By Shou Yi

(Clearwisdom.net) December 9, 2003 report: More than 100 Falun Gong practitioners from the Metropolitan New York and New Jersey areas gathered on December 7^th in front of the Waldorf Hotel in Manhattan and welcomed Wen Jiabao to the U.S. with peaceful Dafa exercises. At the same time they also called for bringing Jiang Zemin, who has single-handedly directed the brutal persecution against Falun Gong, to justice.

After the weekend's heavy snow in New York, in the freezing wind, Falun Gong practitioners unfurled banners that read, "Welcome Wen Jiabao to the US" "Bring Jiang Zemin to justice," "Falun Dafa is good." These banners delivered a clear message to the world. These banners were a way to expose the lie spread by Jiang and his cohorts that Falun Gong "opposes the Chinese government."

In the past few years, whenever Jiang visited foreign countries, he spread lies about Falun Gong at the expense of Chinese taxpayers. As the head criminal responsible for the persecution and brutal victimization of Falun Gong practitioners, naturally, overseas Falun Gong practitioners would protest and condemn him, as well as file lawsuits against him. The Xinhua News Agency accused Falun Gong of being an "anti-China force," and "being against the Chinese government," which are simply continuations of the defamatory methods used during the Cultural Revolution. Jiang doesn't represent China or the Chinese people, just as Hitler did not represent Germany or the German people. Jiang's persecution of innocent people who believe in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance is a moral stain on the image of the Chinese people and on the Chinese government. Falun Gong practitioners' protests, condemnations and lawsuits are the practitioners' means of being responsible to China and the Chinese people.

Although the Xinhua News Agency's accusations deceived some people, the "welcome" and "punish" banners held aloft at this recent activity dispelled these lies. These two banners clearly tell the Chinese people in China and abroad that Falun Gong only opposes and condemns the head criminal Jiang and his accomplices who started this brutal persecution.

The dictator who appears strong but is weak inside always hides behind the banners of the government, the Party and the system and even "the Chinese people," as if all of government and the Party should be held responsible for the crimes of those persecutors, as if everyone in the government and Party is their accomplice, as if by doing so, they are able to escape punishment by law and conscience. In fact, it only shows they are extremely weak and have a guilty conscience. Falun Gong practitioners treat Jiang's criminal group and the Chinese government differently, so the criminals can no longer hide behind the government or the Party. Without these fronts, the criminals have nowhere to hide.

This approach on the part of Falun Gong practitioners also encourages people working for the government who have not followed Jiang in the persecution to seriously ponder their position. They will realize that although they are within a system that easily commits crimes, it is also a severe test for them, just as this world, driven by material pursuits, is a severe test for everyone living in it. The downfall of Jiang's group will help them realize they cannot let other people in the system take responsibility for them. They should try their best to retain their integrity in a corrupt system and, based on that, try their best to do good things, however large or small.

Falun Gong practitioners' condemnation of Jiang Zemin's group doesn't mean they oppose the Chinese government. Also, Falun Gong practitioners' extending a welcome for Wen Jiabao's U.S. visit and their plea to severely punish Jiang doesn't mean Falun Gong supports any government, political Party, political system or political figure. It is not an act with political implications, nor is it begging someone. On the issue of the persecution of Falun Gong, practitioners hope all people can position themselves correctly. In the eyes of the practitioners there is no concept of political parties, governments or political power. They will treat everyone with benevolence and help them be responsible for themselves and others within their social environment. What everyone does is their own choice.

As a spiritual practice, Falun Gong pursues moral improvement. Falun Gong has no desire to build a utopia, or heaven on earth, and would never consider getting involved in a worldly political system or power struggle. For Falun Gong practitioners, what truly enables people to obtain eternal happiness is their acknowledgement of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. This is people's true desire through tens of thousands of reincarnations. Falun Gong practitioners in China have risked their lives to uphold their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance, and have resisted the Jiang group's slander and persecution of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance with their flesh and blood, just so people will have the opportunity to realize their yearning from countless lifetimes. "Welcome" and "punish" banners show the usual principles by which Falun Gong practitioners conduct themselves. Falun Gong practitioners only follow their principles and have no consideration for worldly gains and losses.

December 09, 2003