Asian-American group wants Stars and Stripes waving on July 4th

Sacramento Bee ^ | 7-1-02 | Deborah Kong

[petuniasevan]

This Independence Day, Richard Mak envisions American flags displayed proudly alongside the Peking ducks, Asian pears and jade rings in this city's bustling Chinatown.

Mak and about 200 volunteers are planning to visit each Chinatown merchant in Oakland, and offer to hang free flags from storefronts. It's all part of a nationwide effort - given new urgency by last year's terrorist attacks - to blanket Asian-American neighborhoods with the Stars and Stripes for July Fourth.

[petuniasevan]

Interesting. Very interesting.

[Dacus943]

God Bless America - and bless all those who would help to keep Her the Greatest Nation on Earth!!!

[petuniasevan]

PING!

[EBUCK]

Imagine that. A group of people actually wanting to live here and showing national pride at the same time. I think some of our other guests couls take a lesson.

EBUCK

[JimSEA]

guests

Uh, fellow citizens perhaps??

[EBUCK]

That was rude of me, or at the least badly worded. I was refering to the mooching illegal population we currently enjoy that seem to have no loyalty to our country.

EBUCK

[mikegi]

"We are loyal to this country and we demand to be treated as American."

Sounds like a scam to me. Demand what, special treatment?

[moteineye]

I talked to a man from Peru that has lived in the US for 15 years and is now a citizen. His nephew visited him here and loved America.and wanted to come back. I asked him what his nephew liked about america and he replied,"What is there not to like ,it is a wonderful country?"

[Libertarian_4_eva]

Good for them. I don't know about them having influence over ten million asians but it seems like one ethnic group is moving in the correct direction.

[AAABEST]

Asians and Cubans are excellent make most excellent Americans for the most part.

They usually are conservative, hard working and love it here because of the opportunity and freedom.

[McGavin999]

"You can put all the flags you want out there in the front yard," Wang said. "It's not going to change people's views. It's going to take some power," both electoral and financial for Asian-Americans' voices to be heard more widely.

Nope, you don't understand. You are only an outsider when you feel like an outsider. If you make an assumption that people won't like you, then more than likely they won't like you. If you're an American (of whatever hyphenated or non-hyphendated extraction) people will accept you as such.

Being an American does not automatically mean that everyone will like or accept you. That's part of being an American. The other part of being an American is NOT CARING when someone doesn't like you because there are millions of other people who do.

The worst mistake people can make is voting as a "block". That means that you haven't left your country behind. Americans are fierce individualists and DON'T vote as a block. Each man/woman makes up their own mind about the candidate who most represents what they believe.

You want to know what the best thing you can do to be accepted as an American? Get rid of the damn hyphens.

[DallasMike]

I stopped by an Asian shopping center in Richardson, Texas Saturday and saw plenty of American flags and other paraphenalia. I'm always greeted warmly and treated well.

[billybudd]

He clearly said they demand to be treated as Americans. No special treatment.