The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) recently released preliminary results from its 2008 General Election Asian American exit poll. Check it out here.

Various Blaaagers and members of the Columbia Asian American Alliance were poll monitors for AALDEF on November 4th. We were assigned to various locations, among them Queens, Brooklyn, and, in my case, Philadelphia. After twelve hours of monitoring, some of us became delusional, others suffered caffeine induced seizures. My favorite experience that day involves a drunk voter at my poll site who enjoyed calling everyone "Chiquita".

Nothing, however, will ever be on the same level as an encounter I had at a Chinatown poll site during the 2007 Democratic Primary. I asked a voter what his ethnicity was for the survey, and this was our conversation:

Me: What is your ethnicity, Sir?
Voter: Sexy.
Me: Um, could you specify?
Voter: I am sexy.
Me: Okay...

Perhaps readers of the Blaaag (yes, all THREE of you out there in cyberworld) will be motivated to volunteer with AALDEF in the next election, so they, too, can be harassed. It's partly offensive, partly amusing, and TOTALLY EMPOWERING!

In Florida, an Initiative Intended to End Bias Is Killed

"An obscure ballot initiative in Florida intended to end a legacy of bias against Asian-Americans was defeated Tuesday, apparently because voters incorrectly assumed it would prevent illegal immigrants from owning property."

Also, in my home state of Nebraska, they banned affirmative action. And we all know about Proposition 8 in California. There were similar referenda in Arizona and Florida. Obama is President-elect, and the symbolism (and potential) in his presidency is very potent, but there is obviously much more to be done, especially in light these setbacks. As I have been reminded by various blogs and commentators, progress is not linear, and we can't stop now.

On my Google Reader today: After Obama Win, Black Muslim Teen Beaten With Bat on Staten Island.

Overheard in the Barnard Economics computer lab:
"So after the election, this guy I know said, 'I can't wait until Obama gets shot.'"
"God, that's terrible."
"People in the Midwest suck."
"He's going to have to ride in the Popemobile."

Also overheard:
A friend from North Carolina was coming back to Barnard after Election Day. While on the plane, some (obviously Republican) guys talked about their disappointment over the President-Elect. One of them stated, "Whatever, he's going to get shot anyway."

Just a friendly reminder to VOTE! DO IT! DO IT! And if you encounter problems, report them! YOU HAVE AGENCY!

Okay, pre-election anxiety kicking in, obviously.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, folks.

In the vein of last year's Max Karson incident, Vent Magazine sent a Facebook message about a new bout of racism that occurred in Boulder, Colorado:

A 22-year-old Asian-American was repeatedly punched in the face early today in Boulder and forced to say "I love America," Boulder police reported.

That attack and a reported sexual assault led to condemnations from both university and city officials.

The Asian-American victim told investigators that he was walking in the area of 10th and Marine streets with friends about 1 a.m., singing a song from the movie "Team America." He said they were confronted by four men.

One of the men — described as being a blond white male about 19 or 20 — said, "Do you think you are an American?" called him a "Chinaman," punched him in the face "multiple times" and told him to say that he loved America, police said.

Corinne Manabat (Filmmaker), Brian Redondo (AALDEF Employee... and Dancer?), and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai (Spoken Word Artist and Powerful Yellow Woman), spreading the word about the elections and the Asian American vote. Watch this shit, it's good.

For those of you who aren't casting absentee ballots... find out where your polling site is at Vote411.org.

In other news about the Asian American vote: the Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund has created a Facebook group called "Protect the Asian American Vote!", three Blaaagers will be volunteering on election day (as dispatchers, poll monitors, and supervisors), and Kal Penn (one of the biggest Obama celebrity-campaigners) has made a Get Out the Vote vid.