Texan politician: Asians should change their names to something easier

[Martinus]

Texas lawmaker: Asians should change their names to make them 'easier for Americans to deal with.'

On Tuesday, State Rep. Betty Brown (R) caused a firestorm during House testimony on voter identification legislation when she said that Asian-Americans should change their names because they're too hard to pronounce:

"Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it's a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?" Brown said.

Brown later told [Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey] Ko: "Can't you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that's easier for Americans to deal with?"

Yesterday, Brown continued to resist calls to apologize. Her spokesman said that Democrats "want this to just be about race."



http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/brown-asian-names/

[FunkMonk]

Oh sweet jesus 

[Valmy]

Yesterday, Brown continued to resist calls to apologize. Her spokesman said that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”

No it is about you being an idiot.  Which is not surprising considering you are in the Texas House of Representatives.

Anyway she already apologized:

State Rep. Betty Brown apologizes for comments on Asian voters' names

02:21 PM CDT on Saturday, April 11, 2009
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas – The state lawmaker embroiled in a controversy over pending voter identification legislation has apologized for her remarks regarding Asian-descent voters' names.

Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell, said that she "apologizes for her remark in the Elections Committee on Tuesday, April 7," in a statement issued late Thursday.

She said she appreciates testimony that made legislators aware of problems faced by Asian-Americans when acquiring identification and that she understands the "diversity of Texas" and the "enrichment" that Asian-Americans have brought to the state.

The Texas Democratic party and others called on Brown to apologize after she said voters of Asian descent should adopt names that are "easier for Americans to deal with."

The comments were part of an exchange with Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans, during a hearing Tuesday by the House Elections Committee.

Ko told the committee that people of Asian descent have problems voting because they may have legal transliterated names as well as common English names on their drivers licenses or other forms of identification. Brown asked whether Asian-Americans could "adopt" names that "we could deal with more readily here."

Brown, in the statement, said the controversial quote was one sentence from a conversation dealing with the difficulty in translating names. She pointed out that she was talking about the issue of transliteration and told Ko that she wasn't asking him to change his name.

John C. Liu, a New York City Councilman who had called on Brown to apologize, said Brown's statement is "a fair first step," but doesn't go far enough, in his statement. Liu noted that Brown's comments during the exchange with Ko went well beyond the concept of transliteration.

A bill that would require Texans to show a photo ID to vote passed the Senate after a highly-partisan, 23-hour session last month. Similar proposals are currently being considered by the House.

Republicans have championed the issue, saying it's necessary to combat voter fraud. Democrats have said there's no need for such a measure because fraud hasn't been a problem

Jordan Berry, a spokesman for Brown, told The Associated Press on Saturday, that Brown's comment is being used by opponents of voter identification to obscure the real issues involved.

"Ninety percent of Texans – Republicans and Democrats – want the voter ID legislation," he said. "Let's move forward."

Well if you don't want stupid comments to be used against you by your enemies maybe you should not say something so stupid that people in Poland know about it.

[The Brain]

You just go by their number. Easy as pie. Oh right, America is a third world shithole. Nevermind then.

[Martinus]

Actually, I read the story on the Feast of Fools forum, so it didn't actually make it to Poland to be fair.

[Martinus]

You just go by their number. Easy as pie. Oh right, America is a third world shithole. Nevermind then.

They should tatoo the numbers on their forearms to make it less confusing.

[The Brain]

You just go by their number. Easy as pie. Oh right, America is a third world shithole. Nevermind then.

They should tatoo the numbers on their forearms to make it less confusing.

I can't see America putting Asian-Americans in concentration camps.

[Valmy]

The stupidest part about all of this is that Asian last names are not even hard to say.

'How do you pronounce this...Chung?  I think I will just call you Smith'.

[Valmy]

I can't see America putting Asian-Americans in concentration camps.

Indeed.  We are all about teh freedom.

[Martinus]

The stupidest part about all of this is that Asian last names are not even hard to say.

'How do you pronounce this...Chung?  I think I will just call you Smith'.

Hehe yeah. I suppose that crazy bitch hasn't met many Poles. 

[DGuller]

That's just awfur.

[Admiral Yi]

The stupidest part about all of this is that Asian last names are not even hard to say.

'How do you pronounce this...Chung?  I think I will just call you Smith'.

Thai, Lao, and Cambodian names are impossible.

[Ed Anger]

Just call them zipperheads.

[Caliga]

Thai, Lao, and Cambodian names are impossible.

You just need to give them nicknames.  For example, we used to work with an alumnus named Pornphisud Mongkhonvanit.  We just nicknamed him Porno.  See? 

[FunkMonk]

Flip names are easy.