United States: Introducing Falun Dafa and Exposing the Persecution to Senators in Texas

During the past few years of exposing the persecution to government officials, we didn't thoroughly discuss the persecution with Senators. We basically took measures such as writing letters, sending faxes and emails, or making appointments with assistants to senators, but we haven't had an opportunity to talk face-to-face with the senators themselves.

Some time ago the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Resolution 304, condemning the persecution of Falun Gong. Recently, when senators returned to their own electoral districts, Falun Gong practitioners in Texas made use of this opportunity to visit two senators in different cities to talk with them.

Last weekend when Senator John Cornyn travelled to Austin, Texas to participate in community activities, he had a short conversation with local Falun Gong practitioners on Friday morning at an anti-violence rally in the community. He said, "I have learned something about Falun Gong today. I support you." The same afternoon, when the senator went to Houston to attend a media activity at a local university, Falun Gong practitioners had a long and thorough conversation with his assistant Daniel to clarify the facts to him. Daniel showed sympathy for the practitioners' suffering in the persecution, and said that he would convey the situation to the senator.

Falun Gong practitioner (2nd from right) explains the facts about Falun Gong to Senator John Cornyn (2nd from left) and his assistant.

The following day, Mr Cornyn came to a press conference held at a local university in San Antonio, Texas. Practitioners took the opportunity to introduce the facts of the persecution imposed upon Falun Gong practitioners in China and the Jiang faction's extension of the persecution outside of China, including the United States. Practitioners talked about the important role that Resolution 304 played in deterring the Jiang faction's persecution around the world. Western practitioners used their personal experiences to illustrate how they have benefited from Falun Dafa. Senator Cornyn and several assistants listened attentively to the practitioners' explanation and he said to the practitioners, "Thank you for coming here to tell us all this, I will certainly read these materials carefully when I go back."

Senator Hutchison (Middle) and Falun Gong practitioners.

In the meantime, another senator in Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison, held a meeting to sign a new book last Saturday in Austin. Local practitioners attended the event and spoke to her. Several months ago, Texas practitioners showed photographs of David Liang, a Falun Gong practitioner who was shot in South Africa by gunmen hired to stop practitioners from filing a lawsuit against the visiting Chinese Vice President. Ms Hutchison looked at the photos and was touched. At this meeting, the local practitioners focused on Resolution 304, and emphasised that female Falun Gong practitioners and children were suffering brutal persecution. Senator Hutchison wrote on a practitioners' book, "To Falun Dafa Women, Best wishes in your quest for human rights!"