EVERY part of the Asian American community wrote (see the diversity of readers' names) to EXPRESS THEIR OUTRAGE. They either condemned the intimidation tactics used by the Executive Director of The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders or praised 80-20 for serving our community. Most did both.
SOME asked for the e-mail addresses of Jimmy Lee and his boss e.g. see "reactions 7 and 9." Others found on their own how to express their outrage at Jimmy Lee directly e.g. see "reactions 1, 6 and 8."
Jimmy Lee has not only shamed himself but also gotten the Republican Party into a lot of trouble 4 weeks before a crucial election. He has turned off not only Democrats but Republicans and Independents, e.g. see "reactions 1, 10 and 21."
Again, we apologize for not publicizing all the emails which poured in. However, just in case some Republicans are so insulated as to think that 80-20 has manufactured the reactions, we encourage you to express your outrage directly to
"Jimmy Lee" http://us.f569.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=jimmydlee@gmail.com Better yet copy it to RNC chairman Ken Mehlman: http://us.f569.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Chairman@gop.com who is the one who needs to know.
Please take a minute to write. This could be the historic moment when all Asian American political figures know that if they exploit instead of serve our community, they will be rejected by our community. Your taking a moment to write helps create that HISOTORIC MOMENT.
READERS' REACTIONS
(1) Dear Jimmy D. Lee,
I recently read your email correspondence to President Roselle and Provost Rich, regarding S. B. Woo's request for Republican members of 80- 20 initiative. … I have sat around and thought about what possible motives you could have for sending this email. But I could not think of any possible reason you would have except for wanting to somehow silence S.B. Woo's message. To describe this tactic as downright disrespectful of S.B. Woo and the majority of Asian Americans, is an extremely gross understatement. ….
With all due respect, you are supposed to be fostering a better understanding and relationship between the White House and the Asian American community. What you did directly contradicts what you are suppose to be doing! Christina Fong
p.s. Before you write me off as some partisan Democrat, let me tell you I am a registered independent, and my father was a lifelong Republican who regularly contributed to the Republican party until George W. Bush came along.
2) Keep this movement up, wishing you a great success. Pramood Kr. Sinha
3) Not only are we empowered, but encouraged and with more power! Theresa
4) Jimmy Lee just further perpetuates the image that politics and politicians are just slimy, weasel-like characters. It's ridiculous to say that just because an email address contains a university tag that your message implied views endorsed by the university. You're right--it seems all he was trying to do was intimidate you by flexing his muscles (by using his title) a little. Yuri Saito
5) Your demeanor, your forthrightness and your ability to teach the next generation come through everything you do for our community. There is an _expression we use in the Vietnamese community to refer to the substance of those who suffer anomie: "mat goc". Cao Anh Quan
6) To Erik Wong; copied to Jimmy Lee: Why is Jimmy Lee trying to intimidate SB Woo, one of the trailblazers in the Asian Pacific Islander community? I would like to know. Ted W. Lieu California State Assemblymember, 53rd District
7) I would suggest you to ask all of us to send this email responds to the White House. Hence let the White House knows what kind of people they hire to represent Asian Ams. They have to make changes if they still want to have supports from Asian Ams. Mijad Lee
8) Please find below my email that I posted onto the White House Initiative Office on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders' website. http://www.whiaapi.org/contactus/ I will forward to you any feedback that I might receive. David
9) Do you have Jimmy Lee and his boss' email addresses. We should flood them with our point of view. Peter
10) You are a very honorable person who has courage and vision for advocating Asian American's rights of equality. Yet, Jimmy Lee is such an ashamed partisan that conducted a dirty political trick. As a registered Republican voter, I condemn his shameful conduct. Would you forward his e-address and his boss's, so I'd copy this to them? Joseph Zhou
11) What's wrong with GOP? Does GOP now stand for Gas, Oil, and Play- boy of the dirty tricks?! We 80-20 are not partisan but legitimately fight for our equal rights in this "most democratic" country. … This is what the 80-20 all about. So let's stand up for your rights and side-track the partisan stuff. …May Lord bless you all to have the right, but not right- wing vision! Xing Wu
12) This Jimmy Lee is outrageous ! He is supposed to help the cause of Asian Americans not to intimidate the person who is doing that ! I'm going to remember this name. Wen Lee
13) Thank-you. Lotus Do Brooks
14) I can't help wondering why GOP hired this guy to serve as "Executive Director" of this "White House blah blah on AAPI". That just drives AsAm further away. The only reason that I can imagine is that AsAm Republicans with good hearts do not bother to be associated with current GOP leadership anymore. Dongzi
15) You are doing a wonderful job. Our current and future generations will thank you. Steve Kuo
16) I greatly appreciate your dedication to the cause of Asian Americans. Whatever intimidation should not deter you from doing so. You have my support. Ramon Lim
17) Thanks for letting us know the story! And many thanks for your hard work! Youxue Zhang
18) Even if Jimmy Lee's email does not represent the White House and the views of President Bush's leadership, the impression is out there (through his use of the title Executive Director, The White House Initiative) that the White House is just as ignorant about academic freedom and is supportive of the thoughts portrayed through this email. KY Tsang
19) Frankly, I don't know why anyone would be surprised by the Republican party's dirty tricks.
Pauline Rossen
20) you have done a good job, particularly in advocating correct values as demonstrated in the current email. Yu Leuk Choi
21) Shame on Jimmy Lee. I say we ditch the Republicans and vote straight Democrats (I am an independent). M. Jeang
22) We fully support you, you did a wonderful job for us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I-chih Wang
23) Good for you. Is there such an office as Executive Director, The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and if so what have they done to help Asian Pacific Americans? Cliff
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