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Asian American E-Zine |
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"My Country Versus Me" In September 2000, after spending more than a year in jail, including 278 days in solitary confinement and shackled with ankle irons every time he was brought out, accused of having given nuclear secrets to China, Federal Judge James Parker ordered Wen Ho Lee released, apologized to him, and chastised the Justice and Energy departments for having “embarrassed our nation.” Now Lee has co-authored, with journalist and author Helen Zia, his tale of trial, fear, and humiliation at the hands of a government, the kind of government we read about and think of as ‘one of them’ – certainly not our own. But it was members of the United States government (FBI) who lied to Lee and told him he had failed a lie detector test on whether he was a Chinese spy. But Lee never wavered and “My Country Versus Me,” published by Hyperion, is testament to the strength of Lee’s conviction that he was innocent and the truth would one day win. But at what price? Not just for Lee but for all Asian Americans, especially now as the Justice Department hunts for terrorists among anyone who is of Middle Eastern descent. As Lee so poignantly stated: “As I sat in jail, I had to conclude that no matter how hard you work, an Asian person like me will never be accepted. We will always be foreigners.” The links below tell the story of “My Country Versus Me” but to help insure that the concept of “perpetual foreigners” becomes a thing of the past, see what the non-partisan political organization, 80-20, is doing to change perceptions. 80-20 Initiative: http://www.80-20initiative.net/ Presidential Pardon Petition: Add your name to the petition to grant Wen Ho Lee a full presidential pardon. Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52000-2002Jan15.html MIT Tech Talk: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/tt/2001/may02/lee.html Unquiet Mind – Satire: |
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