I was moved to write this letter by the massive protests that took place in Taipei [on March 26], because the image of hundreds of thousands of people, peacefully gathering to celebrate and protect their freedom is enough to move any person with love and respect for the right of the individual in the face of state tyranny.
Although the Iraq war and my country's occupation of Iraq have marred the name of liberty in the international community, although we have been accused imposing American-style politics where it isn't wanted, and although my country could better understand freedom by recognizing that it can take different forms than it does within the US borders, the existence of freedom is and will forever remain a celebration of the human experience, its preservation the single purpose for the building of governments.
Seeing your nation excited by freedom, willing to stand up in the face of suppression to proclaim your own freedom, reminds us all that no state is worth denying the rights that are intrinsic to being a human and, in fact, that those rights are the foundation of any state worth preserving.
Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, the government of China, after nearly 60 years of completely centralized state authority and rigorous social engineering, does not recognize the ability of the Taiwanese people to make decisions about their own lives, to be masters of their destinies. China wants to enslave your people, to limit your potential to learn and make and share the beauty of the world with each other. China censors the Internet because they know that information is the greatest weapon against unchecked authority. China violates the few human rights recognized by the UN because they have no respect for individual people, only the will of the ruling Communist Party. China is frightened by you because you give your sisters and brothers across the Taiwan Strait hope, and hope is the constant enemy of defeat.
I congratulate you, the Taiwanese people, for your courage and your resolve. You show China and the rest of the world that a nation united under the prospect of love and peace and liberty can not and will not be subdued by the threat of brute force. The heart of my nation is entwined with yours.
Our common beliefs and our common knowledge of the basic truth of individual sovereignty can, and will, topple any adversary to the preservation of human rights. Your struggle is our struggle, Taiwan. Taiwanese independence will be your legacy, and your children will remember you for your valor. We love you and wish you the peace that you pursue, and will win, through liberty and justice. You are empowered, Taiwan, with weapons no man can make, weapons that can defeat any foe.
Joey Johns
Texas
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