(Clearwisdom.net) For over four years our fellow practitioners in Mainland China have been brutally persecuted by the Jiang regime. The viciousness of this persecution, the courage of the magnificent Dafa disciples in China, and the efforts of overseas practitioners working as one body have awakened the hearts of many around the world. Many kindhearted government officials have expressed their strong support, telling practitioners "we are with you to the end."

Meanwhile, the Jiang regime has spread its hatred to other countries, including the United States. Falun Gong practitioners are not the only ones affected by this persecution. Some officials who stood up in support of Falun Gong have also been harassed by the Chinese embassies and consulates. The Jiang regime has also bullied business owners who made contracts with practitioners and flooded the world's leaders and free media with lies.

The recently introduced Resolution 304 is an upright voice by members of the United States Congress to continue to call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China and an end to the illegal spread of the persecution to the United States. At the same time, through this resolution we can clarify the facts of Falun Gong and the persecution to more individuals at all levels of the U.S. government and throughout society.

What follows is a general explanation of the resolution and some sharing of understandings from some practitioners who have been working on Resolution 304:

Resolution 304 was introduced by Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and was co-sponsored by California Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. The resolution mentions the Amicus that was submitted by members of Congress in support of the lawsuit against Jiang in Chicago, the fact that Dr. Charles Lee, a U.S. citizen, is suffering mental and physical torture in China, and the persecution in China in general. The resolution's main focus is on the offensive and illegal acts of the Jiang regime in the United States:

The Jiang Regime Tries to Destroy Freedom of Belief in the U.S.

The United States has long been a leader in supporting freedom of belief in the world, whereas the Communist Party in China has long been denying its citizens of their inherent right to have faith. Through the Falun Gong practitioners' continuous and courageous appeal, we can see that freedom of belief is not only an American value - it is something that the Chinese people want and deserve, too.

But the Jiang regime has not been satisfied denying the right to freedom of belief in China alone. It has tried to impose its oppressive behavior in a free society, insulting the American people and disregarding U.S. laws.

Non-Practitioners Harassed by the Jiang Regime

The American people cherish their freedom and dignity. Yet, the Jiang regime is shamelessly using manipulation, bribery, and threats to try to pressure U.S. government officials and businesses to act against their own conscience and break U.S. laws themselves.

For example:

• Mayors in Seattle, Baltimore, Saratoga, Alhambra, Santee and St. Louis, have all been contacted by Chinese Consulate officials who tried to pressure them to withdraw their support of Falun Gong.
• New Jersey Congressman Donald Payne was asked by Chinese Embassy officials to withdraw the Falun Gong notice in the Congressional Record.
• In October 2002, the Homestead Hotel in Houston was pressured by the "6-10 Office" to cancel Falun Gong practitioners' hotel reservations because Jiang's delegation was visiting nearby.
• On July 21, 1999, a day after the persecution of Falun Gong started in China, the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose received a threatening phone call. The callers threatened to burn the hotel down if the Falun Gong conference were allowed to be held there.
• In February 2001, the Chinese Consular General of Los Angeles asked Pasadena city officials to make the Pasadena Civic Auditorium off-limits to Falun Gong practitioners.

Under pressure, some non-practitioners have withdrawn support for Falun Gong, discriminated against Falun Gong practitioners, broken business contracts, used a blacklist given to them by the Jiang regime and decided to stay silent about the torture and killing of thousands of innocent people in China. While many have resisted this pressure, those who gave in are also victims of this persecution since they were forced to act against their own conscience and they are missing a precious historic opportunity to take a righteous stance.

Acting like the Mafia, the Jiang Regime Breaks the Law in the U.S.

With no regard for U.S. law, acting through its embassy, consulates, overseas organizations, and special overseas agents, the Jiang regime is responsible for beating practitioners in broad daylight, breaking into practitioners' homes, threatening them, tapping their phone lines, and spying on them in the U.S. These cases have occurred in every U.S. city with a Chinese embassy or consulate, and we have much evidence. For example:

• In December 2001, a Chicago practitioner's car, full of Falun Gong materials, was set on fire.
• On June 23, 2003, in New York City, several people close to the Jiang regime assaulted Falun Gong practitioners who peacefully distributed flyers and held signboards reading, "Jiang Zemin has been sued for genocide," outside a restaurant in Chinatown. One practitioner suffered a bloody nose, black eye, cuts, bruises and extreme pain. The attackers shouted: "I'm going to beat you to death!" Another attacker sexually harassed a female practitioner.
• On October 9, 2000, a practitioner posted an article on-line protesting the visiting Consulate officials to Arizona State University. A few days later, he found his apartment severely damaged.
• On the evenings of October 17 and November 16, 2002, in Washington DC, portions of private conversations in practitioners' houses were secretly recorded and then later played back on practitioners' answering machines.
• At a group practice site in Washington, DC several unknown Chinese men were seen hiding behind a tree secretly filming the practitioners.

Additionally, spies have been found trying to mingle with practitioners in many U.S. cities. The Jiang regime also put practitioners' names on blacklists and then gave these lists to foreign governments asking them not to let practitioners into their countries.

Resolution 304 Strengthens Local Leaders Who Face Pressure and Propaganda

As mentioned above, elected U.S. officials, such as mayors or city council members, have also been targeted by the Jiang regime. The Chinese consulates throughout the country have sent slandering materials to many of these people, trying to cause them to have a negative attitude towards Falun Gong, Falun Gong practitioners, and Teacher.

For example, when supervisor Chris Daly of San Francisco initiated a resolution condemning the persecution of Falun Gong in China, the entire San Francisco Board of Supervisors received slanderous disinformation from the Chinese consulate. Daly took a strong and upright stance and condemned the Chinese consulate's behavior. However, not all local officials react this way, and some have bowed to the pressure.

Resolution 304 not only tells these local officials that they should support Falun Gong when they feel it is appropriate, but also that they should report "incidents of pressure or harassment by agents of the People's Republic of China to Members of Congress, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State." The resolution thus asks officials to proactively oppose such behavior by the Chinese consulates and embassy.

Resolution 304 is an Opportunity to Clarify the Facts More Broadly

When they hear about how the persecution has affected the lives of practitioners in their communities and how many elected officials have been faced with unfair pressure from the Jiang regime, many local officials, organizations, and individuals will express their support and even write to Congressmen themselves.

From "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference":

"Question: During the Hong Kong Fa Conference in February this year, more than seventy Taiwan students were sent back by the Hong Kong government. Taiwan and Hong Kong students are going through legal channels and suing the Hong Kong government for violating the law. Master, how could we do better in this?

Teacher: Actually, this incident itself has already caused quite a stir in the world. It should be said that you've done well. As far as how you should do it specifically, well, since you've sued them in court, then you should do it with all seriousness. Wherever a problem arises, that's where you need to clarify the facts. No matter what the end result will be, through doing this you will have chances to interact with more people and you'll clarify the facts on a large scale. Under normal circumstances you don't have the opportunity--if you just pull someone over to tell them the facts you might feel a bit awkward, right? Now that you have something to do, go and tell people.

Don't be afraid that the consulates or the special agents will stir up trouble. As soon as they do that you should use the opportunity to let more people know about the truth. (Strong applause) Actually, you're Dafa disciples, so hey, their plots are playing right into your hands! (People laugh) When they stir up trouble you'll have an opportunity to clarify the facts and expose the evil, right? "As soon as you evil beings come near, I'll grab you and I'll let the world's people know"--that's the perfect time to expose them."

Resolution 304 also gives us a great opportunity to discuss the persecution and its extension to the United States with mayors, city council members, state representatives and other local government officials. From "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference":

"Question: On January 22^nd a U.S. disciple was arrested at the Guangzhou Airport...

Teacher: Since you're Dafa disciples, when there's a problem, everyone should work together as one. Since they aren't afraid of having their dirty deeds brought out into the open, we should expose them all to the whole world, and let all Americans know that a U.S. citizen has been arrested. Since they're not afraid of having their dirty deeds brought out into the open, we should go ahead and do those things. Every day that they don't release him is another day for us to expose them. (Loud applause)"

Perhaps it is a similar situation with the Jiang regime's abuse of freedom of belief, freedom of speech, and freedom of association in the United States. When the American people - including government officials, various religious communities, human rights organizations, and other non-governmental organizations, learn about what kind of things the Jiang regime has been doing in the United States, many of them will also express their strong support and outrage. Since the Jiang regime continues doing its dirty deeds without shame, we should continue to expose them to the whole world.

Finally, we should remember that we are not relying on anyone else to stop the persecution or to clarify the facts for us. The success of this resolution depends in great part upon the efforts and improvements that we make as well as how we understand this resolution and how it concerns each of us, as part of the entire body. Let's encourage each other to take the initiative and make the most of the opportunities we have to clarify the facts, share understandings, and mature while giving emphasis to the process.

Please kindly point out any incorrect understandings.