A discussion on single-payer healthcare

Recently, I was asked to start a discussion at Democracy Cell Project, on universal healthcare, using my own experiences as talking points.

Here it is. I am honored to be more active in the activities of that group, and I hope to continue participating for a long time to come.

Democracy Cell Project

French election, first round

It will be a two-way battle between Sarkozy, who has 30% of the vote, and Royal, with 24%.

Centrist Bayrou's supporters will be up for grabs.

Le Pen came in fourth at 11%, and won't be doing a repeat of 2002, when he made it to the second round.

France's election results will have ramifications for the rest of the world as well, as Nicolas Sarkozy, though not as extreme as Le Pen, represents a faction that is a lot like the George W. Bush regime in the US. The neoconservatives and neoliberals are all banking on him, and I won't be surprised if he is getting help from US right-wingers as well. If Sarkozy wins, France will take the same direction taken by Tony Blair of the UK and Angela Merkel of Germany.

On the other hand, if Segolene Royal wins, France will go more in the direction of Spain and Italy, which have said a NO to American-style conservatism, by electing leftist leaders. Royal will also make history as France's first female president.

In any case, I expect the results of the French election to influence outcomes in other nations around the world, including the US, where there won't be any strong incumbent for the 2008 presidential race, and where an evenly divided electorate will decide which party gets the White House.

More coverage of VT tragedy

I'm reading through many articles today, expressing various opinions on this senseless tragedy. All the flags at half-staff are reminding me of the tragedy again and again.

Here are some articles worth reading:

• New York Times - The likes of Rush Limbaugh are having a field day over this. The right wingers are making fools of themselves again, by vilifying their Korean buddies.
• Washington Post - A Korean-American community activist remarks on overreaction by first-generation Korean immigrants, comparing their collectivist mindsets with the more individualistic American ones. He says the Korean community is as responsible for Cho's rampage as the African-American community was for the DC area sniper attacks - not at all, in other words.
• AP - Cho's profile resembles that of other mass killers, and experts weigh in on his psychology.
  
• Xinhua News - China's Foreign Minister is furious that the media at first rushed to mis-identify the gunman as a Shanghai native, without confirming the details.

Angry Asian Man is collecting these links, and more, from his readers.

Partial Birth Abortion banned

It's old news already, but I was too preoccupied with the VT tragedy.

The Supreme Court has upheld the ban on what opponents call "partial-birth abortions" in a 5-4 vote. A new Supreme Court, led by W appointees John Roberts and Samuel Alito, made this happen.

I've always believed that abortions were a last-minute effort to save the health of the pregnant mother, and that they should be safe, legal, and rare. It's especially true of this specific procedure, which is horrible enough that it should be strongly discouraged - but left legal in case it's the only viable procedure. It's bad enough that the W cabal has imposed blanket ban on abortions at military hospitals and aid to any humanitarian organization that offers it as an option. And this ban, the first on a specific procedure, is the first little step necessary in order to achieve one of the Religious Right's wet dreams - total ban on reproductive choice.

If W cared so much about the lives of the unborn, why doesn't he care for those who are already born, and need to become productive members of society?

I am renewing my vow to never buy any products from Toyota, the company that made the rise of John Roberts possible.

"Let It Be Some Other Asian"

It's a cowardly way of thinking, but it was a sad truth. Asian-Americans all wished that the VT shooter would be someone other than their own ethnicity, so that the blame wouldn't lie with them.

Most non-Koreans are breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn't one of their own. Most Koreans are paranoid, after Cho Seung-Hui's nationality was revealed.

However, most Americans can't distinguish between Asian nationalities, so all Asian-Americans can expect some flak over Cho's rampage. The saddest part is that if Cho were, say, a white Briton, the British wouldn't have had to worry so much, as the backlash would simply not exist.

Andrew Lam, who has a Vietnamese background, wrote on this phenomenon.

New American Media

Fox News...

It's been mentioned that Fox News absolved the Korean culture from any role in the Virginia Tech shootings.

Such is the sweet reward when you are the most reactionary ethnic group in America, and the only non-refugee one to support the Republicans.

If Fox were truly fair, it would've done some sensitivity reporting on the Muslims, African-Americans, and/or liberals as well.

Liberals on Daily Kos are remarking that a Fox absolution will hurt the Korean community more than it helps.

Daily Kos

Virginia Tech shooting update

Word is trickling in from the tragedy. News reports have identified the shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, a Korean immigrant living in Virginia since 1992.

Now, don't tell me the Koreans are soaking up everything reactionary from America, from its Dominionist Christianity to homophobia to tax evasion/greed to, now, gun culture. It's bad enough that they have already contributed so much to the reactionary politics themselves, in the form of Reverend Moon and the Unification Church. Given that the Korean culture has been demonstrated, here in Los Angeles and elsewhere, to be a deadly one, in the form of the numerous family murder-suicides, perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised at what happened at Virginia Tech yesterday, sad and shocking as it may be.

South Korea will send some diplomats to the US in order to investigate and apologize. They better have apologies for the actions of the Unification Church and its destruction of American democracy, as well.

South Korea's government has also asked people not to "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation" over this. However, it is in no position to make such requests, given that the Koreans have advocated extermination of entire classes of law-abiding American citizens, and South Korea is one of the most racist societies in the world.

And the most sickening thing? While Republicans in Congress displayed a picture of 9/11 lead hijacker Mohammed Atta to make a case for tightening immigration, they will probably never use a picture of Cho to do the same, given how much help they get from the Korean community. Talk about double standards! Already, W and McCain are busy coddling the Korean gun owners.

Back to Virginia Tech, the names of the dead have not been released, though two are now known to be professors, one Asian Indian and one Romanian. This makeup is testament to the diversity of the population makeup on US college campuses, one that demonstrates American schools' quality and attraction to scholars worldwide. But if the W cabal keeps its anti-academic policies up, this will be history too.

MSNBC

Two newsworthy items

First, a tragedy at the Virginia Tech campus, where a gunman killed 32 plus himself. This was the worst school shooting in US history. The saddest tragedy: W was still pandering to NRA first, before offering his condolences. Reasonable safety regulations are needed for guns, and we need to watch what kinds of people get their hands on them.

May the victims rest in peace.

BBC

Second, a longtime (159 years to be exact, counting his ancestors) Republican in Northern California's Yolo County, Pete McCloskey, joined the Democrats, citing extremism by the likes of Gingrich, Robertson, and Falwell. I hope he finds the Democratic Party to be a better, more relevant home, than I, another Republican who switched to the Democrats (then left), did.

Daily Kos

French reactionary politics

It looks heckuva lot like American reactionary politics.

As the French presidential race heats up, Jean-Marie Le Pen of National Front, the reactionary political party, is gathering a significant amount of support, giving the center-right Nicolas Sarkozy and the leftist Segolene Royal a serious run for the money.

He has a strong nativist message, warning that at the current pace, immigrant cultures will swamp the French Republic. Like other reactionary politicians in most countries of the world, he is an isolationist, preferring to withdraw France from the EU and reinstating the guillotine and the franc.

What is noteworthy, and similar to American reactionary politics, is Le Pen's appeal to Muslim immigrants, who are almost as likely to vote for Le Pen as the general French public. Muslims are drawn to Le Pen's homophobia and social conservatism. This is similar to the Cubans and the Koreans voting Republican in US politics, despite the Republican nativism, due to the party's Christian social conservatism.

Le Pen and the National Front, just like the Republicans in the US, are on to something. They have discovered how to be nativist and pro-immigrant at the same time, satisfying both sides of the debate. Sarkozy and Royal need to figure something out fast, and so do the Democrats in the US.

BBC

The case against Hewlett-Packard

No, I am not talking about its accounting mishaps, or the ineptness of Carly Fiorina as its former CEO.

I'm talking about HP's worrisome slide in its product quality.

It used to be that HP's products were premium quality and performance, if at premium prices. Its LaserJet and DeskJet series of printers have been particularly successful. I've happily bought many HP products, especially considering that the alternatives, such as Dell, had questionable corporate policies and political activities. It didn't hurt that HP is a California company, based out of Silicon Valley.

But just a month ago, a top-of-the-line Pavilion laptop, just a year old, failed on me. And now, a DeskJet failed, even though I had hardly used it. I am also being forced to throw out a ScanJet scanner, simply because HP will no longer provide drivers for Windows Vista or MacOS. This is after a series of bad HP products, including a large-format DeskJet (which HP exchanged gladly), a Pavilion desktop, and a large-format, expensive LaserJet. And as I shopped around for a color laser printer, I've come across many negative reviews of the Color LaserJets. I've been told that they are built like Ford economy cars - all components farmed out to the lowest bidder. (And I know how reliable my now-retired Ford Contour was. NOT.)

It looks like I will have to order a low-end Xerox, as other manufacturers, including Lexmark and Brother, sell color printers with more bells and whistles than I need. The only equivalent competitor to the Xerox is Samsung, but I will never buy a Samsung product, given its labor rights record and the Koreans' interference with American democracy.

And speaking of Chicago

Chicago beat out Los Angeles to represent the US in its 2016 bid to host the Summer Olympic Games.

Congratulations, and good luck. You'll really need it, considering all the ill-will that the US has gathered with W's foreign policy. On the other hand, if Moscow '80, Seoul '88, and Beijing '08 could host the Summer Olympics, anything can happen...

Newest Travel Plans

I have just confirmed reservations for a Memorial Day Weekend in the Chicago area.

Why Chicago?

I am planning on meeting a few activists; I am trying to include Ellen Beth Gill, whose blog I read often, and Marianne Wood, to discuss the ins and outs of living in an affluent, Republican congressional district - just like my own. At least Gill and Wood had a strong Democratic challenger last year to vote for - I didn't have one, not even a weak one.

I also want to spend a few days in a city that becomes temporary home for my novel protagonist Sarah, as she trains to become a flight attendant for United Airlines. Of course, my flights are on United (despite its racial profiling as of late).

Chicago is also a city rich in civic life and culture, contrary to what former Chicagoan Donald Rumsfeld says (leading another former Chicagoan, my writing mentor Gayle Brandeis, to protest loudly on her blog). I want a slice of that culture; my only previous visit to Chicago, ten years ago, took all of six hours, and that doesn't do the place justice.

I hope this trip will rejuvenate me like my trips to Seattle and Vancouver (and multiple San Francisco visits) last year.

Apple sells 100 millionth iPod

I've had an iPod for a year and a half, and enjoyed taking it along many of my trips. And it was a gateway for me to get used to Apple products, and eventually buy a Macintosh as my home computer.

And today, Apple sold its 100 millionth iPod, 5 1/2 years after selling the first one.

Compared to the first iPod, which could only play a few hundred songs and last a few hours per charge, today's models are amazing - tens of thousands of songs (or movies, photos, or even games) in a package that can keep going for 24 hours before recharge. And there are the smaller iPods, including the newest colorful Nano versions, which sacrifice some capacity (but nevertheless are very capacious) for more style and reliability (using solid state memory instead of a hard disk). In fact, I would love a Nano myself - but for now, I'll make do with my old one.

Analysts are saying that iPod redefined the music industry paradigm, and gave Apple a new lease on life. I believe it.

Apple
MSNBC

Join Blogswarm Against Theocracy

I've picked this up belatedly from fellow bloggers. We're marking this Easter by uniting against the spread of theocracy in the American society.

As I said countless times before, I am in Southern California, where much of the conservatism and theocratic policy are ethnic in origin. The heavy influx of Latin American immigrants have made Catholicism the law of the land here - along with its accompanying sexism, misogyny, and homophobia. There is a reason why Los Angeles is not quite San Francisco; "reproductive rights" and "gay rights" are as sorry a joke as anything gets here.

Outside the Catholic/Latino framework, the Koreans have done even worse, in the form of the Unification Church, which has corrupted American politics irrevocably, and in the form of other hate-filled megachurches throughout the landscape. While the rest of America grapples with the idea of W-imposed "faith-based initiatives," faith-based community services have been reality in Koreatown for decades; one cannot even go to a homeless shelter or a community kitchen unless s/he is a fundamentalist Christian.

These communities' support for Neanderthal Republican theocrats, such as Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, must not be ignored. And it's gotten to a point where the first question asked, when meeting someone new, is "which church do you belong to?" Fundamentalist Christianity is already assumed here. Ethnic newspapers eulogize the crime victims as "devout Christians" - as if non-Christians are fair game for crime.

The worst thing of all is the white liberals' denial about the ethnic theocracy of Southern California. They continue to paint California as an easy-going "blue" state, never mind that Southern California has always been Republican (the Reagan Revolution started here), and much of the conservatism is, again, ethnic in origin. They don't understand ethnic theocracy, and have no plans to combat it. This is what makes me feel hopeless; I cannot fight the theocracy alone, and unless the white liberal "elites" get their act together, I am basically on my own.

Another surge to Iraq

It looks like there will be a surge of another 12,000 National Guards, to support the announced surge of 21,000 troops to Iraq.

Iraq is a sinkhole that is consuming US resources, to a point where the US itself is becoming vulnerable - to another natural disaster or foreign attack. And for all of this to have been based on lies is even more obscene.

Americans must be pulled out of Iraq as soon as possible, and re-deployed to places where they can truly do their job of defending American well-being and interests. But then, as long as Big Oil controls the US government, I don't expect much improvement...

MSNBC

Globalization for Labor Unions

In an increasingly globalized world, labor unions have lost their bite, as companies have been able to simply avoid them altogether, by relocating their jobs to countries with low wages and weak labor laws.

Unions are fighting back by globalizing their operations themselves.

I've had discussions with some intelligent people online, where they clearly stated a case for unions to go global, and for union bosses to study MBA curriculum and keep up with modern economics, if unions are to continue to matter. To that end, the BBC article linked below is a step in the right direction, as a major British union tries to merge with United Steel Workers in the US.

BBC

A secret Free Trade Agreement

Over the past decade or two, the US has signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with various nations of the world, with the biggest and most significant ones being NAFTA (Canada and Mexico) and CAFTA (Central America). There have been many opposition protests over these, the largest being the ones in Seattle in 1999 during the World Trade Organization meetings.

To prevent these protests from ever happening, and to sneak a new FTA past the American people without their knowledge and approval, the US media has imposed total embargo on any news involving the new FTA with South Korea being negotiated now. There are no protests in the US over this new FTA, the biggest for the US since NAFTA, because most Americans simply don't even know. However, protests have been going on non-stop on the South Korean side, where apparently this FTA is headline news. (And some Americans in the know, such as Medea Benjamin, have protested with the Koreans.)

FTAs can be a boon or a bust, depending on how well they are negotiated, and how the interests of various groups (such as farmers and manufacturers) are represented. But I cannot support this particular FTA, just by virtue of the media embargo. The fact that the media has abdicated its responsibility of reporting something that could be very profound for the American people, smacks more of a Stalinist dictatorship than a democracy. Thank goodness there is the foreign media, which continues to deliver the truth - such as BBC, whose latest report is linked below.

BBC