Bobby Jindal was just elected governor of Louisianna. He won with an impressive 53% of the vote in a twelve man field. He's of Indian decent (east Indian, like SAM) and will be the first "non white" governor of Louisiana. He's also the youngest governor in the United States. This guy could be a rising star in the Republican party. A special note to SAM, his relatives in India will be celebrating in Maler Kotla, perhaps you could stop by?
Go Bobby! I don't know whether to pity him or feel happy for him. Louisiana politics are notoriously horrific. Either way, I wish him the best of luck. ~String
Wait.. I'm astounded...Americans elected someone of indian descent into a governor's office....*gasp*..We haven't even gotten an Asian into a mayor position.... Congrats..people of USA.. you have one example that shows the world that you Can be different.
Indians and Asians in general are far too well educated to enter the ridiculous American political system. They invest their hard earned scholarship in other, more profitable fields like medicine, engineering, and business. ~String
LOL, that's what I was thinking. Go into busines and make more money than a politician. I think Bill Gates has done more good than most politicians. (money talks, bullshit walks)
How could he govern Louisiana effectively when India is full of poverty! Can't he take care of his own problems first? (kidding)
You had me going for a minute. I was thinking, "Where the fuck is Spider and what have you done with him!!!" To answer your barb: It's nice that they have enough time on their hands to come here and help us with our problems. Personally, I think we should encourage as many Indians and Chinese to emigrate here as possible. Would that all groups did so much for the country when they arrived. ~String
You're overlooking the fact that many Chinese (mostly students and businessmen, but some residents and newly minted citizens, too) have spied for their native country or passed them critical information about American technology.
I tend to think that the contributions of hard working Asians are far outweighed by those few who spy on behalf of their native country. ~String
Well, on the realistic note, governmental and corporate espionage is a big deal, and the Chinese are currently the single biggest threat in this area. That said, however, I still think the contribution of the Chinese to this society is far outweighed. Jews spying for Israel, the DGSE bugging the first class section of AirFrance to get secrets for Paris, and the Russians infiltrating the CIA. It's all a big deal, but it's impossible to hold an entire group accountable for the actions of a few traitors. ~String
When it comes to espionage, Orly, I hate to say this, it's not about "tit for tat" or "who's right and who's wrong". It's about getting the upper hand. The fact that there are spies in the USA working on behalf of the Chinese government doesn't make the Chinese nation bad-- but it SURE does make those people who swear an allegiance to the US government who in turn sell secrets to foreign governments a threat. That threat needs to be taken seriously. None of this discussion is meant to be an assessment of morality: the USA is just as guilty. It's a statement of fact regarding the threat. ~String
Some English have also spied for their "native country". Russians and Germans seem to have done better just recruiting Americans to spy for them. The Saudis have had an in, recently, of course - nothing to match the Israelis, but not trivial either. I would be surprised if India, even Pakistan, had no espionage at all in the US. The most interesting thing about this new governor, to me, is that he is a Roman Catholic convert. That fits Louisiana demographics pretty well, in some unusual ways, but not Republican demographics - except for the abortion issue, and if his convert status implies for him (as is common in converts) a fundamentalist outlook. The Intelligent Design nonsense highlights that - that's a fundie Catholic position, not a Vatican one.
