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Chi-dean Liang , Ph.D.Letter to Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State2007-12-25Dear Secretary of State, “Peace on earth, good will toward men” is my thought for this Christmas day. Another thought I have in my mind today is the proposed referendum in Taiwan “UN for Taiwan”, co-signed by more than 3 million people there. This proposal was described by your honor as “Provocative”. You may be aware that it has been more than 40 years since the people of Taiwan have been excluded from UN membership – the basic tenets of this world organization in human rights, public health, trade relationships as well as equality with other nations. As Taiwanese, we are a peace-loving people and always treat other people with good will; nevertheless we ourselves are not treated equally with other human beings. We indeed understand that “Republic of China” is no longer a politically correct term and, looking forward, the only term we can use to apply for UN membership is “Taiwan”. Still, this intention was called “provocative” by your honor. This referendum is merely a reflection of what the people of Taiwan want for the future – yes, it is our national dream. Why is a mere expression of our national dream a provocative act? Having lived in the US for more than 40 years, my wife and I are visiting Boston during this holiday season – Boston, the setting of the famous speech by Patrick Henry in 1775. In Taiwan we had this speech in our high school English textbooks, and to this day I can still remember the impact I felt on the day I first read this question, “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?” This quote always brings up other representative reading on the essence of American spirit such as “The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves” by George Washington or the famous speech given by President Kennedy “A man does what he must — in spite of personal consequences….” Toward this end, I have but to put aside my pursuit of the American dream; instead, I am now asking myself why we Taiwanese can’t have their dream like everybody else. If merely a proposed referendum for entering UN membership is provocative, then what can we dare to dream? Sincerely, Chi-dean Liang, Ph.D |