Notes for Kal Penn in the White House

Kumar is finally working with House after all, only it is the White House.

Whose Kumar? Does Kal Penn ring a bell? Remember the confused Gogol Ganguli of The Namesake? The pot-smoking Kumar from Harold and Kumar? The young Indian-American House intern? Well, he will be working with the White House now.

Penn, 31, will become associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison, administration officials confirmed Tuesday. The Indian-American film star will be an emissary to the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, along with arts and entertainment groups.

The Rise of Taj gets a whole new meaning.

I thought this was a belated April Fool’s joke. Well, it is not. Obama is certainly playing his cards and reaching out to the young ‘desi’ community.

We can spend an entire post analyzing ‘Why Kal Penn‘ as a White House ambassador for the South-East Asian and Pacific Islander communities and question his credentials, or we can start giving our list of concerns. The latter probably seems more useful.

Mr. Penn,

I have been a huge fan since American Desi. You certainly have some talent there.

I have three major issues of concern.

First, immigration reform. There is a huge stigma in our communities and a big divide between the rich and poor, the high-tech workers and more service-sector workers. There has to be a way to unite our communities around immigration reform. We need some protective provisions for our H-1 B workers while also passing policies like the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform so 12 million people can be regularized, pay taxes and not be abused by scrupulous employers. Too many foreign and undocumented students graduate from schools and universities only to have their potential wasted and our investments squandered. Keeping our undocumented population underground and breeding a permanent underclass of undocumented youth helps no one.

Second, Pakistan. The upheaval in that region is largely due to the United States mis-management in the so-called ‘global war on terror.’ We must take a strong stand against the ‘good’ Taliban and eradicate their stronghold. At the same time, we must remember that Pakistan is a sovereign state. They are our brothers and sisters, our aunts and uncles. We must proceed with care and compassion for their livelihoods.

Third, please legalizing pot. You would make an excellent advocate for it given your track record in the House and Harold and Kumar.

And lastly, please don’t quit acting: