[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 78 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 78
Designating March 25, 2003, as ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day
of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 6, 2003
Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. Bingaman, Mrs.
Boxer, Mr. Carper, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins,
Mr. Corzine, Mr. Daschle, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Domenici, Mr.
Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr.
Fitzgerald, Mr. Graham of South Carolina, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr.
Hagel, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy,
Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr.
Lott, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida,
Mr. Reed, Mr. Reid, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr.
Sessions, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sununu,
Mr. Thomas, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Landrieu, Mr.
Allen, Mr. Graham of Florida, Mr. Nickles, and Mr. Miller) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
March 12, 2003
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Designating March 25, 2003, 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 for more than 100 years;
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 presenting the Axis land war with its first major
setback, setting off a chain of events that significantly affected the
outcome of World War II;
Whereas the price for Greece in holding our common values in their region was
high, as hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in Greece during
the World War II period;
Whereas President George W. Bush, in recognizing Greek Independence Day on March
25, 2002, said, ``Greece and America have been firm allies in the great
struggles for liberty. Americans will always remember Greek heroism and
Greek sacrifice for the sake of freedom . . . [and] as the 21st Century
dawns, Greece and America once again stand united; this time in the
fight against terrorism. The United States deeply appreciates the role
Greece is playing in the war against terror . . . . America and Greece
are strong allies, and we're strategic partners.'';
Whereas Greece is a stabilizing force by virtue of its political and economic
power in the volatile Balkan region and is one of the fastest growing
economies in Europe;
Whereas on January 1, 2003, Greece took over the Presidency of the European
Union for the fourth time since it joined the Union in 1981 with the
message of ``Our Europe: Sharing the Future in a Community of Values'';
Whereas Greece, through excellent work and cooperation with United States and
international law enforcement agencies, recently arrested key members of
the November 17 terrorist organization;
Whereas President Bush stated that Greece's ``successful law enforcement
operations against a terrorist organization [November 17] responsible
for three decades of terrorist attacks underscore the important
contributions Greece is making to the global war on terrorism'';
Whereas Greece's unprecedented Olympic security effort, including a record-
setting expenditure of over $600,000,000 and the utilization of a 7-
member Olympic Security Advisory Group which includes the United States,
will contribute to a safe and secure environment for staging the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens, Greece;
Whereas Greece, geographically located in a region where Christianity meets
Islam and Judaism, maintains excellent relations with Muslim nations and
Israel;
Whereas Greece has had extraordinary success in recent years in furthering
cross-cultural understanding and reducing tensions between Greece and
Turkey;
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, 2003, marks the 182nd 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, 2003, 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.
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