"We've Waited So Long For This."
July 4, 2012 7:54 AM Subscribe
One day in early July, federal judge Ronald S.W. Lew walked into Ken White's office and said, "Get your coat."
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- loup
This is a great article for today -- thanks!
posted by Houstonian at 8:34 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by Houstonian at 8:34 AM on July 4, 2012
Great article. And I remember reading the Anatomy of a Scam - he does good stuff.
posted by rmd1023 at 8:49 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by rmd1023 at 8:49 AM on July 4, 2012
Thanks so much for that. My grandfather never got his citizenship or benefits. But then, the US has a long history of fucking over those who fight for us.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:56 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:56 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
Yeah, Ken is one of the best current writers within and without the legal blog realm. He frequently has good insights, always delivers witty remarks, and is absolutely unsparing in dropping the hammer on anyone who seeks to abuse the legal process or act like a spoiled child.
For his relentless exposure and criticism of Charles Carreon, Brett Kimberlin, and David Bell alone he deserves some sort of award.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 9:10 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
For his relentless exposure and criticism of Charles Carreon, Brett Kimberlin, and David Bell alone he deserves some sort of award.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 9:10 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
I went searching for more information about the circumstances that led to the Rescission Act of 1946, and found this informative article from the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans.
posted by Houstonian at 9:20 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by Houstonian at 9:20 AM on July 4, 2012
Thanks for supplying this. The 4th of July can feel kinda undermotivated -- sure, there's things to celebrate, but why are we celebrating in this particular form? -- so it's super-handy to have this story tug on the right heartstrings (history, militant-yet-celebratory, families in throngs, expandingly diverse citizenship, spectacle) to tie the day together with a good-enough bow on top, dammit. I'm ready to go mingle & eat hot dogs in Courthouse Square.
posted by feral_goldfish at 9:28 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by feral_goldfish at 9:28 AM on July 4, 2012
Damn, I thought the pollen had already passed this season.
posted by ericb at 9:36 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by ericb at 9:36 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
A little background:
In 1941 the Philippines were part of the American Commonwealth, but was scheduled for full independence in 1946 under the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act. (Quezon was technically president as of 1935.) To this end, the country already had a (small) standing army of its own, created in anticipation of the happy event.
Of course unhappy events intervened. In July 1941, the US War Department co-opted the Philippine army for the duration, putting the (retired) MacArthur in charge. Then after Pearl Harbor instituted a draft. Arguably a tad high-handed, but dammit there was a war on - or soon would be - and after all they would be fighting for their own soon-to-be country.
The Philippines did indeed get independence on July 4, 1946, at which time, congress authorized a one time graduation present of $200,000,000 (back when that was real money) to the Philippine government, which, to their minds, cleared the slate. I mean to say, the Philippinos were allies, mostly, and it wasn't like we were giving out citizenship to members of, say, the Free French, were we?
Others (rightly, to my mind) disagreed, hence the basis for this post.
posted by IndigoJones at 9:37 AM on July 4, 2012
In 1941 the Philippines were part of the American Commonwealth, but was scheduled for full independence in 1946 under the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act. (Quezon was technically president as of 1935.) To this end, the country already had a (small) standing army of its own, created in anticipation of the happy event.
Of course unhappy events intervened. In July 1941, the US War Department co-opted the Philippine army for the duration, putting the (retired) MacArthur in charge. Then after Pearl Harbor instituted a draft. Arguably a tad high-handed, but dammit there was a war on - or soon would be - and after all they would be fighting for their own soon-to-be country.
The Philippines did indeed get independence on July 4, 1946, at which time, congress authorized a one time graduation present of $200,000,000 (back when that was real money) to the Philippine government, which, to their minds, cleared the slate. I mean to say, the Philippinos were allies, mostly, and it wasn't like we were giving out citizenship to members of, say, the Free French, were we?
Others (rightly, to my mind) disagreed, hence the basis for this post.
posted by IndigoJones at 9:37 AM on July 4, 2012
If only the UK would do the same for the Gurkhas.
posted by scruss at 9:52 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 9:52 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Ken is also the lawyer who sent the superb response to Howard R. Schechter's bullshit cease-and-desist letters in the Etsy/Ecologica Malibu foofaraw. He's really, really good.
posted by bakerina at 10:00 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by bakerina at 10:00 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
After the first paragraph, I was very hopeful that this story would involve time travel.
posted by iamck at 11:06 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by iamck at 11:06 AM on July 4, 2012
well this just made me cry.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 12:32 PM on July 4, 2012
posted by fuzzypantalones at 12:32 PM on July 4, 2012
I hope that in you strenuousness you didn't pull any muscles.
posted by ericb at 8:19 PM on July 4, 2012
posted by ericb at 8:19 PM on July 4, 2012
Great story; I wish I had seen it yesterday, which would have made me more enthusiatic about an otherwise lackluster July 4th at my house.
posted by TedW at 5:24 AM on July 5, 2012
posted by TedW at 5:24 AM on July 5, 2012
Mod note: Some comments deleted; meta discussions about post styles belong in Metatalk.
posted by taz (staff) at 10:56 PM on July 5, 2012
posted by taz (staff) at 10:56 PM on July 5, 2012
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posted by growabrain at 8:22 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]