[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 26 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2109-S2110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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     SENATE RESOLUTION 308--DESIGNATING MARCH 25, 2004, AS ``GREEK 
 INDEPENDENCE DAY: A NATIONAL DAY OF CELEBRATION OF GREEK AND AMERICAN 
                              DEMOCRACY''

  Mr. SPECTER (for himself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. 
Bingaman, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chafee, Mrs. Clinton, 
Mr. Cochran, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Dayton, Mr. DeWine, Mr. 
Dodd, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Edwards, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Graham of South Carolina, Mr. Grassley, 
Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. 
Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kohl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. 
Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lott, Mr. Lugar, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Miller, 
Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nickles, Mr. 
Reed, Mr. Reid, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. 
Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Stevens, 
Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Feingold) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 308

       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 one of only three 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 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 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 the Olympic Games will be coming 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 the unprecedented Olympic security effort in 
     Greece, including a record-setting expenditure of over 
     $850,000,000 and assignment of over 50,000 security 
     personnel, as well as the utilization of a 7-country Olympic 
     Security Advisory Group which includes the United States, 
     will contribute to a safe and secure environment for staging 
     the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece;
       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 two nations and their peoples;
       Whereas March 25, 2004, marks the 183d anniversary of the 
     beginning of the revolution that freed the Greek people from 
     the Ottoman Empire; and

[[Page S2110]]

       Whereas it is proper and desirable to celebrate with the 
     Greek people and to reaffirm the democratic principles from 
     which our two great nations were born: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates March 25, 2004, 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.
                                 ______
                                 

SENATE RESOLUTION 309--DESIGNATING THE WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 14, 2004 AS 
                      ``NATIONAL SAFE PLACE WEEK''

  Mr. CRAIG (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Campbell, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
Fitzgerald, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Cochran, Mr. 
Johnson, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Kohl) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 309

       Whereas today's youth are vital to the preservation of our 
     country and will be the future bearers of the bright torch of 
     democracy;
       Whereas youth need a safe haven from various negative 
     influences such as child abuse, substance abuse and crime, 
     and they need to have resources readily available to assist 
     them when faced with circumstances that compromise their 
     safety;
       Whereas the United States needs increased numbers of 
     community volunteers acting as positive influences on the 
     Nation's youth;
       Whereas the Safe Place program is committed to protecting 
     our Nation's most valuable assert, our youth, by offering 
     short term ``safe places'' at neighborhood locations where 
     trained volunteers are available to counsel and advise youth 
     seeking assistance and guidance;
       Whereas the Safe Place program combines the efforts of the 
     private sector and non-profit organizations uniting to reach 
     youth in the early stages of crisis;
       Whereas the Safe Place program provides a direct way to 
     assist programs in meeting performance standards relative to 
     outreach and community relations, as set forth in the Federal 
     Runaway and Homeless Youth Act guidelines;
       Whereas the Safe Place placard displayed at businesses 
     within communities stands as a beacon of safety and refuge to 
     at-risk youth;
       Whereas more than 700 communities in 42 states and more 
     than 14,000 locations have established Safe Place programs;
       Whereas more than 68,000 young people have gone to Safe 
     Place locations to get help when faced with crisis 
     situations;
       Whereas through the efforts of Safe Place coordinators 
     across the country each year more than one-half million 
     students learn that Safe Place is a resource if abusive or 
     neglectful situations exist;
       Whereas increased awareness of the program's existence will 
     encourage communities to establish Safe Places for the 
     Nation's youth throughout the country: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) proclaims the week of March 14 through March 20, 2004 
     as ``National Safe Place Week'' and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States and interested 
     groups to promote awareness of and volunteer involvement in 
     the Safe Place programs, and to observe the week with 
     appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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