Extensions of Remarks E48 HON. EDOLPHUS
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E48 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 9, 2007 After returning to California, Mr. Livermore COUNCIL OF KHALISTAN SENDS Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki first founded a mule-packing company in the NEW YEAR GREETING TO THE Fateh! SIKH NATION The New Year has already arrived. Happy southem Sierra and then a small lumber mill New Year to you and your family and the near his family home in Northern California. In Khalsa Panth. May 2007 be your best year 1952 he went to work as treasurer at Pacific HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS ever. I wish you health, joy, and prosperity Lumber Company, and helped promote sus- OF NEW YORK in the new year. The flame of freedom continues to burn tainable logging practices during the heyday of IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES the California logging industry. Many of the brightly in the heart of the Sikh Nation. No Tuesday, January 9, 2007 force can suppress it. Guru Gobind Singh areas he advocated be protected as wilder- blessed the Khalsa Panth, saying ‘‘in grieb ness were near areas being logged by the Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, the Council Sikhin ko deom Patshahi.’’ (‘‘I bless the company, but Ike understood the need for bal- of Khalistan, which leads the peaceful, demo- humble Sikhs with sovereignty.’’) The Sikh ance in resource management. cratic, nonviolent effort to free Khalistan, the Nation must dedicate this year to working Sikh homeland, from India, has sent New hard to achieve that goal. Self-determina- In 1967, he gladly accepted a request to Year’s greetings to the Sikhs from the council tion is the right of all peoples and nations join the cabinet of California Governor Ronald and its president, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh. and the essence of democracy. Without sov- Reagan as the Secretary of Resources. Dur- ereignty, religions perish. With sovereignty, In the letter, Dr. Aulakh calls On Sikh polit- ing his time in the Reagan Administration, Ike they flourish. Compare the situation of the ical leaders to stand up for the interests of was a fierce opponent of several attempts to Jewish people in Europe before World War II their people, which is what all of us in public build roads over these passes he himself had to their situation now. There is no reason office anywhere should be doing. He notes Sikhs cannot achieve a similar change of for- walked, and finally convinced the Governor to that without sovereignty, nations perish, and tune. scuttle plans to build two roads over the high- he cites the situation of the Jewish people be- It has been said that ‘‘without vision, the est passes. His wisdom is readily apparent: fore World War II as compared to their situa- people perish,’’ but with vision, the people the areas in question have now been des- flourish. It is time for the Sikh Nation to tion now. That is a good example of what sov- ignated Sequoia National Park and the John flourish. Sikhs have suffered too much al- ereignty can do for a people. He calls on the Muir wilderness. He was also instrumental in ready under the yoke of Indian persecution Punjab Legislative Assembly that is about to the creation of Redwood National Park on the since independence, especially over the past be elected next month to pass a resolution 25 years. We have seen the attack on the northern Coast. Marshalling the same argu- again declaring Khalistan’s independence. Golden Temple, over 250,000 Sikhs murdered ments he had made in his master’s thesis 30 Dr. Aulakh calls for the return of the state and over 52,000 held as political prisoners, years earlier, he convinced members of Gov- capital, Chandigarh, to Punjab, along with the the murder of the Akal Takht Jathedar, ernor Reagan’s cabinet that the economic more than 50,000 Sikh youth tortured, mur- Punjabi areas of neighboring states Himachal benefits of wilderness far outweighed other dered, then declared unidentified and se- Pradesh and Haryana. He urges an end to the potential uses of the land. Such reasoning is cretly cremated, their bodies never returned diversion of Punjab’s water without compensa- the foundation of the important modem under- to their families. Their families continue to tion. He notes that the fanners are being op- suffer. We must help their widows and or- standing that the preservation of wild land can pressed by being forced to buy fertilizer at ex- phans. Let us find the vision to throw off be as valuable as its exploitation. orbitantly high rates but being forced to sell this repression. With that vision, the Sikh Ike’s heart was always in the wild country, their crops at ridiculously low prices. He notes Nation will flourish; without it, we will per- and throughout many years in the ish and India’s effort to eliminate Sikhism the insults and repression that India has in- will succeed. This is the reason that Guru enviromnental community he caused others to flicted on the Sikhs, including the Golden Gobind Singh sent Sikhs to learn Sanskrit share his appreciation of unspoiled natural Temple attack, the murder of over 250,000 and to gain knowledge of other religions, so beauty during expeditions all over the state. Sikhs since 1984, the fact that more than that the Khalsa Panth might be more en- Among his favorite places in the high Sierra 52,000 Sikhs are being held as political pris- lightened and be aware of the qualities of its Nevada was the long, mostly undeveloped oners, and so many other violations. The letter own religion and culture. stretch from Yosemite National Park to Walker notes that in an independent Khalistan, India The Indian government is reacting to the Pass. While operating his mule-packing ven- rising tide of freedom for the Sikh Nation. It would not be able to inflict such insults and re- has stepped up its efforts to destroy the Sikh ture he covered much of this territory, and pression on the Sikh Nation. religion and deny Sikhs an environment to after he had folded the business and moved In addition to the quarter of a million Sikhs flourish. They have kept Punjabi-speaking on with other pursuits, he continued to return it has murdered, the Indian regime has killed areas out of Punjab while supporting an in- to the area for many years leading Sierra Club over 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, more flux of Hindus into Punjab. Sikhs are prohib- expeditions and fighting to oppose develop- than 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir and 2,000 to ited from buying land in Rajasthan, ment. 5,000 in Gujarat, as well as Christians and Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal Pradesh, yet there are no restrictions on land owner- Madam Speaker, many people will gather at Muslims elsewhere in the country and Tamils, ship in Punjab by non-Sikhs. People from the end of the month to remember Ike, and all Manipuris, Dalits, Bodos, Assamesc, and other anywhere can buy land in Punjab, including the good that he has done. But it takes more minorities. Tens of thousands of people are people from Rajasthan and Himachal than great accomplishments to earn a place in held as political prisoners, according to Am- Pradesh. India is trying to subvert people’s hearts. Ike Livermore was, above all, nesty Intemational. Congress should demand Khalistan’s independence by overrunning a great and kind man. Loving towards family the release of all political prisoners and the Punjab with non-Sikhs while keeping Sikhs prosecution of those who have violated the from escaping the brutal repression in Pun- and friends, calm and respectful in his con- jab. I ask Captain Amarinder Singh and duct, a strong and passionate leader for the rights of Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, and other Badal to get the Punjabi-speaking areas causes he championed, Ike’s life is a model minorities. back from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. for future generations. His works did not de- Madam Speaker, the time has come for the These areas rightfully belong to Punjab. fine him, but were a reflection of the man who glow of freedom to be enjoyed by everyone. It When will the political leaders of Punjab gave so many his wisdom arid guidance. He is time to cut off American aid and trade with stand up for the Sikhs? In Punjab, the Sikh population is 75 per- will long be remembered as a true, Califor- India until all people enjoy full human rights there. In addition, we should put the U.S. Con- cent rural. Sikhs are dependent on agri- nian, a visionary environmentalist who under- culture. The lifeline of farmers is water. We stood the balance of man and nature, and re- gress on record in support of freedom every- must stop the diversion of Punjab’s water to alized that both must be allowed to prosper. where in South Asia. Now that a new Con- Rajasthan and Haryana without compensa- gress has taken office, it is an ideal time to tion. That is a natural resource of Punjab. A Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this pass a resolution calling for a free and fair couple of years ago, Captain Amarinder time that we remember and celebrate the life plebiscite on the subject of independence. Singh’s government cancelled the water of Ike Livermore. His accomplishments are in- That is the democratic way to do things and agreements. I call on Chief Minister numerable, but he leaves behind a greater it’s time that India started behaving like a de- Amarinder Singh to use his power to receive legacy of personal involvement in the wilds of payments for this water.