[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 20, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H986-H987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE 180TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TIERNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today and join my colleagues who 
spoke just prior to me in honor of the 180th anniversary of the Greek 
independence. As a Member of the congressional caucus on Hellenic 
issues, I once again join those colleagues and others in paying tribute 
to the nation of Greece and its people.
  As we all know, as was so eloquently put forth by the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
Maloney), ancient Greece was the fountain of democratic ideals and 
values for the rest of the world, and her modern counterpart has been 
steadfast in ensuring that the philosophic traditions of the past are 
actively practiced.
  Today, we celebrate the triumph of the ideal of self-government in 
recognizing the achievements of the Greeks who so valiantly fought for 
independence. We also recognize the debt of gratitude that the citizens 
of the United States and many other nations owe for the ideals upon 
which the American democratic experiment is based.
  Greece, at the juncture between continents, continues to be actively 
involved in the international community, maintaining excellent 
relations with the United States, Europe and other nations. We all 
remember the recent response to the devastating earthquake in Turkey as 
an example of the commitment of goodwill that the Greek people 
continually demonstrate. It is my hope that this spirit of rising above 
differences will serve to inspire other nations as we move forward into 
the 21st century.
  On behalf of the people of the 6th Congressional District of 
Massachusetts, I wish to extend congratulations to the people of Greece 
and all of the people of Greek heritage in the United States on this 
important holiday.
  I am honored to have been selected to be an honorary grand marshal in 
this year's independence day parade in Boston. I look forward in 
sharing in the celebration once again with my constituents. It is my 
hope that the new millennium will bring forth many more years of 
positive and productive relations between the United States and Greece.

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