[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 87 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1347-E1348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO NEW CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2006

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate the individuals who will take 
their oath of citizenship on July 4, 2006. In true patriotic fashion, 
on the day of our great Nation's celebration of independence, a 
naturalization ceremony will take place, welcoming new citizens of the 
United States of America. This memorable occasion, coordinated by the 
Hammond Public Library and

[[Page E1348]]

presided over by Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich, will be held at 
Harrison Park in Hammond, Indiana.
  America is a country founded by immigrants. From its beginning, 
settlers have come from countries around the globe to the United States 
in search of better lives for their families. The upcoming oath 
ceremony will be a shining example of what is so great about the United 
States of America--that people from all over the world can come 
together and unite as members of a free, democratic nation. These 
individuals realize the great things America has to offer. They realize 
that nowhere else in the world offers a better opportunity for success 
and a good life than here in America.
  On July 4, 2006, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oath of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Ledwin Jose Polanco Abreu, Ruchi Prabhakar Parikh, Fiona Bage, 
Lyubov Ezerska, Victor Rene De Leon Lopez, Simon Gomez Zuniga, Inese 
Steinbahs, Edgar Leonel Lopez Juarez, Kyung Ho Yum, Mila Plavsic, 
Elvira Tirado, Branko Prpa, Miyoko Kawanoue, Doaa Fayez El Malh, Fabian 
Navarro Patino, Ghali Abdul Waheb Alsaymari, Hiraben Bhogilal Devgania, 
Doris Monika Cox, Bertha Romero, Grace Haesuk Lee, Vasilj Plavsa, Mary 
Theckenath, IIir Aliu, Young Jean Choi, lIce Angelkoski, Elizabeth 
Murphy, Ernesto Berong Chan, Ivonne Golfis, Prajwal Rajappa, Georgios 
Mihail Krinis, Alejandro Vega, Mohammed Riaz, Eva Lazaroski, Fady Eissa 
El Malh, Josue Daniel Bojorquez Nunez, Barbara Ivette Quezada, Danilo 
Djuric, Enero Manguerra Salunga, Jose Peregrino, Maureen Alexis 
Stevens, Chun Gao Fred Li, John Raymond Tanner, Martha Gutierrez De 
Rangel, Sayyada Mushthari Begum, Aline Cortes, Sandra Elaine Fraley, 
Vicente Gil Baltazar, Maria Isabel Maldonado, and Aladean Naji Shalabi.
  Though each individual has sought to become a citizen of the United 
States for his or her own reasons, be it for education, occupation, or 
to offer their loved ones better lives, each is inspired by the fact 
that the United States of America is, as Abraham Lincoln described it, 
a country ...``of the people, by the people, and for the people.'' They 
realize that the United States is truly a free nation. By seeking 
American citizenship, they have made the decision that they want to 
live in a place where, as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Bill 
of Rights, they can practice religion as they choose, speak their minds 
without fear of punishment, and assemble in peaceful protest should 
they choose to do so.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me in congratulating these individuals, who will become citizens of the 
United States of America on July 4, 2006, the day of our Nation's 
independence. They, too, will be American citizens, and they, too, will 
be guaranteed the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness. We, as a free and democratic nation, congratulate them 
and welcome them.

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