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

[babylonsister]

The stoopid hurts bad!

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

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 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.”

[Maestro]

1. Wow. What an idiot!

But not surprising.

[WolverineDG]

2. Yeah, names like "Chang" & "Ko" are so hard to pronounce

:eyes:

What an idiot.

dg

[hobbit709]

3. Every day some repuke hits a new level of STOOPID!

[sonias]

4. Representative Alma Allen gave her a good response

Here's the link to the real audio archive of the hearing:
Election's Committee 4/07/09


Betty Brown also asked Ramey Ko if there was any kind of identification required to participate in elections in China. (about 3 hours 30 min into the hearing). Lots of laughter from the crowd.

Ramey had to let her know that there are not elections in China.

The discussion with Betty Brown telling Ramey Ko that Chinese Americans should adopt their names to be more American so people here don't have to learn Chinese occurs at about 3 hours 35 minutes.

And Representative Alma Allen responds at about 3:45

"I'm not a proponent of changing your name. I think names mean something in families. For those of us who lost our names somewhere along the way, when they wanted us to change our names to the master's name, and so we lost our names. I don't know what my name is."

Thank you Representative Allen! :applause:


Sonia

[sonias]

5. I'm Changing My Name to Elise Hughes

Political Junkie Blog Elise Hu 4/9/09
I'm Changing My Name to Elise Hughes

I missed this since I've been out most of the week. Here's the AP:

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Democratic Party demanded an apology Wednesday from state Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell for suggesting Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are "easier for Americans to deal with."

Brown made the comments on Tuesday evening as the House Elections Committee discussed voter identification legislation, the Houston Chronicle reported in its online edition.

...

Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans, told the committee that people of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent often have problems voting and with forms of identification because there may be a difference in their legal transliterated name and a common English name used on their driver's license.

(Ed Note: Agreed. My mom is "Jeannie Hu" and "Wang Cheng-yi" and "Jeannie Chengyi Hu" and "Chengyi Wang" and "Hu Wang Cheng-yi" in various documents.)

Burnt Orange Blog has the YouTube video clip right at the point of Ramey's testimony

:kick:

Sonia

[sonias]

6. Generate you own Betty Brown approved name

Betty Brown Name Generator, created by Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer and www.poli-tex.com

Mine came up as Tiffani "Americana" Brown - yuck!


Sonia

[WolverineDG]

7. Mine's worse

Betty "Cracker Barrel" Brown

:puke: I hate Cracker Barrel.

dg

[Horse with no Name]

10. Tammy "Pottery Barn" Brown

oooohhh I love Pottery Barn! ;)

[babylonsister]

8. And I'm Crystal "Americana" Brown.

Sonia, I must have been named after one of your relatives! :crazy: :D

[sonias]

9. Resistance is futile - all your Browns are belong to us

You know that has to be the funny thing about this too. Betty Brown doesn't really like brown people (people of color). And that tidal wave of brown people in Texas is about to hit her party right upside of their face in 5-10 years.

Si se puede! And we don't need no stinking photo ID to do it either.
:fistbump:


Sonia

[johncoby2]

11. lily white

[Nicole Lambeth]

12. it makes you wonder...

what kind of thought process was going on in that little white head of hers right before this popped out of her mouth. From the handful of Republican friends I have (and you do too, so don't give me grief!), I gathered that they kept this kind of commentary for behind closed doors. Although this was offensive enough, I really wish more would come out. I want Texans to wake up and see who they're allowing to speak for them!

[Baby Snooks]

13. "Those people...."

She was probably confused by the word "transliterated" and assuming it had something to do with "sexual orientation" she simply wanted to change the subject. Anything to do with "sexual orientation" frightens the children, the horses, and the Republicans in Texas. Actually anything to do with sex frightens the Republicans in Texas.

Chuck Rosenthal was without doubt the most corrupt district attorney in the state. Didn't bother the Republicans. But as soon as they found out he was sending "racy" emails to his mistress, well, out he went.

Eventually the Texas Republican Party will understand why a growing number of Republicans are no longer voting for Republicans. Probably when there are no more Republicans in office in Texas.

Say a little prayer of thanks for Betty Brown - she's just another nail in the coffin of the Texas Republican Party.

[sonias]

14. Blogs picking this up - hilarious

It's got legs......

There are a whole bunch listed and linked at Asian American Action fund blog The Continuing Story of Bungalow Betty

One of my favorites has got to be Musings' entry

Musings blog 4/9/09
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Kleinschmidt, Kolkhorst and Kuempel Legally Change Their Names

At the urging of State Representative Betty Brown, Representatives Kleinschmidt, Kolkhort and Kuempel changed their last names to Smith, Cole and Powell today.

Brown had chastised them in a committee hearing on the necessity of Voter ID saying, "Rather than everyone here having to learn German - I understand it's a rather harsh language - do you think it would behoove you people to change your damn name to something all of us can spell here? I mean really, you should have done that when you stepped off the boat from the motherland."

Touche Muse!

:rofl:

Sonia