[Vnbiz] Schwarzenegger: South Vietnamese flag can fly on state buildings

Thu Aug 24 15:05:27 PDT 2006

Dear Brother Phuc and CACC,

Yes, it is kinda funny to a lot of folks, because it looks like someone is
trying to fight the war that has been over more than 30 years ago.  But,
hey, this is USA, and anything, including crazy thing, goes in USA J

Let me spend time on this flag issue a little, hopefully to clear up some
confusion for many of our brothers/sisters who are not well versed in the US
politics.  I will remind everyone of another flag story.   The American
civil war was over in 1865.  During the war, the each side had a flag.  The
Union's flag (of the North) was the one that is still the US flag today.  The
Confederate (the South) has a different flag.  After the war, of course, the
winning side's flag (the North) became the national flag.  However, the
State of South Caroline, a Southern state, refused to take down the
confederate flag and continued to fly the confederate flag on its capitol
until last year (150 years later) when it was removed from the top of the
capitol to a flagpole in the capitol's yard.  (And the US flag is now placed
on the top of the capitol instead).

Very much a state can fly any flag it wants.  In the Vietnamese flag issue,
the folks who lobby for the South Vietnam flag at the state and local levels
usually argue that "This flag is our (South Vietnamese) cultural heritage.
We don't want to have a flag that has no relationship to us."  Most of the
time, the local authority or the state don't care one way or another.  If
the local residents want a different flag for them, so be it.  Politicians
are there to make the residents happy.

States and cities have no authority in foreign affairs matters.  The power
to conduct foreign affairs belongs to the federal government.  So the
federal government is more conscious about the flag issue.

Of course, at the state or local level, they also observe international
etiquette.  So, in official business with Vietnamese officials from Vietnam,
they will bring out the official Vietnamese flag (red and yellow star).

Usually the issue has no contest at the state and local levels.  Some
residents talk to some local politicians who will ask their colleagues for a
vote.  No opposition. So the vote will go through.  The reason there is no
opposition, because "Why oppose?"  Most overseas Vietnamese like their own
flag and they want to keep that as their cultural heritage, that makes
sense.

If someone wants to fight, there would be ways to fight.  But my sense is
that this kind of issue is an emotion issue to some people.  It means
absolutely nothing in politics and international relations.  And it adds
nothing to anything.  In the US you can have any flag anywhere anytime.  So
any resolution about any flag is more or less an empty gesture just to
please someone psychologically.

But if you are a Vietnamese student in the US, and find that it is incorrect
for a school to have the old southern flag as the Vietnam flag.  Then you
can pressure the school to change it.  Just go to the battle.  And if you
have convincing argument and know how to apply pressure, you may win.

My feeling is, if people like their flag, let them have it, unless and until
they are on your way, then you fight to change it.  Otherwise, it is better
to keep everyone happy.

My real question is:  If someone wants to fly the old Southern flag in front
of his house in Saigon (just to have a little crazy fun), would he be
arrested?  For what crime?

We need to start to think through all these funny issues with the mind of a
democrat, a person promoting democracy in our nation.

My thinking is, if you have the flag of a smiling sun in front of your house
(I have this smiling sun flag in front of my house all the time), that would
be OK.  In the same token, if you have a flag of the old south Vietnam in
front of your house in Saigon, that would be OK.

(Yes, I know that it is not OK for you to have the official Vietnam
red-yellow-star flag in front of your home in many communities in the US
where there are lots of overseas Vietnamese, because there are crazy people
who will do harm to you.  But they are not the government and they don't run
our country forward).

Until we take things easy and act toward each other like democrats, we won't
know what democracy really means.  I know that a lot of our people are still
very behind the time in their thinking in attitude.  But I hope that we in
this forum and our VNBIZ readers are much more advanced.  We need to start
thinking and acting like leaders.

Have a great day!

Hoanh

On 8/24/06, Tahong Phuc <ptahong at yahoo.com.sg> wrote:
>
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> [Vietnam Business Forum]
>
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>
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>
>  <is it funny?> THP Schwarzenegger: South Vietnamese flag can fly on state
> buildings Associated Press
>
> *WESTMINSTER, Calif. - *State parks and buildings now have the governor's
> blessing to fly the former flag of South Vietnam on holidays and special
> occasions.
>
> Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a largely symbolic measure Saturday that
> gives the flag the state's official recognition. About 10 states and more
> than a dozen California cities and counties already have done so.
>
> Most Vietnamese immigrants who live in Orange County's Little Saigon and
> elsewhere fled their country after the communists' victory and don't accept
> the country's current red flag.
>
> Vietnamese leaders have pushed for the traditional flag's recognition for
> years, said Assemblyman Van Tran, R-Westminster.
>
> The move gained momentum last month when Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher,
> R-Fullerton, who is running for state Senate in the district covering Little
> Saigon, appealed to the governor for help.
>
> Both Schwarzenegger and Tran endorsed Daucher in her bid.
>
> Among registered Vietnamese-born voters in Orange County, Republicans
> outnumber Democrats 2-to-1.
>
> Orange County has about 133,000 people of Vietnamese descent, according to
> 2002 Census data
>
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-- 
Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
Attorney of Law
Washington DC
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