Dear Linda:

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this important rally today. I apologize for not being able to be there personally.

Last Week, the Chinese nation exalted in pride and joyous celebration following the International Olympic Committee's selection of Beijing as the host city of the 2008 Olympics. Many view this decision as an affirmation of China's growing influence around the globe, with the Chinese nation glowing with pride after years of perceived disrespect and condemnation by the western world. The decision aroused considerable controversy because of the continued human rights abuses by the Chinese Government that includes the torture and execution of members of Falun Gong.

China, however, will never gain the respect it so desires until its human rights violations against the Falun Gong and other religious and political dissidents finally stops. The Chinese government views the Falun Gong and its nearly 70 millions members worldwide as the largest threat to their communist rule, causing the government to ban the group in July, 1999. An estimated 1,000members of this group have been sentenced to the Chinese labor camp without a trial.

I continue to be opposed to the exclusion of the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Commission, a decision that the Chinese lobbied for in order to prevent the U.S. from sponsoring resolutions condemning their human rights violations. I have worked in the past with my congressional colleagues, by sending a letter to President Jiang Zemin explaining the serious human rights violations in China that include their government's denial of freedom of speech and religion. Due to his compassion and dedication, I cosigned a letter written by Representative Sherrod Brown of Ohio that supports the nomination of Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this peaceful rally, which will hopefully draw substantial world support for the plight of the Falun Gong. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, the universal principles of Falun Gong, can be applied and should be admired by all. My hope is that Beijing's selection as a host city for the Olympics will be a watershed moment that leads to greater religious and political freedom for all of the Chinese people.

Very truly yours,

Dennis Moore

Member of Congress