Nancy's Journey

An extraordinary event took place Saturday, to very little notice here, after a week or so of tragedy in Tibet: the U.S. Speaker of the House, third in line to the presidency, traveled to India to meet with the Dalai Lama, to speak out on behalf of human rights, the political rights of the Tibetan people, and against oppression and violence perpetrated by the world's most successful totalitarian capitalist regime, in China.

At a time when the Chinese government is recklessly accusing the Dalai Lama of fomenting violence, Nancy Pelosi and a small congressional delegation traveled a great distance, to a fairly isolated part of India, to show their support.
At a time when the U.S. administration is selling high tech weapons to India and urging military and nuclear expansion, Nancy Pelosi visited the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, performing the traditional tribute of throwing rose petals.

At a time when U.S. politicians and corporate leaders are afraid to criticize China for anything (including collusion in the Darfur genocide) because they essentially own our government and make everything we buy, Pelosi called for the world to condemn China for killing demonstrators as only the most recent acts of its murderous brutality in Tibet. She said this crisis is a challenge to "the conscience of the world."

At a time when the U.S. is feared and hated around the world, Tibetan exiles and others wrapped themselves in American flags because of her journey and her committment.

I get occasional emails from an organization trying to run a more radical candidate against Pelosi because she doesn't support impeachment, or hasn't done enough to end the Iraq war. They get no support from me. She's an imperfect politician, but Nancy Pelosi did more for this country this past weekend than anybody in government I know of has for a long time.

Those who share her concern for the Tibetan people can help through organizations such as the International Campaign for Tibet and the Tibet Fund.