abbyville

亲爱的朋友们，

你们中的许多人和我一样都是从大洋彼岸移居到美国的华人第一代移民。 我们之所以在美国落地生根，是因为美国的立国精神和它的宪法秉承了许多人类终极的理想，其中之一就是人人生而平等。 在美国没有次等公民,这是这个国家的精神和承诺，更是宪法赋予这个国度每个人的权力。

然而这个承诺并非时常可以兑现，由于贪婪，自私和偏见，美国国会在1882年通过了臭名昭著的排华草案， 从此华人在美国承受了超过60年的种族歧视，这些歧视具体体现在多个层面，其中最屈辱的莫过于华人不许与白人结婚，不许申请家人团聚，不许购买土地，不许归化为公民等等。如果没有前几代华人的抗争和奋斗，我们今天的新移民或许仍然生活在歧视的阴影下。当一个强势群体去剥夺一个弱势群体利益和权利的时候，弱势群体就是次等公民；当弱势群体在遭受与强势群体不同的待遇时，就产生了社会中的歧视。 8号提案就是如此，它迫使我们的政府将同性社区划为次等公民并剥夺他们最最基本的人权 － 组织婚姻和家庭。

最近我接到不少华人拉票的电话，华人超市门口也常有派发支持8号提案的志愿者，我的确对此感到困扰。作为一个生活在湾区的移民，我也曾尝试过被歧视的滋味。 多数轻视少数，强势欺负弱势。在走出排华草案的半个世纪后，难道我们已经忘记创痛，并组织起来去剥夺另一个弱势群体吗，很抱歉，我完全无法接受。

亲爱的朋友，以马丁路德金为领袖的民权运动给了我们（有色人种）与白人平等的权利。 这之所以成为可能就是因为美国有许多人为了“人人生而平等”的立国精神在不懈的抗争。 8号提案与美国的精神背道而驰，我敦促你反对8号提案并向世人表达你的观点。

上帝向世人宣扬博爱的精神，我们华人同样有人之初，性本善之说， 任何传统和宗教的价值观都不应以歧视他人，枉顾和剥夺他人权利为理由去践踏人人生而平等，这个人类最基本的原则。

感谢你的理解。

Dear friends 亲爱的朋友

Most of you are Asians and being an immigrant has special meaning to you. United States holds a number of honorable ideals.

One being everyone are equal under law. There is no second class citizen here in America. That is the promise. Though the promise is often no delivered. The Chinese Exclusion Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act_(United_States) is
an example. In 1882, Chinese men are not allow to united with their wives. Whenever a majority takes away rights from a minority group, that is treating the minority as second class citizen. Or when minority group is treated differently from a majority group, that is discrimination. Proc 8 does this. It forces our government to treat gay and lesbian couples differently.

A Chinese woman came up to me the other day just before I enter a Chinese super market. She tried to pass me a flyer pro Proc 8. Needless to say, I was disturbed. As an immigrate living in the bay area, I had encountered my share of racism. A majority bullying a minority. Is it our turn as immigrate Chinese or Asian to bully a minority group now? This is completely unacceptable.

The Civil Rights movement gave us (color people) equality to the whites. It was possible became our nation claim “all men are created equal”. Proc 8 goes against the grain of the American sprite. I urge you to vote NO on Prop 8 and spread the word against it.

Jesus preached love for all man kind and I believe god made men intrinsically moral. He gave each of us a bible before we were born. So, I claim don’t leave your internal bible out before voting on this issue.

Any complain address directly to me please

Thanks