Doesn't Vang Pao realize that John Kerry

does not feel there would be a massive slaughter of American, sympathizers once the United States pulled out.

Of course, it's all the CIA's fault that the Hmong were fighting in the first place, I guess. I mean they'd only fought the Japanese, the French, and the Vietnamese in the preceding decades. It was just idyllic happiness on the Plain of Jars before 1960, really.

Would it be "divisive" to make sure that ads are run on every single Vietnamese-American community radio station/TV station/newspaper with these quotes?

Would it be "divisive" to make sure that ads are run on every single Vietnamese-American community radio station/TV station/newspaper with these quotes?

From your mouth to God's ears.

I particularly like the "American sympathizers" line. That meant "people who didn't want Maoism in their countries." God knows Vang Pao has his defects but he and his group sure had the Pathet Lao and Viet Cong pegged.

I wouldn't bet on much sympathy for the Hmong. Debts resulting from moral failure on our part are usually not revisited.

In 1975, Robert Ray, then governor of Iowa, invited and welcomed Indochinese refugees into his state, set up a settlement department.

Iowa benefitted greatly, but the Hmong had a hard time adjusting.

They are still having a bit of a hard time in Fresno and Merced, too. But there have been the occasional valedictorians and assimilation is occuring. Perhaps the new group could be settled along the southern border and hired as guards.

Put them all in Vermont and maybe they can make it a Republican state.

pchuck:

It already is, thanks to Howard Dean.

Not a good idea. Absurd actually. Why
can't these people make a life in Asia?

As long as we will act as the safety valve for
the world we take pressure off of backward societies to grow up.

JH--

What message does that send to groups who want to work with the US?

Thailand is closing the last camp and making it clear they can't stay (to be fair, they've been there for 20+ years). Every other state in the region has occasionally slaughtered Hmong people. Where do you suggest they go? These were our allies--I mean they actually fought on our side, they weren't just talk--and now they're stateless.

Although it IS true that Madeleine Albright agreed with your sentiments, JH. She (and the UNCHR) did favor the forced repatriation of the Hmong to Laos, and when the Ban Napho camp was closed, some thousands did have to go.

The main point is that I believe that it would
be less costly for our government to put a firm good faith effort into find these people homes in
the region. Importing a small city's worth
of presumably uneducated non-westerners is an
absolute last resort.

I am not necessarily singling this group out and
am reasonably familiar with the history of
groups like the Hmong and the Montagnnards(?) of
Vietnam.

By the way the sterotype of the well-ajusted
Asian immigrant is a bit of an oversimplification.
Organized crime tends to follow these groups.

I know Orrin has really been sipping the pro-immigration kool-aid of late, but the inscription on the statue of Liberty is not the foundational
document of our republic.

JH:

That's right, this is: http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1601-1650/plymouth/compac.htm

Written by immigrants.

a firm good faith effort into find these people homes in the region.

It's been 25 years--I think it's quite late for that. Besides, many, perhaps most, of these Hmong are Christian, and Laos and Vietnam don't like Christians. The Vietnam show at the Metropolitan Museum last spring featured many of the minority groups of Indochina, including Hmong, Khmu, Karen, Muslims, etc...but no mention of Christians. The exhibit was sponsored by the government of Vietnam. It did not reassure.

Many of these folks will not end up coming by the way--that is, SOME of these folks WILL be absorbed, and Vang Pao likes to exaggerate numbers anyway.

I am not necessarily singling this group out

But I am. How many immigrant groups fought for the US BEFORE coming here?

By the way the sterotype of the well-ajusted
Asian immigrant is a bit of an oversimplification.
Organized crime tends to follow these groups.

By the way, the stereotype of the badly adjusted Hmong is a bit of an oversimplification (though I agree with Harry that it was very rough then). Have you been to Frogtown in St Paul? You should have seen it 15 years ago. A lot better now.

Frogtown? Can we say that?

Not in Marseille.

St Paul has the largest urban population of Hmong in the world, around 45,000 I believe. They suffer from many of the cultural adjustment problems that every immigrant group coming to America has - some gang activity, traditional patriarchal tribal values ajusting to individual freedom (especially for girls), but overall I think that they are an ideal group for inclusion in American citizenship. I say that we bring them all over, they will increase our average patriotism score without a doubt.

What jobs do they hold there now, Robert?

The jobs they filled in Iowa when I was there were the ones Orrin can't wait to export.

Harry:

No, they're the ones that we need immigrants to fill because no self-respecting white parent would let his kids do them.

A lot of them are shopkeepers. Other than that, I'm not sure. The Twin Cities has a pretty diverse economic base, they're working their way up in the various businesses and industries. A Hmong woman recently graduated from one of the local law schools (William Mitchell?), they have a weekly show on the local PBS station, "Kev Koom Siab". Some are joining the police & fire departments. One has recently been elected to the state legislature.

Robert's quite right.

In my family, my brother-in-law sells cars, one sister-in-law studies accounting, one's a hairdresser. Mother-in-law is a tailor. Fiancee is getting her MBA. Pretty typical I should say for first-generation immigrants (fiancee born in Laos, the rest here). My niece is going to be 4 and we shall try to send her to private school.

Lots of restaurants amongst our relatives. The two most recently opened are sushi bars.