The Dalai Lama Reincarnation Process Surfaced In The New Stimulus Bill, And People Are Confused

Nine months into the pandemic (and after months of fighting), Congress passed a second stimulus bill. The optics of announcing the bill did not go over too well, largely because Nancy Pelosi described $600 per adult as “significant.” Coming from a multi-millionaire, this certainly wasn’t the best look for the legislation, and when people started digging into the bill even further — thousands and thousands of pages into the document — heads started confusedly shaking over the Dalai Lama getting some face time. Yeah, this is an unexpected (and somewhat strange) development on page 5099.

The text of the bill can be read here, and it’s definitely real, as is the portion that seeks to make illegal streaming into a felony. Of course, the streaming portion of the bill fits in pretty seamlessly with other protections outlined in the bill because the pandemic has only accentuated the importance of streaming to the bottom line of studios, labels, and artists. However, it feels like it’s more than a little bit out-of-context to see the U.S. government adding a portion about the Dalai Lama reincarnation process.

It’s for a purpose, yes. The U.S. is basically refusing to acquiesce if China, while in control of Tibet, moves to pinpoint the next reincarnation of His Holiness.

Stranger things have certainly happened in the midst of enormous, much debated funding bills from Congress. That’s only to be expected when two warring sides negotiate into oblivion: “Peak government.”

In closing, one user has pointed out we still don’t know “did the Dalai Lama also get $600 or no.” It’s a fair question.