The lynching of Pte Daniel Chen

Pte Daniel Chen, a 19 year old Chinese American, joined the US Army to defend his country. He was sent to Afghanistan and was lynched, oops, they have sophisticated weapons today, they shot him in the head. No, no, not the Afghans. He was shot by his own comrades in arms, the Americans. His sin was that he was an Asian, a Chinese.

Poor Danny thought racism is passé in modern America. He lived and died just to find out that racism is deep in the blood of the Americans. They put on a façade of modernity, denounced others for abused of human rights regardless of colour or race, but they remained the same as their forefathers, racist of the first order.

Danny was abused, insulted with racist slurs, and beaten up, stoned by his white fellow soldiers, and shot by them in the head. The reports did not say that he was killed. It even implied that he shot himself, committed suicide. But eight soldiers including his platoon commander, have been charged for manslaughter and homicide.

And the Army spokesman proudly pronounced that those who killed their buddy soldiers would be charged and dealt with by the law. Sure, they would be found guilty and sentenced to two months jail before they become free men again. And with parole and whatever mitigating factors, they may not even spend a day behind bars. Because the victim was Asian, and worst, Chinese.

The myth that the Americans have become a new and better beast is still a myth. The racist beast is still hidden beneath the white skin and waiting to surface at the earliest opportunity. If they could do that to their own comrades in arms, dragging him along the floors and shooting him dead, what do you think they would do the Arabs and Afghans in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

Yes, they never leave their soldiers behind. They will bring back Danny Chen to his parents in a black plastic bag, after killing him. I am jumping the gun to pronounce them guilty. They could get off, acquitted for any flimsy reasons, maybe a full stop missing in the charges. There are too many of them to pay for the death of a Chinese American. Don’t worry, they will now find all ways to help the lynch mob, to free them. Every loophole in the law will be exploited.

Mark my words. The whole wayang will go through its motion and none will be punished, at worst a slap on the risk. The case will be different if it was a white boy shot by black American soldiers.