Parade Magazine, a Sunday supplement which accompanies many major newspapers in the U.S., has a lead story and photographs today of immigrants and refugees entitled "Why I Cam to America."  The article is by David Oliver Relin.

The front cover photo and first story is of Ngawang Sangdrol, of Tibet, who was first imprisoned and beaten by the Communists in 1992, when she was thirteen years old.  She was tortured and imprisoned again, for a total of eleven years, after making a CD recording which expressed her Buddhist faith and her allegiance to the Dalai Lama. 

She was given asylum to the U.S. after release in 2003.  Today she is a student who lives in New Jersey with nuns and appreciates being able to publicly express her beliefs. 

The story is most eloquent with the photographs of this lovely young woman who has survived the Communist prisons.  It is online, without photos, at http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_07-02-2006/AImmigrant

In the space for commentary I have been able to express the following

 on Parade.com

saving Ngawang Sangdrol from Communist prisons makes me proud of my country
By JeanLibby on 7/2/2006 14:53:32

The story of Ngawang Sangdrol, arrested and tortured at age 13 for practicing her religion and expressing her beliefs is unfortunately a story that is repeated today in Communist countries, including China, Tibet, and Vietnam. In April, 2006, 118 brave dissident religious leaders, educators, and writers have objected to the persecution and jailing of Christian and Buddhist religious leaders and practioners in Vietnam, and to be forced to glorify the Communist government and Ho Chi Minh, in order to survive. I am proud of my country, the USA, in saving Vietnamese and Tibetan and Chinese victims of the prisons and allowing asylum. I know many Vietnamese prison victims who have become exemplery U.S. citizens and improved our country with hard work, attention to laws, and gratitude for participatory democracy.