| Written by Admin | |
| Dec 25, 2007 at 10:01 AM | |
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December 22, 2007 Delivered at City of Pasadena - City Hall
While this poll was a spoof, it's results are no surprise to those of us who have been pleading with him to have a heart and take his role as the Mayor of Pasadena seriously - in particular his role in a City which has a sister City in Xicheng, one of Beijing's Districts. Mayor Bogaard has welcomed Beijing to participate in the 2008 Rose Parade with a float that celebrates the 2008 Olympics. The Beijing Olympics Float is nothing but a propaganda tool for Beijing, who has taken advantage of this great City of Pasadena. Beijing promised to improve their human rights conditions upon their Award for the Olympics bid, and they have broken that promise. While we all celebrate the Spirit of the Olympics, we oppose the spirit of Beijing and all of the human rights abuse and religious persecution it contains. Pasadena Mayor Bogaard continues to ignore public records and personal testimony by dozens of freedom fighters who have poured out their souls during Pasadena City Council hearings to demand help for those who languish in China's prisons. He has refused to speak up about the atrocities facing too many common people in China, and has insulted the human rights community by diminishing the fact by calling them "allegations". Mayor Bogaard's public performance on these matters has been heartless - and so we congratulate all who found out that their vote does matter and that Mayor Bogaard is getting what he deserves with the Grinch of the Year Award. In addition, Mayor Bogaard's broken promise to Yaning Liu to ask the Pasadena Sister City Association to look in to the matter of her mother who languishes in prison in the Sister City Xicheng district of Beijing and instead he sent Ms. Liu a response refusing to even write a simple letter on her behalf. The Mayor thus more than deserves the 2007 Broken Rose Award. The second matter of business is to ask people to sign the petition to the U.S. Congress asking them to help the Prisoners of Conscience listed: Shuying Li, Chen Guangcheng, Shi Tao, Ching Cheong, Zhou Heng, Father Wen Daoxin , Bishop Jia Zhiguo and Gao Zhisheng. Please see attached petition.The third matter of business today is to welcome Pasadena shoppers and residents who continue to support efforts for parade goers to TURN THEIR BACKS when the Beijing Olympics Float of Shame passes by during the Rose Parade. We ask them to turn their backs on January 1st as the Beijing Float passes by, and encourage them to let their friends and families contact our website at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can deliver the t-shirts before the parade. We are extremely grateful to the residents of Pasadena who have, unlike Mayor Bogaard, followed their hearts and supported the basic human rights of Prisoners of Conscience in China. We wish everyone a peaceful Christmas.
BEIJING OLYMPICS FLOAT OF SHAME* Help China Keep its Olympic Promise * |
TURN YOUR BACK TO THE 2008 ROSE PARADE'S