[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  IN HONOR OF POLISH CONSTITUTION DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2002

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the 
anniversary of the Polish Constitution. The Polish Constitution of May 
3, 1791 established a tradition of democracy and human rights in Poland 
that continues today.
  The Polish Constitution has the honor of being the first Constitution 
in Europe to guarantee inalienable human and economic rights for all. 
This historic document was modeled after the Constitution of the United 
States of America.
  During the turbulent 1790's of classical Europe, Poland emerged as a 
light of hope for the future of democracy in Poland, and across the 
European landscape. While other nations surrounding its sovereign 
borders engaged in revolution and civil war, Poland maintained its 
integrity for many years under this Constitution.
  The rise of Soviet communism in the post-World War II era stemmed the 
Polish democratic principle for forty years, but under the capable 
leadership of Lech Walesa, democracy embodied in this Constitution 
returned to the Eastern European ``cradle of democracy.'' The human and 
economic rights that were abandoned by years of communist rule have 
triumphantly flourished in recent years.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring the people of Poland, the 
Polish American community, and their timeless Polish Constitution--on 
the occasion of the anniversary of its creation--two hundred and eleven 
years ago.

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