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THE CHINESE MIRACLE ON CAPITOL HILL |
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Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler
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Friday, 01 August 2008 |
A miracle took place on Capitol Hill yesterday, July 31, 2008. Democrats and Republicans in the House
united on a vote of 419-1 to explicitly and in itemized detail condemn the
Chicom government of China.
The single lone Congressman to vote No was Ron Paul (R-TX) - demonstrating
once again that his total incapacity to defend America against its foreign
enemies is why his presidential campaign failed.
House Resolution 1370 is the most pro-American statement of Congress in
modern times. For it is China that is
and will be the greatest national security threat to America for the
foreseeable future. Far more than
Islamic crazies running around chanting allahallahallah, and believing
that blowing themselves up will somehow force the world back into the 7th
century.
Predictably and laughably, the Chicoms exploded in rage. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao
called the vote "a disgusting action of a small group of anti-Chinese
lawmakers," and called the resolution "blasphemous" and "against the will of
people all over the world."
That over-the-top fulmination meant the resolution hit the bulls-eye. It is the most rare of events when To The
Point salutes the entire House of Representatives, Democrats and
Republicans together, but we are happy to do so now. Such a vote provides real hope that there is the courage to
defend our country on both sides of Congress' aisle.
To The Point is thus pleased to provide the full text of H. Res.
1370. It is an astounding compendium of
Chicom perfidy.
***
H. RES. 1370
Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately
end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan
and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and
Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere
that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness.
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately
end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan
and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and
Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere
that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness.
Whereas the relationship between the United States and the People's Republic
of China is one of the most important and complex in global affairs;
Whereas in the context of this complex relationship, the promotion of human
rights and political freedoms in the People's Republic of China is a central
goal of United States foreign policy towards China;
Whereas increased protection and stronger guarantees of human rights and
political freedoms in the People's Republic of China would improve the relationship
between the United States and the People's Republic of China;
Whereas the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be held from August 8, 2008,
through August 24, 2008;
Whereas the United States should continue to advance its policy goal of
improved human rights and political freedoms in the People's Republic of China
in the context of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games;
Whereas all Olympic athletes deserve to participate in a competition that
takes place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and
openness;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China committed to
protect human rights, religious freedom, freedom of movement, and freedom of
the press as part of its conditions for being named to host the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China issued temporary
regulations promising foreign media representatives covering the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games that they could travel freely, with the exception of in the Tibet
Autonomous Region, and did not require advance permission before interviewing
Chinese citizens during the period of January 1, 2007, to October 18, 2008;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has failed to abide
by many provisions of those regulations and has restricted foreign media by--
(1) detaining 15 journalists in 2007 for activities permitted by the new
regulations;
(2) refusing to allow foreign media representatives access to Tibetan areas
of China, including those areas outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region covered
by the pledge of free access, to report on the March 2008 protests and the
Government of the People's Republic of China's violent crackdown against
Tibetans in those areas; and
(3) interfering with foreign media representatives and their Chinese
employees who were hired within China, such that 40 percent of foreign
correspondents have reported government interference with their attempts to
cover the news in China;
Whereas in advance of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, there are widespread
reports that the Government of the People's Republic of China has refused to
grant visas or entry to individuals because of their political views, beliefs,
writings, association, religion, and ethnicity;
Whereas Chinese citizens and foreign visitors in China for the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games will not have free access to information if the Government of the
People's Republic of China continues to engage in blocking of overseas websites
and other forms of Internet filtering and censorship;
Whereas the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will not take place in an atmosphere
of freedom if the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to
limit the freedoms of speech, press, religion, movement, association, and
assembly of its citizens and visitors, including political dissidents,
protesters, petitioners, the disabled, religious activists, minorities, the
homeless, and other people it considers undesirable;
Whereas despite the Government of the People's Republic of China's repeated
pledges to the international community that the prevention and treatment of
HIV/AIDS are a national priority, HIV/AIDS activists and their organizations
remain targets for repression and harassment by Chinese authorities;
Whereas in the period preceding the Olympics Games, Chinese security forces
have detained, threatened, and harassed HIV/AIDS and hepatitis advocates; shut
down conferences and meetings of Chinese and foreign HIV/AIDS experts; and
closed AIDS organizations;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to ignore
its international commitments to refugee protection, as evidenced by film
footage recording the shooting death of a Tibetan nun by Chinese border guards
in October of 2006 and human rights groups' reports citing increased bounties
offered for turning in North Korean refugees in 2008 to discourage
border-crossing prior to the Olympic Games;
Whereas workers in the People's Republic of China are often exposed to
exploitative and unsafe working conditions, including excessive exposure to
dangerous machinery and chemicals;
Whereas according to Amnesty International, some Chinese companies withhold
wages from workers for months while retaining their ID cards to prevent them
from securing other work and, in the city of Shenzhen alone, an average of 13
factory workers a day lose a finger or an arm, and every 4 1/2 days a worker
dies in a workplace accident;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has reportedly
increased its persecution of the Falun Gong prior to the Olympic Games;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China remains unwilling
to invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to China to hold direct talks on a
resolution on the issue of Tibet, despite calls from the international
community to do so before the Olympic Games;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has had discussions
with the representatives of the Dalai Lama, but has been unwilling to engage in
substantive discussions on the future of Tibet and Tibetans in China;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China's continued
economic and political support for foreign governments that commit gross human
rights violations, including those of Sudan and Burma, contradicts the spirit
of freedom and openness of the Olympic Games; and
Whereas it is the desire of the House of Representatives that the People's
Republic of China take the specific actions set forth herein so that the
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are successful and reflect positively on its host
country: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately
end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan
and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and
Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere
that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness;
(2) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately
release all those imprisoned or detained for nonviolently exercising their
political and religious rights and their right to free expression, such as Hu
Jia, who have been imprisoned, detained, or harassed for seeking to hold China
accountable to commitments to improve human rights conditions announced when
bidding to host the Olympic Games, embodied in China's own laws and
regulations, and in international agreements;
(3) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to honor its
commitment to freedom of the press for foreign reporters in China before and
during the Olympic Games, to make those commitments permanent, and publicly to
guarantee an immediate end to the detention, harassment, and intimidation of
both foreign and domestic reporters;
(4) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to permit
visitors to China, including through the issuance of visas, for the period
surrounding the Olympics, regardless of religious background, belief, or
political opinion;
(5) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to guarantee
freedom of movement within China during the period surrounding the Olympics for
all visitors, participants, and journalists visiting China for the Olympics,
and such freedom of movement should include the freedom to visit Tibet,
Xinjiang, China's border regions, and all other areas of China without
restriction and without special permits or advance notice;
(6) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to guarantee
access to information by Chinese citizens and foreign visitors, including full
access to domestic and overseas broadcasts, print media, and websites that in
the past may have been excluded, censored, jammed, or blocked;
(7) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to permit political
dissidents, protesters, petitioners, religious activists, minorities, the
disabled, the homeless, and others to maintain their homes, usual locations,
jobs, freedom of movement, and freedom to engage in peaceful activities during
the period surrounding the Olympics;
(8) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end the
exploitative and dangerous conditions faced by Chinese workers in many state
enterprises and other commercial entities;
(9) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to begin
earnest negotiations, without preconditions, directly with His Holiness the
Dalai Lama or his representatives, on the future of Tibet to provide for a
mutually agreeable solution that addresses the legitimate grievances of, and
provides genuine autonomy for, the Tibetan people;
(10) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its
political, economic, and military support for the Government of Sudan until the
violent attacks in Darfur have ceased and the Sudanese Government has allowed
for the full deployment of the United Nations-African Union Mission
peacekeeping force in Darfur;
(11) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its
political, economic, and military support for the Government of Burma until
democracy is restored in Burma, human rights abuses have ceased, and Aung San
Suu Kyi and other political prisoners of conscience are released; and
(12) calls on the President to make a strong public statement on China's
human rights situation prior to his departure to Beijing for the Olympic Games,
to make a similar statement in Beijing and meet with the families of jailed
prisoners of conscience, and to seek to visit Tibet and Xinjiang while in China
to attend the Olympic Games.
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