A Million Little Lies....

I was watching The Daily Show last night and John Stewart made an interesting point with his segment about the recent controversy over James Frey's memoir A Million Little Pieces. His point was the discrepency about the government lying to the public and James Frey lying to Oprah. When the latter occurs, Oprah brings the heat. As was evidenced by every cable news network in this country talking about how you dont "piss off Oprah". Oprah brought James Frey onto her show and basically took out her disdain for him lying to her and quite frankly, making her look like a fool. Which brinhgs me to John Stewarts point-the news media doesnt do the same type of hard interviews with politicians (i.e. the Bush Administration) for lying to the public. Instead they throw them softball questions. Is Oprah's wrath to be feared that much more than the government's? At this point in time its common knowledge that Dubya lied about WMD's, he illegally wiretapped Americans, people in his Administration are caught up w/ Jack Abramoff, cant forget Scooter either. But yet when Bush goes on "Face the Nation" (they should change the title, b/c they dont make the people that go on there do that), they ask him questions like when he stands on this stoop and sees the Washington Memorial off in the distance what he feels? I DONT CARE WHAT HE FEELS LIKE WHEN HE SEES THAT, NOR DO I THINK ANY REASONABLE, INTELLIGENT PERSON DOES EITHER!!! Why not ask him "So Mr. President when you stand on that stoop do you think about the American people's disapproval of how you lied about the case for war?" or ""So Mr. President when you stand on that stoop do you think about what steps you should take to correct the ills of your Administration?" Do we as a country need to rely on Oprah to ask the hard questions? Do we need any woman who caters to predominantly suburban housewives to take people to task when they lie to her? Another thing about this whole book uproar I dont get is, is it really that controversial? So he altered the details of his memoir-BIG DEAL!!! Dont read it if it bothers you that much. It wouldnt get this much press if it wasnt part of Oprah's Book Club. Are people mad because they unnecessarily read something they thought to be true when they didnt have too or could have read something they knew to be fiction? Its intresting how that parallels reading the news. Or are we mad because we too felt "duped"? Well if that is the case, how come the public cant get that upset about being "duped" by someone larger...I dont know lets say the Bush Administration? Its unbelievable that we are such a petty society that we get mad at a author for lying to us by altering details in his memoir, but we dont get equally angry when our President lies to us by altering details for going to war and killing thousands of men and women, many of whom are indigent and have no other avenues to make it other than the military. Priorities, huh?
Tune into Oprah on Friday (02/03) for her interview w/ Dave Chappelle...Black Crusaders, what!
I write this blog w/ a heavy heart today. In about 7 hours Ill be boarding a flight bound for Atlanta to pay my last respects to a close friend of mine that passed away this past weekend. My friend, Terry, passed away Saturday morning at the age of 24. T was a vivacious, socialable, gentle, and amazing man. He got along w/ everyone and regarded people he met once or a hundred times as his friend. Personally, he was someone I enjoyed spending time with, we always had a good time partying, hanging out, and laughing about the nuances of our culture . The last time I saw T was when he and his sister came up to Maryland for my sister's wedding this past May. He helped my family immeasurably that w'end by just doing little things. T was also the "life" of my sister's wedding reception. I introduced him to a drink I heard about "The Godfather" and that is all we drank that w'end. In fact, T made sure that everyone had a Godfather and he helped me get the wedding party and some of my cousins together (and my Moms) to do a Godfather shot. It was always good times w/ T.
Terry you will be missed and I will see you again one day brother.
R.I.P. Terry Thomas (1981-2006)

Vitamins & A Reverend

The Nutrional Helath Alliance (NHA) has released a racist flyer. The flyer is to protest recent legislation proposed by Dick Durbin (D-IL) that would mandate that manufacturers of supplements report serious side effects of their product. The flyer reads "Get Durbin a Turban-Keep Congressional Terrorists at Bay" and has a picture of the Senator w/ a turban. The director of NHA, Jerry Kessler, who also designed the flyer has acknowledged that the flyer is "not fair" and "in bad taste", but has refused to apologize for it. Kessler continued by saying, "Desperate times require desperate actions", “I’m certainly going to do what’s necessary to call attention to our cause. If I sound to you like a hate-monger, then I can’t help it.”
Reaction has come from the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) in combination w/ over 100 other groups. The statement read, "We are outraged that the Nutritional Health Alliance (NHA) would be engaged in the production of such a racist flyer that serves to perpetuate an increased environment of prejudice and hate against the Sikh, Muslim and Arab American communities…The depiction of the turban as a terrorist symbol, or individuals who wear turbans as terrorists, as your flyer explicitly shows, is baseless and reprehensible…The flyer serves as nothing more than hatemongering". SALDEF and the other groups are asking for, "NHA to remove the flyer from any further distribution immediately. We further ask that a public apology be made and posted on the NHA’s website. Legitimate public debate must not be tainted with images that continue to create a dangerous environment of xenophobia and hate against innocent Sikh, Muslim, Arab and South Asian Americans."

While I am all for free speech in this country, this is where personal responsibility takes over. When you know that the ad you are releasing is harmful especially w/ the word "terrorist" such a catch phrase these days it is incumbent upon you to be more ethically responsible. There are other ways to bring attention to your cause than denegrating a populous of people by tying a piece of religious garb to terrorism. This is one of the reasons that Sikhs, Muslims, and South Asians face such hatred and violence in this country and abroad. In this case lobbyists tying the two together. People in this country are so ioslated in their own world that a majority of Americans dont know anything about the other countries in this world, much less how their OWN goverment works. This flyer is just furthering the hate in this country. Furthermore, the legislation is good on its own merits. The public is entitled to know if the supplements they are taking have serious side effects. Wouldnt you want to know if that pill you are taking to lose those love handles will kill you? I encourage you to contact Mr Kessler and voice your digust w/ his ploy. Email him at info@naturesplus.com or you can reach him at 8006459500.

I was checking the update yesterday on my favorite hip hop site-okayplayer and came across the news that Rev Al Sharpton (aka Rev Al Sharptooone if youve seen Do The Right Thing youll get it) is demanding a apology from Aaron McGruder and Cartoon Network. Why is he demanding an apology? Well it is for the episode of The Boondocks two weeks ago that dealt w/ Martin Luther King Jr. Aaron McGruder is the creator if The Boondocks comic strip, the animated series comes on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on Sundays @ 11PM. The premise of the episode in question dealt w/ MLK Jr waking up from a 30 year coma to see the condition of America and African Americans in a post 9/11 world. Specifically, "McGruder challenges the "progress" we've made in a post-911 culture. He illuminates countless problems, all which directly affect the black community, the poor and disenfranchised, and the average working American- from our Fast-Food Nation to BET's portrayal of black culture". Sharpton has threatened to picket the headquarters of Cartoon Network if they do not apologize. Although I am not African American, I did not find that episode of The Boondocks offensive. I found it to be more thought provoking than anything. The humor in The Boondocks is thought provoking, in your face, and a reflection of our society. I have been reading the strip for quite some time now and have seen every episode of The Boondocks. I think it is an accurate portrayal of the scenario. I think that if Civil Rights leaders that gave their lives for the betterment of furture generations came back and saw how things are now they be apalled. If you cannot speak out about the ills of your culture as a means to betterment than how do you get progress? I think that The Reverend would be better served fighting for his people instead of against. I you have not seen the episode check it out and decide for yourself, http://www.3030media.net/index.htm (episode 9) and you can also see a Nightline interview w/ Aaron McGruder about this episode.

Impressions & Sphere of Influence

After being busy w/ graduate school and law school applications (which are yet to be completed) and being under the weather, I have found time to write another blog.
I was recently reading the Indian blog that I check out daily and came across an interesting piece. It was about this PBS Frontline story about these three Indian girls who were adopted by white families in Minnesota. The story itself was about a video documentary that was done about their trip back to Calcutta where they were born. As I was watching the piece I had conflicting thoughts about these girls. The conflict came in feeling sorry for them in that they have no real cultural identity in that they are severely whitewashed. An that is evident in the things they say in the piece as well as by their actions. Simultaneously, I found myself thinking that while these girls are Indian, they are not. Really the only thing that I found in common w/ them was that we both have brown skin. In fact I was insulted by some of the things they said while they were in Calcutta, for example, one girl said that she would rather die than live in India. That spawned another conflict in my mind. That could have been you. However, she does realize that she is lucky to have been given the oppurtunity to grow up in the US. I guess that we have something else in common. Its odd to me though the more I think about it that those three girls were born in India, then came to the US, and have no cultural ties to the country they were born in. In fact they see themselves as more American than Indian, if they acknowledge the latter at all. Whereas w/ me , I was born and raised here and would identify more w/ being Indian than American (even before Bush effed everything up). Culturally, I have ties to India and was raised acknowledge such ties. I wonder how you go through life being adopted by a family of a different race and ethnicity than your own and completely shun your ethnicity. I can only imagine how difficult it must be. I found the white parents in the piece to be completely out of touch. From when begining when the parents did not know how their own daughter saw herself to when they were in India and one mother said she was worried when she couldnt see her daughter b/c she blended in w/ everyone. Well not to point out the obvious, but she is in the country where she was born and where everyone is the same color. Now you know what people mean when we say all white people look alike. But then again they are from small town Minnesota, so I guess you would have to expect that. I encourage you to check out the piece by clicking on the following link :(http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2006/01/india_calcutta.html#).
I was watching the news on BBC the other day and they had a story about South American leaders. In particular about Chile's President-elect Michelle Bachelet. There are two things I found interesting about this, the first is Chile electing a divorced single mother of 3. I cannot recall if the reporter said the children were born out of wedlock. While this may not sound like much of a big deal, it is when you conisder how uberCatholic Chile is. They could be argued to be one of the largest Catholic poplated countries in South America. Bachelet is the daughter of an Air Force general who served under Allende prior to the coup by Pinochet. Her and her mother were tortured in Chile before fleeing to Germany. While in Germany, she studied to be a doctor. It will be interesting to see how her administration plays out.
The other facet of this story that I found interesting is about the bigger picture. Bachelet is a Socialist. Anyone that has been paying attention to SOuth American politics or even the news in general will realize the growing tide of South Americans POPULARLY electing Socialists to office. Venezuela's Chavez, Bolivia's Morales, and Chile's Bachelet. While not much has been mentioned in the mainstream US media about this due to the overshadowing of the corruption in Washington as if it wasnt there prior to Abramoff, the war in Iraq, and the wiretapping. But it may be something keeping your eye on b/c I wouldnt be surprised if South America becomes another staging area for a Republican War on Terror, err "War on Narco-terror". Yes, Ronald Reagan is alive and well......

Role Reversal

This past w'end I was channel surfing and I came upon America's Trusted Source for News-CNN. They had put together a documentary on the Sago Mine deaths. However, in true CNN fashion they made it much more dramatic then it needed to be. The documentary was entitled, "The Tradgedy at the Sago Mine". Are you kidding me? Tradgedy? Not quite. Now dont get me wrong, I feel bad for those families that lost loved ones in that situation. I sympathize w/ the emotional rollercoaster they went on being told that the mineworkers were all alive and then finding out that all but one had passed. It was truly sad. But a tradgedy, I do not think so. The tsunami in South Asia was a tradgedy, Hurricane Katrina was a tradgedy, the lack of a response by the Bush administration in the wake of Katrina was a tradgedy, the fact that every person in the world's most powerful country doesnt have health insurance is a tradgedy, the fact that a majority of this country knows more about Paris Hilton than how our government works is a tradgedy. The fact that 11 men in a mine died is not a tradgedy, but is a sad story. It makes me cringe that the 24 hour news outlets feel the need to make the news they CHOOSE to cover so dramatic. If I want drama Ill watch TNT b/c they "know drama". To add insult to injury, they ask the dumbest questions. For example, they asked one woman in West Virginia who lost her husband in the mine how she felt? It was a serious question. How do you think she feels? She just lost her husband. Do you expect her to say, "I feel vivacious and gregarious"? The one good think I saw that came out of their reporting was how they for once portrayed people that were not black or Hispanic as ignorant and uneducated. Well it is West Virginia and it is to be expected, but it was about time they showed some uneducated, simple minded white folk. After Katrina the news outlets had a field day interviewing indigent blacks from the Ninth Ward who had just lost everything they had b/c of the governments inability to build a levee. It is rare in TV news to see a white person shown in a bad light. However, anyone that has seen the first 5 minutes of the local news knows they try to pack in as many stories about a black or Hispanic male that killed someone. I think the role reversal was long overdue.

Cenorship, Disdain, and Parallels

Lastnight I came to the realization that Big Brother is watching me. I was on MySpace and did a double take at my page. I wasnt sure if I was seeing things b/c I had a headache or if I was just tired. Well it turned out to be neither of those two assumptions. To make sure I checked the page that contains all my pictures and sure enough I wasnt going crazy. The good people at MySpace took it upon themselves to erase one of the pictures I had on there. The picture in question was my main picture. Apparently, a picture of me wearing a tshirt w/ President George Bush on it and the words "International Terrorist" is offensive material. At first I didnt know what to think. But then I came to the conclusion that it is to be expected by a site that is under the umbrella of Rupert Murdoch (FOXNews...Need I say more?). I am tempted to put the picture back up. But Im sure that the good people at MySpace will swoop in and censor my page yet again. It never ceases to amaze me the lack of self expression in this country. That is the problem. I believe that George Bush is an evil man. How can so many people support such a man? Lets not even get into his coke habit or his drinking. But purely on his political record. I cannot understand for the life of me how people can entrust him w/ the power of the Presidency of the United States. It is mind boggling to me. It is times like this that I cant believe that I live in the United States. Bush and his party have single handedly screwed the people of this country. Unless your a white Evangelical Christian male good luck. Now that I think about it that sounds like the prerequistes for the KKK...Interesting how that works? Back to my shirt, I informed one of my friends out in California about the happs on MySpace and she wants to take action. I dont know that I want to be the poster child for this. Dont get me wrong, censorship in any medium is wrong in my view. Voltaire once said, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". But Ive been thinking about it all day and I do think something must be done. Anyone that has been on MySpace knows that there are pictures on there that are a lot worse than the picture I had. Ive seen pages where there were half naked women. How about doing something about that? But the colored kid w/ the shirt of The Evil Man gets canned after a few days. Censorship in this country is so biased. In college I wrote a piece on censorship for the PreLaw Society Journal, in my research I found interesting precedents and incidents. For example, in 1990 the Baltimore Museum of Art acquired a piece entitled "Terrorist". After the attacks on 9/11 they removed the piece "out of respect for visitor's sensitivities", and was later reinstalled. My problem w/ this is that it was not removed after the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City. I guess in 1995 people were not sensitive to white males blowing up a building in what was the worst attack on American soil till 9/11. Or take the example of the Dallas Morning News newspaper pulling The Boondocks of Thanksgiving 2001 b/c the strip's main character Huey Freeman was saying grace at Thanksgiving dinner in which he said, "…in this time of war against Osama bin Laden and the oppressive Taliban regime, we are thankful that our leader isn’t the spoiled son of a powerful politician from a wealthy oil family who is supported by religious fundamentalists, operates through clandestine organizations, has no respect for the democratic electorate process, bombs innocents and uses war to deny people their civil liberties. Amen." The Boondocks is politically close to Doonesberry, but Doonesberry never gets pulled. Did the strip say anything that wasnt true?
Through this I have learned that we will never truly be an open and free society. We have no standing anymore to point and criticize other countries' systems of government b/c we are no better. There is no American Dream. It is just an illusion . Democracy is not the answer to the world's problems. Yet every politician hustles democracy to every corner of the earth like its cocaine and its the fix that every brown country needs. Im interested to see what they will do w/ the nations of Venezuela and Bolivia w/ their popularly elected Socialist governments. Maybe they will resort to the Monroe Doctrine and implement the Sphere of Influence. I applaud any South American leader that stands up to the US and doesnt back down. Wheather it be Castro, Chavez, or Morales.
I read an interesting article in this month's Maxim (not a reputable source, I know) that acknowledged the rising threats to the lessening powergrip of the US. Among the 10 listed half were Asian. China being #1, North Korea #4, India #6, Pakistan #7, and Japan #8. I believe that within my lifetime that Asia will be powerseat in this world. Then what will white America do? I say white America b/c they really are the only people in this country that have any power, well except Oprah, but she doesnt really count. India in and of itself will rival the US soon. The boom it has seen in the last 15 years since the conversion to free markets is astounding. Not to mention the investing by foreign companies such as Microsoft that will slow the brain drain. Plus, we (Indians) are not too bougie to take jobs that Americans are too proud to do. So you can whine and complain about "your" jobs going to those "towelheads", but keep in mind that the technology w/in the computer you are using would not be available if it were not for those "towelheads". You can whine and complain that the people at McDonalds should learn English so that you can get that heart attack quicker. Without those workers the US economy would collapse. Are you going to pay to teach them English? How do you know they are not trying to learn? If youre going to complain, why dont you work there? Didnt think so....Keep in mind that unless youre part of the Sioux, Navajo, or some other Indian tribe, your family at one point were immigrants and had to learn English. How many generations does someone have to live in the US before they are no longer considered "immigrants"?
I dont hate the US and I am not "unpatriotic", I just see things from a different angle. Its not unpatriotic to speak your mind or disagree w/ things that are so inherently wrong. Speaking of unpatriotic, I have to say something about the yellow ribbons. What is the point of them? "Support Our Troops", huh? Support them in what? Killing innocent people that look like me? No thanks. I wonder if there are cars in Baghdad that have magnets that say "Support Our Insurgency". Werent the forfathers of this country considered "insurgents"? I know, I know the troops are just doing what the Draft Dodger ordered. But seriously, when you join the United States Army you have to be aware that you are going to be killing brownies. I cant get behind a fad of putting a yellow ribbon on my car to show my support b/c I thought from day 1 that this war was wrong. And now its like Malcolm X once said, "The chickens are coming home to roost".
On a lighter note, I was looking at my cousin's wedding pictures and it struck me the parallels between Indian culture and African American culture as far as family. I saw my aunts (ammais, for my Kerala heads) sitting all in a row and my cousins going to each of them to get their blessing and in made me think of large black families and the reverance for the older generation. For my generation there is no two ways about paying deference to the older generation. Just like in African American culture the older generation that fought in the Civil Rights Movement demands the respect from the youth of their respective families. They endured a lot just like the older Indian generation that lived under British rule. Both populouses gained their freedom through similar methods, non-violence, based upon Mahatma Gandhi's (Gandhiji for my Indian heads) teachings. Both were raped of their assets, subjected to unthinkable expectations, and enslaved (Indians in Trinidad and other parts of the Caribbean, among other places). The lesson that I took out of this parallel is that as a global society there is historically more that joins us than seperates us.

Cause and Effect

It has always been hard for me to ignore things people say that are ignorant. Perhaps this is a character flaw of mine. Im not sure if it's an innate quality I possess? On New Years Eve I was at a party that turned out to be a wholly unenjoyable event for me w/ the exception of hanging w/ some of my boys. At that party I was told (in a nutshell) that unless youre Cuban you should not drink Mojitos. Immediately my mind started thinking why would you say something like that? I guess being raised in two starkly different cultures, my thought process doesnt draw lines as to what I can and cannot do. Or what I can drink. I chalked it up to him being a sheltered white boy that lacked any exposure to culture. But two days removed from the situation its still in the back of my mind. It reminded me a conversation I was having about a month ago about the lack of culture on the part of white people in America. At first I disagreed w/ what my friend was saying, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense to me. Most white people know their decent, but have no idea of the culture embraced by their forefathers. They dont know the beliefs of their decent. But everyone is ready to go drink green beer on St.Patrick's Day. Do they do that in Ireland? Not to my knowledge.
I surmise that whenever comments are made pertaining to ethnicity or race I take a particular interest. They are both intriguing subjests to me beacause in a sense I am multicultural. The funny thing about ethnicity and race is that nobody wants to have a dialogue about it, but its probably one thing that should be talked about. I dont shy away from talking about it, ever. A lot of people do not think that way though. Race and ethnicity is what is and nothing is ever going to change. It is better that we stick w/ people that look like us. I think that is the worst possible thing anyone could do. Im not hating on any one race b/c everyone does it. God knows Indians roll in clicks like dice in a board game. Yeah we tow the company line that diversity is what we are striving for, but is it really? I dont think so. Its a grandiose ideal, but in the U.S. I doubt it will ever happen w/ any prevalence.
Growing up I looked at being Indian as being a hinderance to me. It was hard growing up among hella white people that had no idea about the world outside the 48 contiguous states. I had parents w/ an odd accent, I wasnt able to date, and had to endure jokes about 7/11, worshipping cows, or red dots. Regretabally it whitewashed my youth. But in retrospect it has made me a stronger person. However, that is the root of my animosity towards white society. Ive found in my experience that white people are the most closeminded people when it comes to different cultures...in my experience. Thats why I dont care much for white society. As Ive gotten older I have made it a point to reconnect w/ my culture. Being Indian is a blessing to me. Im fortunate to be part of a culture that is deep and amazing. Yeah I was born in the US, but I am not seen as an American in America. In a way I am glad. And I really wouldnt want it any other way than that.

Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself......

Ever since I first heard about blogs I thought they were a waste of time and never really fully understood the point of them. Until now....I have decided to start my own blog to publish my thoughts and issues I feel the need to rant on. I got the idea to do this from the times Ive been told by numerous people, "you talk like a lawyer" and/or "you should be a politician". The problem w/ the latter is that the world is not ready for me. My opinions and thoughts are too polemical for the status quo in this country. Those of you that know me know that I am opinionated and blunt when it comes to what I am thinking, especialy when it comes to issues of politics, law, and public policy. I do not hide the fact that I think the President is an ass, the conservative right is ruining this country, and religion has become too political. In fact, some of what I think may offend you or rub you the wrong way...or maybe not. A lot of my thoughts has to do w/ how do I as a 2nd generation Asian Indian fit into the landscape of this country? Furthermore, I have random thoughts about culture (or lackthereof in this country), race and the ignorance of people. I hope this will give you more insight into me and help you see things from a different point of view. Im sure there will be times you will be able to relate to the things I have to say and other times youll have no idea. But this is the world through my eyes...