THE PRESIDENT AND HIS MANDARIN CLASS COLLEAGUES ECHOED THE ORWELLIAN BUGLE OF GENERAL JOHN DEWITT 80 DAYS AFTER PEARL HARBOR: “THE VERY FACT THAT NO SABOTAGE HAS TAKEN PLACE TO DATE IS A DISTURBING AND CONFIRMING INDICATION THAT SUCH ACTION WILL BE TAKEN.” I AM REMINDED OF MARK ANTHONY’S MOCKING FUNERAL ORATION IN JULIUS CEASAR: BUT PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT WAS AN HONORABLE MAN, SO WERE HIS ASSISTANTS ALL HONORABLE MEN. RISKING OSTRACISM OR WORSE, OUR FOUR AWARD WINNERS CHALLENGED THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT’S RACISM. ROOSEVELT’S CAMPS WERE TEN: MANZANAR (CA), POSTON (AZ), GILA RIVER (AZ), TOPAZ (UT), GRANADA (CO), HEART MOUNTAIN (WY), MINIDOKA (ID), TULE LAKE (CA), JEROME, (AR), AND ROHWER (AR). FOR THEY ARE FIRST COUSINS OF BERGEN-BELSON, BUCHENWALD, DACHAU, AND SACHSENHAUSEN, NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS, NOT EXTERMINATION CAMPS LIKE AUSCHWITZ. PROVOKED BY RACISM IN THEN WEST COAST BATTLEGROUND STATES, EO 9066 SUMMARILY DISPATCHED 120,000 INNOCENT JAPANESE AMERICANS BECAUSE OF THEIR ANCESTRY ALONE INTO INTERNMENT CAMPS. OUR DEFENDER OF LIBERTY AWARD RECIPIENTS RESISTED THE RACIST TYRANNY OF PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT’S EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066 ISSUED UNILATERALLY WITHOUT CONGRESS ON FEBRUARY 19, 1942, A DATE THAT SHOULD LIVE IN INFAMY. WHAT IS MORE AMERICAN THAN FIDELITY TO THOMAS JEFFERSON’S INJUNCTION THAT RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY IS OBEDIENCE TO GOD? IT CAN BE SAID WITHOUT EXAGGERATION, SELDOM IN THE ANNALS OF LIBERTY HAVE SO MANY OWED SO MUCH TO SO FEW. THEY ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN AMERICAN HEROES AND HEROINES OF WORLD WAR II. AND WE HAVE THE MOUNT RUSHMORE OF MORAL COURAGE TO HONOR THIS EVENING: FRED KOREMATSU, GORDON HIRABAYAHSI, MINORU YASUI, AND MITSUYE ENDO.
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