Full Text of HJR0044 102nd General Assembly
HJ0044 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The year 2021 marks 104 years since the Bolshevik | 3 | | Revolution in Russia, which resulted
in the world's first | 4 | | communist regime under Vladimir Lenin; this led to decades of | 5 | | oppression
and violence under communist regimes throughout the | 6 | | world; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, communism | 8 | | has proven incompatible with
the ideals of liberty, | 9 | | prosperity, and dignity of human life and has given rise to | 10 | | such infamous
totalitarian dictators as Joseph Stalin, Mao | 11 | | Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Nicolae Ceausescu,
the Castro | 12 | | brothers, and the Kim dynasty; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Communist regimes worldwide have killed over 100 | 14 | | million people and
subjected countless others to the worst and | 15 | | most widespread human rights abuses known to history,
with | 16 | | victims representing many different ethnicities, creeds, and | 17 | | backgrounds; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Communist regimes have, as a matter of government | 19 | | policy, robbed their own
citizens of the rights of freedom of | 20 | | religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association
| 21 | | through coercion, brutality, and fear; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Many victims of communism were persecuted as | 2 | | political prisoners for speaking
out against these regimes, | 3 | | and others were killed in genocidal state-sponsored purges; | 4 | | and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, In addition to violating basic human rights, | 6 | | communist regimes have suppressed
freedom of conscience, | 7 | | cultural life, and self-determination movements in over 40 | 8 | | nations; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, A National Day for the Victims of Communism was | 10 | | declared on November 7, 2017, condemning communism as a | 11 | | political philosophy incompatible with liberty, prosperity, | 12 | | and the dignity of human life; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in
| 14 | | Washington, D.C. is a nonprofit organization, authorized by a
| 15 | | unanimous Act of the United States Congress, that educates
| 16 | | people about the ideology, history, and legacy of communism
| 17 | | and honors the people who have suffered and died under
| 18 | | communist regimes; therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 20 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 21 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare November 7, 2021 as | 22 | | Victims of Communism Memorial Day in the State of Illinois; |
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| 1 | | and be it further
| 2 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
| 3 | | presented to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation as a
| 4 | | symbol of our respect and esteem.
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