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| Huynh at wedding late last year |
His name is Thich Huynh, and he has lived in Easton since 1979. He is part of the diaspora of Vietnamese refugees who fled the Communists at the end of the Vietnam war, with nothing other than the clothing on their backs. This was during a time when we did not automatically close the door in the faces of persons fleeing tyranny and human rights abuses in other countries.
He was part of a large family of sisters, brothers and their families who left by boat and made their way to the USA after spending several months at a camp in Indonesia.
When the family first arrived, they were initially placed by Catholic Charities in the Bath and Tamaqua area, where they were put to work on local farms.
Huynh's family was ultimately placed in Easton. All of them found jobs and a few of them worked two or three jobs to support their families. One of them could take a car apart and put it back together, and received such high grades that he was offered a scholarship. He received a Ph.D. in Engineering and now works at NASA, designing rockets.
Thich is no NASA scientist or scholar, but was happy to work at Circle Systems, now known as Shutt Sports, reconditioning football helmets.
Huynh has no car and is accustomed to walking everywhere. Sometimes I see him and offer to give him a ride, but unless it is very cold, he likes to walk.
That's what he was doing on Wednesday night when people began shooting. He usually walks an hour or so after dinner. He was walking near his home and had stopped near a park for a moment to rest when he was struck in the chin by a bullet.
Police rushed him to the hospital. When the hospital was ready to release him later that evening, he had no clothing. Police had taken everything, even his shoes, for evidence. They also took the keys he needs to get in his home, so his sister and brother were unable to get him clothing. The hospital scrounged around and found some old clothing for him to wear.
On Thursday morning, at 6 am, Huynh reported to work. But because the doctor placed him on "light duty" for 10 days, Huynh was sent home. He will lose two weeks pay. He is naturally terrified after having been shot, so I doubt he'll be taking many walks. West Ward has become a war zone in which every illegal car is booted by the Panto Parking Police, but shooters are at large.
They've got their priorities.
Lance Wheeler, a long-time West Ward activist and local constable, wants to know why there were no cameras in the park.
"The Mayor wants to ban guns in parks. How about installing cameras? If there were cameras, police would already have the shooters."
Noting that the City recently received a grant from the County for things like landlord training, Wheeler thinks a better use of that money would have been for cameras.
"They have cameras everywhere downtown. Why not the West Ward?"
Vietnam, incidentally, ranks #120 of 170 countries for gun violence. The United States ranks first.
69 comments:
Wheeler for Mayor. He should have ran against pants last election... Pants wants to waste resources on laws he can't enforce and aren't even proven to work but hasn't even thought about cameras?
But is there anyone to donate to the individual who,was shot?
Huynh will lose two weeks pay and I am sure his health insurance will not cover his bill. I will talk to the family about setting up a GoFundMe account, but they are proud people and I doubt they will go for it.
I'm not from Easton but how about the Mayor calling his place of employment an d seeing if he can pursuade them not to dock his pay. After all he did nothing wrong and is lucky to be alive.
Bernie set up the account anyway.
I promise I will discuss it with his family, but I know these people and they are very proud. Thich's sister likes to brag that she raised four children as a single mother, and never applied for a dime of public assistance. She instead sewed day and night, worked in a Chinese restaurant and drove to Reading every day for two years straight to learn how to do nails. She eventually opened a business and did well in Allentown and then the NIZ came. She is part of what some asshole realtor called a "cancer" on Business Matters.
Why not be honest about your involvement with this man and family? What are you hiding?
The difference, of course, being that in 1979, the Vietnamese refugees were not considered to be terrorists.
We didn't have Vietnamese refugees shooting up government offices, nightclubs, blowing up embassies, and all of the other haenous acts that seem to emanate from the Middle East. Rightly or wrongly, the terrorists from the Middle East attack airports, blow up people sitting in restaurants, and kill people simply because they aren't the same religion of the terrorists. In Europe, on New Years Eve, there were rape gangs of refugees from the Middle East attacking women in Germany.
The terrorist gangs of the Middle East have announced they are sending terrorists into the refugee stream. Sorry, we don't want that here.
This is awful.
So sorry for this man and his family.
Jesus, nothing but bad news lately. I always go by the mantra though, "when good news becomes newsworthy, we are in bad trouble."
Thanks for letting us know about this gentleman. If any fundraising site goes up I will share it.
It's a shame what happend to Mr. Huynh. Easton is becoming another Allentown with its shootings.
However, I belive with 5:14 a.m. that the Vietnamese refugees are proud humble people.
I served in VeitNam and witnessed this first hand. Why bring your liberal views into this tragedy.
Wheeler is self serving, and true Easton residents know him well, that's why he lost for judge in his own neighborhood.. bernie, please don't ask me to give proof or shut my mouth. Proof would destroy your opinion of Wheeler.
How sad. Condolences to this man's family.
Again the misinformed Bernie quotes the anti gun propaganda to promote the anti gun crusade with misinformation. There are more than 100 countries ahead of us in violent gun crimes. The United States, because of our Constitution, is one of the safest countries to live. Even in Great Britain the crime rate is higher than the U.S. and they have very tough gun laws. There are 190,000,000 gun owners in America. Today
189,999,999 gun owners didn't commit a crime. But lets concentrate on that one scum bag who did.
There was a general sense that we betrayed the Vietnamese by pulling our forces out and leaving them to fend for themselves. The Jane Fondas and John Kerrys of the world sided with the communists and when they forced Nixon to pull out and Ford to abandon them without weapons to fight, the resulting refugees from the "re-education" camps and communist firing squads were welcomed here.
By and large, the Vietnamese that came to the United States in the late 1970s have assimilated into our culture and added theirs to it. In many cities today, there are Asian business areas that you can find Vietnamese stores and restaurants, they send their children to our schools, and now several generations of Vietnamese consider themselves Americans and have done well economically.
Islamic refugees, do not play well with Western Civilization and our culture or laws. Muslims either adapt to our laws and traditions or they need to leave. Their culture has been at war white Western Values and our Civilization long before the Iranians took over our embassy in 1979, and the constant string of terrorist activities, killing Americans simply because we are Americans now for the past four decades. It is that simple.
We have women's rights and gay rights they don't believe in. Women are treated like animals and homosexuals are killed. We like bacon. We like dogs. I don't care that they disapprove. They can go disapprove somewhere else.
Why would the police take his clothes? Do they think he fired a gun?
It's not because of the Vietnamese our airports today are like fortresses and going on an airliner is like visiting a prison, having to go though an army of security.
It's because of Muslims
While we're blocking the Muslim Terrorists and their Mexican friends, lets also make sure we don't let anymore Irish or Eye-talians into the country either! And don't get me started on those breeding rabbit Catholics who just glom onto the government teet!
While we work to ban guns lets also make breaking the law illegal
Bernie: your gun stats are very misleading. It is NOT gun crimes that we are reported as number one, but GUNS PER 100 RESIDENTS. So yes, we are number one in the amount of guns per capita. The stat has nothing to do with crimes.
An overwhelming amount of gun crimes are done in so called gun free zones, or cities where it is illegal to carry them (CHICAGO) .
How many lives are SAVED by guns?
I think you should retract your statement.
That report also was from 2002, 14 years ago!!!
Gun violence has gone down dramatically since then
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/03/weve-had-a-massive-decline-in-gun-violence-in-the-united-states-heres-why/
Jim West, you mean my stats don't day what you want them to say. There is nothing misleading about my claim. In fact, The Washington Post reports that Americans are ten times more likely to be killed by gun violence than people in other developed countries. We are a sick violent society and guns play a role in that. This is why the state needs to more strictly regulate where guns can be used and why cities like Easton need to get their heads out of their asses and start putting cameras in the West Ward.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-u-s-gun-deaths-compare-to-other-countries/
"How many lives are SAVED by guns?"
Ask your buddies in the NRA to commission a study showing how many lives were saved by gun violence. Break it down into lives saved by gun-toting members of the public. I am unaware of any of these gun-totin' second amendment types who have actually saved lives. They are better at using guns in road rage incidents or open carrying to prove how tough they are.
4:17, How I know this person and his family is none of your business and irrelevant to this story.
"Why would the police take his clothes? Do they think he fired a gun?"
Police said they needed the clothing as evidence, but they sure as hell did not need his keys, ID card and shoes. That was just ridiculous. He did get his keys and ID card back the next day.
"Wheeler is self serving, and true Easton residents know him well, that's why he lost for judge in his own neighborhood."
I have known lance for many years, and i know his good and bad points and he is a good person. Just like Sharbell Koorie or Tom Prendergast, who also lost to Antonion Grifor. Losing a political race does not mean you are a bad person. Nor does winning mean you are a good person. I don't consider Mayor panto, wh created false IDs to comment on LVL, to be a very good person. I know all about his history, too, and could go into that if you want. Wheeeler was making a point about the need for cameras, the same point made by Chief DiLuzio. Your response is to attack him personally. I don;t have to think long to realize who you are.
Will the real Panto please stand up
"Why bring your liberal views into this tragedy."
Why bring your conservative views into this tragedy? The fact is my friend was shot by assholes who were just blasting away. There is nothing "liberal" or "conservative" about gun violence and its many causes.
Bernie, no your stats do not say what YOU say in your blog. Read it. We can both pass stats back and forth, but your interpretation of that stat is wrong. Take it down or correct it please.
We both know its nearly impossible to track peoples lives saved by guns, its not reported by the fbi/police, etc.... .The media does not report good things, only negative things.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/10/03/do-civilians-with-guns-ever-stop-mass-shootings/
JUst yesterday someone was saved down south in another "club" google it.
We could argue forever on this, just please dont assume i have "buddies at the NRA"
I agree with the cameras 100%
It is terrible about what happened to your friend.
I will be curious to see the details of what is found out, were these street guns that were illegal, did the bastards steal them from their parents and were the parents liable? (if so they should be charged and sued in civil court)
Prayers for this man and his family.
Time will tell when these animals are caught and then not caged as feral animals should be. Guns have way less to do with crime rates than incarceration. When you cage animals street crime goes down. Yet we have many in the social justice sphere who claim that high incarceration rates are bad.
Crime is shamefully politicized and criminal justice is assailed due to racial demographics theories used as red herrings to help keep animals out of cages. It's disgusting.
Post a gofundme link and I will donate anonymously. This poor man was caught in the crossfire of normalizing animal behavior.
actually the FBI's own stats conservatively estimates at over 50,000 defensive guns uses per year.
I see cameras in the West Ward. And yes more are needed. They may make people feel good but they are not deterrents, just like gun free zones aren't deterrents.
"The Jane Fondas and John Kerrys of the world sided with the communists and when they forced Nixon to pull out and Ford to abandon them without weapons to fight,"
John Kerry was a Vietnam war veteran who was highly decorated. Please turn off your echo chamber. If anyone had the right to speak out against the war it was him and the other VN vets aga8isnt the 4ear,. Neither he, nor any one person ended our war, it was the mothers of America. Nixon himself said that once the middle-class mothers start marching its all over. With the draft, we did not have the armchair sunshine patriots like you who scream for more war from the comfort of your armchair. Everyone's kid was up for duty. Thus Americans payed attention to what was happening unlike today. The war became unpopular at home as it dragged on and officials lied to the American people.
Read a book or join up, other wise keep your vapid tea party vitriol
1:53, and how many of those are police? The reality is that guns are killing machines, and I would not trust anyone carrying unless he or she trained regularly.
Let me add I do not agree with a gun ban in local parks unless state law is changed first. The subject is pre-emptied and adopting a local ordinance that is clearly unenforceable is nothing more than grandstanding.
cars are also killing machines , and yet those who have a license to operate them cause more annual deaths than any gun
Lets start banning cars, shall we? After all, its always the instrument that kills, not the person holding the wheel, right?
Your poor logic in making a car analogy proves my point. Cars are not designed to kill. Guns are. 2) you have to be licensed to operate a car. A person with a gun can just start shooting. Very poor analogy.
@3:31 And how many Vietnamese died being shot by the Communists for working as part of the South Vietnamese Government; died in "re-education camps", or while trying to escape the killing fields of Communist Vietnam while you relaxed in your easy chair congratulating yourself and spitting on the Vietnam Veterans for all of their "war crimes" ?
John Kerry may be a hero to you, but to his fellow veterans, he's a self-serving asshole for writing up his own decorations.
"The reality is that guns are killing machines, and I would not trust anyone carrying unless he or she trained regularly."
And that is the first step in creating a stratified society, where only the rich and the warrior elite have the right to self-defense.
I'm a D, but that's one area where I agree with our right wing friends. We tried that through most of human history, and it didn't work out so well for the common folk.
I am a citizen of the United States, not a subject.
@4:06 Humans have minds that kill, guns are mindless. Do you want to ban steak knives as well ?
Imagine if the Jews of Europe had guns during World War II. Do you think that they would have let the Nazis haul them away in the middle of the night from their homes to slaughter them ?
Anon 4:07, I am a Vet, dickwad. The only Vets that hate Kerry are the hollow head dumbdumb's like you who bought into the W smear campaign against Kerry in 2004. If you believed that shit, then you are pretty stupid. It came from the same crowd that told people John McCain had an illegitimate black daughter. Of course she was an adopted child from India. The truth has never been a deterrent to partisan fools like you.
Howe many innocent people died in our civil war, in any war? You pick sides in wars and shit happens. Would you suggest we still be there today. You must love our excursion into Iraq. Our officials misread a civil war as something other than what it was. By the way, other than in large urban areas, the villagers just wanted to live in peace and saw us as the invaders you clown. I know. I lived it. Just because someone is a vet does not mean they automatically buy into all this chicken hawk bullshit.
When you grow a real brain I would be happy to talk abut it with you.
Phil K.
Bernie,
I am very sure this mans first thought is not to run out shooting everyone that fits the description of who shot him?!($ When conventional works do not work though there is always that thought of relief?!($
Tolerance and exceptence of the unrepenTENT?!($
RE:publican redd no party affiliation
Ok Phil K. Which one of these did you do ?
"I would like to talk, representing all those veterans, and say that several months ago in Detroit, we had an investigation at which over 150 honorably discharged and many very highly decorated veterans testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia, not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command....
They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country..."
- John Kerry.
Did you actually spend time in the jungle or were you one of the REMFS we sold Ho Chi Minh Sandals to ?
Cpl Jim R. H Co., 2nd Bn, 26th Mar. Regt., 3d Marine Division. 1967-1968
"@4:06 Humans have minds that kill, guns are mindless. Do you want to ban steak knives as well ?"
See my response to the cars argument.You are being illogical,and should realize that steak knives are not designed to kill people. Your argument, like the car argument, is intellectually dishonest.
"Imagine if the Jews of Europe had guns during World War II. Do you think that they would have let the Nazis haul them away in the middle of the night from their homes to slaughter them ?"
Um, there were already strict gun control laws before Hitler rose to power. Your argument is a reductio ad Hitlerium. Sorry. Actually, gun control laws loosened under der Fuhrer. Maybe he belonged to the NRA.
Cpl Jim, As a fellow vet who does not share your disdain for Kerry, I still agree with you that "Phil K" is certainly an imposter. If people can't be honest in their arguments, they should not bother posting. Don't try to be something you're not.
As there seems to be no rhyme or reason (at least publicly announced) for people to be on the no-fly list, then why just don't we put all Muslims on it. After all, such notable people as Ted Kennedy and several reporters were placed on it for no apparent reason by persons or persons unknown.
Also then I think we can find agreement to use the no-fly list to ban people on the list from owning guns like the gun control people want.
By not letting Muslims fly on airliners and not letting them own guns, maybe we can return our airports to places of commerce and not feel like we're going on Con Air when we enter airport property for a flight to our grandparents house and go to nightclubs without worrying about Muslim terrorists shooting the place up.
I was unaware of this and our condolences to this man's family and friends. He found a home in America after his homeland was taken over by the Communists and was fortunate enough to live in freedom most of his life.
Every time I greet this man we give each other a hug. He was part of coastal defense of Cam Ranh Bay, a deep water port in the South. Now I had just this conversation with an EAston council person the day before this shooting and told this person that anouther shooting going to occure tomarrow and stated that when the Army trained us to be a SCOUTs we looked for indications of enemy,and the principles can be used here just the same.If your confused, I was in the Marines ,the Army and the U.S.Navy . At this point ,the only thing to do is arm them,these characters- all so they shoot each other as the Mayor has an issue with firearms LEGALLY CARRIED by Tax Payer -handgun permittees on city property,even though he is a nice man-that follow the rules. So let CHAOS begin otherwise.
BERNIE-Since I no longer post my opinion on Express Times because they edit and control what is being stated -I will post here-Mayor Panto is probably correct -camaras are reactive not pro-active. Intil.the use of active surveillance are the key if the vehicle containing observers-POLICE IN THIS CASE if are not a marked police car . If you were intending to 'draw out' your adversary, you must not let them know you are present.Military tactics-- Lettered precedents --marked police cars- of an area only constitutes delayed intelligence of advisary. Police officers are working an area in saturation under this condition only delays or inhibits information at a higher costs.Its bad enough that we the tax payer burden the costs of prosecution of these scum bags from out of state ,then and housing in the prison-- when it could be avoided by code and landlord restrictions, and send many back to another state that already wants them on warrant.
Excuse me Mr. O'Hare I am not an imposter. I am sorry for your friends attack and wish him well. I took and take issue with the a-hole who turned this into a partisan attack. I also am offended by anyone, I don't give a shit if they are a fellow vet or not, who take cheap shots at a guy like Kerry. Maybe he exaggerated his stories but we weren't the boy scouts and shit did happen. My dad gave me the best advice and he was a combat vet from the Pacific. He said don't bring it home it's not the real world. Keep your head about you and know your duty is to get home alive.
I cycled out after 10 months and was damn happy. I was a draftee and would never had gone otherwise. Does that make my service any less "noble" that the partisan haters?
I am offended you question my post while accepting the bullshit from this guy. I don't give a damn over his rating or rank, I am no longer obliged to listen to clowns like that.
I served ten months in the Delta as a replacement. I saw and heard about some nasty shit but it was a war and I don't blame anyone for what happened. The fact that clown man attacks Kerry a decorated, veteran because of his politics tells me all I need to know about him. Your picking and choosing which vets to believe also says a lot about you.
Again sorry about the man's injuries and I wish him well.
I will say here now that at least one of the characters the police are looking for have been squatting near the shooting gallery. They were sleeping within an ears shot of the shooting site they pay no EIT or Emergency Services Tax or Federal Income taxes the Express will state 'EASTON MAN' Baloonnny he not an Easton man. Wait and see.
7:46, What you say does not ring true, and I believe you to be an imposter. That is one reason why you do not ID yourself. Also, your description of your service is very scanty. You can defend Kerry all you want, but you should be honest instead of pretending to be something you are not. If I had you before me in person, I'd know in about 30 seconds. People like you are a disgrace to those who wore the uniform. And drop your fake pity.
BY THE WAY kERRY 'WROTE HIS OWN ' letter for his STAR.
I thought this was about a man attacked in Easton., not about some vet you and "Jim R." (whomever the Hell that is) don't like because he disagrees with you. Real veterans rarely brag about themselves like Jim R. and the ones that do are generally still a-holes.
The fake veteran speaks again.
Is this person your grandsons other grandfather?
No. Who he is and how I know him is, as I've already stated, none of your business and irrelevant to this story.
The history you provided reminds that these fine citizens assimilated and kept their culture too. Vietnamese names never showed up in police log. I'm proud they're here and wish other newcomers shared their love of freedom and America. This story is heartbreaking.
Look, I don't want this to become about anything other than this victim, but this is inaccurate, and somehow gets repeated:
"Um, there were already strict gun control laws before Hitler rose to power. Your argument is a reductio ad Hitlerium. Sorry. Actually, gun control laws loosened under der Fuhrer. Maybe he belonged to the NRA."
Yes there were strict gun control laws before he rose to power. that's kinda the point. The german government abdicated its responsibility to its jewish citizens, and allowed events like kristallnacht to be perpetrated upon a disarmed population. we all know what greater evil followed.
and yes, Hitler DID relax gun laws-for members of the Nazi party only. goes back to the earlier argument about the dangers of creating a warrior elite. when we create different classes of citizenship, and some pigs are more equal than others, we have problems. all of our civil liberties become at risk.
"Vietnam, incidentally, ranks #120 of 170 countries for gun violence. The United States ranks first."
Great point, Bernie. This is why people are leaving the US in droves and sneaking through Viet Nam's porous borders to start a new life there.
Actually, I know many Vietnamese who have returned. That country is apparently beautiful (I have never visited) and the cost of living is very low. The crime rate is much lower and the US is no longer the paradise it has been cracked up to be, thanks in part to the gun violence.
"The history you provided reminds that these fine citizens assimilated and kept their culture too. Vietnamese names never showed up in police log. I'm proud they're here and wish other newcomers shared their love of freedom and America. This story is heartbreaking."
Culturally, Vietnamese are less inclined to break laws or make police reports. I know Vietnamese families who have been subjected to home invasions but never call police. But there are Vietnamese criminals, too. I know of several examples.
Anon8;07 that's probably not true, what you state.Even thou DOCTORS that live well in this county along with the septic hospitals they work in KILLS hOW many MILLIONS a year here. Most of the people shot and killed here are thugs themselves and should not be counted as a tragedy,but be place in another statistical batch. In Africa they kill each other over a pair of sneakers, and politics and family feuds at a much greater rate than we do and reporting to agencies are greatly flawed in many cases.
Correction ` COUNTRY not COUNTY as typed `` I apologize
Happy Independence Day to one and all. Join or die was the rallying cry of the time and should be today. We are all in this together or we will die off separately. I wish a Happy fourth to everyone, even the veterans Bernie makes fun of and dismisses because they don't agree with him.
Anyone reading this thread knows that I took an anonymous coward To task for pretending he is a veteran. Your attempt to defend this phony and twist what I say makes pretty obvious that you rely on deceit to make your points. If people like you were around during the revolutionary war, we'd still be under British rule.
3'51 ANON - look at the numbers and the tax paying ,law abiding are 'relatively almost never ever shot'in gun crimes . MOST ALL ARE THUGS and are killed by other thugs with nothing legal here.The next category is domestic in origin. They know each other in other words. LOOK at the numbers and how they stack up .
Looks liek they got the THUG Bernie, allegedly.
Jim, If he did not do the shooting, as some claim, he knows who did.
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