A Stirring Video

80-20's reason for sharing this video is grounded in our hope and
belief that all Asian Americans acting with confidence and faith
can collectively impact our nation for the greater good.

While the song alludes to the bible, 80-20, a non-partisan and non-
denominational organization, respects everyone's right to choose
their religion, if any. Visit

http://www.bornagainamerican.org/index.html .

If you like the above video, please don't forget that the "Sharing Sacrifice
with Our Soldiers" drive is still on. Visit
http://admin.80-20nj.info/cgi/dm/8/9p .

We've raised $12,000+ so far. We now aim for a larger number of
participants. You don't have to contribute $1,000, as many of the current
contributors did. Just do what your heart feels is right. Thank you.

80-20 still needs more NEW members. If you join now, you'll be
counted as a member for this year and the next. Join 80-20
at http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp .

Respectfully,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director, 80-20 PAC., Inc.

Call To Action

Do Asian Americans care deeply for America?

Are we capable of going to where others avoid, although it may
be the right place to go?

Do we dare set the right example, though it may seem foolhardy?

If your answers are YES, YES and YES, then please read the following
and do what your heart will tell you.

80-20's Board passed the following resolution:

SHARING SACRIFICE

Whereas, we the people, must share the burdens of our brave soldiers;
Whereas, soldiers need ample supplies, and increasing national debt is a
major concern of the American people;
Whereas, imposing additional tax seems out of question given the current
tough economic times;
Whereas, there are still those fortunate Americans with financial means
who desire to bear their share of the our soldiers' sacrifice ;
Whereas, the setting up of a webpage urging Asian Americans to be AMONG
THE FIRST to voluntarily contribute 1% of their disposable income or
$1,000 to the United States government will help advance or resolve the
concerns expressed above; and
Whereas, a side benefit of this valiant effort is to counter the prejudiced
perception that Asian Americans are "perpetual foreigners," which has
given impetus to the maintenance of the glass ceiling over Asian
Americans in private industries, universities and even the federal
government.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that 80-20 PAC shall set up a website urging
Asian Americans to voluntarily contribute 1% of their disposable
income or $1,000 to the United States government to concretely demonstrate
shared sacrifice in support of the upcoming surge announced by President
Obama. (Resolution ends.)

There is a broader message here. America faces huge challenges today.
It's time for us to OFFER sharing the burdens VOLUNTARILY in order to overcome
a few major challenges quickly. The influence of the Asian Am. community on our
nation may be small. But we can try.

Go to http://admin.80-20nj.info/cgi/dm/8/9p . Show America that we,
Asian Americans, care deeply. Fill out the blanks. Click on the "Done button".
Your name will appear in the CONTRIBUTORS' list below the done button automatically.

Visit the site NOW to also find out who have already pledged $1,000
each. Many of our best and brightest have committed & there will be many
more to come. Together, we shall pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and
make ourselves equal citizens.

80-20 gratefully acknowledges the endorsement of this project by John S.
Chen, Chairman, Comm. of 100, and Rajen Anand, Chairman, National
Federation of Indian Americans, NFIA.

Respectfully,

S.B. Woo
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

A Chinaman's Chance

Dear fellow Asian Americans:

How many of you have heard the expression, “a Chinaman's chance"
and wondered about its origin?

The historical context of the phrase comes from the Gold rush days of
pre-California, where many Chinese came to work as “coolies,” hard
laborers for gold mining and building the transcontinental railroad.

In this employ, they were sought out for the demanding and
dangerous jobs involving explosives, often for half the pay of the Irish
workers.

Yet the Chinese faced higher taxes, denials of legal status (not to
mention citizenship), and family reunion with their spouses and
family. They did not even have the right to testify in court against
violence and grievous crimes committed against them. The Chinese
were deemed to be so lowly, uncivilized and depraved that the courts
would not debase itself to hear their testimony .

Without recourse to the courts and law, the early Chinese settler’s had
“a Chinaman’s chance” to receive fairness and justice. Many were beaten
and robbed with impunity and some died a violent death. You
can learn about this early history by watching Bill Moyer’s PBS series
“Becoming American, The Chinese Experience.”

The American Civil Rights movement was preceded by a long history
of gross miscarriages of justice and bloodshed. Like the African
Americans, AsAms have come a long way in the long struggle for
equality. However, the pain of discrimination is still felt in America.
By AsAm being denied equal salary for equal work. . . Denied equal
opportunity for career advancement . . . By our children having to
leap over higher bars in order to gain admission to top schools . . .

80-20 PAC is the single hardest working AsAm organization fighting
day in and day out for your equality. From securing landmark
promises from President Obama to enforce EO11246 to gaining
more AsAm federal judges, 80-20 never shrank away from the
toughest battles and challenges. Yet this national burden is born on
the backs of a mere 2,000 or so dues-paying members. We
have achieved landmark progress under the leadership of
Dr. SB Woo. We are closer than ever before to realizing our dream,
but this is no time to be complacent; or to rest on our laurels.

In order to succeed, we must present a strong case and persuade
the Dept of Labor to enforce EO11246. This equal opportunity law has
been enforced for Blacks, Hispanics and women—but not yet for AsAms!
We must redouble our efforts, and we need your help to succeed.

If you are one of our loyal dues-paying members, we thank you from
the bottom of our heart. If not, won’t you please do your part TODAY?
Become a dues-paying member NOW at http://www.80-20initiative.net .
Your membership will be good till 12/31/2010 i.e. for the remainder
of this year and the next. Join us in the fight for equal opportunity
and justice, so that this nation we love will become a more perfect Union.

Not sure if you are a member? Find out here:
http://www.80-20initiative.net/about/membership.asp .

In another 10 years, on the 20th anniversary of 80-20, let it be
remembered that YOU did your part; that YOU joined in this noble fight
and made a difference. For yourself, for future generations of AsAms, and
for our nation. Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you.

Ed

Dr. Edward Lin
Director, 80-20 Initiative
Equal Opportunity and Justice for ALL Asian Americans
e-
mail: elin [at] ingenious [dot] com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/EdwardLin001USA

Closing In on a Record

Will you be one of the 35?

If you are NOT a member, please consider joining today. You will be a
member for the current year and the next for the price of one. Tradi-
tionally, 80-20 has counted NEW members joining after its Nov. Board
election as member of this and the NEXT year. Help 80-20 set a historic
high in membership in tough economic times. That tell people about
what we are made of.

Go http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp . Or 

send your check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 603, Osprey, FL 34229 


Student: $15, Basic: $35, Family: $50, and Life Member: $1,000

Board Election Results

Over the past week, our members elected 6 of the 8 candidates to be
80-20's Board members. They are: Hilary Hsu (winning 86.2% of votes cast)
Ved Chaudhary (82.5%) , Ed Lin (82.3% ), Yueh-Ting Lee (74.8%),
William V. Uy (68.9%), & Quan Cao (67.4%).

80-20's is proud to announce that its 22 member Board is diverse in
background, composed of dedicated individuals from every major component
of the Asian Am. community.

Important Political Elections - recent past & future

John Liu was elected the Comptroller of the NY City, an important
office in NYC. Sam Yoon dropped out of the Boston mayoral election,
although he ran a creditable campaign.

A very exciting campaign on the horizon is Ted Lieu's campaign for
Attorney General of California. He cares deeply about the Asian Am.
community. 80-20 thinks he has better than a 50% chance to win both
the CA Dem. primary in June, 2010 and the the general election in Nov.,
2010. Keep your eyes on him.

Help Make History

80-20 needs only 35 NEW members to set a historic membership
record. Please be the one to hand us the cigar! Empower yourself and
80-20. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp .

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

To Be Kingmakers

To Be Kingmakers

Are you sitting on a pot of political gold like the Asian Ams. in
NJ? They could have easily been the kingmakers in their gubernatorial
election & through that process won themselves equal opportunity in
NJ's state government.

Here is how.

The difference between the winner and the loser in the NJ governor's
race was only 100,000 votes. Chris Christie got 1,148,800 votes, while
Jon Corzine got 1,048,827.

The Asian Am. population in NJ is about 500,000. The number of Asian
Am. voters is at least 150,000. If there was an 80-20 NJ Chapter directing
political traffic, the Asian Am community could easily have delivered 70%
of those 150,000 votes i.e.105,000 votes to its endorsed candidate.

With that kind political capital in a tight race, one could have easily
gotten each of the gubernatorial candidates to give iron-clad promises that
could possibly include the appointment of Asian Am. Cabinet members &
the breaking of the glass ceiling in the NJ state government and
universities! That is, copy what the 80-20 National did nationally in
last year's presidential election.

Will there be a similar situation in your state? Don't let it
pass. Get ready! See a concrete example below.

Our NW Ohio chapter, only 1 year after its inauguration, interviewed
all the mayoral candidates of Toledo, Ohio and obtained a single word
answer (YES) from all the candidates to all its questions in its
questionnaire -- iron clad promises.

To seize such opportunities in your own state, you need to take a look
at a new pamphlet that the National has just placed on its website. It is a
step-to-step recipe about "How To Achieve An Impact On Your
State/County/City/Local Politics." Visit
http://www.80-20initiative.net/action/chapter_pamphlet.pdf .

You only need to read the first 4 pages of the pamphlet to get an idea
of what you and your chapter need to do. Let us know, if you are motivated
to organize a chapter in your own state to have an impact in politics! Reply to
this email and say "Motivated!" We'll assist you.

Thanks to you, 80-20 is very close to an annual
membership record, but NO cigar yet.

To join, go to 
 http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp . Or
send your check to 80-20 PAC PO Box 603 Osprey, FL 34229 

Student: $15, Basic:$35, Family$50, and Life Member:$1,000
Try the "automatic renewal option," (which you can cancel anytime),
your membership will be valid for 1 full year.

80-20 GRATEFULLY acknowledges the following generous donors, who displayed
great support for our Membership Drive of the last 15 days.

Steven Chen of Cerritos, CA: $1,00O
Willian Tong of Ellicot City, MO: $1,000
Mon Yin Lung of Houston, TX: b6d $500
Alfred & Shirley Fong of Woodland Hills, CA: $1,500
Suzanna Lin of Osprey, FL: $500
Hsiao-Mei & Ray Wedmeyer of Columbia, MO: $500
Ved Chaudhary of Morganville, NJ: $1,000
S. B. & Katy Woo of Newark, DE: $3,500
George Ow Jr. of Santa Cruz, CA: $1,000
Albert Wang of Fremont, CA: $1,000
Stella Yu of Denver, CO: $500
Dominic & Ellen Ng of Pasadena, CA (to 80-20 Educational
Foundation): $1,000. Congrats to Dominic whose East West
Bank just acquired the United Commercial Bank of SF.

Respectfully,
Directors of 80-20 Initiative (titles are for identification purposes only),

Fel Amistad, San Mateo County Commissioner; Analyst (Finance)
Dr. Beverly Hong-Fincher, Linguistics; currently teaching at the Univ. of
the District of Columbia
Dr. Laura Hsu, retired university administrator
Dr. Chenming Hu, Distinguished Chair Professor, Univ. of CA, Berkeley;
US National Academy of Engineering; Chinese Academy of sciences;
Academia Sinica
Dr. Alice Huang, President-elect, Am. Assoc. for the Advancement of Science,
retired professor, Harvard Medical School, retired Dean, NYU, Univ.
Administrator, Caltech
Frank Lee, former President, Organization for Justice and Equality
Dr. Edward Lin, CEO, Ingenious Technologies Corp, Co-Founder, Gulfcoast
Chinese Am. Assoc.
Dr. Yuko Nakanishi, MBA, Principal & President, Nakanishi Research &
Consulting, LLC.
Linden Nishinaga, Calif. licensed professional engineer & Leadership in
Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional
Dr. Roy Saigo, Two university presidencies (Auburn Univ. & St. Cloud St. Univ)
Dr. Kim Song, Assoc. Prof., Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis
Lena Tam, Vice Mayor, Alameda, CA; MPA, licensed Engineer
Kathleen To, Honorary Texas Commercial Attache (1991-93); President & CEO,
KATO Foundation
Joel Wong, President, APAPA-Bay Area Chapter
Hon. S.B. Woo, Lt. Governor of Delaware (85-89), retired Physics prof., U. of Del.
Dr. David Yang, Associate Political Scientist, Rand Corporation
Jing-Li Yu, 3rd yr. law student, Univ. of Chicago; Operation Director, 80-20
(05 -06)
Charles Zhang, President and Managing Partner, Zhang Financial, the only
advisor in the nation selected as a top advisor by BOTH Worth Magazine
and Barron’s each year from 2004-2007.

Continued Appeal & Asian Am. Salary III

Thanks to you, 80-20 needs only 45 more members, instead of the 72 of
4 day ago, and 173 = (23 + 150) of a week ago. We even got 4 more Life
Members and a $1,000 matching fund. Please be one of the 45, if you
are NOT a member yet!

Please empower 80-20. It needs your broad shoulders.

Please arm others and me with the news of the record high membership in
tough economic times, when we go to DOL. It's the kind of news that the political
establishment understands. We are going to the Labor Department for a
meeting. Hopefully, we'll succeed in removing the last major obstacle
to the growth of our community -- less opportunity in workplaces AND less
pay for equal work.

Here is an additional proof of inequity. Remember the Scientist's Salary
Survey?

The reported average salaries for Asian Ph.Ds and MDs are the lowest
when compared with all other Americans. That of the Asian MS happens
to be the highest. That contradiction leads to a question of whether the
the data are reliable.

80-20 communicated with The Scientists. We found that the combined
sample sizes in the 3 categories of BS, MS and MD in the Asian survey is only a
puny 150 persons. That means that those 3 reported numbers are statistically
quite uncertain.

However, the sample size for Asian Ph.Ds is 480 which is statistically large
enough to say that Asian Ph.Ds in life sciences definitely have the lowest
average salary. Why are Asian Ams in the "lowest" categories so often,
in spite of having the highest educational attainment?

Wouldn't you like 80-20 to find out? Wouldn't you like to know if the low
salary phenomenon is limited to life science or extend to many other fields?

So, please EMPOWER 80-20 with the record high membership. Before I
retire, I like to help remove that last major obstacle for you & your
offspring. If you are NOT a members yet, I need YOUR help!

To join, go 
 http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp . Or
send your check to 80-20 PAC PO Box 603 Osprey, FL 34229* 

Student: $15, Basic:$35, Family$50, and Life Member:$1,000

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Executive Secretarty (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Helen Wang is leaving 80-20 to become an Executive Office Administrator for the
American Association for Cancer Research. We thank Helen for her dedicated
service to 80-20 for 3 years. Dr. Suzanna Lin, an M. D., a former attending physician
at the Yale-New Haven Medical Center, has joined us. She has already given
80-20 exemplary service.

Continued Personal Appeal

A Personal Appeal from S. B. Woo,
who is 72 and near his swan song

THANKS TO YOU we are closer to our shared goal. 80-20 now
needs 74, instead of 173 members, stated 4 days ago.

However, the need is no less urgent - the goal hasn't been
achieved!

Your membership will last a FULL year even at this late day, if you join
via the "automatic renewal option," which you can cancel anytime.
Go to http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp

Why this urgency?

Others and I will be going to the Department of Labor (DOL) to discuss
the removal of that final major obstacle to the growth of our
community -- the removal of the glass ceiling -- by enforcing an existing
law (E.O. 11246), which President Obama has promised. Please arm us with
a powerful weapon -- the news of the highest membership ever, in tough
economic times. Political folks understand that message.

Before I retire, I would like to help remove that final obstacle for
our community.

I APPEAL TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU who have supported
80-20 in spirit, but not yet in action, to do so NOW! Ved Chaudhary
of NJ has generously offered a new matching fund of $1,000. Yesterday,
I've gladly paid my "fulfilled" matching fund of $3.5K to 80-20. ☺.

To join, go to http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp .
Or send you check to 80-20 PAC PO Box 22509 Philadelphia, PA 19110
Student: $15, Basic:$35, Family$50, and Life Member:$1,000

Respectfully yours,

S. B.
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 Initiative

A Personal Appeal from S. B. Woo

A Personal Appeal from S. B. Woo,

who is 72 and near his swan song

80-20 urgently needs more members.

Your membership will last a FULL year even at this late day, if you join
via the "automatic renewal option," which you can cancel anytime after
1 years. Go to http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp

80-20 urgently needs 23 more NEW members to get the $3,500 matching
fund which I'll donate. 80-20 needs an additional 150 members to set a
historic high in membership.

Why this urgency?

Others and I will be going to the Department of Labor (DOL) to discuss
the removal of that final major obstacle to the growth of our
community -- the removal of the glass ceiling -- by enforcing an existing law
(E.O. 11246), which President Obama has promised. Please arm us with a powerful
weapon -- the news of the highest membership ever, in tough economic times.
Political folks understand that message.

Give your personal imprint to this historic struggle. Help us succeed in
our meeting with the DOL by joining as a member. Before I retire, I would
like to help remove that final obstacle for our community.

I APPEAL TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU who have supported
80-20 in spirit, but not yet in action, to do so NOW!

To join, go to http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp
Or send you check to 80-20 PAC PO Box 22509 Philadelphia, PA 19110
Student: $15, Basic:$35, Family$50, and Life Member:$1,000

Respectfully yours,

S. B.
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 Initiative

Part II of Asian Am. Salary

A Courageous Asian Am MD Spoke Up

Are you outraged by the charts showing that Asian Ams come out in
the shortest end, whether in salary or in upward mobility?

Many spoke up but few would allow 80-20 to quote them by name. Hence,
we salute John K Hsiao, MD who gave us the permission to publish
what he had emailed to 80-20. He is a role model.

Speaking against injustice is a good American trait. Not even speaking
against injustice that is against ourselves is a cultural trait that we must
cast away. Here is what Dr. Hsiao wrote to 80-20:

"I've been planning on joining 80-20 for a while now, but
procrastinated until I saw this article in The Scientist. The article is
a review of salaries in the life sciences & one of the figures compares
salaries based on ethnicity. AsAm MD's & PhD's are the LOWEST
paid of any ethnicity, below white, black, or Hispanic. Asian Am MS
holders are paid somewhat better than other ethnicities, & in fact,
make more than AsAm PhD's.

AsAm MD's make only 2/3 what white MD's make & only 3/4 of what
black MD's make. This is really shocking. What is also shocking is
that the article calls attention to this discrepancy but doesn't
comment on its unfairness. Maybe this was just an anomaly from
this year's survey, & 80-20 may want to look into whether other
surveys identify similar discrepancies. As for me, I just signed up at
80-20's website.

I have worked as a psychiatrist at the Natl Institutes of Health for
>25 years, in a number of different scientific capacities. I also
maintain a small private practice. I recently left the Mental Health
Institute (where I had been for 25 years & had been very successful)
after a project I initiated & developed was stolen from me by a new
supervisor. I don't think it was racially motivated, but wonder if
my being AsAm led the jerk to think he could get away w/ it.
Institute leadership, including 2 AsAm Directors were aware of what
had happened but turned a blind eye. I didn't want to get bogged
down in an EEO complaint, & instead, found a new job in the Aging
Institute (where I am quite happy). Seeing this article makes me
wonder if I should have fought more vigorously.
I've attached the article & the figure as a separate pdf. Thanks

John K. Hsiao, M.D.
Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology"

Here is the salary survey chart published by The Scientist:

To verify, go http://www.the-scientist.com/salarysurvey/

JOIN 80-20 to help yourself and your children. Go
http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp
If you opt for the automatic renewal, your membership will be valid
till a year from today. Dues of NEW members will be matched
up to $3,500.

S. B. Woo
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Asian American Salary

Do you believe in equal pay for equal work? What if YOU are denied
your due? It'll not happen to YOU? Hope not! However, if it does,
what are YOU going to do about it?

Look at this SALARY SURVEY published by The Scientist in its September,
2009 issue. We again came out on the shortest end. It shows that Asian Am.
M.Ds. and Ph. Ds in life science are paid the lowest salaries when compared
with all other races. Visit http://www.the-scientist.com/salarysurvey/

Combine this knowledge with Chart 1 in 80-20's Washington Post Ad, where
we again came out on the shortest end in terms of the odds to be promoted
to managers, then ask yourself

(1) Which organization brings to you information of such vital bearing
on your life?
(2) Which organization is working effectively to keep you from being
shortchanged like that in the future?

JOIN 80-20. Help 80-20 to help YOU and YOUR children. Using a credit
card, go http://www.80-20initiative.net/ . Please opt for the
automatic renewal of membership. Or send a check to
80-20 PAC PO Box 22509 Philadelphia, PA 19110

Your payment of $35 or $50 is not even 1/100th of your salary. Don't let
yourself get stepped on and be paid less! JOIN 80-20 and forward this
info to every Asian Am. you know. Why? TO STOP SUCH DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST YOU FROM CONTINUING ASAP!

S. B. Woo
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

80-20 Marks 10th Anniversary Today!

By Dr. Edward Lin, Founding Patron, Life Member & 80-20 Board Member

80-20 Marks 10th Anniversary Today!
A DECADE OF POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT BEARS FRUIT

Ten years ago today in 1999, 80-20 Initiative was born—based on a vision
that in spite of being a small minority group, Asian Americans (AsAm) CAN
flex a BIG political muscle through unity and bloc voting. Against all odds,
80-20’s Founders and early supporters faced mountain-sized challenges &
a near-impossible goal. Undeterred by ridicule, obstacles and attacks from
detractors and naysayers, they steadfastly pushed forward by sheer will
and faith. And made history.

COMPARED TO NATIONAL AVERAGE, AsAm HAVE THE LEAST CHANCE (45%)
OF RISING TO MANAGEMENT RANKS in private industries, universities and
the Federal government despite having the highest educational attainment.
See: http://www.80-20initiative.net/action/equalopp_washingtonpost_wpad.asp
Out of the 864 federal judges, only 8 (0.9% instead of 5%) are AsAm even
though we have proportionally more legal professionals and scholars.

80-20 has steadfastly engaged in principled political battles using carrots
and sticks: rewarding politicians who promise to address our rightful civil
rights grievances by electing them and defeating those who don’t.

In the 2008 Presidential Election, 80-20 made landmark progress in gaining
written iron-clad promises from President Obama to take concrete action to
remedy the dismal inequality facing AsAm. See:
http://www.80-20initiative.net/news/preselect2008_obama.asp

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY, an unprecedented number of
AsAm are serving our nation at some of the highest levels of government.
For example:
Sr. White House Advisor: Peter Rouse (Mother is Japanese American)
Cabinet Secretary: Chris Lu, the point contact person to all the cabinet secretaries.
Steven Chu: Secretary of Energy
General Eric Shinseki: Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Gary Locke, Commerce Secretary;
Aneesh Paul Chopra, Federal Chief Technology Officer
Ivan K. Fong, General Counsel (Deputy Secretary in rank), Homeland Security Dept.
Harold Hongju Koh, Legal Counsel (Deputy Secretary in rank), State Department
Howard Koh, Assistant secretary for Health & Human Services
Rajiv Shah, Chief Scientist USDA & Under Secretary for Research, Education
and Economics
Tina Tchen, Executive Dir. of the White House Ofc of Public Engagement
Eugene Kang, Special Assistant to the President

WHEN EXECUTIVE ORDER 11246 IS ENFORCED, we will all stop being second-
class citizens; 800,000 AsAm government workers, & many more at
universities and private enterprises will finally have a fair shot at promotions
based on meritocracy.

HELP ENSURE A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN
As we reflect on the10th Anniversary of 80-20, let us give thanks to its
visionary Founders including Dr. SB Woo (Former Lt. Governor of DE),
Dr. Larry Ho (Professor Emeritus of two endowed chairs at Harvard) and
the late Dr. Chang-Lin Tien (Chancellor of UC Berkeley). Together, along
with steadfast 80-20 supporters like you, we have moved political mountains.

These great AsAm and patriots have shown us a hard-fought birthright
and a principled path to equal opportunity—charting our destiny
through political empowerment. We must each take the civil rights
challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own, to make
America a more perfect Union.

THE TOUGHEST FIGHT FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.
It requires unity, dollars, commitment and perseverance from ALL of us to
get the government to DELIVER what has been promised. If you have been
with us in our long struggle, 80-20 expresses its gratitude for your
commitment and support.

If not, please do your share and join our Civil Rights Movement!
Become a dues-paying member TODAY at http://www.80-20initiative.net
Not sure if you are a member? Find out here:
http://www.80-20initiative.net/about/membership.asp

Dr. Edward Lin
Director, 80-20 Initiative
Equal Opportunity and Justice for ALL Asian Americans
e-mail: elin[at]ingenious[dot]com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/EdwardLin001USA

Encourage Inspire Empower

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single
garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
Mahatma Gandhi

My Father was Jailed...by his Own Country

From: Dr. Yuko Julie Nakanishi, Member, 80-20 Board of Directors

To: Prospective 80-20 Members

My father was born and raised in Sacramento in the early 20th century. He
was an American citizen. He followed the rules, didn’t break any laws,
went to school, studied hard, helped his neighbors. Then came WWII and
in the eyes of the U.S. government, he was no longer a citizen. He was stripped
of his rights. They treated him like a common criminal, uprooting
him and his family and placing them in a “camp” with tall fences, barbed
wire, and soldiers with rifles. The word “camp” was used as a euphemism
for jail and imprisonment. All of his rights were taken away because of
ethnicity – his appearance, his surname, the color of his skin.

While the Japanese American and As Am community has come a long way
since then, discrimination still exists in the workplace, in our legal system,
at all levels of our government and society. In this day and age, this
CANNOT be and SHOULD NOT be.

The 80-20 Initiative was established to eradicate discrimination and
win legal and workplace equality for all members of our As Am
community. This includes YOU, your FAMILY, and your FRIENDS.

Read more about 80-20’s recent accomplishments and its leadership – our
Acting Executive Director is S.B. Woo, the former Lt. Governor of Delaware,
who has a great deal of knowledge about the inner workings of American
politics. I urge you to support your As Am community by participating in
the 80-20 Initiative NOW. Simply click on the link below to find out how
you can join. http://www.80-20initiative.net

Once you’ve joined, you’ll find out about our activities and how you can
play an integral part in our growth. If you think you may already be a
member, click on the following link to find out:
http://www.80-20initiative.net/about/membership.asp
JOIN NOW!!!

A very short email

Will you help please?

The world of politics depends on clout. Clout comes with having more
members. To help YOU win FULL citizenship, 80-20 needs more members.

I've pledged to donate $3,500 to 80-20 for 100 NEW members. We now
need only 49 more NEW members and 80-20 will get my pledged $3,500.
So your $35 membership fee may leverage 100 times that amount for 80-
20.

JOIN 80-20 NOW. Using a credit card, go
http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp . Or send a
check to "80-20 PAC" PO Box 22509 Philadelphia, PA 19110.

Counting on YOU. Please help me to help YOUR CHILDREN.

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer for 80-20 for the last 10 years & donated
close to $100,000 to 80-20.)

A Table to Remember

The table below tells a clear story.

It tells how things have improved -- the doubling of Asian Am life-tenured federal judges, since 80-20 took up the issue 3.5 years ago.

It also tells that we still have a long long way to go -- even at 12 federal judges, it is just 1.4% of the federal judges. While not advocating a quota system, we want to point out that at least 5% of the lawyers are Asian Ams, many from the top law schools.

You will be seeing this table again -- many more such appointments to come.

Success has a thousand fathers. We congratulate all orgs. which worked
on this project.

NAPABA stands for Nat'l Asian Pacific Am. Bar Assoc.

What can we conclude from our initial success?

1) Getting politically involved pays and is a must to protect our rights,
2) 80-20's political premises are sound -- elected officials are public servants, and that our community should reward our public servants who share our RIGHTFUL concerns and punish those who don't.
3) Is the size of 80-20's GROUP political clout large enough to win EQUAL citizenship for YOU within the next 3 years? No! To become equals soon, we need UNITY. UNITY of the Asian Am. community is an issue that every Asian Am. has a voice. Please articulate YOUR view within YOUR organizations. If we all do that, UNITY may be forged sooner than we think.

Join 80-20. Help 80-20 to help YOURSELF! Visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp. Or, send a 
check to "80-20 PAC", PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Dues of NEW members are matched up to $3500.

Respectfully,
Directors of 80-20 Initiative (titles are for identification purposes only),

Fel Amistad, San Mateo County Commissioner; Analyst (Finance)
Dr. Beverly Hong-Fincher, Linguistics; currently teaching at the Univ. of the District of Columbia
Dr. Laura Hsu, retired university administrator
Dr. Chenming Hu, Distinguished Chair Professor, Univ. of CA, Berkeley; US National Academy of Engineering; Chinese Academy of sciences; Academia Sinica
Dr. Alice Huang, President-elect, Am. Assoc. for the Advancement of Science, retired professor, Harvard Medical School, retired Dean, NYU, Univ. Administrator, Caltech
Frank Lee, former President, Organization for Justice and Equality
Dr. Edward Lin, CEO, Ingenious Technologies Corp, Co-Founder, Gulfcoast Chinese Am. Assoc.
Dr. Yuko Nakanishi, MBA, Principal & President, Nakanishi Research & Consulting, LLC.
Linden Nishinaga, Calif. licensed professional engineer & Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional
Dr. Roy Saigo, Two university presidencies (Auburn Univ. & St. Cloud St. Univ) 387
Dr. Kim Song, Assoc. Prof., Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis
Lena Tam, Vice Mayor, Alameda, CA; MPA, licensed Engineer
Kathleen To, Honorary Texas Commercial Attache (1991-93); President & CEO, KATO Foundation
Joel Wong, President, APAPA-Bay Area Chapter
Hon. S.B. Woo, Lt. Governor of Delaware (85-89), retired Physics prof., U. of Del.
Dr. David Yang, Associate Political Scientist, Rand Corporation
Jing-Li Yu, 3rd yr. law student, Univ. of Chicago; Operation Director, 80-20 (05 -06)
Charles Zhang, President and Managing Partner, Zhang Financial, the only advisor in the nation selected as a top advisor by BOTH Worth Magazine and Barron’s each year from 2004-2007.

Great News: How an AsAm Appeals Court Judge Was Born

Great News!
Add an Appeals Court judge to the 3 District Court judges -- all nominated by President Obama this year.

An Asian Am. District Court judge, Denny Chin, will be nominated by President Obama to serve on the Federal Appeals Court in the 2nd Circuit soon, according to the NY Times. http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/madoffs-sentencing-judge-to-be-appellate-court-choice/

Judge Chin was recommended by the Senior Senator of NY, Chuck Schumer. We thank Pres. Obama and Sen. Schumer. Finally, we have an Asian Am. Appeals Court judge again!

Success has a thousand fathers. Here is 80-20's role in this success. YOU may need to know how 80-20 plays its role in order to learn how DEMOCRACY is exercised in this great nation.

1) On Jan. 31, 2008, then candidate Sen. Obama gave 80-20 an iron-clad promise in writing that upon being elected the President he'll appoint more qualified Asian Ams to serve on not only the District Courts but also the Appeals Courts.

2) On Aug. 4, 2009, 80-20 faxed Sen. Schumer requesting that he consider recommending more Asian Am. as judges to Pres. Obama. On Aug. 25, 80-20 Board Member, Alice Huang, who is also the President-elect of AAAS, called Sen. Schumer's Chief Legal Counsel Stephanie Martz urging her attention.

3) Ms. Martz replied by asking for 80-20's input. Dr. Huang suggested a number of names, including Denny Chin.

The rest is history. The real father of the success is Judge Denny Chin himself -- his superb qualification. However, do remember that there had been other extremely qualified Asian Am jurists who, without the efforts of 80-20 and others, didn't get to rise to the maximum of their potentials.

Join 80-20 with a lot of pride. We get things done! Visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp. Or, send a 
check to "80-20 PAC" PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Do it NOW!

Respectfully,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

PS: A true story of "paying forward" is told below. On 1/5/2006, Judge Denny Chin emailed me to make me aware of the paucity of Asian Am. federal judges that helped to start 80-20's campaign for more Asian Am federal judges. After 3.5 years, he is one of those to benefit from broadcasting that sad information for our community's benefit.

Reminder! Go take the 15-sec poll on Pres. Obama's Health Care Reform: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=AX5wrxSJgnyt5ag_2f5J2ORQ_3d_3d. Pay forward!

YOUR view on Health Care Reform?

Take a 15 second poll on Health Care Reform!

Can your views on BIG national issues like the Health Care Reform and Immigration Reform (possibly next year) ever be heard? YES, so long as 80-20 PAC is around. 80-20 will use its political know-how to get your voice heard, IF there is intense interest and a strong consensus within our community. Then you and 80-20 will together make history again.

Go http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=AX5wrxSJgnyt5ag_2f5J2ORQ_3d_3d

It'll take 15 seconds only. Do NOT answer to this email. It'll NOT count. You must go the survey site to formally enter your views.

It is an OPEN survey. Please encourage Asian Ams who share your view to take this survey also. Go NOW. Together we'll make history again. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=AX5wrxSJgnyt5ag_2f5J2ORQ_3d_3d. [Note: A poll participant's choices are NOT identified with the participant's name. They only add to the statistics.]

Respectfully yours,

S.B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20PAC, Inc.

Don't Let Your Vote Go to Waste!

In November 2008, you did it! Because you united behind 80-20 and helped elect Barack Obama, our community is a giant step closer to achieving equal opportunity in the workplace and equal justice.

During the campaign, then Senator Obama made an iron-clad promise to increase the appointment of qualified Asian American judges in the Federal judiciary, and enforce Executive Order 11246.

YOU helped swing former red states to blue states, including North Carolina, where the number of Asian American voters was three times the margin of Obama’s victory over McCain. (See our last e-mail: 2 HAPPY News Items at: http://80-20initiative.blogspot.com/2009/08/2-happy-news-items.html)

Because of YOUR hard work as a united community, 3 Asian American cabinet secretaries were appointed, and President Obama has started fulfilling one of his iron-clad promises by recently nominating 3 Asian American judges (there are only 8 AsAm judges so far).

But, important goals remain for our community. Asian Americans remain underrepresented in the Federal judiciary. A low glass ceiling still hangs over us; E.O. 11246 remains unenforced for Asian Americans.

We can achieve these goals if we continue building our community’s permanent group political clout. To do that, help 80-20 achieve a historic membership record. We just need 100 more dues-paying members in each of the next four months. By joining 80-20 now, you can help make history!

Don’t let all your previous hard work during the election go to waste! Help build that permanent group political clout for our community. Please join 80-20. Visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp. Or send a check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. 
80-20 gets paid double for NEW members, owing to a matching fund of $3,500. Thank you,

Jing-Li Yu.
80-20 Initiative,
Former full-time staff for 80-20 (2002-2006) and current volunteer Treasurer (since 2007), and 3rd-year law student at the University of Chicago.

Announcements by 80-20:
1) The above is the 1st attempt by Jing-Li at an e-newsletter. Please support him!
2) Two New Life Members: Albert Wang (Fremont, CA) and Suzanna Lin (Osprey, Fl)
3) 80-20 sets another historic record of highest membership as of the end of August. 5 consecutive monthly records were set in tough economic times. It reflects the quality of Asian Ams. in tough times.

2 HAPPY News Items

The building of a community's political muscle in order to protect itself from exploitation has 2 stages. 1) Building the muscle, and 2) having the muscle recognized by the general public. Thanks to you, the second stage has arrived. See the 2 happy articles below, all within 1 month:

1) 8/13/09 article: Latino and Asian Clout in the Voting Booth
http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/08-13-2009/0005077137&EDATE=

"Census Bureau data released late last month confirms . . . . In six of the nine states that went from "red" to "blue" in the election (Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, New Mexico, and North Carolina), the number of Latino and Asian voters significantly exceeded Barack Obama's margin of victory over John McCain."

2) 8/17 article: Asian American Community Flexes Political Muscle in Fight for Immigration Reform 
by Seth Hoy
http://immigrationimpact.com/2009/08/17/asian-american-community-flexes-political-muscle-in-fight-for-immigration-reform

"In North Carolina, which went from “red” to “blue” in 2008, the number of Asian Voters was three times greater than President Obama's margin."

To appreciate the true significance of the above 2 articles, answer the 2 questions below please:
o If our votes had been split 50/50, will we still be recognized as having the political muscle ???
o Which Asian Am organization advocated and led our community's bloc votes ?

Join 80-20. It'll be the best investment for yourself and your children. Visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp. Or send a check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. The dues of NEW members are matched up to $3,500.

Hundreds of YOU sent life blood - e-mail addresses - to 80-20. THANK YOU. THANK YOU!

Respectfully,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

80-20's Life

THREE vital factors enable 80-20 to serve you effectively:

1) A huge email list (Unfortunately, decreasing in size! ),
2) About 2,000 members (May set a record high this yr. More later)
3) The quality and dedication of its Board (The best in 80-20's history)

Just when we need to inform more and more Asian Ams. about a final push to become equal citizens, our email list has become smaller and smaller -- a decrease of 10 to 15% each year in the last few years, owing to a combination of e-addresses becoming obsolete and laws prohibiting traditional ways to find new e-addresses.

Obviously, we need to, TOGETHER, boost the size of the e-mail list -- a cyberspace organization's life !

We, the undersigned members of the Board, jointly appeal to you to help RECOVER & ENLARGE our email list. YOU can help in two ways:

a) E-mail the following info. about 80-20 to Asian Ams who care about the future of our community, while copying in 80-20 via AsianAmericanUnity@80-20.us. Modify the suggested version, as you see fit.

"80-20 is a national, Pan-Asian, non-partisan political organization that is very effective in serving our community's needs. Please consider receiving its e-newsletters. I've known this org. for years. I highly recommend it. Upon receiving 80-20's e-newsletters, if you don't like it, you can unsubscribe easily. 80-20 does not abuse its email list.

Your friend,
(yyyyy -- your name)"

b) Just email us your friends' e-mail addresses. 80-20 shall invite the owners of those e-addresses to get on our e-mail list.

If you value 80-20's services to our community, then please help feed us our life - email addresses. Do step a) or b) NOW!

A little gusture from you will help win equal citizenship for 14 million Asian Americans, including you and your offspring.

Sincerely yours (titles are for identification purposes only),

Fel Amistad, San Mateo County Commissioner; Analyst (Finance)
Dr. Beverly Hong-Fincher, Linguistics; currently teaching at the Univ. of the District of Columbia
Dr. Laura Hsu, retired university administrator
Dr. Chenming Hu, Distinguished Chair Professor, Univ. of CA, Berkeley; US National Academy of Engineering; Chinese Academy of sciences; Academia Sinica
Dr. Alice Huang, President-elect, Am. Assoc. for the Advancement of Science, retired professor, Harvard Medical School, retired Dean, NYU, Univ.; Administrator, Caltech
Frank Lee, former President, Organization for Justice and Equality
Dr. Edward Lin, CEO, Ingenious Technologies Corp, Co-Founder, Gulfcoast Chinese Am. Assoc.
Dr. Yuko Nakanishi, MBA, Principal & President, Nakanishi Research & Consulting, LLC.
Linden Nishinaga, Calif. licensed professional engineer & Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional
Dr. Roy Saigo, Two university presidencies (Auburn Univ. & St. Cloud St. Univ)
Dr. Kim Song, Assoc. Prof., Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis
Lena Tam, Vice Mayor, Alameda, CA; MPA, licensed Engineer
Kathleen To, Honorary Texas Commercial Attache (1991-93); President & CEO, KATO Foundation
Joel Wong, President, APAPA-Bay Area Chapter
Hon. S.B. Woo, Lt. Governor of Delaware (85-89), retired Physics prof., U. of Del.
Dr. David Yang, Associate Political Scientist, Rand Corporation
Jing-Li Yu, 3rd yr. law student, Univ. of Chicago; Operation Director, 80-20 (05 -06)
Charles Zhang, President and Managing Partner, Zhang Financial, the only advisor in the nation selected as a top advisor by BOTH Worth Magazine and Barron’s each year from 2004-2007.

PS WHENEVER you receive emails with many e-addresses apparently belonging to Asian Ams., please forward it to sbw@udel.edu. Make it a habit please. :)

CALL TO ACTION

YOU responded in the past, when the challenges were stiff. YOU courageously faxed then presidential candidates, Senators Clinton and Obama, urging them to share our concerns about equal opportunity in workplaces and having more Asian Am. federal judges.

Because of YOU, our political leaders shared our concerns. Just this year, Pres. Obama nominated 3 more Asian Am. District Court judges. More are on their ways including Appeals Court judges, we like to think.

Now, there is a pleasurable job for you. Please fax or call Senators Feinstein and Boxer of California for placing the names of those 3 Asian Am candidates in their lists as potential District judges, submitted to Pres. Obama.

Please keep your message short. Do include your name, city, state, & perhaps title. Copy me in, if you like. Please do it today.

Senator Diane Feinstein:
Fax: (415) 393-0710 ; Phone: (415) 393-0707
Senator Barbara Boxer:
Fax: (202) 228-3864 ; Phone: (559) 497-5109

Along this line, on 8/4, 80-20 faxed all Senior Democratic Senator urging them to "search and place qualified Asian Am. jurists in your state on your short lists of 3, to be submitted to Pres. Obama," when the next vacancy in District judges occur. 80-20's 18 Board Members have followed up and placed personal phone calls with the senate offices. We got very positive responses from many senators, including Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Sen. Arlen Specter PA, & Sen. Dick Durbin of IL who announced on 8/6 recommending Edmond Chang, among others, to Pres. Obama.

Why is 80-20 lobbying the senators? See Sen. Durbin's action. Note that the President normally selects from the list of 3 names submitted to him by a Senior Senator of his party, so far as District Judges are concerned. The President exercises a larger degree of selection when it comes to Appeals Court Judges and the Supreme Court justices.

Forward this message to your friends in California. Urge them to send a "thank you" too. If you copy your forwarding emails to 80-20, we will make sure that your friends receive future 80-20 newsletters like this one.

TO THANK our political leaders is as important as urging them to share our concerns which YOU have done so admirably. Do it now!

Respectfully,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director, 80-20 PAC., Inc. (a volunteer)

Feedback from YOU, the readers

Many readers commented on the news. They congratulated 80-20 for having helped cause the increase of Asian Am. federal judges from 6 to 11 in its 4 years -- adding 3 just this year. We again thank Pres. Obama, Sen. Feinstein and Sen. Boxer of Calif. Some of readers' feedbacks are shared with you below. None of emails were solicited.

(1) I really appreciate all your work and dedication to make history, one after another, for us Asians. Two days ago, I visited Angel Island, as part of the OCA Annual Convention activities. The bitter stories of Asians' immigration made the progress 80-20 has achieved seems like reaching the moon. I know our struggles are not over yet. Thank God we have committed and courageous leaders like you to carry on the torches. . . . . Marisa Chuang Ming

(2) Congratulation! for your exclusively calculated organizing strategy it's beginning to bear fruits. Ed Ma

(3) Congratulations on your tremendous advocacy and persistence! This is fantastic news. Ted Lieu, California State Assemblyman, Chair of the California API Legislative Caucus, & a candidate for California's Attorney General

(4) Thank you for the great news. How do members of 80-20PAC email Feinstein for the nomination and Obama for making good on his promise? . . . . .LeLeng Issac

(Comment: In response, 80-20 provided Leleng with Sen. Feinstein's fax number. Indeed, partially owing to this reader's comment, 80-20 will soon ask the entire Asian Am. community to express our thanks to both Sen. Feinstein and Sen. Boxer, who has played a role in the appointment of one of the 3 additional judges.)

(5) Thanks for your efforts. Job is well done. W. T. Sha

(6) I am grateful to your work. As a member, I will continue to try my best to support your efforts. Sherman

(7) Grrrreat work!! Thanks for your amazing fore-sight, leadership, and efforts. Astrid

(8) I certainly appreciate the efforts of 80-20. . . Thanks for your efforts, Gene

(9) Thank you very much for your message and for your outstanding work. William

(10) Great Job! I hope you will do the same thing for New Jersey governor election as you did for Obama. Helen

(Comment: 80-20's NW Ohio chapter indeed sent a questionnaire to all mayoral candidates of Toledo and received positive and speedy responses. An 80-20 chapter is the best way to achieve political impact in your own locality. For more information, write Helen Wang, 80-20 Special Assistant helen.wang@80-20initiative.net.)

We like to urge our supporters to remember that "Success has a thousand fathers." We encourage them to spread the credit around -- the only way to forge the grand unity of the Asian Am. community. Unity is much more important than which organization deserves the credit. UNITY 2d9 is OUR quickest path to EQUAL CITIZENSHIP.

Join 80-20. This will be the best investment you've ever made. Can you afford $35/$50 per year for your children's equal citizenship? 80-20 is the ONLY Asian Am. NGO working for you on the political front. You've seen how hard we've worked and how effective we have been. Visit http://www.80-20initiative.net. We need NEW members, that probably means YOU. Thank you.

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director, 80-20 PAC, Inc. (a volunteer)

EXTRA! Great News

Extra! Extra! Great news.

Pres. Obama has just nominated 2 more Asian Am. Federal District Judges, totaling 3 just this year. The new nominees are Edward Chen of Northern CA, and Dolly Gee of Central CA.

The significance of the news is NOT just in having 2 more Asian Am. federal judges. It is the worth of Pres. Obama's promises to YOU through 80-20! (see his reply to 80-20's questionnaire.) We thank Pres. Obama again. We also thank Sen. Feinstein, who as the Senior Democratic Senator of CA, submitted the names to Pres. Obama.

Look at the Table below. Witness the effectiveness of 80-20. "NAPABA," seen in row 2 of the Table, stands for National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

When 80-20 sets out to increase the number of Asian Am. judges, there were only 6. See the 4th row form the bottom of the Table. Now the number has increased 83% to 11. The number [8 + (0)] in the last row, should now be changed to [11 + (0)]. 80-20 also has a feeling that the (0), meaning having NOT a single Asian Am. Appeals Court judge, will soon change also.

80-20 fought for YOU, and won commitments for YOU. The commitments are now being fulfilled by Pres. Obama.

If not now, when will you join 80-20 as a dues-paying member? Using a credit card, go http://www.80-20initiative.net. Or send a check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110 . We need NEW members -- YOU!

We need your help to get us a RECORD membership, because one important commitment by Pres. Obama is yet to be fulfilled -- the enforcement of E.O. 11246 in workplaces for ALL ASIAN AMERICANS. We aim to win for YOU "equal pay for equal work," and equal opportunity to rise to as high a level as your ability and ambition will take you! YOU need to help 80-20 achieve that.

The fulfillment of that promise POSITIVELY impacts ALL Asian Americans.

"Success has a thousand fathers." We gratefully thank all Asian Am. orgs. which have worked on this issue, including NAPABA and AAJC.

Respectfully,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Pres. Obama's promise

YOU've seen the following table 2 weeks ago. Now a breakthrough!
.
Soon, the [8 +(0)] in column 2 above will be [9 + (0)] i.e. 9 Asian Am. federal District judges! Pres. Obama has delivered the first of many Asian Am federal judges that he has promised to YOU through 80-20. We thank Pres. Obama.

Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, currently a Superior Court Judge for the County of Los Angeles, has been nominated by Pres. Obama to be a US District Judge for the Central district of CA. She is yet to be confirmed, though 80-20 does not anticipate difficulty.

Whose credit is this? "Success has a thousand fathers." If the Asian American community is to unite, all community leaders need to have the capacity to positively affirm the contribution of many other Asian Am. orgs. in almost every success that comes our way. 80-20 wants to thank all Asian Am orgs, including NAPABA, which have worked on the issue of the paucity of Asian Am.federal judges. Let's work together to maximize benefits for our community.

A Congressperson Is An 80-20 Member

80-20 now has a Congressperson as one of its dues-paying members, thanks to YOU who helped Judy Chu win her election. Don't be too elated, however. In comparison, The American Israel public Affairs Comm. (AIPAC) has about 50% of the senators and representatives as its members.

Another Historic Membership Month

In July, 80-20 has another month of highest membership in its history.

Do your share to help your own destiny

Join 80-20. This will be the best investment you've ever made. Can you afford $35/$50 per year for your children's equal citizenship? 80-20 is the ONLY Asian Am. NGO working for you on the political front. You've seen how hard we've worked and how effective we have been. Visit http://www.80-20initiative.net. We need NEW members, that probably means YOU. Thank you.

A movie scene satirizes our opponents

A scene in the movie "The American President" succinctly describes the attitude of some politicians who oppose or want to forget 80-20's push to have Executive Order 11246 enforced for Asian Americans.

Here is that scene, if I recall correctly:

In a White House Christmas Party, a fat lobbyist walked up to the President (a liberal).

He asked, "Have you heard of Title IX*?'
"Yes, what about?" asked the President.
"It's about woman having equal rights to play basketball, volleyball, football and all that other stuff in education programs."
"That law was passed years ago," the President commented.
"Yeah, but now they want it enforced!" exclaimed the lobbyist.

I laughed and cried at that scene. Fellow Asian Americans: Please bear in mind that EO 11246 issued in 1965 is NOT YET enforced for us, otherwise the bars for Asian Ams will not be so much shorter in Chart 1 in the picture. Although its enforcement has been promised (see the picture), we are still waiting for its enforcement.

Are you indignant that the law is, even today, not yet enforced for some American citizens -- Asian Americans? Are you doing anything about it? The least you can do is to join 80-20 to help us push for the enforcement of EO11246. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net . However, 80-20 wishes that you'll do much more. Voice your indignation to your elected officials. Ask them why the bars for Asian Ams are so short in spite of our highest educational attainment as shown in Chart 2?

Respectfully,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

* Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states that men and women should enjoy equal opportunity in education whether it is math or science or athletic programs.

Is a bloc vote legal?

(1) "Is 80-20's advocacy of a bloc vote legal?" Absolutely!

80-20 not only advocates but also executes a bloc vote. Indeed, it informs, with pride, the elected officials that it can deliver a bloc vote.

(2) "Is a bloc vote too extreme?" Not at all!

Almost all Americans cast a bloc vote, although people cast their bloc votes for different reasons. See the following table which is shown in CNN's Exit Poll website , under "Vote by Party ID": http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#USP00p1.

                       Obama McCain Others
Democrats (39%)   89%   10%   1%
Republicans (32%)  9%   90%   1%
Independents (29%) 52%  44%  4%

Other types of bloc votes are a) blacks favored Obama by 95/4, and b) "conservatives" favored McCain by 78/20.

(3) "Are Asian Ams calling too much attention to ourselves, in boasting our success in organizing a bloc vote?" No!

In America, the more attention you get about your ability to influence the outcome of elections, the better it is.

(4) "Does a bloc vote work against democracy?" No. A bloc vote protects democracy!

David Broder, Dean of America's political columnists, describes a bloc vote as "one of the unnoticed glories of American life," Why? Because a bloc vote gives a small minority the power to get politicians' attention to their rightful concerns. Otherwise, when push comes to shove, Asian Ams' interests will be sacrificed first, as was the case prior to 80-20's existence.

Evidence? See Chart 1 of the picture.

Want to know 80-20's value to YOU? See the second picture here. [NOTE: If you can't see the pictures, it is because you've selected an email option of "text only." Undo that preference, the pictures will appear.]

(5) Does the above OPEN YOUR EYES to the reality of American politics? If so, join 80-20. 80-20 serves you in a unique & extremely significant way.

Using a credit card, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net. Click on the red button "JOIN 80-20." Or send you check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110.
Dues of NEW members are matched up to $3,500. THANK YOU.

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Sotomayor & Identity Politics

Asian Ams often ask, "Is 'identity politics' necessary?"

Take a look at Chart 1 in 80-20's Washington Post full-page ad. Please see how Asian Ams' bars (at the extreme left) are shorter than those of all others? That means whether we practice "identity politics" or not, others saw a racial identity in us and discriminate against us.

Next, take a look at Pres. Obama's commitment to YOU through 80-20. It shows that when we practiced GROUP politics and spoke up as a GROUP for our rights, our grievances got addressed.

Another way to understand America's political reality is this. Ask yourself, "Will Judge Sotomayor be nominated as a Supreme Court Justice, much less confirmed, if it weren't for the Hispanic bloc vote?" Today, her confirmation is a certainty.

Is the answer to the necessity of "group politics" therefore obvious?!

Next, one may ask if "identity politics" is desirable? NO. Once equal citizenship is achieved, "identity politics" is neither necessary nor desirable.

Sadly, however, the days of a small minority like us, or the Arab Americans, to not suffer from the biases of the majority is still far far away, unless we nurture our GROUP political clout. Look at those very short bars describing the career destiny of Asian Ams., in Chart 1, again! Read Pres. Obama's commitment to YOU, shown in the last picture, again!

The "coolies" of the 19th century were not sufficiently educated to fight for their rights. Are we still in that stage? Fortunately not. 80-20 has achieved another record month in membership!

Using a credit card to join 80-20, go http://www.80-20initiative.net and click on the red button "JOIN 80-20." Or send a check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Dues from NEW members are matched up to $3,500. Thank you.

S. B. Woo (a volunteer)
Acting Executive Director, 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Concerned? Yes!

Should Our Community Be Concerned?

A glance at the table below will reveal:

In 1988, the paucity of Asian Am federal judges was already pitiful. We represented 2.73% of nation's population but only 0.67% of the 749 Article III federal judges. Only 4 District & 1 Appeals Court federal judges were Asian Ams.

18 years later, in 2006, our population % almost doubled to 4.91%; our nation's Article III judges has increased by 115; our % of lawyers has increased greatly, yet, still ONLY 6 life-tenured judges were Asian Ams, NONE at the Appeals court level!

That was an astounding regression. Just the increase in population & the increase in federal judges from 749 to 864 should have gotten us 10 such judges. It was sad in 1988, but 18 years later, the situation got sadder! If the proportion of such judges reflects the population ratio, there would be 42 such Asian Am. judges in 2006, not that 80-20 is arguing for a quota system. However, having only 6 Asian Am federal judges among the 846 in year 2006 was outrageous. Who is minding the store?

That was when 80-20 held a press conference to announce its goal to remedy the situation, in the presence of 4 of the 6 Asian Am. federal judges. Since then we greatly publicized our "legal eagles" and the paucity of Asian Am federal judges. In addition, 80-20 sent a questionnaire to all presidential candidates and obtained iron-clad commitments from 9 of the 11 for a dramatic increase of Asian Am federal judges, in numbers and in ranks, including those of President Obama and V.P. Biden.

NOTE: NAPABA stands for The National Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc.
** (1) - the number in red represents the number of Court of Appeals judges
References:
* http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/2008-nat-res.html
* http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/1990s/nat-srh.txt
* http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/1980s/80s_nat_detail.html

80-20 Deeply Regrets

that its quiet and repeated efforts since 2005 to engage NAPABA to work together has failed. NAPABA's expertise in the legal profession and 80-20's political know-how should make a good combination serving our community. Without that combination, 80-20 finally & reluctantly decided to invite public scrutiny of the table shown above to get 80-20 and perhaps its sister Asian Am. orgs. to be on our toes.

Invitation to Community to Scrutinize 80-20's Behavior

Many minority organizations, be they black, Hispanic, and Asian Am, limited by the glass ceiling, tend to perceive a "zero sum world" and engage in bitter turf fights. Is 80-20 behaving that way? We invite our community to be our boss. Let us know when we display a "king of the hill" attitude, or "big fish in a small pond" mentality, or are fierce in turf fights with Asian Am orgs but timid in fighting for our community's rightful shares in our great nation. Such behavior is demeaning to the noble purpose of any org. The community should remind us to stop.

NAPABA's Reply to 80-20 of July 7, 2009

It that letter, NAPABA deems 80-20's proposal to NAPABA and its faith in President Obama's signed, single-word-commitments (6 yeses to six questions) as politically naïve; impugns 80-20's motives; and said a number of other things. NAPABA wants 80-20 to publicize that letter. The request is hereby honored, since we respect NAPABA though we urge it to act with more gusto. Visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/action/napaba_070709.asp to read that letter.

Get The Job Done!

Whether it will be two orgs working together,or 80-20 & NAPABA acting independently for the shared goal, we must get the job done -- more Asian Am. Federal District and Appeals judges. America & our community benefit.

Forward this e-newsletter to your Asian Am. lawyer friends.

To join 80-20, go http://www.80-20initiative.net. Click on the red button "JOIN 80-20." Or send you check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Dues of NEW members are matched up to $3,500. THANK YOU.

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Speak up, Asian Am. Lawyers

Paucity of Asian Am. Federal Judges

According to the 2000 census, 2.3% of nation's lawyers are Asian Ams, 4% blacks, and 2.9% Hispanics. That was 9 years ago, by now the guesstimate is that there are about equal %s of Asian/black/Hispanic lawyers, while the general population ratio is about 1/3/3.

However, there is a huge difference in the %s of federal judges -1% Asian Ams, 10.7% African-Ams, & 6.5% Hispanics . All Asian Am judges are at the lowest federal Court level (District), not a single one at the Appeals Court level, not to mention the Supreme court level. Why is our portion so small and rank so low, not that the other minorities' portions are too large or too high?

Why? Why? Why?

Could it be that Asian Am lawyers are NOT interested in becoming federal judges? NO. 80-20 started an Asian Am. Judicial Talent Bank this year for ones interested in federal judgeships. Many very qualified Asian American jurists poured in to join. So "no interest" is a myth!

Then again: Why so few & none in the higher ranks?

Lack of Group Clout Hurting Asian Am. Lawyers

Asian Am. lawyers told me that the paucity of Asian Am. judges has hurt their business and personal pride. When I asked, "how so?" a composite answer is as follows:

"The American public looks for lawyers who are capable of securing a client's equal opportunity and/or rights. If the public knows that we, the Asian American lawyers as a group, can't even secure our own equal opportunity to be federal judges,will they still seek us out to represent them?"

"What makes it hurt so much is that many of us went to nation's first-tier law schools; plenty of us graduated Summa Cum Laude or were editors of law reviews. The public probably will not doubt our book knowledge. But how do our potential client view our willingness to fight injustice and our effectiveness, if we don't even fight injustice against ourselves successfully? Why do you think many Americans prefer Jewish lawyers? Our group image hurts my business & pride."

80-20 likes to help remedy the sad & humiliating situation quickly. That is why it worked so hard to get Pres. Obama's iron-clad commitment to appoint more Asian Am district and Appeals Court judges. See Q4 to Q6 in the picture.

Speak Up & Act, Asian Am Lawyers

Besides speaking up, you can also support NAPABA (Nat'l Asian Pacific Am. Bar Assoc.) which has existed for 20 years. You may also urge it to represent you with more gusto, if warranted.

80-20 has proposed to work with NAPABA to remedy this sad situation many times, before and after Pres. Obama's reply to our questionnaire. The combined force will have more clout. NAPABA can be the leader, 80-20 offered.

A few months ago, Pres. Obama asked the senior senators of his party 
to nominate 3 names for each of the about 50 vacancies in federal District judgeship that covers 
the senator's state. 80-20 had proposed to NAPABA to jointly urge these 
senators to nominate qualified Asian Am lawyers.

Weeks passed, NAPABA has not agreed, while many senators have already submitted their lists of nominees. Consequently, with apologies to NAPABA, 80-20 will reluctantly send letters on its own for now, but still welcomes NAPABA to join us later.

Forward this e-newsletter to your Asian Am. 
lawyer friends. TOGETHER, we shall overcome -- a point that is not yet understood by enough Asian Ams.

To join 80-20, go http://www.80-20initiative.net and click on the red button "JOIN 80-20." Or send a check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. The dues of NEW member is matched up to $3,500.

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

July 4th & Naturalization

Miscellaneous Good news

1) Celebrate July 4th with a flag! Display one in your house/shop. What does becoming a US citizen mean? It means that one owes his/her primary allegiance to the USA. It doesn't mean one needs to stop caring for the people of his/her old country. One may of course continue to be proud of one's own heritage.

2) Thanks to you, for two consecutive months 80-20 has set the historic best record for membership. Thanks to you, our current number of members has already exceeded rosters for the ENTIRE year of 2007 or 2008. 80-20 is most grateful for YOUR expression of confidence in 80-20.

Ever wonder how 80-20 has spent your dues???? Go http://www.80-20initiative.net ; pull down "About Us," and click on "Meeting Documents." Then, click on Physical Meetings' dockets/minutes of each year from 2003 on. Our revenues, expenditures & Board decisions are there for the whole world to examine. 80-20 prides itself for its transparency. Even minutes of our Executive Comm. meetings were posted.

3) Professor Chenming Hu, an 80-20 PAC Board Member, and the TSMC Distinguished Professor of Microelectronics at the University of California, Berkeley, was honored by the IEEE on 6/24 in Los Angeles. In an IEEE press release, Hu was lauded as a "Microelectronics Visionary."

He was awarded the 2009 IEEE Jun-Ichi Nishizawa Medal. His con-tributions include greatly increasing the reliability of MOS devices and a promising field-effect transistor (FET) called the "FinFET."

Professor and Mrs. Hu are Honorary Family Life Members of 80-20.

4) Yuko Nakanishi, an 80-20 PAC Board Member, and VP of Intelligent Transportation Society (ITS) recently represented her chapter to accept the Best State Chapter Award given by ITS America.

5) A nice Chinese poem, dedicated to 80-20, is shown below for those who read Chinese to enjoy. Thank you: Gary Tang, LEED AP. ☺ Short peoms in other languages are welcome.

To double our political clout, 80-20 needs twice the membership. Have you done your share for your children? If not, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net, click on the red button "JOIN 80-20" at the lower right corner of the page. Or send a check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. The dues of NEW members will be matched up to $3,500.

More Profs/Profnl's Spoke Up

A supporter emailed 80-20 relating his court experience, ". . . not always focused on the discrimination as such but on esoteric you need to point out that the legal challenges are personal issues which have nothing to do with the case."

He continued, "The companies play dirty and are nothing like the ethical, honorable companies that they represent themselves to be. It is about war and the only thing is winning for the company and their legal team. The companies have the upper hand. They have unlimited resources to throw at the case. They can unleash 10 or more lawyers and other people (investigators) on the case and you have one or two attorneys on contingency with limited money in the bank and 20 other cases to work on. . . . .H. Lum"

Want to go through that gauntlet? 80-20 offers a choice. Read below.

THEN & NOW:

Time WAS when the only way Asian Ams can fight back, when we have suffered the most blatant discrimination in our workplaces, was to go to court. But everyone knows that going to court is
1) time consuming,
2) money consuming, and
3) extremely humiliating, when your employer's lawyers will dig up anything you've ever done that APPEARS wrong to muddle the case, and make you seem the most incompetent/irresponsible employee in the entire company.

For most Asian Ams., it is like NO RECOURSE at all.

Time IS that 80-20 strategically perceived that the accumulated suffering of numerous Asian Ams had resulted in
1) irrefutable statistical evidence of the glass ceiling,
2) which can be shattered easily and painlessly by the enforcement of Exec. Order 11246, done for all Americans except for us, and
3) has already obtained President Obama's promise to enforce Exec. Order 11246 for us.

The enforcement of E.O. 11246 is based on STATISTICAL evidence. The Labor Dept. would write a university/industry asking why are there so few Asian Am. managers but so many workers? It'll ask for a written plan with specific goals to remedy the situation next year, OR have all its federal contracts terminated. It worked like magic for blacks/women/Hispanics in the past. So it should work for us.

So sacrifice* $35/$50 or more to join 80-20, because 80-20 offers you a faster and much less painful way to become EQUAL CITIZENS. Be cool. Be a pioneer. Be on the frontier ad 51d vancing our rightful interests.

Using a credit card, go http://www.80-20initiative.net . Or send your check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. We love NEW members, since there is a matching fund for new members.

Best Regards,

S.B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20PAC. Inc.

*The Asian Am community used to pay attention to Asian Ams with impressive government titles ONLY, whether they've helped or hurt our community. However, we are politically more mature now. We now value deeds. Although I don't deserve the honor, Asianweek, for one day, named me, "Chinese American hero: S. B. Woo" 
 If interested, visit http://www.asianweek.com/2009/06/23/chinese-american-hero-SB-Woo

Please view my profile on LinkedIn.com and join my network there. Visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/sbwoo.

Asian Am. Profs. Spoke Up in Response to 80-20

In response to 80-20's e-newsletter "Speak up, AsAm Professors," many did. 2 sad stories are shared. We have Asian Ams early in their careers in mind - know the real world, before too late. Under (3), 80-20 explains how it'll win equal opportunity for Asian Ams. - indeed soon, if we'll each do our share.

(1) Sharing My Painful Experience--Speaking Up

The glass ceiling is hard to prove because the hiring agency will always find something to defend why someone was not hired. Here, I may be showing you a few examples.

Last year I was among the final two candidates interviewed for two senior public health positions with the same federal agency. For one position, the agency hired an in-house female staff who had agency specific experience but had only a MPH as academic credentials even though the expectation was for a PhD, which I had. The second case involved a more grueling process where I passed an interview with an expert panel drawn from other federal agencies; and then flown in for a face-to-face interview. Again, I was passed for a female staff from another federal office (who was a disgruntled former worker who had left the agency a few years earlier and was aspiring to come back under the new director.) One panel interviewer anonymously shared with me that I was the top pick of the panel. Interestingly, the selected candidate was an African American lady and one of the top hiring executives was also an African American lady. Specifically in this case, I suspect discrimination since I brought state level pragmatism and substantive experience that were expected of the job but the other candidate lacked even though she was a good researcher.

I was also seriously vested the third time with the same agency where I was among three finalists but was not invited for an interview. I am glad they did not because they would not have taken me and hence spared me the agony. Interestingly though, the seriously considered candidate was a Chinese American who, based on the inside scoop, was a prolific scientist. He was allegedly not hired for two reasons: (a) doctorate degree outside the US; and (b) not very articulate in spoken English.

Despite an agonizing 10 months ordeal and impending frustrations, I will continue to try since not doing so would allow such practices go unchallenged. To me, the fact that many of Asian Americans had to be twice as qualified, twice smarter, speak English proficiently and with almost impeccable accent, and be the unique minority professional is simply intriguing. Equally sad is the reality how easily we are shortchanged for someone who is less qualified.

(2) From a Math Prof. who took his case to court

I have had the bitter taste of it and fought against it in court. My case had so much merits that an organization of professionals supported me with legal services including that of an attorney. …. I lost the case in a federal court. Nevertheless, I am happy that I did what I had to do. . . . . . .

I have a couple of suggestions to 80-20.

1. Form a committee to make a list of undesirable colleges/institutions for Asians to work there, it functions sort of like Better Business Bureau.

2. Provide legal services on a contingency basis pending evaluation on merits. Asians need Asian lawyers who are compassionate about discrimination against Asians. (80-20 is indeed working on a partnership with a well-known Asian Am. Legal Center for the said purpose.)

(3) 80-20's Program to Win Equal Opportunity For Asian Ams.

Subtle discriminations are very hard to prove in courts. However, the accumulation of numerous discriminatory acts against us in workplaces had resulted in irrefutable statistical evidence of the glass ceiling against us. See how our bars are much shorter than those of all other Americans in chart 1 of the picture.

Hence, 80-20 chooses to get the Department of Labor, DOL, to enforce Exec. Order 11246* for us -- a law that had been enforced for all except Asian Ams. DOL had traditionally used statistics to confront universities/industries with the need to remove the glass ceilings from blacks, women, & Hispanics. If an institution failed to comply, DOL is empowered by E.O. 11246 to terminate all federal contracts to that institution! A powerful law!

See Pres. Obama's unequivocal commitment to enforce E.O. 11246 for us. In one move, 80-20 aims to help all 14 million Asian Ams win equal opportunity in workplaces painlessly. Compare that to consuming huge amount of time, money, and personal dignity struggling for one verdict in court.

The enforcement should begin soon, especially if there is a dramatic increase in membership for 80-20. Do your share. Effective politics depends on clout! YOU can help give 80-20 clout.

To join 80-20, go http://www.80-20initiative.net. Clink on the red button in the lower right corner. Or send a check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110. 80-20 gets paid double for NEW members, owing to a NEW matching fund of $3,500.

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.

* To know more about E.O. 11246, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/news/preselect2008_eo11246.asp