-San Lily O’Byrne, vice president at Lockheed Martin Enterprise Information Systems, received an Asian American Engineer of the Year award from the Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA. O’Byrne has worked in computer engineering for 30 years and leads a team of over 1,400 professionals.
• Former Washington Governor Joins Law Firm, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Former Gov. Gary Locke, the country’s first Chinese American governor, is joining Seattle law firm Davis Wright Tremaine as a partner in mid-March. He will work with the firm’s energy and governmental relations group.
• Vatican Names New Archbishop for Hanoi, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Monsignor Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, 53, was named to a new archbishop post by Pope John Paul II. Kiet had been a church administrator since 2003 and will be formally installed at a ceremony on March 19.
• NAPALC President, Executive Director Recognized by ABA, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Karen K. Narasaki of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium received the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award. She was nominated by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association for her lifelong devotion to diversity issues.
• Yaki Recommended to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi recommended San Francisco attorney Michael Yaki for a seat on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. If appointed, Yaki would fill the remaining term of former Commissioner Christopher Edley and then serve a full six-year term.
• 36th Annual Pilgrimage to Manzanar Set for April 30, page 4. The Manzanar Committee announced the 36th annual Pilgrimage to Manzanar, focusing on ‘Retrospection and Relevance’ and drawing parallels between the WWII internment and post-9/11 civil liberties concerns. Manzanar, a National Historic Site since 1992, once held 10,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, and this year’s pilgrimage will also honor former internees of Minidoka.
• China’s Oldest WWII Sex Slave Dies at Age 94, by Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press Writer, page 11. Zhu Qiaomei, China’s oldest surviving WWII sex slave, died at age 94, highlighting the urgency of efforts to gain recognition and compensation for women forced into wartime prostitution by Japanese troops. She had been part of a class-action lawsuit filed against the Japanese government in 2000, which the U.S. Supreme Court ordered reconsidered in 2004.

Commentary

• Millennium Club Members Show Strength of JACL Support, by Edwin Endow, JACL Nat’l V.P. of Membership, page 1. Edwin Endow highlights the newly formed Millennium Club, a $1,000-per-year membership level created at the 2004 Honolulu Convention, and lists its 44 charter members. He thanks these top-level donors for their commitment and invites other members to consider joining this elite giving level.

Community

• Park Service, Local Groups to Plan Minidoka Internment Center, by Associated Press, page 5. Federal parks officials and the Friends of Minidoka reached an agreement to begin working on an interpretive center at the Minidoka Internment National Monument, announced at a ceremony marking the 63rd anniversary of the Japanese Day of Internment. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne called the internment a ‘dark story’ in American history, and a general management plan is expected to be presented to the public in June.
• Making a Difference, by Yuko Kagawa, page 5. A Japanese graduate student living in New York reflects on her experience transitioning from majority to minority status after moving to the United States and facing isolation, stereotyping, and racial slurs. She describes how she developed strategies to confront prejudice and found purpose and community through joining JACL and pursuing a career as a school psychologist.
• South Bay JACL Completes First Phase of History Project, page 5. The JACL South Bay Chapter debuted the completion of the first phase of the South Bay History Project and its new website, featuring 23 oral histories of Nisei who lived in the South Bay area before WWII. The project, funded by CCLPEP grant money, aims to educate the community about Japanese American contributions and preserve local history through interviews conducted with guidance from Dr. Arthur Hansen.

Sports

• Wie, Creamer are Friends Off the Green, by Jaymes Song, AP Sports Writer, page 6. Teen golf stars Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer dismissed notions of rivalry as they competed in the season-opening SBS Open in Hawaii, Wie’s home state. The two became friends last June as Curtis Cup teammates and say they mostly talk about ordinary things rather than competition.
• Dine Yao Ming Style, page 6. Yao Ming’s parents opened the Yao Restaurant and Bar in Houston, a $1.5 million venture combining Chinese food with a sports bar near the city’s Chinatown. The restaurant features special accommodations for Yao’s 7-foot-6 frame and displays memorabilia celebrating the Rockets center.
• Starbucks Introduces Ichiro Card, page 6. Starbucks, Major League Baseball, and the Seattle Mariners created a limited-edition Starbucks Card featuring Ichiro Suzuki, with proceeds benefiting seriously ill children through charities in the U.S. and Japan. The pre-loaded $10 card will be available for pre-order online and in stores in Washington, Oregon, and Japan.
• Students Will Represent Sacramento at Japan Goodwill Exchange, page 6. The Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation selected 22 eighth and ninth grade students to travel to Japan for a basketball goodwill exchange in Matsuyama and Hiroshima this summer. Students will home-stay with host families and learn about Japanese culture prior to the trip, part of a program promoting global friendship and sportsmanship.
• Matsui Not Ruling Out Extension, page 6. Hideki Matsui expressed a desire to sign a contract extension with the New York Yankees before the end of spring training, though talks have not yet started between his agent and the team. Matsui is due $8 million in 2005, the final year of his current contract.
• Wo Lai! Chinese Come to America to Hone Baseball Skills, by Bob Baum, AP Sports Writer, page 6. China’s national baseball team is training in Arizona under former MLB manager Jim Lefebvre to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with Major League Baseball hoping to expand the sport’s popularity in China. The team’s star catcher, Wang Wei, dreams of one day playing in the major leagues.

In-Depth

• Racism on Top of Stupidity, by Gil Asakawa, page 8. Gil Asakawa condemns Hot 97’s tsunami parody song, which contained racist slurs and prompted advertiser boycotts, station apologies, and firings. He highlights the mistreatment of Korean American reporter Miss Info, who objected to the song and faced hostility from colleagues, and warns of underlying tensions between Asian and African American communities.
• Not Your Typical Mail Order Bride, by Lynda Lin, Assistant Editor, page 9. Actress Eugenia Yuan, daughter of kung fu star Cheng Pei Pei, discusses her role in the dark comedy ‘Mail Order Wife’ and her passion for acting despite growing up in a showbiz family. She also talks about her background in rhythmic gymnastics and her upcoming role in ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ alongside Gong Li.

Obituaries

• Marie Amino Yasui, page 11. Marie Amino Yasui, 81, of Folsom, Calif., passed away Feb. 17; she was interned at Manzanar during World War II and was the beloved wife of George Yasui for 54 years. A memorial service was held Feb. 26 at Miller Funeral Home in Folsom.
• Eddie Hirofumi Sato, page 11. Seattle-born Eddie Hirofumi Sato, 82, passed away peacefully Feb. 4 in Chicago after 53 years of marriage to Doris Jeannette Sato; he was a decorated WWII veteran of the 442nd RCT and 232 Combat Engineers. A published graphic artist, Sato created celebrated sketches of life at the Puyallup Assembly Center and was an untiring activist in the Redress campaign.

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