A Powerful Voice Is
Forming
My
heart was filled with pride, when I saw a draft letter to Attorney General Lynch being
discussed (and likely to be adopted) by a
group of scientists in another
state.
The short
letter (1) speaks out firmly against abuse of government power, (2) requests an independent investigation - to
put fear in those law-violating government employees who practice profiling,
(3) shows political maturity by appealing to fellow scientists to
unite and take concerted action, and (4) shows deep concern for our
nation's best interest.
America should feel fortunate to have such good citizens. When
A.G. Lynch eventually listens to these scientists, our nation shall take another
small step towards "a more perfect union." See excerpts from
that draft:
"Dear Attorney General Lynch:
We
. . . are writing to express our serious concerns over the recent wrongfully
indicted espionage cases involving . . Dr. Sherry Chen of National
Weather Service and Dr. Xiaoxing Xi of Temple University.
We request
that the Department of Justice authorize an independent investigation to find out . .
whether race, ethnicity or national origin played a part in these
cases. Until such an investigation is authorized, we will appeal to Chinese-American professors, scientists and engineers in all
major universities and research institutions in the nation to join us in making such a request.
. .
. There appears to be a pattern and practice of singling out Chinese-
Americans by federal law enforcement and
prosecutors in the name of
fighting against espionage. . . .
If
this pattern continues, it is going to create not only a chilling effect on Chinese-American
lives but also a negative impact on this nation's science and engineering
research communities
. . . Although Chinese-Americans make up for a small portion of the US
population, they account for a large percentage of scientists and engineers
across major research universities, national labs, and other research institutions.
In early 2000, because of the injustice Dr. Wenho Lee, a Chinese-American
scientist at the Los Alamos National Lab, suffered in the hands of the
government (a very similar case as Chen and Xi's), a national boycott of
the national labs was called, urging Asian American scientists to stop
applying for jobs at the national labs. Consequently, new applicants to the
national labs dropped off significantly and many Asian-American senior
staff left for non- government sector or took early retirement. We are certain
that if the current practice of unlawfully targeting Chinese-American
professors and scientists continues, many Chinese- and other
Asian-Americans will avoid working in technical areas that are
vital to the success of this country's civilian and military industries,
which will surely undermine
this country's competitiveness in the long run."
What a powerful message!
Will Attorney General Lynch have the wisdom to hear us?
To make sure that A.G. Lynch will hear us,
let us all organize a "professors and scientists
group" in every university, research institution and
national lab and speak out in unison. Let our indignation and our
voice of reason spread like the prairie fire! Election is coming around. Politicians will
listen if we all speak out.
S. B. Woo
President and a
volunteer for the past 17 years
80-20 Initiative, Inc.
View a GREAT
3-part video about AsAms:
