A Nguyen-Nguyen Situation?

As I was perusing LATimes.com this morning, this headline caught my eye: A Nguyen-Nguyen situation in O.C. The article described the election for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Trung Nguyen and Janet Nguyen (no relation, but both Republicans) were the top vote getters, beating out the Republican & Democratic party insiders/favorites. Now they're battling it out since Trung beat Janet out by seven votes.

I had mixed feelings about the content of the story. Here's why:

The Good

...Whoever prevails will be Orange County's first Vietnamese American supervisor, demonstrating the emergence of Vietnamese political power. --LaTimes

The main story was about how many Vietnamese refugees used to be distrustful of politics because of their experiences in Vietnam, but how that's starting to change. It's great that Vietnamese Americans are realizing that their vote matters and are even running for office. Hooray for democracy and civic participation.

The Bad

Most Vietnamese vote Republican for reasons ranging from anti-communism to anti-abortion sentiment. "Just as Cubans are the most strongly Republican Latino community, the Vietnamese are the most strongly Republican Asian Community," Pitney said (a political science professor).

Ok, not the worst thing in the world. I once was quoted in the Daily Bruin as saying that I would rather have a boyfriend who was Republican than apathetic. (Yes, my school newspaper had an article about cross-party dating even before I started dating Alex). So I guess that same sentiment should be extended to people in general. Naturally though, I'll always prefer people to be Democrats. Alas.

And the Ugly

"My family immigrated here the right way — legally — like millions before them over the years," said a campaign mailer from Janet Nguyen. The mailer contrasted a photo of new citizens raising their hands at a swearing-in ceremony with a photo of Latino men walking over a barbed-wire fence. "When it comes to immigration, there is a right way and a wrong way," the flier read.

Here's my actual problem. Democrat or Republican aside, this trend of Vietnamese candidates waving the banner of closed borders and making it the cornerstone of their campaign, makes me uneasy. This is especially true after Tran Nguyen (no relation either) ran against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, and sent fliers to people with Hispanic surnames, telling them that they couldn't vote if they were immigrants. He said he meant illegal immigrants and it was a mistake. Right.

I don't think we should completely open our borders, but I am a proponent for a more comprehensive immigration program because it isn't easy to come in the legal way. I have this hunch that Janet Nguyen's family were able to come to the here because there was this thing called the Vietnam War, which allowed thousands of Vietnamese refugees to come to the US. I could be wrong and her family might have come before then, but even so, that's how most of her base of Vietnamese American voters were able to come here, gain citizenship, and vote for her. I was talking to my dad this morning about this article and he said that if it weren't for the Vietnam war, he would probably be a math professor in Vietnam and my mom would be there still too (and that means I would probably be like 6 inches shorter).

Sometimes I think if Vietnamese American candidates or voters remembered how lucky they were to be accepted into the US during such a horrible time, they would have a little compassion and stop trying to make themselves look like a superior kind of immigrant. And I won't even get started on how this kind of rhetoric just makes Vietnamese people sound racist against Latinos.

Many Vietnamese Americans are great examples of how you can come to the US with next to nothing and fulfill the American Dream by going to school and working hard, and I'm proud of that. But to think that everyone else even has that opportunity to prove themselves is just not right.

Offer and Acceptance?

I had my first interview today for a summer externship and so I decided to go to the our school's career services homepage to see if they had any tips that I might have forgotten. Although I have the business dress down from working on the Hill, I clicked on the "Dress Code" page just to see what they had. Although most of the points were good reminders/common sense, I thought there were some very detailed, odd, or oddly written tips. Here's the whole list:

Reminders for both Men and Women

• Always err on the side of conservatism.
  
• Do not wear fraternity or sorority rings and pins to an interview.
  
• Do not wear an inexpensive watch to an interview. Choose a quality watch with a leather or metal band. The pen you carry should also be of good quality. The same applies to your wallet, portfolio, and briefcase.
  
• In your portfolio or briefcase, always carry extra copies of your resume.
  
• Don't tap your feet, cross you legs, yawn, stare at the interviewer, touch your hair or clothing, giggle or otherwise appear nervous or bored during the interview.
  
• Do not chew gum or eat candy or mints while interviewing.
  
• Carry only a briefcase or portfolio with extra copies of your resume.
  
• If you have a coat, umbrella, backpack, etc., ask if you may leave them with the receptionist or ask if there is a designated area for storage.

Business Dress for Women

• Suits in navy, gray, taupe, and black are good color choices. Other colors such as burgundy and dark green are also acceptable. Skirt lengths should not be above the knee.
  
• Choose neutral-toned hosiery.
  
• Shoes should be leather in a classic closed heel and toe pump style. Heels should be approximately three inches in height. Recommended colors: black, navy, taupe, and cordovan.
  
• Handbags/briefcases/portfolios should be made of leather and of the same color choices as shoes. Do not carry a purse and an attache case. Choose one or the other, but not both.
  
• Choose small, subtle jewelry in gold or silver. Simplicity is the key. Wear no more than one ring on each hand.
  
• Always wear a blouse with your suit. White, as always, is appropriate. Other colors such as light blue, cream, and gray are also good choices.
  
• Your make-up should be subtle and flattering to your complexion.
  
• Your hair should be natural looking (no dark roots or unusual colors). Shoulder length or shorter is considered appropriate for business. If your hair is long, wear it up during an interview.

Business Dress for Men

• Suits in navy or gray in a classic, conservative style worn with a white shirt and a tie with a small pattern or stripe. Burgundy is always considered an appropriate tie color for an interview. Your tie should be "updated" in width and should touch the top of your belt buckle.
  
• Wear well-shined black shoes in lace-up or slip-on style with black or navy over-the-calf socks.
  
• Jewelry, other than a wedding band, should not be worn.
  
• Cologne should be worn sparingly or not worn at all.

Despite violating Rule 6 of the female dress code by wearing a bright blue blouse (my lucky interviewing shirt), the interview went very well. So well in fact, that the organization offered me a position the same day. Though I asked for a week to get all my ducks in a row and make a final decision, I'm leaning very heavily towards taking the position. It doesn't pay because its a nonprofit, but if I can get academic credit for it I would be very happy because it sounds like a great place. I will describe later if I do end up working there, or if you contact me personally, but prefer to keep it off the world wide web for now.

All in all, this just seems like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I am really excited for this summer.

Just Say No

In elementary school we had Red Ribbon weeks and SANE or DARE police programs to tell us that drugs and alcohol are bad.

In high school we had health classes to tell us the risks of certain drugs and the "Every 15 minutes" program dramatizing the dangers of driving under the influence.

In college we had were told that if we did drink, to drink responsibly. And we learned that drugs were bad and that we would be kicked out of housing. (Though I also learned in my drug and public policy classes that DARE and SANE education programs are ineffective.)

And in law school today, I learned that you shouldn't do drugs if you want to get a job in the government, particularly the Department of Justice (note that working in government and running for office are two different things). We also learned today from our newest moot court case that dealing cocaine is a felony. (I am excited to be the Commonwealth of Mass. who gets to prosecutor the dealer).

It's interesting how the same messages are taught over the years in different settings. From cute catchy slogans and programs in elementary school, to adding drama in high school to catch the attention of apathetic teenagers, to appealing to the skepticism of college students, and then finally getting to the point and speaking to the self interest of law students.

Whether it was my parents' teachings, a school message, or an adversion to losing control to anything, particularly my own body, I never had any interest in trying or doing any drug. So I guess I am lucky that I don't have to worry about my FBI background check.

[PS: If a few years down the road this is an FBI agent reading this blog as part of said check, you're not going to find anything interesting in here.]

Snow Day!

Perhaps the only thing better than waking up and seeing snow, is waking up, checking your email while nestled in your cozy flannel sheets, and finding out that your 9am class has been cancelled.

I happily set my laptop down beside my bed, rolled over, and got 2 more glorious hours of sleep. Unfortunately not everyone got the email and my friend said that a few people were sitting in class confused until they figured out class was cancelled.

Lesson of the day: Being a compulsive email checker isn't such a bad thing.

Oh, the Places You'll Go

How do you get somewhere when you don't even know where you want to go? As I'm applying to internships and figuring out what kind of law to practice, I feel like for the first time in my life I don't have a final destination. But I have to remind myself that it's really not, and even if it was, it's really not so bad.

Looking at college in retrospect, it always seems like I had everything planned out because it worked out so well. Everything I wanted to do, I checked one by one off of my list. But besides knowing that I wanted to go to law school, I didn't have this master plan entering UCLA. Heck, I came in as an English major who had never done anything political in her life. I never imagined that I would join Bruin Democrats, let alone be President. Never thought of interning on the Hill, being IVP of USAC, or befriending a former Presidential candidate. It all just happened from seizing random opportunities. That was exploring, and that was fun.

I guess because I feel like the stakes are higher nowadays that I'm putting more pressure on myself to figure out "the plan." I'm not just killing time before law school, I should be preparing for a job. But after going on a panel today by all my professors (who have all done really amazing things), I'm telling myself not to worry. They emphasized just taking a lot of different classes and getting a lot of different internships to explore opportunities (which I'm becoming progressively more excited about). Because even the people who really think they know what they want to do might end up doing something completely different and loving it.

My favorite example was my Constitutional Law professor who was a partner at a huge law firm, worked for the Department of Health and Human Services and Education, was White House counsel, was Associate Attorney General, and was counsel for the 9-11 Commission. And he had no idea what he wanted to do when he graduated law school. Can I just say that I want to be him when I grow up?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

As the first real cold spell hits DC, I have decided that the best way to cope with the cold is to beat it mentally (oh, and wear a lot of layers too). One day I'll be paid to persuade other people, so what better way to practice than on myself. Here are some things I'm trying to remind myself:

• I should be thankful that I have a roof over my head and working heat. It's easy to forget that as cold as you think your apartment is, there are a lot of people who don't even have that luxury. Someone in my class passed along this Hypothermia Hotline; write down the number in case you see someone in DC that looks at risk.
  
• As cold as 6 degrees here feels, at least I don't still live/apply to go to law school in Minnesota where it is 42 degrees below zero.
  
• I finally have the opportunity to wear all the cute scarves that I knit for myself or that my mom knit for me.
• Cold weather gives me more incentive to stay inside and study like a good law student.
  
• I get to see cool things (no pun intended) that I never saw before in California like a half frozen fountain outside your law school during the middle of the day:

• And of course, I could have gone to school in sunny Los Angeles or semi-warm San Francisco, but I wanted to come here. So I take the full package, cold weather and all.

How the Grinch Stole Superbowl Sunday

...and by Grinch, I mean the NFL and its lawyers.

I always made a lot of analogies between politics and football, so naturally the LA Times headline reading Separation of Church & Football immediately caught my eye.

The article described how some NFL attorneys are going to be out this year enforcing a copyright law banning Superbowl viewing parties shown on screens 55 inches big. They're going around an informing churches of this rule, and have already ordered the Falls Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis to shut down their party for 100 people. If the Colts lose, you'll know why.

The reason? NFL lawyers argue that, "Jumbo screens have the potential to draw thousands of people, and if we had that going on across the country, it would eventually erode the television ratings."

I understand why copyright and patent law exists (if I didn't, my father the engineer, would surely tell me again). And I would even understand the NFL not wanting people profiting off the Superbowl by holding these large viewing parties and charging people money. But they're not. These are church or school potlucks with balloons, bringing together families and communities. It's probably even bringing in people who normally wouldn't watch the game.

This whole line of reasoning of ratings is a little silly to me. First of all, ratings are based on specific homes that have Nielsen boxes. I can't imagine enough of these particular homes going to community viewing parties to make a significant dent in the ratings. Secondly, they've already exempted sports bar, who probably draw a lot more people; what's the difference with private parties? Finally, it's just excessively greedy. Yes yes, we have capitalism and people are supposed to make money but doesn't the NFL already make so much money? Are these the lengths they go to make a few more bucks?

I'm going to go watch the Superbowl tonight, (I sure hope that my friends' screen is less than 55 inches), but the NFL should know that I will be shaking my fist at them. Their lawyers too, sometimes I hate us.

PS. I almost forgot, today when I went to mass the youth group was collecting money for the "Souper Bowl" -donating all the money for homeless shelters and food banks. The NFL should take a lesson.