Asian Culture Center discusses racial profiling 'Over a Cup of Tea'

About 25 people gathered Wednesday night at the Asian Culture Center for "Over a Cup of Tea," a monthly forum on Asian and Asian American issues. The group met to discuss Wen Ho Lee, a 60-year-old Chinese American nuclear physicist accused of espionage.\nHe was arrested for mishandling classified information at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Jeannine Bell, an associate law professor and one of the forum's discussion leaders, asked the question at the heart of the night's topic: "Was this racial profiling?"\nNick Cullather, an associate history professor and discussion leader said nuclear secrets have traditionally been tied to issues of race. He referred to the capital murder of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, children of Polish immigrants, who were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951.\n"Whether or not they actually did it was immaterial," Cullather said. "The government was, in fact, making a point about split loyalties of ethnic groups," he said of the Rosenbergs.\n"Is this profiling or not?" Bell asked. "Was this selective prosecution? Were there issues of unfair treatment?"\nLee was arrested for downloading information that was not secret at the time. He was held in prison for nine months without bail.\n"When pressed to point to a country (Lee) was spying for, (the U.S. government) indicated he was a freelance spy," Cullather said. Members of the crowd chuckled.\n"I don't think this has anything to do with racial profiling," said Lewis Maudlin, a prosecutor in Washington County. Maudlin said he thought Lee was guilty of the charges because, among other things, he pleaded guilty to one charge and didn't go to trial.\n"After nine months (a plea bargain) would look pretty darn good to me, because I could go home at the very least," Bell responded. "I think the United States government found an easy mark (in Lee). The case wasn't evidence-based. If they had something, him pleading guilty to one count would not have been the outcome."\nCullather said the real issue is how Asians and Asian-Americans are perceived.\n"Beyond guilt or innocence, the issue in Lee's case was how the American government views Asian and Asian-Americans. Most Americans see Asians as an undifferentiated mass," said Cullather.\nThe United States accused Lee of spying for China, although he was born in Taiwan and is now a U.S. citizen.\n"He has lived here since the '60s or '70s," said Chin-Li Wang, a Taiwanese master's student in the School of Law. "He went to Texas A&M. He raised his family here. He is an American citizen. We don't think of him as Taiwanese. We think of him as American. That's why we don't care." \nHe grinned as he adjusted the black cardigan resting on his shoulders. Then his grin faded. \n"For Asian Americans, no matter how long they have been here, they are seen as Asians," he said.\nDaisy Rodriguez, a Filipino American doctoral student in higher education and student affairs said she gets offended when people comment on her English. She was raised in the United States and is an American citizen. "People ask me where I'm from, and when I say the United States, they say 'No, I mean what country are you actually from.' I'm a United States citizen."\nMelanie Castillo-Cullather, director of the Asian Culture Center, said Lee's case has given reservations to Asian people who want to come to the United States. She said many scientists from China do not want to apply for American government positions because they do not want to invite trouble.\n"It has an affect on aspiring Asian professionals wanting to work in the United States. It has a domino effect," she said.\nCullather said the Asian community is at an important point in the process of forming an identity within the larger context of ethnic minorities in the United States. \n"There is a change happening here," he said. "Something is about to happen"