Although the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet in 1949, and subsequent full takeover in 1959 is the perfect environment for the breeding of Terrorists and hostile resistance, the Dalai Lama's leadership and message of non-violence has been adhered to quite universally by Tibetans and Tibet supporters the world over.

In similar scenarios around the globe the same can not be said, and in recognition of his life's work the United States Senate has already passed a bill to award him the Gold Medal. However, due to the fact that it is the most prestigious award a civilian can receive from Congress, 290 co- sponsors in the House of Representatives are needed to have the Bill reach the floor for a vote.

When our Independence Marchers reached Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn on the Hill approximately 140 Representatives had signed on to co-sponsor the Bill, but a tremendous amount of work remained to double the support in time for a vote prior to the July 4th Summer Break. Although the Senate Bill received bi-partisan support and easily passed, HR 4562 to date has been quite a different case as much ignorance of the situation remains even among the upper echelon of our government ranks.
Considering that the majority of the 140 co-sponsors are Democrats or leaning Republicans, the lobby for HR 4562 is targeting those Republican Representatives from the states the Marchers reside in to persuade them to sign on as well.

For practically all those involved, including organizers from ITIM, it was the first opportunity to personally participate in the democratic process on this level. As a result a tremendous level of energy filled the group as we plied the halls of the House and supported HR 4562, simultaneously spreading the message of Independence for Tibet.

Working in tandem with Charlotte Oldham-Moore and Susan Mizrahi from the International Campaign for Tibet, headquartered in Washington D.C, the Marchers turned into Lobbyists and descended upon over twenty Congressional Offices with a noble goal in hand.

While many of our individual Representatives had already signed on to co-sponsor the bill, perhaps an indication that Tibetans and Tibet supporters live within the blue bands of their flag here in America, we collectively went door to door to speak with those Representatives who hadn't yet signed on.

The appointment with Virginia's conservative Republican Representative Virgil Goode resulted in learning that he had decided to sign on as a co-sponsor as a result of the media coverage of the March and our presence on the Hill.

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Another coup occurred when we went to visit Rep Danny Davis (D, IL) and actually got a chance to speak with him just moments before he was heading into session. Yeshe Gyatlsen, a fellow Chicagoan, stated his case to urge Mr. Davis to sign on for the Bill. When Yeshe informed Rep Davis that 140 Representatives had already signed on Rep Davis queried whether or not he was one of them. Yeshe informed him that he wasn't, and Rep Davis responded "well I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be among them." The group of twenty Marchers and supporters broke into applause and the flashes popped for Yeshe and Rep Davis' handshake.

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Perhaps one of the most dramatic moments of the afternoon took place shortly after ITIM President Dr. Larry Gerstein visited Mike Pence's office, a Republican from Indiana who represents the district where Dr. Gerstein teaches at Ball State University. After meeting with his Legislative Assistant and stating emphatically that Rep. Pence should join the growing bi-partisan constituency in support of HR 4562, we were making our way down the hall to visit a list dominated by Republican Representatives who were yet to sign on. To our surprise Rep. Pence rounded the corner on his return from a late lunch and was swallowed up by a sea of 'Free Tibet' T-shirt wearing advocates of His Holiness. During a friendly dialogue with Dr. Gerstein, Rep Pence confirmed that he supported His Holiness, the Marchers for the advance of non-violent means in resolving their mission, and agreed to sign on as well.

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One of our Marchers, Tenzin Sherab, who hails from Maui, Hawaii, went to an arranged meeting with his Representative's Legislative Assistant. After hearing her explain that Rep Ed Case is very much aware of the plight of the Tibetan community as a result of his trip to Lhasa two years prior, Tenzin explained that although he is very much isolated as a Tibetan in Hawaii he has benefited exponentially from the Aloha Spirit of Hawaiians, which he feels mirrors his own culture and His Holiness.

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An appointment had been scheduled for Tsering Yeshi to meet with Bernie Sanders (D, VT) his Congressman Bernie Sanders (R, VT) to persuade him to sign on to HR 4562, but word reached his office in regards to the Tibetans marching on Washington and Tsering's participation. As a result, Rep Sanders signed on to the Bill prior to our meeting with ICT. Tsering made his way to Rep. Sander's Office in an effort to thank him for joining on the Bill but unfortunately he needed to fly back to Vermont shortly after signing. Nevertheless Tsering's involvement in the March and willingness to come up on the Hill had a major impact in Rep. Sander's decision to join.

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Earlier in the day a visit to Rep. John Sweeney (R, NY) of Buffalo started off seeming as if there would not be a positive response. However, after an intern informed his Legislative Assistant Victoria Sanville of our visit and passed on a copy of HR 4562 the group overheard her say "please apologize for not being able to meet with them as I am on a conference call but inform them that I will have him sign on as soon as possible." Susan's eyes lit up like flares as she processed our eavesdropping session.

Given that Rep. John Sweeney is considered to be an important Representative who holds serious clout with many other hard-line conservative Republican Representatives his inclusion on the Bill stands to lead to many more votes and could potentially score a few more runs for HR 4562.

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All in all Tibet's Independence Marchers slash Lobbyists visited 25 Congressional Offices throughout the day including 3 from New Jersey (Garrett, Ferguson, Lobiondo); 4 from Illinois (Davis, Bean, Biggert, Shimkus); 4 from Indiana (Sodrel, Pence, Chocola, Carson); 3 from New York (Sweeney, Reynolds, Higgins); 4 from Pennsylvania (Brady, Peterson, Doyle, Dent); 3 from Virginia (Goode, Forbes, Cantor); 1 from Hawaii (Case); 1 from Vermont (Sanders); and 1 from Washington State (Smith). and besides getting four confirmations for HR 4562, our presenceon the Hill was felt as several Legislative Assistants, Interns, and Administrative Assistants informed us that they had seen us along the walk as they drove among the 100,000 vehicles that ply Route 29 each day.