[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 9, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H3826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          EXPRESSING SORROW AND GRATITUDE TO THE REAGAN FAMILY

  (Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am here to really 
just first express my sorrow and my gratitude to the Reagan family.
  Through President Reagan's optimism and courage and strength, he 
carried this country from a state of what some people said was a state 
of malaise to further greatness. He understood and never apologized for 
his understanding that the United States was a source of good around 
the world, a source of freedom around the world.
  I recall when he said his famous remark about the evil empire how all 
of the experts said he could not say that, that he was wrong, that they 
were not bad. Well, he was right, and he tried and fought hard and 
worked hard to spread freedom across the globe, to strengthen the 
United States and, therefore, also strengthen our allies to spread 
freedom.
  He succeeded by tearing down the Berlin Wall, by tearing down the 
evil empire, by spreading freedom to millions of people around the 
globe.
  Mr. Speaker, I am here again in awe of the life of President Ronald 
Reagan, his achievements, his success in spreading freedom, his success 
in making this country what it is today. The greatness that we have 
achieved today, in great part, is due to the optimism, the greatness, 
the spirit of Ronald Reagan. We can never thank him enough.

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