Reps. Vagnozzi, Accavitti, Bieda, Clack, Constan, Dean, Griffin, Hammel, Hammon, Hopgood, Lemmons, Meadows, Miller, Polidori, Shaffer, Sheltrown, Spade, Stahl, Tobocman, Warren, Cushingberry, Robert Jones, Lahti, Marleau and Knollenberg offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 333.

A resolution proclaiming May 10, 2008, as Human Rights Relay Day in Michigan.

            Whereas, The Chinese Communist regime has been granted the honor of hosting the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with the provision that the nation improve its treatment of Chinese citizens; and

            Whereas, Human rights violations have increased in China since this honor was granted; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime imprisons millions of Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, Falun Gong, democracy advocates, labor organizers, lawyers, journalists, environmental activists, political dissidents and other innocent citizens in slave labor camps without trial; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime illegally harvests vital body organs for sale without consent from Falun Gong prisons of conscience; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime continues to occupy Tibet and attempts to erase the cultures of Tibetans and Muslim Uyghurs; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime forces women to get abortions, even in the third trimester, to enforce the "One Child per Family" rule; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime supports the dictatorships in Sudan, Burma, Zimbabwe and North Korea in perpetuating slaughter upon their citizens; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime prohibits freedom of religion and those who practice their faith and beliefs in "underground churches" are arrested, imprisoned and persecuted; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime prohibits freedom of speech, controls the population with private and public surveillance and censors information on the Internet; and

            Whereas, The Chinese regime prohibits freedom of the press and imprisons more journalists and reporters than any country in the world; and

            Whereas, The Olympic Charter calls for the Games to represent "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" and "the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity."  It states that:  "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or other reason is inconsistent with membership in the Olympic Movement"; and

            Whereas, The Human Rights Torch Relay is an international campaign that seeks to bring an end to all human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist regime, to re-establishing the mandate of the Olympic Charter and to preserving the true Olympic spirit; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body now proclaim May 10, 2008 as Human Rights Relay Day in Michigan.  We declare our support for the Human Rights Torch Relay campaign.