Dalai Lama and Tibet Awareness Day in CA
It was a big day yesterday for Tibetans in California, and worldwide.
On March 2, 2009, there was a flame-of-hope that lit the darkness surrounding current events inside Tibet. California State Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee gave a hall full of some 200 Tibetans and Tibet supporters from all over the State of California a reason to sing a little in the rain!
On December 8, 2008, Assembly member Blakeslee introduced, for the second time, the Resolution ACR 6 calling on the State of California to declare March 10th the “Dalai Lama and Tibet Awareness Day” as an acknowledgment of the 50 years of peaceful resistance against the tyranny of Chinese occupation of Tibet and to commemorate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 50 years of life in exile.
Tibetan Associations and Tibet Support Groups all over the state mobilized to express our support to ACR 6 and sent over 200 letters to Assemblymembers all over the State urging them to support Dr. Blakeslee’s resolution.
Resolution ACR 6 passed into the CONSENT calendar unanimously on March 2, 2009. Formality of final voting is on Wednesday March 4, 2009. We were told that Resolutions in the consent calendar traditionally pass the final step.
http://tanc.org/sacramento/index5.html for images.
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March 5th, 2009 @ 8:45 am
This is wonderful & uplifting news!! !! As was similarly the resolution passed in Wisconsin also to recognize Tibet at this great and momentous point in the unfolding of Tibet’s story… It would be nice to see these gestures spreading to every state & by that I mean every country and jurisdiction large & small around the world!..
Billy Douthwright
March 16th, 2009 @ 9:35 pm
As great a news as this first seemed, things have, for the moment, not turned out so well. On Monday, March 16th, after heavy lobbying by the Chinese Consulate in the halls of the Assembly, ACR 6 was referred to the Rules Committee, where it may die.
Sad to say, along pretty much party lines, with Republicans, led by Assemblyman Blakeslee who introducdd ACR 6 and has a very personal and strong connection with the Tibetans, calling for a vote on the resolution, and Democrats voting to send it to the Rules Committee, where it is feared it will be buried and disappear.
Some 150 supporters of ACR 6 were there today, mostly Tibetans.
It is very troubling that Democrats especially would have opposed such a clear cut human rights issue and initiative. One may speculate as to the reasoning behind this, the darkest scenario being that the Chinese government has much more influence in California’s halls of government than most of us would like to believe. A less dark scenario may be that the Democrats are stalling the resolution till after the G20 meetings, when such a resolution would have less of an embarrassing and perhaps provocative effect on discussions between the US and China.
Either way, it’s troubling that on this subject of human, cultural and religious rights in Tibet, our legislators have not shown more moral courage and leadership.
As a citizen of California who has helped elect some of those that voted to refer ACR 6 to the Rules Committee, possibly killing it, and as someone who stands with the Tibetan people in their just struggle, I am deeply ashamed.
Here is a link to an article with more information on today’s events:
http://www.times-standard.com/statenews/ci_11927862