From: "(Jinghong Li)" <jli@AMSC01.ENGR.UDAYTON.EDU>
Subject:      Witness A Moment of History  ( II ) - final days of lobby
Reply-To: "(Jinghong Li)" <jli@AMSC01.ENGR.UDAYTON.EDU>
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 22:57:34 GMT
Comments: cc: jli@amsc01.BITNET

             Witness A Moment of History  ( II )

         -- Final Days of Lobby in Washington, D.C.

                      Jinghong Li


-- continued from ( I )


11:00am.  Now people all know that President Bush signed the bill a few
minutes before 11:00am.  But we did not know, yet.

Ms Laura Reise, John and I then went from 5th floor to a conference room
on the 7th floor.  The first topic of course was what to do, now.  Many
possibilities and techniques were explored.  Based on information
gathered at that time, a continued high-pressure lobby on the White House
was reconfirmed.

Among the immediate actions were:

  Call upon local groups nationwide to visit those just-got-home Senators
  and House members.  Ask them to contact the President;

  Push for more Newspaper editorials and reports;

  HQ staffs and I will visit the Capital Hill right following the meeting.
  Bring all necessary documents, especially copies of local Newspaper
  reports and editorials;

  ...

And, as a last resource, if the bill was still not signed on Sunday Oct. 11,
-- only one day before the deadline, we will find a way to push a question
during the first Presidential Debate.  This is a very complex method.  On
one hand,  our teams have been trying very hard to avoid any possibility
which might "politicize" the Protection Act, like what happened to the J-1
bill in 1990.  By then, many Republican Senators had no choice but to
save their President from a partisanship defeat.  On the other hand,
however, if the bill is not signed on Sunday, the situation probably could
not be any worse.  We would have nothing to loss by taking the last chance.
This is: never put all eggs in one basket.

11:15am, John jumped out off his chair went down stairs to check messages.
Who knows why, maybe anything could happen at any time.  The discussion
continued.  Laura started to tell a new idea triggered by reports that
many AIDS activists were displaying huge flags on The Mall.  Partially
joking, she said maybe we should gather 64 students to chain themselves
together in front of the White House until Bush signs the bill.  We smiled
at each other.  I added, also joking, we should do this in every city ......

11:20am, John spurt in: "he signed".  Caught in a surprise, I looked at
his exciting face wondering what exactly was happening.  He repeated,
"President Bush has just signed the bill !"

"My God", Laura jumped into the air, "Really ?!  How did you know that ?!"

"Qingsong left a message on the answer machine !"

"Did Haiching know ?  Have you told him ?"

"Yea, I called him right away.  He was so excited !  I told him to come
over earlier."

I rushed to call the HQ, but stopped on the way - they left the message
for us, of course they have already known.  In no time, three of us found
ourselves holding each others hands, firmly shaking,  congratulating......

There is no word could fully describe the happy moment.  For many of the
CSS, it is a good news; for them at the firm, it is a long-job well done.

"Do you think Burton know this ?"  Laura still excited.

"I don't know.  He is in a meeting,"  Jonh.

"I am going tell him" flew out like a lark.


11:25am, Laura came back with a big smile: "He actually believed it !"

Hnmm ?   We were confused.

"I told him, 64 Chinese students have chained them together in front of
the White House, Burton believed." Laura added, "He said, tell them to
release themselves because the President has just signed the bill. --
-- Qingsong called him, too."

......

11:30am

-- to be continued
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