A) Two more Asian American federal judges confirmed by the Senate:
Edmond Chang - District Judge, N. IL & Leslie Kobayashi - District Judge, HI.
THEN: 6 AsAm federal judges, all at the District level -- when 80-20 held a
press conference in LA to change that sad situation in 2006;
NOW: 12 AmAm federal judges, 1 at the higher Appeals Court level, only 5
years later! ( 2 AsAm nominees still await Senate confirmation.)
B) Congratulations to AsAm Media and Civil Rights Groups for reaching a
probably significant agreement with Comcast/NBCU
Congratulations to AsAm elected officials Mike Honda & Judy Chu for using
the political process to benefit the AsAm community. We hope
to see more such occurrences.
Congratulations to Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), East West Players
(EWP), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), OCA & Media
Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) for partnering
with the elected AsAm officials in seizing the opportunity.
The agreement is about "increasing the inclusion of AsAms" in a newly
proposed media joint venture, Comcast/NBCU. In exchange for more
"inclusion", the AsAm group provided political support for the proposed joint
venture by urging for FCC's approval. Visit http://tinyurl.com/39ynl2x & http://blog.comcast.com/2010/12/comcast-nbcu-and-asian-american-leaders-join-to-expand-media-diversity-and-community-engagement.html.
Our community must encourage AsAm elected officials & civic
organizations to do MORE OF THE SAME -- using the political process to help
us become equal citizens.
C) Reaping Pay Dirt
Recall that 80-20 endorsed a couple of Republican candidates last Nov?
Those candidates lost, but the benefits for our community because 80-20
endorsed some Republicans will keep on coming in. Here is one example.
Shortly after the Nov. election, the LA Times published an article, titled
"The party that wins Asian voters may benefit for decades". Visit
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-theweek-20101121,0,3620387.story.
Its central message is "Asian voters, unlike other minorities, are willing to
consider Republican candidates."
Always ready to deliver a "SWING BLOC VOTE!". We are not equal citizens
yet. Before we achieve equal citizenship, it is best to keep both major
political parties GUESSING so that they will compete to serve our rightful
interest -- to become equal citizens -- in order to get our votes.
Die-hard Democrats/Republicans: Please THINK along with us!
D) More Chapters & More Politically Active
80-20 established 4 chapters in Ohio in 2 years, the perpetual presidential
battleground. The first to establish was the NW-Ohio Chapter, under Prof.
Yueh-ting Lee. See its many effective political actions:
a) Inviting Congresswoman Judy Chu of CA to meet with its chapter members,
b) Meeting their own Congresswoman Kaptur of Ohio 9th*, and
c) Toledo Mayor Michael Bell held a reception for 80-20 & it guests**.
E) Want a $5,000 Internship through which the latest in technolgy meets
the public policy in Washington D.C.?
If you are an outstanding students in the areas of technology or public policy,
check out the Dell Thurmond Woodard Fellowship which is part of Eben
Tisdale Fellowship via http://www.tisdalefellowship.org . 202/986-0384.
Please join or renew your membership with 80-20. We need 30 NEW
members in order to claim a $3000 matching fund. Pls. help! Visit
http://www.80-20initiative.net . Happy Holidays.
Respectfully yours,
S. B. Woo, a volunteer
Acting President, 80-20 PAC, Inc.
'Tis The Season Gifts" from
Marilyn R. & Antonio Donato, Roanoke, VA $1,000
Bill and Ann Tao, St. Louis, MO $1,000
Weihe Guan, Winchester, MA, to EF A second $500 donation for the year
Steve Ko, Mendham, NJ, to EF $500
Choong & Hsia Foundation, Los Altos, CA, to EF $500
About $11,400 of Christmas donations were already reported earlier.
* After each members has introduced themselves to Kaptur, she said, “I have
been in the Office as a U.S. Congresswoman for the past 23 years. This is the
first time that Asian Americans took an initiative to meet with me in my
regional office. I am very happy to have you here.” She also said, “Jewish
Americans in Northwest Ohio are the most active, and African Americans are
well-organized whereas Asian Americans are very quiet."
**NW-Ohio chapter's guests include community/business leaders, and Asian
Americans at the University of Toledo. In his speech, Mayor Bell publicly
acknowledged the impact of 80-20 NW Ohio Chapter on the city of Toledo and
Northwest Ohio. That remark was reported in Toledo Blade, a regional paper.
