Columns Making It in the USA The 80-20 Educational Foundation Issues Another "Open Letter" to Senator Obama
| The 80-20 Educational Foundation Issues Another "Open Letter" to Senator Obama |
The following is an earnest, sincere-and-final attempt to reach Senator Obama. Please read it carefully to understand the issues. If 80-20 decides to engage in a great struggle, it will be to defend YOUR rights to equal opportunity in workplaces and equal justice in Federal courts. We already have iron-clad commitments, signed by Senators Clinton and Edwards. We cannot risk having such commitments possibly replaced by vague, non-measurable promises from "The Obama campaign," not signed by anyone.
An Open Letter to Senator Obama
Dear Senator Obama,
This is an earnest, final attempt by 80-20 Educational Foundation to reach out to you and ask for your hand of friendship and support. I promise to dutifully relay your response to the leadership of our Asian-American community by 12:00 noon Central Time on 1/15/08. Depending on your response, our community may be forced to choose sides in the Democratic primary. We had not planned on that. If we hear from you affirmatively, we will remain neutral.
You are a candidate for change. Is it reasonable for us to hope that the change will include us? Here are the main grievances of the Asian-American community.
Believe it or not, Asian Americans have the least opportunity to enter management when compared with Blacks, Hispanics and women; the slowest rate of progress toward equal employment opportunity in spite of having the highest educational attainment. Our comprehensive study covered private industries, universities and the Federal government. Our data and calculation have been independently verified by the EEOC.
In addition, only 0.6% of our Title III Federal judges are Asian Americans. Not even one of the 179 federal appellate judges is an Asian American—this in spite of the fact that 5% of legal professionals are Asian Americans, many from nation's top law schools!
To remedy the above are the specific goals of our questionnaire. We are not seeking political favors. We are seeking civil rights. Senators Clinton and Edwards have replied with all Yeses. Each wants to help make us become equal citizens, when she/he becomes the President. Since you are the candidate for change, why are you hesitant to commit to give us equal opportunity?
As a skilled lawyer, you know that an agreement is worthless if conditions and terms are not measurable. The statement sent to me by your campaign has non-measurable promises to “advance the interests [of Asian Americans] . . .”; non-specific statements that you are “committed to appoint.[Asian Americans]” or “build upon your work as a civil-rights lawyer.” These sweet words are not measurable and are routinely uttered by politicians that will satisfy only the naïve, and gullible. I believe you are not that kind of leader.
Your staff publicly claimed that they were "unable to reach agreement with leadership of the 80-20 Educational Foundation over concerns with the wording of the questionnaire." That is false. No specific proposal to change the wording was EVER made to me. You may want to instruct your staff to find that proposal or failing to find it, to immediately draft one and send it to me as the proof of good-faith from the Obama campaign.
We want very much to work with you, Senator Obama, and the ball is in your court. The opportunity is yours to take, and history yours to make.
Sincerely,
SB Woo, President
80-20 Educational Foundation, Inc.
SB
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POSITIVE & NEGATIVE EMAILS RECEIVED WITH 8 HOURs AFTER THE FIRST EMAIL ENTITLED "OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR OBAMA" WAS SENT.
1) Where are you sending this letter? I have tried to contact him via email with no success. Is there a land mail address that one must use?
Luise Heath Hamaguchi
2) Dear Dr. Woo:
Thank you very much for your continued work on behalf of all Asian Americans.
In admiration, Jon Ying
3) This is a very good letter and I certainly hope he responds affirmatively. Christina
4) Dear S. B.:
You did the right things, I am 100% supporting you. Thank you for your effort.
I-chih Wang
5) keyword unsub-me: rbguen@.net
6) I agreed 100%.
7) Why are we pursuing someone who has spurned us? If he has not done so himself, then his organization has done so. If his organization has not done so,
then it shows that his organization is so poorly organized, it reflects on his skills as leader. Either way, UNSUITABLE as President.
No matter what he says now, it does not matter.
P.S., I received some emails from an Israeli business organization which is also angry with Obama and telling people not to vote for him. Therefore, it shows that he is not just ignoring Asian Americans but also Israeli Americans. Who knows what other groups? I have therefore determined that he is a
BLACK RACIST. Racist is racist, unacceptable no matter what color.
Vimala Nowlis (a Life Member, I believe)
Attorney at Law
Los Angeles, CA
277-4259
7) S.B.,
Why not make a e-mail to Obama, send it to us, so we can add our names on to make it more powerful! On the Internet, I often received letters like that, we well written. What I need to do is just added my name, e-mail address, and zipcode. To add something to the "Comments" slot is "optional".
This is just FYI.
Thank you for your hard work!
Bests,
F.C.
8) Alok Agrawal aloka@.com
you should post this on youtube as well so that the world can see. Senator Obama owes us an explanation.
9) S.B.,
Thanks for drafting this eloquent message. I look
forward to Obama's response.
jonathanalim@.com
10) Dear Mr. Woo,
Good letter. Lets hope he sees the light.
Regards, K. S. Thomas
11) Great job!!! edtseng@.com
12) great! how to reach him? what's fax number or mailing address?
13) ub-me:divireddy@.com
14) Thank you for your efforts. Happy New Year to You !!
Prof. Helen G. F. Yu
15) Dear S.B.:
Thanks for your willingness to go the extra mile. I hope that Senator Obama's organization would
provide a meaningful response.
Please urge all those who are excited about Senator Obama's candidacy to write him regarding our concerns
Chung-I
16) STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO AND STOP EMAIL ME!!!
Lijun Yang, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Pathology, Immunology, & Laboratory Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine
1600 SW Archer Road, Rm D6-18
P.O. Box 100275
Gainesville, FL 32610
17) I faxed the following letter to Obama to support 80-20.
Please answer 80-20's questionnaire with all yeses.
Otherwise, I'll ask all my friends and relatives to defeat your candidacy in the California Democratic Primary.
Gene Chang, Ph.D.
7133 Timber Ridge Ct.
Sylvania OH 43560
18) Hi Dr. Woo,
Thank you for all the work. I greatly appreciate the effort. I support the letter fully. However, I'd suggest you change the word "Black" in the letter to "African American". Thank you very much,
Xiannong Meng
Lewisburg, PA 17837
19) Dear SB, It is reported that among his supporters are people from the higher educational spectrum, so I hope your "Open Letter" to Senator Barack Obama will elicit a direct, prompt and positive response!
Tim.
The Rev'd Canon TIMOTHY M NAKAYAMA Retired
20) Dear Mr. Woo, Thanks for your action!
Zack Wang from New York
21) Dear S.B.,
Very well crafted letter. The first setback in New
Hampshire for Obama may wake him up.
Bill
22) Dear Prof. Woo:
Thank you for your email. I will forward the email to the Chinese community I could get contact with as broad as possible. Thank you again for your effort for the Asian's civil right.
Best regards Haifeng Wang
College of Marine and Earth Studies
University of Delaware
Yunfeng:
Could you please forward this email to CSSA? Haifeng Wang
23) Dear S.B. Woo,
I just wanted to let you know your letter was
extremely well written and I appreciate your earnest
attempt to receive a more positive and fruitful
response from Senator Obama. Nevertheless, I believe
the Senator's actions speak far louder than any
response he may now conjure up. Senator Obama is a
lawyer as well as a senator and so I have no doubt he
can read and comprehend the questionnaire and
subsequently write and communicate any problems he may have with the questionnaire. At the end of the day, he CHOSE not to reach out to 80-20 and ultimately sent the message to every Asian American in this country that he does not care about our vote and does not care about our equality.
The President of this great country will have to make tough decisions every day that he or she is in office. Very rarely are there second chances. In my eyes, this is no different.
80-20 set a deadline for responses. Other candidates
responsed with Yes's in affirmation of our cause,
without badgering, without extension of that timeline.
I appreciate their respect for 80-20, for Asian
Americans, and for equality. To that end, I sincerely
hope that 80-20 will not continue to seek Senator
Obama's response and will not offer promises to remain neutral because he has already demonstrated that he does not deserve my vote.
All my best in the new year,
Nicole Lee
24) Dear SB Woo,
Is there a website for 80-20? If so, please let me know what it is. I'd like to find out more about the organization.
Thanks,
DChang
25) I missed the 6 questions which were sent to all the candidates. =
Please send me a copy of the questions which all candidates have been asked to
reply to. Thanks. W.Y. Kato
26) Hi,
I have not received your email as this email address has expired. Please direct your email and all future correspondences to: anurupar@stanfordalumni
Thanks,
Anurupa
27) Dear Mr. Woo, Thanks for your action!
Zack Wang from New York
28) Hi Mr. Woo:
We (Erie Chinese Journal ) like to publish your letter to Sen. Obama on this coming issue.
Would you please send your picture. It's a wonderful attitude that the Asian community is greatly involved in politics.
Thank you so much!
Best wishes!
ECJ
29) Dear SB,
Thanks. The ball is in his court now!
Best regards,
George
30) Excellent letter! Are we sending it to the media if he does not respond satisfactorily? beverlyhong111@.com
Can you post the "REAL Insider response" here so that we can all judge for ourselves?
Otherwise, we might a well just assume that you are just trolling...
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