Political Quotes

“Today marks the publication date of a remarkable compilation of letters from a remarkable man, imprisoned Chinese political dissident Wei Jingsheng. His book, "The Courage To Stand Alone: Letters From Prison and Other Writings," should be required reading for anyone who takes for granted the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Wei is currently serving 14 years for the crime of advocating democracy in a country where freedom of speech does not extend to criticism of government authorities. An electrician by training, Wei lacks the formal education of some other famous 20th century champions of democracy and civil rights-- Vaclav Havel, Andrei Sakharov, or Martin Luther King--but whatever he may lack in sophistication, he more than makes up for with his blunt eloquence. Just days before the Chinese crackdown against pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Wei offered some candid advice for China's top leaders from his prison cell, urging them to "take great strides to implement a democratic government as quickly as possible." A great tragedy might have been avoided if Beijing's gerontocracy had heeded Wei's call.”