Doc, I understand your happiness as the White House lawyers are your daughter's partners.

Whoever or whatever they are, basically, all lawyers are thieves or wolves under the sheepskin.

Sorry that I am not as much optimistic as you are. There are no such things as "honest lawyers".

My lifetime experiences tell me exactly what they are and will be.

Naaaah, Steve, it is not true! No way! It is like blaming all the surgeons are crooks only to operate to make money!

Regretfully, or rather gladly tell you that not all the lawyers are crooks like surgeons, I reluctantly confirmed.

Indeed, due to the ambulance chasers, we, physicians have prejudice to the lawyers but in reality, I learned the majority are as honest as the physicians with integrity. I still miss I could have become a good lawyer!

Since my father insisted me to go to medical school to become a physician based on what he learned through Korean War- he was convinced that the physician is the only professional to survive on both sides of the war!!-, I followed the rule as the first son of 경상도 양반 family and gave up the plan to go to law school - according to Principal 조재호 of 경기고, I was the first summa cum laude graduate through 53 year history of 경기고, who does not go to the law school and he felt so bad especially I was the one who broke 유진오 총장's record (my record:98.4 for 3 year averages) for the first time in 경기고 history - but swore I will go to the law school later after I fulfilled my obligation to the family rule. But I never reached the dream.

So when my first daughter decided to go to law school- she went to Harvard Law and also got married to her classmate so that both became lawyers!- I was the happiest one and gave full support till she settled to establish herself at Wilmer Hale and now became a senior partner.

So, through them, I know quite a few lawyers very well including two gentlemen who will be new legal counsel members for WH, and learned they all are also honest professionals like physicians so that I changed my image/prejudice completely.

Indeed, if I should have a chance to make my own choice again, I certainly would go to law school to become a prosecutor than a surgeon!!!

Old surgeon's lament!

BB Lee

Look at the CV of these peoples!  They all have top-notch credentials no one can beat! Of course, I don't mean everyone should be Harvard-Yale-Stanford Law or other equivalents Ivy League graduates to be called top-notch but how many of Idiot Trump's followers should belong to this rank? Did you ever count them?  Surprisingly, not a single one? I believe only one among WH staff for the Idiot is Anthony Scaramucci (?) who is a Harvard Law graduate!

This idiot is simply too jealous to tolerate/invite such qualified peoples and of course such smart people wouldn't bother to work for this idiot either! Only shithead would come to work for such an idiot.

I honestly don't like or interest in Joe Biden but I support him because at least he knows who is bright/smart to do a good job for him, not like Idiot Tramp!

BB

I feel that we need a lot more Korean Americans like your daughter

who are right in the middle of the mainstream of America in all walks of life,

more urgently in mainstream politics.

Honesty, of course, is an essential virtue and requirement for any lawyer, as WM said,

but the reality is that the American government is run by lawyers.

During the Obama presidency, there were 2 or 3 Koreans working in the White House 

but this time around Biden hasn't picked any of the Koreans.

Indians and Pakistanis seem to be succeeding steady in that regard with Kamala Harris

being at the apex.

It was in the news this morning that Andrew Yang is going to run for Mayor of NYC.

The Chinese Americans also are way ahead of us as well in American politics.

Competing among Koreans in America is nothing to brag about or laughable, I believe,

unless it is like some Korean LPGA players competing together on the final day of the US Open

or CME golf tournament.

True, Dr. Lee, we need more second-generation among Korean descendants to become the lawyers to claim their stakes as a minority group of the society as the first step to secure the legitimate(?) position/status to participate. Indeed, many years ago, when my daughter, Yoon-Young Lee became the first candidate for the commissioner of Securities and Exchange, Chuck Schumer couldn't secure enough support for her from the Democrats so that she became the victim(?) through the negotiation to give away the opportunity to Republican's candidate. Through this incident, I learned such stark reality of 'how vulnerable the minority' s positions are', for the first time. Yes, by all means, the Korean community needs more vocal lawyers than docile physicians to participate/lead the society more positively with a stronger voice.

BB

I was a bit surprised or rather disappointed to such silence with no protest (?) on my casual term of ‘docile’ to accuse such ‘gentlemanly quiet' physicians through recent comments on ‘the need for more vocal lawyers than docile physicians’. Courtesy, perhaps? 

I do not solicit for overreaction but certainly, encourage the colleagues to speak up to point out what’s wrong to be sure. We know there are philosophically profound differences between the surgeons and physicians; indeed, many criticize we make/raise the surgeon through the training as an abrasive and demanding monster, abusing/blaming the colleagues, but I believe it is because of the nature of the job they carry on. So, we admit the surgeons are a bit vocal through staff meetings but we need it, don’t we all agree?

Anyhow, not all the surgeons are vulgar like me and there are genuinely gentle surgeons like my mentor HM Lee of MCV. Dr. HM was indeed such a gentle and humble person we rarely see among generally loud/vocal surgeons. I have never seen even once HM claims/demands openly but remains in a low key all the times. He never raised the voices, never said ‘you are wrong’, and always courteous as I recall.

Indeed, soon after I arrived at Richmond as the ‘second’ Korean after HM in the whole hospital, many started to differentiate me and HM, calling him ‘gentle South Korean’ while calling me ‘North Korean (I don’t know what kind of prefix they put in front of ‘north’ but perhaps 'bastard'?) and definitely they perceived striking differences between him and me. They were further surprised by the fact that HM is a true ‘North’ Korean while I am a ‘South’ Korean.

Anyhow, I do NOT mean ‘docile’ as ‘polite, courteous, gentle, cool’ but rather ‘cowardly (?) obedient’ with no gut to stand up against injustice like all the Republicans with no guts/no brains.

Happy Holidays,

BB Lee

doc·lie, definition 

/ˈdäsəl/

adjective

1. ready to accept control or instruction; submissive.

   "a cheap and docile workforce"m

I see your point clearly but beg to disagree in using the word, docile.

Koreans, once upon a time, were indeed docile as you explained but not any longer.

If they still gave you that impression, perhaps they may be being wise in their conduct

as Dr. HM Lee was being very wise in his conduct knowing where he was as

a foreign doctor.

Couldn't  agree more, doc, as the survival tactic as a foreigner like our generation with no compatible asset/credentials to the natives!!!  But, so many Korean second generation who had an equal opportunity like other natives and achieved far exceedingly to the average, does not  have to be permissive like their parents and rather they ought to show their superiority to claim what they deserve. 

Sadly, however, quite a few Korean American kids I encountered through their training program as well as their faculty promotion reviews, etc shared same liability involved to such passive attitude on human relationship- this item was moved up from the last to second most important item for the assessment through this decade-. Japanese and Chinese second generation seem to have similar problems I noticed through their promotion/tenure review.

So, I consider it should have something to do with same if not similar background of the culture they were raised upon despite they all were born here in the U.S. Indeed, I openly contested to a biased decision without proper consideration of their background as a minority through years. 

That is why I am so adamant about this unique cultural issue I give talks as one of my favorite topics to these second generation of Asian origin, except Indians, wherever I get invited. 

BB 

Addendum:

Sorry I had to rush to finish the writing last night to join to the Christmas dinner with family so that I couldn’t deliver my intention properly, I am afraid.

But, believe me, I feel so stressed and upset to watch quite a few young Korean generation failing to claim what they deserved only because of their Korean(?) way of behaviors despite they are no longer Korean but American living in America, after all. I don’t mean they all have to be combatant and abrasive like me but they ought to know what they deserved through a fair competition. So, I keep saying “Speak up! This is America! If not, we ain’t gonna give a damn, buddies! Remember 'crying baby gets the milk first' no longer works as expected. Now, 'Milk is Only for Crying Babies who demand!', you get that? ".

Yes, we need 'vocal' lawyers as well as physicians more than 'docile' Koreanische citizens, to survive as a minority, don't we?!

Happy Holidays!

BB Lee

Absolutely!

I agree with you wholeheartedly.

Early on in my professional career, many suburban private hospitals 

would not welcome foreign graduate MDs to their medical staff.

Chief of Medicine at one of Detroit Suburban hospitals

told my partner

"Being good is not good enough," which is a well known phrase amongñ

the white racists when they reject the minority's applications.

I used to consider myself to be one of frontiers in fighting the discrimination 

against minorities in a number of hospitals. I was targeted a number of times,

and used to engage in cold and hot, closed and open wars throughout my career.

After a quite a while, I got the nickname, Hahn the Tiger, and some respect.

In one instance, at a large auditorium I had to fight off the entire cardiac surgical team

while the chief of surgery moderating the meeting and the entire Cardiology staff just watching 

silently without a single voice of support. This happened at Sinai Hostital in Detroit.

What happened was that the director of ICU, a surgeon and animal lab director killed my patient

hours after CABG by administering IV potassium too fast to create asystole not responsive to pacemaker.

They tried to tell me it was the right way giving IV potassium to correct hypokalemia,

which was ridiculous to me. The ICU director claimed he proved the safety of the treatment

by doing it on his dogs in his animal lab.

The Chief of Surgery was Dr. Adrian Kantrowich who invented the intraaortic balloon pump

which cardiologists utilized then regularly to treat cardiogenic shock complicating AMIs,

and the director of ICU was hired by him. 

By the way, I was the only foreign graduate, Asian MD on medical staff,

with the entire rest of staff being Jewish doctors.

At any rate, Chief of Medicine was sensible enough to realize the importance of the malpractice

and helped me correct the malpractice going on for some time

killing an unknown number of innocent patients.

I was seriously considering going to the press to blow the whistle then.

This incident happened, I believe, in late 1970's when I was in my late 30's.

Amazing story, Dr. HJ, you crushed cowardy colleagues and gave a right message.

I am sure they didn't expect such straight forward message from a meek(?) foreign doctor but certainly it has changed the impression on you. After all, the human relationships depend on mutual reaction!

Nevertheless, it is hard to believe such incidence; even a plain general surgeon like me knows IV potassium is risky to cause cardiac arrest if given quick! Such ICU guy would ignore such common sense? Glad you stood up to point out to make cowardy colleagues feel embarrassed!

Indeed I recall one incidence involved to Ben Aaron, chief of cardiac surgery of GWU, who did the surgery on President Reagan to save his life, giving IV potassium to give an euthanasia on one cardiac patient who was in the state of brain death. I was at Georgetown U at that time but Ben was one of few closest colleagues in town who shared the dorm/nightcall room when I was a chief resident and he was a cardiac surgery fellow at Richmond- he was originally a navy guy but sent to MCV from Norfolk to get the additional training with us - so that we infrequently got together privately to enjoy the friendship and learned whole story till he resigned due to this unfortunate incidence.

BB