[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 78 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







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, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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.
                                 <all>