[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 21 (Monday, March 4, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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     SENATE RESOLUTION 214--DESIGNATING MARCH 25, 2002, AS ``GREEK 
 INDEPENDENCE DAY: A NATIONAL DAY OF CELEBRATION OF GREEK AND AMERICAN 
                              DMEOCRACY''

  Mr. SPECTER (for himself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. 
Bingaman, Mr. Breaux, Mrs. Carnahan, Mr. Cleland, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. 
Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Daschle, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Domenici, 
Mr. Durbin, Mr. Edwards, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Graham, 
Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hollings, Mrs. 
Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, 
Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lott, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Murkowski, Mrs. 
Murray, Mr. Reed, Mr. Reid, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Santorum, Mr. 
Sarbanes, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith of Oregon, 
Ms. Snowe, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. 
Voinovich, and Mr. Warner) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 214

       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 
     Greece, presenting the Axis land war with its first major 
     setback, which set off a chain of events that significantly 
     affected the outcome of World War II;
       Whereas the price for Greece holding our common values in 
     their region was high, as hundreds of thousands of civilians 
     were killed in Greece in the World War II period;
       Whereas President George W. Bush, in a letter to the Prime 
     Minister of Greece, Constantinos Simitis, in January 2001, 
     referred to the ``stable foundations and common values'' that 
     are the basis of relations between Greece and the United 
     States;
       Whereas President Bush in his January 10, 2002 meeting with 
     the Greek Prime Minister, said, ``I am most appreciative of 
     your strong stand against terror. You have been a friend in 
     our mutual concerns about routing out terror around the 
     world,'' and, ``I look forward to the Olympics. It's going to 
     be a magnificent moment for the sporting world to have the 
     Olympics return to Athens. I'm confident your country will do 
     a fine job'';
       Whereas as a member of NATO, Greece has assigned members of 
     its air force to fly surveillance missions over the United 
     States;
       Whereas Greece is a stabilizing force by virtue of its 
     political and economic power in the volatile Balkan region, 
     is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, and will 
     hold the presidency of the European Union in 2003;
       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, 2002, marks the 181st 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, 2002, 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.

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, today I am pleased to submit a resolution 
along with 52 of my colleagues to designate March 25, 2002, as ``Greek 
Independence Day: A Celebration of Greek and American Democracy.''
  One hundred and eighty one years ago, the Greek people began the 
revolution that would free them from the Ottoman Empire and return 
Greece to its democratic heritage. It was, of course, the ancient 
Greeks who developed the concept of democracy in which the supreme 
power to govern was vested in the people. Our Founding Fathers drew 
heavily upon the political and philosophical experience of ancient 
Greece in forming our representative democracy. Thomas Jefferson 
proclaimed that, ``to the ancient Greeks . . . we are all indebted for 
the light which led ourselves out of Gothic darkness.'' It is fitting, 
then, that we should recognize the anniversary of the beginning of 
their efforts to return to that democratic tradition.
  The democratic form of government is only one of the most obvious of 
the many benefits we have gained from the Greek people. The ancient 
Greeks contributed a great deal to the modern world, particularly to 
the United States of America, in the areas of art, philosophy, science 
and law. Today, Greek-Americans continue to enrich our culture and make 
valuable contributions to American society, business, and government.
  It is my hope that strong support for this resolution in the Senate 
will serve as a clear goodwill gesture to the people of Greece with 
whom we have enjoyed such a close bond throughout history. Similar 
resolutions have been passed by the Senate since 1984 with overwhelming 
support. Accordingly, I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in 
supporting this important resolution.

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