By admin
Hundreds of Vietnamese Americans attended last Tuesday’s City Council meeting to protest a proposed “friendship agreement” with Nha Trang, Vietnam, saying the idea is disrespectful to thousands of people who fled from their homeland as Communist forces took over at the end of the Vietnam War.
Read more here: Councilman Jeff Lalloway
You know, Newsblog, I actually have a degree in history. It’s only a bachelor’s, mind you. But I still find it surprising that every last one of my professors failed to mention that Larry Agran courting the ire of the Vietnamese community by offering friendship status to Nha Trang would mark the end of history. Clearly, though, that must be the case, as you’ve now posted three practically identical articles about it. What else am I to conclude except that there’s nothing left in the record of human endeavor to write about for all of time to come?
Unless… say, this looks like a repost of an article from Jeff Lalloway’s blog. Lalloway is Agran’s chief rival on the City Council. And… one of your last articles on the subject was a repost from Christina Shea’s blog–Shea being one of Lalloway’s Republican colleagues in the Council. You’re not just posting partisan talking points under the guise of news, are you, Newsblog?
No, I refuse to believe that of you, Newsblog! Why, such a revelation would cast doubt on your integrity as a journalist–on your commitment to the transcendence of that discipline from the insidious and banal practices of rank partisan propagandists.
Say it ain’t so, Art! How could Irvine possibly carry on if our trust in Newsblog as our objective news source of record is undermined?
So we shouldn’t report what our Council Members have to say on topics of interest?
By all means, do! I would like to see this reporting you speak of. It was not so much reporting I was calling to question as it was copying and pasting.
Here, Newsblog, watch this:
Who was that first speaker on the agenda item? Wasn’t it Supervisor Nguyen? Did you catch that bit where she thanked Lalloway for tipping her off about the Nha Trang proposal? Now, as Agran has it, the other council members were aware of the proposal and hadn’t raised any questions or concerns. IF that’s true, then Lalloway pulled a fast one on Larry worthy of the ending of a Godfather sequel.
Now, if I had a big fancy Newsblog, I’d like to think I’d have considered sending out requests for comment on this sometime between pressing control-C and pressing control-P (somehow I see you as a Windows guy).
Now you try, Newsblog! Oh, this is exciting. I can’t wait to see your first efforts! I’ll be so proud of you!
Agran could avoid these problems by sticking to city business but he loves to grandstand. This time it backfired.
But are the sister/friendship city programs even opposed by the Republican council members? Why was Agran the one making proposals for this? You almost have the impression it was an assignment. After all, his faction is out of power: why else would he be doing this instead of, say, Lalloway or Shea?
Wow! Once you get started with this “asking questions” business, it’s hard to stop! You really just have to give this a try, Newsblog! You can stick your press credentials in the band of your fedora (you do have a fedora, don’t you? I know Moxley does), and make like a real reporter!
Unless, will Momma Shea and Pop Lalloway not let you outside to play? Come on, Art! Say it along with me: “I am not a mouthpiece, I am a journalist! I am not a mouthpiece, I am a journalist!”
Like I said this was grandstanding by Agran. He needs to cut that out. If his team loses this November he is finished.
Oh, I heard you the first time, Newsblog. But is that assertion the product investigation or an effort in indoctrination? That’s what I want to know. And, if the former, will we, perchance, be let in on the story of how you came by this information? Show your work, Newsblog.
You know, I think I have a spare fedora if you need to borrow one to turn in the rest of your assignment late.
One might argue that this story broke too soon and that by November it will bw forgotten. But our Vietnamese American community doesn’t forget such slights. They’ll be walking precincts for the Council majority – and writing checks too.
So indoctrination, then?
It would take the willful privilege of wild supposition over reason and judiciousness to act on Agran’s proposal as though it were it slight. It probably would even require willful misinterpretation of the facts at hand.
Feeding into that isn’t journalism, Newsblog. It’s nothing more than pouring gasoline on the flames.
So now you’re going to dictate how people should feel?
Dictate? Don’t be absurd, Newsblog. I’m opining how others should feel. So are you. I’m just doing a better job of it.
Whether or not this scandalous episode lingers is not something any of us can predict but I know that this was very hurtful to the OC Vietnamese community. And I can’t imagine that our Chinese American brethren were terribly pleased to see Agran cozying up ro the Chi-coms either.
Yeah, such a scandal. When do you think the TV mini series will be made? “In a world where one man’s innocent, fairly reasonable proposal inspires cacophonous rabble to make an issue out of nothing….” Riveting stuff. All the Presidents Men will have nothing on this.