My Senator Wrote me back
About a month ago I sent an email to one of my state's Senator's Joe Lieberman about the happenings with China and Tibet. I got an email back from him (or someone writing for him). Here's what he said.
"Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent violent crackdown against Tibetan protesters by the Chinese government. In March 2008, Buddhist monks and other Tibetan civilians began demonstrations in Lhasa against the Chinese government, which has restricted the rights of Tibetans to practice their religion since invading and seizing control of this territory in 1949. In response to these demonstrations, the Chinese government initiated a violent crackdown, resulting in dozens of fatalities and the arrest of more than 1,000 protesters. It also severely restricted journalists' and diplomats' access to the region. Some have suggested that the United States should boycott the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing in response to the crackdown in Tibet. In the absence of strong consensus among our allies around the world on this matter, however, we should be extremely cautious before taking any unilateral action. At the same time, I strongly believe that every responsible nation has a duty to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Chinese government that this violent crackdown is unacceptable. China's rulers must realize that their country will not achieve true greatness as a global power until it is governed by the rule of law, with protections for ethnic minorities such as the Tibetans, and respect for the fundamental human rights and liberties that are the entitlement of all mankind. For this reason, on April 9, 2008, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution that I proudly cosponsored (S.Res. 504), which condemns the recent violence in Tibet. This resolution calls on the Chinese government to allow international journalists free access to China and for the government to begin a peaceful dialogue with the Dalai Lama to resolve remaining issues surrounding the religious and cultural autonomy for Tibet within China. This resolution also calls on the U.S. State Department to fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-228), including the creation of an American office in Lhasa to monitor political developments and to provide citizen services during emergencies in Tibet. Thank you again for sharing your views and concerns with me. I hope you will continue to visit my web site at http://lieberman.senate.gov for updated news about my work on behalf of Connecticut and the nation. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.
Sincerely, Joseph I. Lieberman UNITED STATES SENATOR"
I do have to make one correction to the email he sent. The vote was not unanimously, it was actually 413 to 1. That one vote against it was Ron Paul, thank goodness he is out of the presidential election running.
"Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent violent crackdown against Tibetan protesters by the Chinese government. In March 2008, Buddhist monks and other Tibetan civilians began demonstrations in Lhasa against the Chinese government, which has restricted the rights of Tibetans to practice their religion since invading and seizing control of this territory in 1949. In response to these demonstrations, the Chinese government initiated a violent crackdown, resulting in dozens of fatalities and the arrest of more than 1,000 protesters. It also severely restricted journalists' and diplomats' access to the region. Some have suggested that the United States should boycott the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing in response to the crackdown in Tibet. In the absence of strong consensus among our allies around the world on this matter, however, we should be extremely cautious before taking any unilateral action. At the same time, I strongly believe that every responsible nation has a duty to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Chinese government that this violent crackdown is unacceptable. China's rulers must realize that their country will not achieve true greatness as a global power until it is governed by the rule of law, with protections for ethnic minorities such as the Tibetans, and respect for the fundamental human rights and liberties that are the entitlement of all mankind. For this reason, on April 9, 2008, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution that I proudly cosponsored (S.Res. 504), which condemns the recent violence in Tibet. This resolution calls on the Chinese government to allow international journalists free access to China and for the government to begin a peaceful dialogue with the Dalai Lama to resolve remaining issues surrounding the religious and cultural autonomy for Tibet within China. This resolution also calls on the U.S. State Department to fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-228), including the creation of an American office in Lhasa to monitor political developments and to provide citizen services during emergencies in Tibet. Thank you again for sharing your views and concerns with me. I hope you will continue to visit my web site at http://lieberman.senate.gov for updated news about my work on behalf of Connecticut and the nation. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.
Sincerely, Joseph I. Lieberman UNITED STATES SENATOR"
I do have to make one correction to the email he sent. The vote was not unanimously, it was actually 413 to 1. That one vote against it was Ron Paul, thank goodness he is out of the presidential election running.
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