Tulsi, Kamala, and Indian Americans

The Indian American Immigrants and perhaps all non-white immigrants owe their gratitude to Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Without their effort and subsequent passage of the Civil Rights Act, very few of us would have made it to America. Who would want to sit in the back of the bus, drink from a separate fountain and be humiliated?

One of the reasons the earlier immigrants have come to America was the freedom to live their lives in the pursuit of liberty and happiness. You can be who you want to be in personal achievements and contribute to nation building. “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Declaration of Independence.

The guarantor of such rights is assured through electing the right candidates to uphold that principle.  

As Indian Americans, we have a natural affinity towards anyone that resonates India and things Indian. The discussions are taking place in American Indian homes across the nation about whom to support between Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Senator Kamala Harris.

No Indian American wants to mess up what has been good for us; a cohesive America where all of us can function together for common good, and want to elect the candidates who uphold the dream of Martin Luther King Jr., to treat every human for his/her character and not his/her faith or skin color.

Kamala is progressive and inclusive in her approach. She will not buy into the prejudices that hold the nation back.  We need to explore if she has faced exclusion from Indian Americans while growing up because her father was black. Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal have a reduced image among Indians because many of them believed their rise was due to conversion which proved to be wrong. Raja Krishnamoorthy, Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna and others have made it. 

Tulsi Gabbard, on the other hand, has a questionable record that she needs to address. She seems to be prejudiced against fellow Americans who are Muslims and perhaps LGBTQ community and not sure who else. You cannot build a peaceful and prosperous nation with such an attitude, in the end, everyone lives in apprehension.

She has an affinity for authoritarians like Hafez Assad, Putin, Modi, and Trump. She is in the wrong party; she belongs to the exclusive Republican Party rather than the all-inclusive Democratic party.

Vox.com writes in an article about Tulsi, “Gabbard’s fall from grace in the Democratic Party came in a bizarre fashion: She picked a series of high-profile fights with the Obama administration over foreign policy. Gabbard was an exception. As early as January 2015, she started going on every cable channel that would have her — including Fox News — and bashing Obama’s policy on terrorism. She sounded indistinguishable from a Republican presidential candidate.”

She was pushing Obama to acknowledge the oxymoron phrase, Radical Islam, without realizing that Radicals exists in every group of people and Islam has nothing to do with it, if she did not get this, I would be happy to coach her or she can read the book “American Muslim Agenda.”  Here is a video made in June 2016 about the issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsnqLkRNI4U  

In a tweet on Oct 1, 2015, she praised Putin, “Al-Qaeda attacked us on 9/11 and must be defeated. Obama won’t bomb them in Syria. Putin did.” After visiting Assad, she came back and parroted the regime’s line that there was no difference between the mainstream anti-Assad rebels and ISIS.” She could have asked Modi to apologize to fellow Indians for the massacre of nearly 2000 Indians particularly Muslims as a part of repentance.

Many a parent inadvertently poison their kids against fellow Americans, without realizing that when their kids grow up to be adults, they have to work with the very people they were told to keep away from, it must be painful for these men and women to form trustful relationships.  Not sure how much of brainwashing her father has done to her to hold such views against LGBTQ and Muslim communities.

I urge the Hindu Americans to look for candidates who will build a bridge between fellow Americans, at the end of the day, we owe it our children, grandchildren and ourselves to have a cohesive America, where all of us can live in harmony and not in suspicion of each other.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His new book, the “American Muslim Agenda” is about everything you wanted to know about Muslims. The book is available at Xlibris and Amazon. Mike is a public speaker, author, interfaith wedding officiant, and the executive director of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. More about him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/

How Nikki Haley Was Redeemed by Donald Trump

Nikki Haley redeemed by Trump | http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com

It is sad, very sad indeed, that a few among us, who have been living in the United States for a long time have not Americanized yet. What is being an American? It is minding our own business and living our own lives and questioning our own prejudices.

There are a few among us who are too quick to judge - Oh, your name is Mike, what is your real name? Ah, you took that name to save your tail from Anti-Muslim rhetoric, or you called yourselves Mike to find in tune with the white people.....  how ridiculous are these men and women! They simply don't have the brains to question, they should not call themselves Indians, Indians are brainy people and not idiots to jump to conclusions without inquiring.  If you care to read, here is my story of how I got my name.  My name is Mike Ghouse. 


You see the other commentator below is John Laxmi,  and the writer of the article is Andy Ghiradelli. None of us chose the names to appease any one, we chose because we liked it and have other reasons for it, and all the three of us are Indians.   There is no such thing as a Muslim Name, Christian Name, Hindu Name or a Jewish Name, name is an identity and our great grand children will be fully American, meaning they will reject some of the prejudices a few of the Indians poison their kids with towards other people's religions, traditions or races.

I was a humanist and chose to become a Muslim when things got bad for Muslims. I raised my children to be pluralists - that is,  I took them to nearly every place of worship - from different Churches, Mosques, Gurdwaras, Temples and Synagogues. I even took my daughter to an LGBT Church.  I did not want to raise my kids as bigots who are prejudiced towards people, people of other faiths, races and traditions. If I have done one thing right in my life, it is them, prejudice free children. If they want to choose a religion, any religion for that matter, my happiness would be the same. Religion is a beautiful things to have, it helps one with finding answers and peace within, and all the beautiful religions do that. 

Disagree with a person for his views, but don't be biased or hateful towards the other.

Mike Ghouse


Comments from John Laxmi; 

Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal continue to be singled out for criticism by some liberals and critics. (See today's NYT op-ed by Anand Giridharadas referenced below.) 

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the change of religion and / or name is not unique to these two politicians.  It is also worth noting that the change in name and/or religion is neither necessary nor sufficient to succeed in politics (or any other field).  One needs substantive credentials to be successful.   To suggest otherwise is condescending both to the politician and to the electorate.   

• Did Barack Obama rise to power and fame primarily because he adopted Christianity instead of following his father's faith? Several well-respected media reports indicated that Obama was likely registered as a Muslim in school records in Indonesia.  http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2007/dec/20/chain-email/obama-attended-an-indonesian-public-school/     

• Did Obama not have sufficient credentials to be elected POTUS? He would probably have been elected even if he had acknowledged openly to having been born Muslim but followed Christian faith as his own choice. 

• Mr. Ameresh Babulal Bera (a DEMOCRAT) converted to the Unitarian faith late in life.  Bera also started using the name "Ami."   The converted Ami Bera was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013.   Did Bera not have credentials of his own (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ami_Bera ) to win office?  Did he win only because he converted to a different religion or changed his name?  Is all this part of his nefarious plans to run for governor or POTUS? Is Ami Bera being given a pass because he happens to be a Democrat? 

• Rohit Khanna (a Democrat) ran as "Ro" against fellow Democrat Mike Honda for Congress and lost in California. Both of them got more votes than the Republican candidate, Vanila Singh (who is of Indian origin).   Mike Honda won.  Did he win because he changed his Japanese name "Makoto" to "Mike"?  

• On the other hand, Niraj Antani, a 24-year-old Republican, was elected to the Ohio State House of Representatives without changing his name or religion in 2014.  Almost 60+ years ago, Dilip Singh Saund, a Democrat, ran for Congress in 1957 from California and won -- without changing his name or religion. 

• Would Dilip Singh Saund and Niraj Antani have become governor or POTUS if only they had changed name and religion?  Or, Did Antani get votes because his last name sounds Italian?

By the way, Governor Haley has not sought to hide or deny her origins.  Gov. Haley had a Sikh wedding, in addition to a Methodist ceremony. Haley's cousin can be seen holding up a picture from the Sikh wedding, where her husband has a beard and turban. (Scroll right to third picture: http://www.demotix.com/news/500075/relatives-nikki-haley-amritsar#media-500071 ) 

And, during Gov. Haley's visit to India, she and her husband paid a devotional visit  to the Golden Temple ( http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/nikki-haley-pays-obeisance-at-golden-temple/story-i8nsOs1Nmxfz5nkaaMJ20K.html  

None of this is to claim Haley or Jindal to be flawless politicians.  Just pointing out that our continuing focus on the religion and name of Haley may lead to our ignoring other important issues, positive or negative, about her record as governor or her candidacy to be VP.

John

----

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an Indian-American in possession of gubernatorial dreams must be in want of a name like Nikki or Bobby. If I had a name like that, I would not be in Brooklyn writing some online-only essay, wearing a Uniqlo hoodie. I would probably be in Jackson, Montgomery or Raleigh, wearing a red velvet robe, tweaking my State of the State address. And if my name were Nikki or Bobby, the state of the state would be pukka — sorry, strong.

Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and former Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana are the first Indian-Americans of national political stature and fame. This always seemed to hold a message for the other 3 million of us: You can be anything you want in America, but if that thing is a governor, you’d better be a Southern Republican who converted to Christianity, with a “Gone With the Wind” accent and a super-unmenacing name. (Bonus points for having aided an exorcism, as Jindal has.) For many of us, it was a dispiriting lesson. Most Indian-Americans dwell outside the South, most lean Democratic, most aren’t Christian and — though this is, admittedly, anecdotal — most don’t go by Bobby or Nikki.

On Tuesday night, I watched Haley give the Republican response to the president’s State of the Union address. Which was a remarkable thing: Here was the 43-year-old nonwhite daughter of Sikh immigrants, speaking on behalf of a party whose base is overwhelmingly older and white and whose primary has boiled over with nationalist rage and distrust of immigrants and Muslims. Here was a woman in the tricky position of both speaking for her party and chiding its nativist extremes.

As she spoke, I asked Indian-Americans on Twitter what their Southern-governor names would be. They knew what I was talking about. Dev Purkayastha became Dave Parkhurst. Shree Chauhan became Sherry Chapman. Anil Podduturi and Raja Doddala became Neil Potter and Roger Dodd; Chitra Aiyar and Jayshree Mahtani become Tricia Myer and Jaycee Martin. Shaleen Title tried to raise her odds with Charlene Reagan. My Southern-governor name is Andy Ghiradelli, though after I tweeted it, I was advised that it might be too Catholic — better something Protestant-sounding.

Many Indian-Americans I know nurse some resentment toward Haley and Jindal. It is a complex feeling. Part of it is the generic loathing of inauthenticity that bedevils many leaders — like Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush. The religious conversions, the nicknames, the immigration stances: It all seems a little too convenient, too calculated. But in Haley and Jindal’s cases, the feeling is deeper. When Nimrata Randhawa, born to Sikhs, becomes the Methodist politician Nikki Haley, and when Piyush Jindal, born to Hindus, becomes the Catholic politician Bobby Jindal — and when they are the only Indian-Americans who make it to the governor’s mansion — it confirms unuttered suspicions: that the road to brown political success is not via colorblindness but rather via the simulation of whiteness. You worry that certain correlates of whiteness — Methodism, guns, the name Nikki — are needed to compensate for your lack of the actual thing. You fear that figures like the two governors, far from euthanizing the demographically doomed idea of America as a synonym for whiteness, may actually be keeping it on life support.

Haley sounded the necessary Republican notes about the exceptional nature of the country: “The freest and greatest,” the “last, best hope on earth.” But in her words was a theory of American history that went deeper than the a priori “we’re the best” peddled by many of her colleagues. She said her state’s past, like the country’s, wasn’t only “rich” but also “complicated” — an unmistakable allusion to the racial hatred that has proved especially indefatigable in South Carolina. Our history, she said, “proves the idea that each day can be better than the last.” It is a view in which America wasn’t born perfect and corrupted by time, but born corrupt and perfected by time.

When she lamented a “broken” American political system that had lost the public trust, she blamed her fellow Republicans alongside Democrats — an even-handedness that earned her criticism from some G.O.P. talking heads. She alluded to tolerance for homosexuality when she said her party would “respect differences in modern families.” She called a white man a “terrorist.” And back when that terrorist, Dylann Roof, murdered nine people at a prayer meeting in Charleston, Haley famously seized the political moment to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds — a feat that Issac Bailey, a longtime journalist in the state, measured against Ben Carson’s achievements and declared “just as miraculous as successfully separating conjoined twins."

It was when Haley spoke as “the proud daughter of Indian immigrants” that she most shone. She recalled a humble childhood in the rural South: “My family didn’t look like our neighbors, and we didn’t have much.” She spoke of the communal closeness that helped them to weather tough times and of the dream of self-invention that propelled her climb. And then she trumped Trump, and those others with similar ideas but less instinct for virality. “During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” she said. “We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”

Who knows whether the speech will be to Haley what a 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote speech was to one Barack Hussein Obama — who, it should be noted, became really successful after returning from Barry to Barack. Elements on the right loathed Ms. Haley’s performance: The professional firebrand Ann Coulter tweeted that “Trump should deport Nikki Haley.” But others remarked that Haley should have run for president in 2016 or should at least be considered as a vice-presidential nominee. She will surely struggle to forge agreement within her party on its tone and its sentiments toward a changing America. But it was thrilling to watch a Southern, Republican, Methodist daughter of Indian Sikhs try something even grander: to create a broader, two-party consensus on the simple, exceptional idea that an American is defined by shared hope, not shared blood.

This is Andy Ghiradelli, and I approve this message.

Anand Giridharadas is a columnist for The International New York Times and the author, most recently, of “The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas.”Advertisementntinue reading the main stoAnd then, on Tuesday night, Haley gave her speech. In a party now dominated by Donald Trump’s proposed Muslim-banning, Ted Cruz’s “I don’t know if sand can glow in the dark” carpet-bombing threats and Marco Rubio’s “out of place in our own country” nativism, Haley’s words arrived like a cleansing rain: hopeful, inclusive, magnanimous and conservative all at once. She instantly became a Pope Francis for the G.O.P. — a heretic in tone, not in doctrine. And there are times, as the pope seems to understand, when a new spirit breathed into an institution can become its own kind of doctrine.

A test for Indian Americans - US hits out at Modi government for punitive action against NGOs

The NGO's are being harassed by the Current Indian Government, they have not even spared Ford Foundation. A government is to serve people and not dictate them. If the United States is taking the stand against the harassment,  should we stand with India's current Government or the United States as citizens of this nation?

Mike Ghouse

 

US hits out at Modi government for punitive action against NGOs

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-us-hits-out-at-modi-government-for-punitive-action-against-ngos-2083906

US Ambassador Richard Verma further said citizens have a "inalienable right" in a democratic society to argue peacefully and ask questions or challenge laws.

• 

The US today hit out at Modi government for the punitive action against scores of NGOs, saying those who act peacefully to seek change are not anti-government and not trying to weaken national security.

US Ambassador Richard Verma further said citizens have a "inalienable right" in a democratic society to argue peacefully and ask questions or challenge laws.

"I read with some concern the recent press reports on challenges faced by theNGOs operating in India. Because a vibrant civil society is so important to both of our democratic traditions, I do worry about the potentially chilling effects of these regulatory steps focused on NGOs," Verma said.

He was delivering a lecture on "Foundation of the US-India Strategic-Plus Relationship" at Ananta Aspean Institute, a think-tank.

In a crackdown on NGOs allegedly receiving illegal foreign funds, the government last month had cancelled licences of nearly 9,000 such entities for violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

The US-based Ford Foundation has also been put on the 'watch list' by the Home Ministry, which directed that funds coming from the international donor should not be released by any bank to any Indian NGO without mandatory permission from it. The government had also barred Greenpeace India from receiving foreign funds with immediate effect.

Noting that it was natural to have areas of disagreement between the two countries, he said he was looking forward to some tough discussions with India on certain issues, indicating that action against NGOs may be one of them.

"I also know there will be times when we disagree, and I look forward to those conversations, too. Yes, I look forward to the tough discussions because my argument is not that our two sovereign countries must be exactly the same," he said.

After the Ford Foundation was put on the watch list, the US State Department had protested and the issue was also reportedly raised by under secretary for political affairs Wendy Sherman during her meetings with senior Indian officials here last week.

The US Ambassador said, "I believe in the inalienable right of citizens in a democratic society to argue peacefully for a government they believe is more just, more moral, and more reflective of their individual beliefs.

"This is the same right that found a manifestation in Gandhiji's satyagrahas in Africa and India," he added.

Noting that it was natural to have areas of disagreement between the two countries, he said he was looking forward to some tough discussions with India on certain issues.

"I also know there will be times when we disagree, and I look forward to those conversations, too. Yes, I look forward to the tough discussions because my argument is not that our two sovereign countries must be exactly the same," he said.

Talking about rights of the citizens and civil society groups, Verma also mentioned Jawaharlal Nehru, B R Ambedkar and Lokmanya Tilak.

"The American Revolution was steeped in the quest for liberty from tyranny. Our founding fathers sought a government that would be run by the people and for the people.

American founding father Patrick Henry expressed this when he exclaimed 'give me liberty or give me death!'

"Over 100 years later, Lokmanya Tilak's declaration that 'Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it' was a siren call for all in India who sought to end British rule. And as India's freedom came at midnight in 1947, Nehru reflected that her 'soul, long suppressed' had found 'its utterance'," Verma said.

The Ambassador said the "similar histories of our founding eras make it clear that our societies are two that reject totalitarianism or authoritarianism in favour of giving every part of society a voice in government." Highlighting issues relating to various communities in the US, he said, "If we we seek to improve the fabric of our nation, we must be willing to engage

in a vigorous exchange about our values, their meaning, and the direction of our communities."

Talking about bilateral ties, he said it was fair to say the it is "stronger and more vibrant than it has ever been." "When our leaders first decided to cast off the chill of the cold war and improve our relations, it was mostly due to the many convergent strategic interests of India and US. The bet was that the democratic values and deep personal ties our nations shared would lead us naturally toward a strong economic and strategic partnership," he said.

The envoy said the visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US and President Obama to India in January have re-energized the partnership that has been growing steadily for at least the last 15 years or so even if for one reason or another, it was not always growing as fast as it could.

Sri Srinivasan - The Supreme Court Nominee-in-Waiting

This is one hell of happy news for us; it’s an expression of integration, that Indians are fully participating and contributing members of the society at large. Despite the flaws in our democracies (American and Indian), we are the most inclusive societies.


The New Yorker reports this great news: "The next Supreme Court confirmation hearing begins on Wednesday afternoon, April 10th. Technically, Sri Srinivasan is just a candidate for the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but few are misled. The stakes in this nomination are clear: if Srinivasan passes this test and wins confirmation, he’ll be on the Supreme Court before President Obama’s term ends."

We have a lot more work to do in India and the United States to truly make it a society, where every individual is honored for his or her contributions to the nation building without regards to his or her religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and nationality.

We do have bigots in both nations and we need to continue to have a dialogue with them to treat every American (USA) or Indian (India) as an individual to be treated with full dignity without prejudice.

When a Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Christian, Dalit, Muslim and Hindu achieves success, and if each one of us can celebrate that success by draining sewerage out of our hearts that he is a Christian, Muslim or Sikh... then we have achieved Moksha, Mukti and freedom, and congratulations to all those who have achieved that, and those who have not, please do not miss out that opportunity in your life time.

 Mike Ghouse is an Indian American speaker, thinker, writer and a pluralist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day – details at www.MikeGhouse.net and his daily writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com

URL - http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2013/04/sri-srinivasan-supreme-court-nominee-in.html  

...........

The Supreme Court Nominee-in-Waiting

By Jeffrey Toobin

The next Supreme Court confirmation hearing begins on Wednesday afternoon, April 10th. Technically, Sri Srinivasan is just a candidate for the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but few are misled. The stakes in this nomination are clear: if Srinivasan passes this test and wins confirmation, he’ll be on the Supreme Court before President Obama’s term ends.

The next Supreme Court confirmation hearing begins on Wednesday afternoon, April 10th. Technically, Sri Srinivasan is just a candidate for the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but few are misled. The stakes in this nomination are clear: if Srinivasan passes this test and wins confirmation, he’ll be on the Supreme Court before President Obama’s term ends. 

The D.C. Circuit has long operated as a Supreme Court farm team (John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg played their AAA ball there), and Republicans have worked with zeal, and amazing success, to keep Obama from placing a single judge on that court. Just last month, Caitlin Halligan, an eminently qualified New York prosecutor whose confirmation had been shamefully blocked by Senate Republicans for more than two years, withdrew her candidacy. Srinivasan is next up for consideration.

Srinivasan, who is forty-six years old, is currently the Obama Administration’s principal deputy solicitor general. He’s had twenty or so arguments in the Supreme Court, including part of the Administration’s attack on the Defense of Marriage Act last month. He’s been a corporate litigator at O’Melveny & Myers; a junior lawyer in the Office of the Solicitor General; and a law clerk to J. Harvie Wilkinson, who is a moderate conservative on the Fourth Circuit, and then to Sandra Day O’Connor. He earned degrees from Stanford in college, law school, and even business school; he grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, where his parents taught at the state university. 

When Srinivasan’s name first surfaced as a possible nominee to the federal bench, early in Obama’s first term, he drew opposition from labor groups, who appeared to take issue with some of his stands as a private lawyer and in George W. Bush’s Justice Department. (He was a career lawyer, not a political appointee, under Bush.) Lately, those objections to Srinivasan have become muted or disappeared altogether. In part, this may be because those kinds of challenges to a nominee are inherently unfair; lawyers, after all, represent clients. 

More importantly, perhaps, liberal groups have become so frustrated with President Obama’s dithering on judicial nominations that they are happy to see him put forward almost any name. There are four vacancies on the D.C. Circuit, and Obama has just one current nominee for that court. There are, in total, eighty-seven vacancies on the federal courts, and right now the President has just twenty-five nominees to fill those seats. In light of the tactics of obstruction and delay that Republicans have used against his nominees, Obama’s failure to fill the pipeline will cripple his efforts to leave a broad judicial legacy. 

In fairness, Obama’s team has at least mustered a comprehensive effort on Srinivasan’s behalf. Most notably, twelve former Solicitors General, including such Republican notables as Kenneth Starr and Paul Clement, have signed a letter endorsing Srinivasan’s confirmation. He has the sort of impeccable credentials that are much beloved by the Supreme Court bar, though Srinivasan’s own views on the Constitution are more difficult to discern. He has written many briefs but few articles that reveal his own thinking. He is a protégé of Walter Dellinger, the acting Solicitor General in the Clinton Administration and a (mostly) beloved (mostly) liberal figure in the world of the Supreme Court. The safe assumption seems to be that Srinivasan would be the same kind of moderate liberal as Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan (and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, for that matter).

The real issue with a potential Srinivasan nomination would be political. Ginsburg is the justice most likely to retire in the next two years. Would Obama select a woman to take her place? Tom Goldstein, the proprietor of the indispensable SCOTUSblog, thinks the President will feel compelled to keep three women on the court. He points to Kamala Harris, the attorney general of California, as the most likely choice. (It’s now well known that the President already finds Harris an, er, attractive office holder.) Another possibility is Jacqueline Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant who now serves on the Ninth Circuit. But there hasn’t been an active politician like Harris named to the Court since Earl Warren in 1953, and Nguyen is little-known outside California. (If the President does go for a politician, I think the more likely possibility is Amy Klobuchar, the senior Senator from Minnesota.) I am less sure than Goldstein that Obama will nominate a woman to replace Ginsburg. There is no female candidate as obvious as Sotomayor was in 2009, and Srinivasan would, as the first Indian-American on the court, be a history-making choice. 

Plus, if Srinivasan runs the confirmation gauntlet now, it will be difficult for Republicans to argue that he’s unconfirmable just months later. His credentials would surely appeal to Obama, who has a fondness for technocrats, and his thin paper trail would make him difficult to attack. Which is why it looks very much like this hearing isn’t just a test for Srinivasan—it’s a dress rehearsal.

Illustration, of Sri Srinivasan speaking about the Defense of Marriage Act at the Supreme Court, by Art Lien/Reuters.

Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/04/sri-srinivasan-dc-circuit-nominee-supreme-court.html?printable=true&currentPage=all#ixzz2Q02DAEcl

India's unfinished social contract

Indeed, the story is same with most nations. Injustice will not go away, no matter how much we fake it, it builds up and is likely to erupt engulfing everyone into its flames, in the end everyone loses. The long term security of a nation hinges on justice and fairness (Dharma) to every Citizen. 

As Indian Americans, we gripe about our limits in the society, we do shout discrimination, we do scream when so many Indians were denied visas. We hate when a Guru, a student or a politician is denied a visa to the United States.  We have also carried huge discussions on Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley, believing that because they converted to Christianity they made it… there is resentment.


These issues are not going to go away, they sit with us, not with all of us though, but if someone attacks those attitudes, whoever can speak out for us, we become fans of such person. When I attacked SenatorWilliams and Pastor Jeffress for their ignorant comments about Hindus, I got huge support. Similarly if a Hindu speaks out for Justice to others, he or she will be liked as well.


In the United States, resentment was building up in the 50’s with Rosa Park, Selma, Montgomery and other incidents, the black panthers came in to being, the situation would have exploded had it not been for the civil rights and equal opportunity acts led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.  Americans together quickly cured the explosive situation.


Injustice will not go away, no matter how much we fake it, it is likely to erupt, and engulf everyone into its flames, at the end, everyone loses. The long term security of a nation hinges on justice and fairness (dharma) to every Citizen. Indeed Satyameva Jayate.

As Indians, we have to consciously bring closure to many of the unfinished issues, our language has to be inclusive, whatever affects one Indian, should be felt by all, if not we are deficit in our humanity.

I am glad; we are a pluralistic democracy rather than an autocratic, monarchic or dictatorial system where critical issues take time to resolve through consensus, rather than imposition.  Because of the nature of our governance, we have piled up unresolved conflicts that will take time to heal. Among them are; Sikh Genocide, Babri Masjid-Ram JanamBhoomi, Kashmiri Pundits, Gujarat Genocide, misogyny,  and discrimination against the minorities as well as the majorities in schools and jobs. There are other issues, but my focus is social issues.
 

HISTORIC INDIA

The old wounds like the Somnath destruction, indiscriminate killing of Hindus have remained on the psyche of Hindu Indians. It was expressed during Gujarat, to show Muslims their place and to show Sikhs their place during the Sikh Genocide of 1984. We have allowed resentment to flourish towards each other, and the politicians have used us suckers very well. Yes, you and I both. We need to face things squarely and find sustainable solutions.


There is a need for a serious national dialogue where Muslim Indians disown those freaky kings who wreaked havoc on fellow Indian Hindus. Muslims need to continuously disown Aurangzeb and Ghazni.  I seriously doubt if there is any Indian today who is a descendent of them, or has inherited their loot. Today’s Muslims are not responsible for what  the kings did, indeed, most kings, whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Budh or otherwise have made their business to annex the next land, rob the rich, steal from the temples and fill their coffers. Hindus on the other hand need freedom from that pain, and they need to realize that Muslims have nothing to do with what those kings did.We need a national declaration from Hindus and Muslims releasing each other from the past and together forge a new future, and constantly guard ourselves from falling into the old pit.


INDEPENDENT INDIA

Our constitution has flaws and we need to seriously make some amendments. The Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists are categorized as Hindus. Even here on my Radio show in Dallas in 2002, a friend said Jainism was an offshoot of Hinduism and it was immediately objected to, it's happened a few times. We need to learn to recognize the sovereignty of each faith and tradition and honor them for their distinct belief.  If you don’t think, it is a problem, wait until this happens to you.


This is a real story, an American Christian said Salaam Alaikum to a Hindu, or Namaste to a Muslim –most of us smile, as we don’t see that as a problem. However my Hindu friend and the Muslim friend,  were quick to point out the biggest mistake of that’s man's life and spent time teaching them, fortunately neither were denigrating the other. Once I said Salaam to an Egyptian looking guy, he was ferocious and said, I am not a Muslim, no Salaam to me.

You may enjoy the following videos delivered to a gathering of 1200 Christians in Chicago bible Study class that I attended.  I sound like a preacher in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo3a8wX6SXQ . A benediction for Obama's inauguration is here and hope you like it as well - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/president-obamas-ideal-inaugural-benediction_b_2481579.html#es_share_ended


Most of us Indians meet and greet for a few minutes in a year, and want to keep it that way. Very few of us have a genuine interest in putting off sparks. If you do take the time, you will find what is going on in each Indian, the resentment towards fellow Indian is quietly simmering inside, and It needs to be addressed, not suppressed or do the typical Indian thing, “there is really no problem”.

We need to dig deeper and remove such sparks for the long term good of the nation and the each one of us. Hate towards the other eats us alive, we need Mukti from it.
 
What happened to Sikhs was not an instant reaction, there was some unfinished business brewing among communities that erupted and resulted in the Genocide, same goes with the Muslim Genocide in Gujarat. We cannot brush aside these issues, the sparks were there, we need to dig up and find solutions, if not, this will happen again.

Indian Muslims should not be criticized for Pakistan either, they chose to stick with India, and any accusation should be shameful and condemned by every one of the 1.2 Billion Indians. We all need to jump on those Idiots who point their fingers at fellow Indians who are Muslims.

Just because the Prime Minister is a Sikh, the President may be a woman or a Dalit, the injustices toward Sikhs, Women and Dalits do not stop. People are getting along on the surface, one more event like Indira Gandhi happens, then you can see all that hatred burst up into flames. If we are patriotic Indians, we need to feel the hurt of all Indians and fix the problems.

We should not dump these issues onto the next generation, we are conquering the space, we can conquer our prejudices too, that is the greater Jihad (inner struggle) Lord Krishna and Prophet Muhammad had called for. The nation is moving forward cautiously, but unless we bring closure to the issues, we may not feel the goodness in our hearts. The issues will not go away by burying our heads in the sand.

We need to collectively apologize, forgive and restore justice to the victims of such genocides.

What makes sense is for Hindus to take the lead in bringing Justice to all, Muslims to stand up for Hindus, Jains to stand up for Dalits, and Sikhs to stand up for Christians…. Stand up for others, we can change India. You and I will die and be gone, but it is our duty to quit blaming others and find solutions. At least, let it begin with you and me.

Of course, had it not been for Hindus a whole lot more Sikhs, Muslims, Dalits and Christians would have been massacred out, had it not been for Muslims, a whole lot more Hindus would have been driven out of the valley. Thanks to the good ones among us for standing up for others. 

Right now, the GOI has denied Amnesty Int’l to investigate the atrocities of Sikh Genocides; we need Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Christians and Buddhist Indians to take this forward. We can take on one issue at a time. "Injustice to one is injustice to all" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

We need at least five committed individuals to initiate a committee at the Dallas Peace Center to take this forward comprising Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Christian, Dalit and Buddhist, and of course a Sikh Volunteer as well.   

URL-  http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2013/02/indias-unfinished-social-contract.html


HONORING SIKHS - http://911unitydayusa.blogspot.com/2012/09/viii-annual-unityday-update-pictures.html

COMMEMORATING SIKH GENOCIDE - http://holocaustandgenocides.blogspot.com/2013/01/6th-annual-holocaust-and-genocides-sikh_23.html

Mike Ghouse is a former Board Member of Dallas Peace Center with a life time commitment to the center and its work. Please visit DallasPeaceCenter.org for details. 
 ....... Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.