[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 138 (Wednesday, October 13, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H9957-H9958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CELEBRATING ONE AMERICA

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 141), Celebrating One America, and 
ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) to please explain this resolution.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. RANGEL. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 141 was introduced by my 
colleague, the distinguished gentleman, very distinguished gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Rangel). This resolution expresses the sense of 
Congress that all people in the United States should reach out across 
our differences and ethnicity, race and religion, to respect each other 
and to celebrate in friendship and unity one America.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) for 
introducing this commendable piece of legislation.
  Mr. RANGEL. Continuing to reserve my right to object, I would like to 
thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for his unanimous consent 
request and at the same time thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Hyde), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Conyers); our majority and minority leaders, the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Armey) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), and also to 
have the resolution amended to make certain that it includes the 
Pacific Islanders with the Asians.
  I also, in furthering my reservation, would like to point out for 
many years my brother, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), and 
former Congressman Frank Guarini have gone around the world. We have 
been to the Middle East; we have been to Africa; we have been to 
Europe, and we were all fascinated that no matter what mission we were 
on for the United States Congress, how blessed and how glad we were to 
get back to these great United States to see how it has been God's will 
for over 200 years that people from all of these countries that for 
whatever reason found themselves here seeking a better way of life.
  With all of the holidays that we have had, Frank Guarini who now has 
retired and chairs the Italian American Foundation had put together 
some 30 organizations of different backgrounds and different cultures 
with different languages and has made it abundantly clear that if it 
were not for these people we would not have the great country we have 
today.
  So I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) for the 
great role that he has played over the years in bringing people 
together, but most importantly on making certain that we could fashion 
something that expresses not my feelings or the feelings of the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) but the feelings of most Americans 
and certainly the representatives in the House
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. RANGEL. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Rangel) for his kind words and eloquent words in support of 
this important measure, and I am pleased to have worked with him on 
this measure. I have been pleased to travel with him to many nations 
where we have found sometimes prejudice and intolerance and have found 
authoritarian governments and, yes, when we returned to our Nation how 
grateful we were that we enjoy the freedoms that we have here.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to commend the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), for sponsoring and bringing to us 
on the floor tonight H. Con. Res. 141. I also thank the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for his support on the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Furthermore, I want to thank all of our colleagues who have joined 
together to support this measure and to make a strong statement on 
behalf of every American in working to build one America. Yes, a 
gentleman who has been working in the background, a former Member of 
Congress, Frank Guarini, has appealed to us to urge this measure to 
show our strong support for one nation, a one American nation.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of our Nation is the history of people 
throughout the world. A nation of immigrants, our Nation represents a 
diversity of culture, of religion, of ethnicity and race from every 
corner of the globe. From Andrew Carnegie to Albert Einstein, 
immigrants have provided our Nation with an incredible wealth of 
energy, knowledge and creativity. Their

[[Page H9958]]

 stories are the American experience, and they send a message to the 
world that this Nation is one which welcomes diversity, offers hope and 
provides opportunity.
  Although our history on occasion has been tainted with prejudice and 
bigotry, our Nation is committed to defeating ignorance, intolerance 
and pursuing the high ideal that all men and women are created equal. 
However, from the tragic shootings at the Jewish Center in Los Angeles 
to the questions concerning the death of Matthew Shepard over the past 
few months, the citizens of our Nation have all too often seen the face 
of bigotry, intolerance and hate.
  Accordingly, it is important that we remind those who view the world 
with prejudice that our Nation will not succumb to ignorance, will not 
succumb to bigotry, that our diversity is our greatest strength. 
Accordingly, we stand today to celebrate our Nation's diversity and we 
recognize the need to continue to reach across racial, ethnic and 
cultural lines to come together and build a unified nation. America is 
one, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I continue my reservation only to thank, 
again, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for facilitating this 
through the great Committee on the Judiciary and to tell my friends and 
colleagues that they can join with the close to 70 Members of the House 
tomorrow, Thursday, as we meet in Statutory Hall at 10:00 on October 
14, where we can really say God bless America and the wonderful people 
that make this country as great as it is.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object and, of 
course, I will not object, Mr. Speaker, but I have listened to the 
colloquies that have been going on and I just want to say that if there 
are any two people in this body who represent the ideals that all 
Americans hold dear, they are the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) 
and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), and I rise in strong 
support of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 141

       Whereas the United States is a nation of immigrants, whose 
     270,000,000 inhabitants hail from every corner of the globe;
       Whereas from Ellis Island to the Pacific coast, the United 
     States has welcomed immigrants seeking freedom and 
     opportunity;
       Whereas the United States democratic system of government 
     mandates equal protection under the law and the right to 
     life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all its 
     citizens;
       Whereas the United States endured a civil war for 
     emancipation, and in doing so, formed a permanent union and a 
     society of equals;
       Whereas the United States has outlawed racial, ethnic, and 
     religious bigotry to create the world's greatest 
     multicultural society;
       Whereas the United States respects the individual and 
     welcomes each one's participation in our democratic society;
       Whereas the United States is the preeminent land of 
     opportunity which rewards hard work, ingenuity, and 
     perseverance;
       Whereas the ethnic diversity of the United States has 
     provided an abundance of energy, creativity, and prosperity;
       Whereas people in the United States recognize and reward 
     the contributions of members from every group;
       Whereas people in the United States are working to close 
     opportunity gaps so that all may share in the great 
     prosperity of our Nation;
       Whereas people in the United States of all backgrounds have 
     sacrificed their lives in war to defend the cause of freedom 
     for people around the world; and
       Whereas people in the United States of African, Asian, 
     European, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Native American 
     backgrounds cherish and celebrate their various national, 
     ethnic, and religious heritages: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that all 
     people in the United States should reach out across our 
     differences in ethnicity, race, and religion to respect each 
     other and to celebrate, in friendship and unity, one America.

  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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