In Richard’s post on the New Youth 4, he states, “it feels like there’s not much we can do [about the New Youth 4], but simply being aware is an important antecedent to creating change and making a difference.”

I think it’s worth discussing this briefly, as his sentiment is one no doubt shared by many others. And with good reason. Think of how large and powerful the Chinese government and how insignificant most of us who follow this case are.

It’s trite to say that an individual can affect change, so I won’t bother repeating that cliché. Thankfully, campaigns such as ours and the effort to free the Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer are composed of not only those who directly oversee the websites, and extends to those who write blog posts, journalists who cover the case, and those who take the time to write letters to Embassies and Consulates. By this count, New Youth 4 has dozens of members.

And I can assure you that the Chinese government is aware of what we’re doing, which is exactly the point. For all the nefarious activities of the CCP, it is in large part composed of kind and decent people who care greatly for the people of China and the future of the country. While it’s easy for them to miss one voice, hundreds and thousands of voices is much harder. This is why we urge anyone who’s struck by this case to blog, speak, and write about it.

The folks at Freekareem.org have put so much pressure on the government there that it’s felt the need to defend its actions. (It’s defense was so weak, that it had the effect of galvanizing more support for Kareem.) We can, and hopefully will do the same here.

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