Killeen, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
I just watched the Fort Hood Memorial, and you can’t help but get emotional. It’s a tragedy not only for the needlessly slain victims, but for the wives, husbands, daughters, sons, parents, and friends of the fallen. Watching the long line of family members wearing white ribbons makes you realize not only how much the military sacrifices but also how much their families sacrifice.
The price of war has plagued soldiers and their families the last decade. On the eve of Veterans Day, remember to not only show gratitude to those currently serving in the military, but also to remember those who have paid the ultimate price. The AP estimates at least 4,353 soldiers have died in Iraq since March 2003 and at least 836 have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
Now, President Obama is considering sending another 40 thousand troops to Afghanistan as soldiers serve tour after tour of duty just so I can write a blog post in a comfortable chair on a Tuesday afternoon.
Theirs are tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call — the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.
As a journalist I’ve spoken to many individuals who haven’t had the luxury of freedom. Just think of the people in Iran whose lives are threatened for protesting an unfair election or the religious groups in China that are persecuted for their beliefs…
I’ve also had the opportunity to speak with the men and women serving in uniform at recruitment centers and at a reveille ceremony on Armed Forces Day this summer, which you can watch below. My whole point is to get to know these people. Thank them, and appreciate all they do. Happy Veterans Day.
Need a job? So do other millions of Americans (including myself) throughout the country. Well there’s one institution that’s always looking for more applicants….the army. Since the economy took a downturn, there’s been huge increase in army enlistments.
The Defense Department recruited 168,900 active troops this year–103 percent of the goal for the fiscal year. What’s more interesting is a good amount of those soldiers hold college or advanced degrees, or are in the 30′s because of the economic times. Watch the video for more.
Here in the States, we take for granted some of the most inherent rights and freedoms we grew up with, especially the freedom of religion. While I was reporting in Torrance, I interviewed Jie Li, a woman who fled China after being imprisoned and tortured for her practice of Falun Gong. You can watch Jie’s story in the video above.
Falun Gong is not a religion, but more of a spiritual discipline that teaches the principles of truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance. There are over 100 million people who practice Falun Gong throughout the world. On July 20, 1999, the Chinese government began cracking down on Falun Gong practitioners declaring the practice an evil cult. The Chinese government outlawed the practice and claimed to only arrest and jail practitioners that have broken the law.
Falun Gong Emblem
But followers are saying they are being imprisoned on false claims. What’s even scarier, is reports began to surface about the illegal harvesting of organs of Falun Gong practitioners combined with the disappearance of many followers.
Jie told me she has many friends who have suddenly disappeared or died without a trace. When the Chinese government was contacted about their deaths, Jie was told they committed suicide in prison.
A Canadian politician and lawyer independently investigated the allegations of organ harvesting of practitioners in a report called ‘Bloody Harvest.’ The pair sites phone calls to hospitals that said ‘they have Falun Gong in stock’ when asked about organ transplants. But besides this report, not much else has been done.
In November 2008, the United Nations Committee Against Torture observed an increase in organ transplants around the same time China began to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. The group demanded an explanation, but the Chinese government claimed the report was based on ‘rumors and false allegations.’
Rumors or not, serious allegations with substantial evidence should be looked into. And why isn’t the national media doing their jobs and investigating these claims? Or why has the US government not taken a stronger stance on China’s human rights violations? Maybe the media is too preoccupied with balloon boy and Jon & Kate to do any real reporting, and perhaps the 500 billion or so dollars we owe China weakens our position with them.
HB Fourth of July Parade
Practitioners like Jie, however, spend time protesting and holding rallies all over the world to promote their cause. Followers also utilize various parade venues to bolster support, including right here at the Huntington Beach 4th of July parade.
But more could be done to stop the torture by writing to your senators and representatives. It doesn’t sound like much, but Falun Gong persecution is still going on and can effect our local community.
This summer, I received an email from a Southern California local whose mother and sister were recently imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong. I leave you with this family’s heart breaking story and encourage everyone to spread the word about the atrocities that are happening in China.
Press Release – Rescue my Mom and Sister
June 4th, 2009, my mother, Li Yao-Hua, and youngest sister, Zhang Yi-Bo were illegally abducted at home by Chinese local policemen for their spiritual belief, Falun Gong. Involved Chinese local law enforcement were 610 officers of Xuhui Branch Bureau and policemen of Tianlin Police Station in Shanghai. They not only broke in without proper warrant, but also seized many valuable personal possess. My mother and sister are held in detention center for 48 days because they would not give up their belief in Falun Gong. Currently, they are still held at Xuhui District Detention Center in Shanghai.
Cheng's Mother - Li Yao-Hua
My mother, Li Yao-Hua, is 63 years old. She is a Hong Kong resident who lives in Lu Wan District with my sister Zhang Yi-Bo and my father. She used to work at Shanghai Stamp Factory. Beloved by people around her including the neighbors, she was suffering because of her inherent spinal disease. Sometimes, the back pain is so severe that she couldn’t walk for days. In 1996, all that has changed as she started to practice Falun Gong. The spinal disease was quickly healed and no more unbearable back pains. After personally witnessed the healing power, she faithfully practice Falun Gong since.
My sister, Zhang Yi-Bo, has a master degree. At age 29, she has worked for Siemens Shanghai Branch for over 8 years as a financial manager and has a successful career.
Cheng's Sister - Zhan Yi-Bo
However, she has battled with stomach illness for years. After seeing the remarkable progress our mother has made, she decided to give Falun Gong a try and has improved her health ever since. Moreover, practicing Falun Gong has made her a better person by dealing with emotions in a much more positive way.
My name is Yi-Yuan Chang. I was born in Shanghai city, China and moved to Taiwan with my Grandpa, Mr. Lee Shan-Cheng, when I was 10 years old. I currently teach at UCLA School of Dentistry and serve as an Assistant Director of Center for Esthetic Dentistry. After knowing what happed to my family members, I tried to call Chinese local governments and the detention center multiple times, but only fond out everyone involved is trying to cover it up. Sometimes, they just hung up the phone to not talk to me. Since they were arrested, 48 days has gone by and no family visits have ever been allowed so far. We are very concerned about their health condition. We tried to get some helps from the lawyers we hired in China and found out there isn’t much they can do at this point. We sincerely ask for U.S. government officials’ and public’s helps to secure my mother and sister’s release and freedom.
I haven’t blogged in years! I’ve been working for the city of Torrance as a reporter, but now I’m taking web design classes. I have a lot of ideas brewing for this site, and lots of content in the works, so hang tight. More to come soon!
“In a book called Normal Accidents, Charles Perrow examines failures of man-made systems (power plants, airplanes, etc.). He makes the point that it is human nature to find someone to blame for an accident. We want to know the “cause”. However, Perrow argues that the cause of an accident of a man-made system is to be found in the complexity of the system. An accident that results in a catastrophe is a series of small events that viewed by themselves seem trivial. It is the interaction of multiple failures that can explain the accident. Patient accident reconstruction often reveals the banality and triviality behind most catastrophes. In other words, great events have small beginnings” (AIMA’s Roadmap to Hedge Funds 143).
What caused the mortgage market meltdown and the current global financial crisis? In the following report, I am going to attempt to perform a patient accident reconstruction of the global economy and the events leading up to our current state of distress. I think it is safe (or unsafe, depending on how you look at it) to say that the global economy is currently on life support, propped up by central bankers and the occasional shock from the government defibrillator. Each new month brings more havoc Read the rest of this entry »
In case you didnt’ catch the speech live, here’s video of Pres. Obama’s speech in Cairo with the full transcript
A New Beginning with Muslims
By Barack Obama
I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt’s advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress. I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.
We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world – tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.
Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. This has bred more fear and mistrust. Read the rest of this entry »
Bone marrow receipents dancing to 'I Will Survive.'
A couple of weeks ago I went to the 33rd annual Celebration of Life at the City f Hope Hospital for bone marrow recipients and donors. I’ve gone the last five years since my dad received a bone marrow transplant there.
The event always has good food, good music, and a bounce house and games for kids. I enjoy going every year becasue it’s always humbling to talk to people who have stared death in the face and gave him their right hook…really helps put things in perspective. There is usually a great speaker too, and the program closes with a group picture of all the survivors. Inside the hospital, you can see all the group pictures starting from 1976 and can literally see the number of survivors grow and grow each year.
None of these survivors, including my dad, would be here today if it weren’t for all the doctors and donors who have saved countless lives. My dad was fortunate enough to have a match through his sister, but others aren’t so lucky. Read the rest of this entry »
