The Crash
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(Originally posted on bigWOWO.)
If anyone does not know the Minority Militant, go over to his blog right now and check him out. Or, you can check out my interview with him here. He’s had an interesting life as a Laotian immigrant who joined the U.S. Navy right after college, and he runs a great blog. I read it every day.
Most of you have probably already heard about the Korean American family killed by the crashing military plane. It was a terrible tragedy. Nothing, of course, can bring the family back, but for whatever reason, there seems to be a lack of media attention given to them. Three generations of women wiped out in a matter of seconds, and there isn’t any inquiry or questions about them? I just checked CNN.com, and the story is tucked away on the bottom of the page. Keep in mind that this isn’t just a case of friendly fire in Iraq; these are American civilians who were living in their own home in the United States.
Anyway, TMM has posted about his outrage on his blog. I’ve copied the letter in its entirety below.
http://minoritymilitant.blogspot.com/2008/12/call-for-answers.html
A CALL FOR ANSWERS
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PUBLICDATE: 12/10/2008
FROM: TMM (MY REAL NAME)
TO: PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH; ROBERT GATES; ADMIRAL MULLEN; OBAMA-BIDEN TRANSITION OFFICE; CNN; MSNBC; FOX NEWS; AMERICAN RED CROSS; NAACP; NATIONAL COALITION FOR ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT; KOREAN AMERICAN COALITION
CC: TMM BLOG READERS AND VISITORSSUBJECT: F/A - 18D Hornet Aircraft Crash In San Diego
Okay, there’s a whole bunch of things going on in the news right now and I’m sure they all have some relevance to the people who visit here, but I gotta tell you, I am outraged about this FA-18D Hornet that crashed into a residential community and nearly killed an entire family. I went on all three major cable news networks today and apparently this issue has pretty much been washed down the drain as we speak. I wanna tell you something, this is a public matter that needs to be addressed at the highest levels of government. This is a military aircraft we’re talking about that was involved in this tragedy, not a commercial plane. And the fact that it malfunctioned above a heavily populated city like San Diego — it just scares the living shit out of me.
Where’s the outrage folks? Why the fuck is Caylie Anthony on the news when we just had a tragic event that should be embarrassing enough for at least the civilian leadership in the defense department to address to the American people that they are all over this like white on rice. That’s what needs to happen. Where is our fearless leader George Bush at? Where’s Admiral Mullen? Where’s Robert Gates? How come we’re not having a press conference to address the fact that one of the most sophisticated fighter aircraft we have in the military arsenal isn’t going to malfunction again — and in the middle of cities and towns we live in??
I’m am so outraged I can’t help but watch replays of that man weeping because he’s just lost everyone that was near-dear to what is humane about life. We’re talking about women and children that have lost their lives due to either technical issues, negligence, or just operator error. There is a part of me that is torn by this because I haven’t seen anyone with some influence give a goddamn care in the world about what just happened two days ago. If this was a White family that had been destroyed, I guarantee you this would’ve been cycled in the news for the next two weeks.
Someone needs to be held accountable and there needs to be an outburst of public dismay to what we’ve just witnessed before us. Who is this pilot? How long has he been on the job? Was the routine maintenance done on this aircraft? How much fuel did it have when it left base? Where did it leave from? Where was the plane headed? How did both of the engines give out? What are the ejection procedures? I wanna know all this information because it is relevant to how this came about and so we can take the necessary precautions so this doesn’t happen again in the future. The fact that this plane didn’t drop in a school or a hospital is relief enough that we should be addressing this at the highest offices of public service.
Respectfully,
-SIGNED-
TMM (MY REAL NAME)
WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN: HERE
THIS IS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE THAT DEMANDS ANSWERS.
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minorTruths
4:05 pm | Dec 11, 2008The thing that struck me the most about this story (in its initial day of coverage at least) besides the random tragedy of it all are two things.
I have read a few news accounts of this story and they have all pretty much referred to the family and Yoon as “The immigrants”. They all basically fit “Korean Immigrant” somewhere in the title. Although Yoon and his family have already become US citizens as some of the news reports point out, it’s interesting to note why the family’s Korean immigrant background should play such a prominent role in the news coverage. Why couldn’t the news approached it and covered it as an American tragedy first and then if they really cared to, go into his Korean immigrant background/US citizenship as the back story?
The thing I found interesting was that an investigation is talked about in regards to checking the plan’s maintenance records. No mention of checking into the actions and flight protocol of the pilot and airbase. This story sucks no matter what way you look at it.
minorTruths
4:07 pm | Dec 11, 2008plane’s* maintenance records
RebelAzn
3:06 pm | Dec 13, 2008The family should sue the hell out of the air force. Then it will get some coverage. It is funny no one is discussing plane’s history or why it failed in the 1st place.
caocao
4:15 am | Dec 14, 2008we need more AM like TMM instead of the kowtowing hop-sing father of that family:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23599377-details/%27I+don%27t+blame+jet+pilot+for+killing+my+family%27/article.do
tokyolovestory
11:32 pm | Dec 14, 2008^ I really, really hope you’re joking.
nightshade
11:32 pm | Dec 14, 2008caocao, I think the grieving father is allowed to deal with the death of his entire family in his own way without having to live up to your personal idea of how a man should act.
caocao
11:50 pm | Dec 15, 2008only question i have for you: do you agree with the south korean government apologizing for the actions of cho seung-hui?
nightshade
12:25 am | Dec 16, 2008Why are you writing his name like he’s a foreigner? It’s Seung-hui Cho, unless you’re claiming that he was not a permanent resident of the United States at the time of his death.
The American way isn’t the only legitimate way to live or to “be a man”. You might want to keep that in mind when you go around accusing grieving men of being pussies.
caocao
1:28 am | Dec 17, 2008if you want to be so amerikkkan about it, then why not ask he’s not suing the pants of the guberment? that’s the amerikkkan way isn’t it, lawsuits everywhere?
side stepping all the BS about names aside, the issue here is always about asians kowtowing and groveling for the whitey massa. and that’s why the racist mainstream will always slap the asians around, because they know they can get away with it.
neither the pilot nor the marines nor the guberment has made any formal apologies. you think if this happened to a white or black family that there still won’t be mass riots on the streets?
nightshade
1:40 am | Dec 17, 2008If you had read carefully, you would have understood that I’m taking you to task for your American chauvinism. You are asking this particular Asian man who lost his family in a tragic circumstance to act “manly”–but “manly” in your very American idea of what a man should be.
Your terms and your attitude seem incredibly American to me–you are the one thinking of and kowtowing to white people, while going around pretending that you’re such a rebel against the white establishment.
Mr. Yoon is grieving in his own way. His way doesn’t seem to include feeling powerless and angry and butthurt about what whitey has done to him (which, in the case of this crash is NOTHING), and I’m sure he’s healthier for it.
BadArtist
3:19 am | Dec 17, 2008WTF, caocao? An Asian American man can’t even fucking grieve nowadays without worrying about how some other AA sap might interpret it? And why the hell are you even bringing up Seung-hui Cho? These tragedies have nothing to do with each other, and they’re definitely not about YOU. None of these victims or their surviving loved ones need your approval on how to react when shit happens to THEM. It’s a sad day indeed when we’re so caught up with trying to prove ourselves that we leave our humanity behind. You think that will actually earn you respect?
King4aDay
1:42 pm | Dec 17, 2008“you think if this happened to a white or black family that there still won’t be mass riots on the streets?”
Perhaps you are assuming too much, caocao. It may interest you to discover that it actually has happened to white families. However, I can’t find any reports of the correlating riots in the streets that you have predicted.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM4DY0
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/851239/blue_angels_air_show_disaster_in_huntsville.html?cat=8
King4aDay
8:11 pm | Dec 17, 2008^ oops. Disregard my second example above. That was an “Act of God” so mass rioting wouldn’t do much good.
caocao
1:54 pm | Dec 18, 2008@nightshade: you seem to be clairvoyant and know everything about everybody who posts on the internet don’t you? have i wrote anything about me kowtowing, or just the father here? or are you just into online flame wars for no reason?
IF YOU HAD READ CAREFULLY, all i stated in the first post was that there should be more “AM” with some spine who would hold the amerikkkan guberment accountable for their serious infraction into the public welfare of its citizens.
a military jet crashing into a residential home is no small matter and at the least there should be calling for resignations, if not heads of officials who are responsible.
if your family was killed, are you going to say you won’t feel helpless and won’t hold anybody responsible? i think that’s the greatest lie anybody can ever say, or they aren’t human.
caocao
1:58 pm | Dec 18, 2008@BadArtist: nor is this incident “ABOUT YOU” either. this website at least exists for opinions of asians, and if not then why does it exist?
the mere fact that this crash happened and the father went on TV and in the news to talk about it opens it up for public debate. while everybody’s (even my wholeheartedly) condolences is with him, that still doesn’t negate the fact that there is little media attention nor public outcry into this issue, because he’s too willing to appease the establishment to not rock the boat.
how he deals with it is his own business. but if others aren’t entitled to opinions based on his public reactions, then i don’t know what sort of fascist you’re trying to be by shutting others up from voicing opinions on a website dedicated to opinions.
caocao
2:02 pm | Dec 18, 2008@King4aDay: you’re internalizing the racism that is the amerikkkan media. “riot” might be a hyperbole, but the “public outcry” is simply not there for the asians — you can’t deny this.
i never said only “blacks” but have included “whites” for a reason. the recent white girl Cally (?) and the media circus reaction is a case in point.
and not to mention go to any football tailgate party and the whites “rioting” can easily be seen.
if you’re trying to discredit me by subtly inferring that i’m racist against blacks, then it’s really malicious; i’ve not made any comments about “blacks” specifically on this website that you can find.
caocao
2:03 pm | Dec 18, 2008and i’m done with this post, as usual on the “f44s.” it’s becoming a dead website anyhow (for a good reason). i’m going back to my other little militant angry pathetic “kowtowing” forums.
evil_FUX
4:32 pm | Dec 18, 2008And another one bites the dust.
King4aDay
6:05 pm | Dec 18, 2008Where did caocao get that I was calling him a racist? I don’t get it.
BadArtist
6:14 pm | Dec 18, 2008And according to caocao, I’m some kinda fascist for having an OPINION that happens to disagree with his OPINION.
nightshade
12:29 am | Dec 19, 2008Does this mean caocao doesn’t want to play with us anymore?
Flaming would look like this: CAOCAO YOU ARE A FUCKING RETARD.
I guess he’s butthurt that I called him on thinking about white people day and night. LOL, must suck to have to think of something you dislike all the time and try to measure up to it. Sucks to be him.
MadeInTaiwan
3:51 pm | Dec 23, 2008I think the comments left on this thread is steering further and further away from the article…
I completely agree with JMM that something definitely needs to be done about the plane crash. I guess no one of any position of the American Government/forces wants to issue a public apology, possibly because our “Commander In Chief” doesn’t want us to lose faith in our military. However they want us to feel, it’s out there and it happened. This news needs to be spread one way or another until it gathers enough attention for something to be done.