Posted by Glenn on June 02, 1998 at 21:01:41:The following message was included in the latest mailing from the International Campaign for Tibet:
From the desk of...
Richard Gere
Chairman, Board of Directors, International Campaign for Tibet May,1998Dear Friend:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Washington, D.C. last year represents a possible turning point for a movement to which I have devoted much of my life-- securing religious freedom and cultural autonomy for the people of Tibet. His Holiness met with President Clinton and Vice President Gore, following which the White House issued a strong statement in support of the Dalai Lama's call for unconditional talks with the Chinese on the future of Tibet. And recently Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appointed a new "special coordinator" to oversee Tibetan issues.
The good news is that Washington is beginning to come to grips with something you and I have known for some time-- that Tibet remains one of the paramount unresolved moral issues of our time. The Dalai Lama has long said that strong and clear American leadership could make all the difference in brokering a lasting peace between the people of China and the people of Tibet and peacefully ending the brutal military occupation.
But the pressures within our own government to look the other way remain strong, and helping to translate the President's good intentions into action is a critical next step. That is where you come in. Your support today, in the form of a signed affirmation or a gift to the International Campaign for Tibet, could make a world of a difference for a people and a culture that deserve to live free of the torment they face today. Please join me.
(signed) Richard Gere
The following affirmation was enclosed:
AFFIRMATION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
to PRESIDENT BILL CLINTONWHEREAS... The people of Tibet, led by the Dalai Lama, are struggling to maintain one of the last remaining ancient spiritual cultures on Earth; and,
WHEREAS... The tyranny that has driven hundreds of thousands of Tibetans from their homeland and driven the Tibetan culture to the brink of extinction is an affront to all humankind; and,
WHEREAS... Confronting the issue of Tibet is a basic issue of morality, a defining action for the human community as the millenium approaches.
THEREFORE... I Affirm my deep commitment to religious and spiritual liberty by calling on you to take immediate and dramatic action to save Tibet's religious and cultural heritage.
Signed____________________________________(To be returned to the ICT for forwarding to the White House)
The address for the International Campaign for Tibet is:
1825 K St.,NW, Suite 520, Washington, D.C. 20006