[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 75 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 75

Designating March 25, 2005, as ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day 
           of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 8, 2005

  Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Allen, Mr. Bennett, Mr. 
Biden, Mr. Bingaman, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Chambliss, 
  Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Craig, Mr. 
 DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Feingold, 
  Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. 
     Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. 
    Lautenberg, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lott, Mr. Lugar, Ms. 
Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Obama, 
  Mr. Reed, Mr. Reid, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Santorum, Mr. 
 Schumer, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sununu, 
   Mr. Thomas, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Designating March 25, 2005, 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 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 that presented 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, throughout the 20th century, Greece was 1 of only 3 nations in the 
        world, beyond the former British Empire, that was allied with the United 
        States in every major international conflict;
Whereas President George W. Bush, in recognizing Greek Independence Day, 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 Greece, through excellent work and cooperation with United States and 
        international law enforcement agencies, arrested and convicted 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 was extraordinarily responsive to United States requests during 
        the war with Iraq, as Greece immediately granted unlimited access to its 
        airspace and the base in Souda Bay, and many United States ships 
        delivering troops, cargo, and supplies to Iraq were refueled in Greece;
Whereas the Olympic Games came home in August 2004 to Athens, Greece, the land 
        of their ancient birthplace 2,500 years ago and the city of their modern 
        revival in 1896;
Whereas Greece received world-wide praise for its extraordinary handling of over 
        14,000 athletes from 202 countries and over 2,000,000 spectators and 
        journalists and did so efficiently, securely, and with its famous Greek 
        hospitality;
Whereas the unprecedented Olympic security effort in Greece for the first post-
        9/11 Olympics included a record-setting expenditure of over 
        $1,390,000,000 and assignment of over 70,000 security personnel, as well 
        as the utilization of an 8-country Olympic Security Advisory Group which 
        included the United States;
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, 2005, marks the 184th 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, 2005, as ``Greek Independence Day: 
        A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American 
        Democracy''; and
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
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