[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 20 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 20

Designating March 25, 2001, as ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day 
           of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2001

Mr. Specter (for himself, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. 
  Cochran, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
 Harkin, Mr. Reed, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Lieberman, 
Ms. Snowe, Mr. Biden, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
  Jeffords, Mr. Gregg, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, Mrs. 
 Feinstein, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Cleland, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Graham, 
Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Warner, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
DeWine, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Domenici, 
  Mr. Thompson, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Mr. Sessions, Mr. 
Hagel, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Corzine, Mrs. Hutchison, 
and Mr. Reid) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Designating March 25, 2001, as ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day 
           of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy''.

Whereas the ancient Greeks developed the concept of democracy, in which the 
        supreme power to govern was vested in the people;
Whereas the Founding Fathers of the United States drew heavily on the political 
        experience and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming our 
        representative democracy;
Whereas Greek Commander in Chief Petros Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern 
        Greek state, said to the citizens of the United States in 1821, ``it is 
        in your land that liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating 
        you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we 
        succeed in resembling you'';
Whereas Greece is 1 of only 3 nations in the world, beyond the former British 
        Empire, that has been allied with the United States in every major 
        international conflict in the twentieth century;
Whereas Greece played a major role in the World War II struggle to protect 
        freedom and democracy through such bravery as was shown in the historic 
        Battle of Crete and in Greece presenting the Axis land war with its 
        first major setback, which set off a chain of events that significantly 
        affected the outcome of World War II;
Whereas former President Clinton, during his visit to Greece on November 20, 
        1999, referred to modern-day Greece as ``a beacon of democracy, a 
        regional leader for stability, prosperity and freedom'', and President 
        George W. Bush, in a letter to the Prime Minister of Greece, 
        Constantinos Simitis, in January 2001, referred to the ``stable 
        foundations and common values'' that are the basis of relations between 
        Greece and the United States;
Whereas Greece and the United States are at the forefront of the effort for 
        freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and human rights;
Whereas those and other ideals have forged a close bond between our 2 nations 
        and their peoples;
Whereas March 25, 2001, marks the 180th anniversary of the beginning of the 
        revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire; and
Whereas it is proper and desirable to celebrate with the Greek people and to 
        reaffirm the democratic principles from which our 2 great nations were 
        born: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates March 25, 2001, as ``Greek Independence Day: 
        A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American 
        Democracy''; and
            (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
        calling on the people of the United States to observe the day 
        with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
                                 <all>