Director of Friends of Falun Gong, "This will be recorded in history as another great, nonviolent movement that changes the world"

People always ask me why I'm a friend of Falun Gong and why I spend so much time and energy on a group of people who meditate. My wife, my kids, my coworkers and the local shopkeepers ask me why. I tell them that I support the practitioners of Falun Gong because for an individual to live one's life in accordance with Truth, Compassion and Tolerance is a beautiful thing; not only for the people who practice but for all those that share the planet with them. I support the courage and conviction in each of those individuals who go to appeal on Tiananmen Square and I admire them as great heroes. I admire their perseverance, I admire their inner peace and wisdom, and I admire that they choose to practice virtue and goodness in a world where greed and self-interest is the order of the day.

I am an American and I do some business in China. I'm saddened to see how suspicion, fear and corruption have seeped into the whole society under Jiang Zemin's regime. The reality of China today is very different from most people's perception of the country and the one painted by those in power. Today I would like to ask everyone who has any business dealings with China to check carefully that your vendors and manufacturers are ethical and that they don't use slave labor from the laogai, or Chinese gulags. A vast number of innocent Falun Gong practitioners are being held in these "labor re-education camps" -- they are housewives and schoolteachers, engineers and professors.
If there's anything the Falun Gong practitioners have taught me, it's that there's more to life than seeking profit. There's integrity. What goes around comes around. I think the corporate world, at least here in the US, is beginning to face that reality this year.

To the media here today, I would like to ask you to tell the story of Falun Gong to the world. There's an incredible drama unfolding here with men and women who are completely unarmed and nonviolent, standing up to oppression against the dictator of the most populous nation on earth. This dictator has behind him the full force of the military, police, and the massive Chinese propaganda machine. Some say these practitioners are foolish, but I think that they will prevail, because of the power of their spiritual faith. This is the power of the people at its purist, with no political agenda, just a will for freedom. It's time this story was told.

To the government officials here today who have extended their support, I would like to say a heartfelt 'Thank you.' You are good friends to Falun Gong practitioners everywhere. To those who are still figuring this whole situation out, show the world what America is made of. What makes us strong is our own freedom and belief in the principles written into our Constitution. I am not exaggerating when I say this is a matter of life and death. Maybe a word from you will make some government official think twice before ordering a raid on someone's home. And it's no longer China's internal issue -- the many American, European, and Asian Falun Gong practitioners and their supporters here today can attest to that. Believe me when I say, like Gandhi's quest in India and South Africa's apartheid, this will be recorded in history as another great, nonviolent movement that changes the world. I think we all have a responsibility to do the right thing now that it's been brought to our attention. We cannot turn our backs.

And last but not least, to the Falun Gong practitioners here today -- I salute you! You've stood beside your fellow practitioners in China when no one else would listen and you've given them hope and encouragement. I am constantly amazed at your energy and persistence as volunteers. In these turbulent and cynical times, you're downright refreshing. Letting the world know what's going on under the persecution while at the same time holding full-time jobs to support your families can't be easy. It's been a long three years for you, I'm sure. One day, hopefully in the not too distant future, all of this will be over just like a bad dream, and you can be proud that you stood by your principles, just as I am so proud to be a friend of Falun Gong.