[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3736-S3737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED TODAY
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration en bloc of the following
resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 477, S. Res.
478, S. Res. 479, and S. Res. 480.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolutions en bloc.
Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed
to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon
the table en bloc with no intervening action or debate, and that any
statements related to the resolutions be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolutions were agreed to.
The preambles were agreed to.
The resolutions, with their preambles, read as follows:
S. Res. 477
(Calling for the safe and immediate return of Noor and Ramsay Bower to
the United States)
Whereas Colin Bower's 2 young sons, Noor and Ramsay Bower,
were illegally abducted from the United States by their
mother in August 2009 and taken to Egypt;
Whereas Noor William Noble Bower, age 11, and Ramsay
Maclean Bower, age 9, are citizens of the United States of
America;
Whereas, on December 1, 2008, prior to the abduction of
Noor and Ramsay, the Probate and Family Court of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts awarded sole legal custody of
Noor and Ramsay to Colin Bower, and joint physical custody
with Mirvat el Nady, which ruling stipulated Mirvat el Nady
was not to remove Noor and Ramsay from the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts;
Whereas, in August of 2009, following a violation of the
Probate Court's ruling, the Massachusetts Trial Court granted
sole physical custody of Noor and Ramsay to their father,
Colin Bower;
Whereas Colin Bower has been granted only 4 visitations
with his sons in the almost 3 years since the abduction;
Whereas the United States has expressed its commitment,
through the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of
International Child Abduction, done at the Hague October 25,
1980, ``to protect children internationally from the harmful
effects of their wrongful removal or retention and to
establish procedures to ensure their prompt return to the
State of their habitual residence''; and
Whereas the United States and 69 other countries that are
partners to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of
international Child Abduction have agreed, and encourage all
other countries to concur, that the appropriate court for
determining the best interests of children in custody matters
is the court in the country of their habitual residence: Now
therefore be it
Resolved, That the Senate calls on government officials and
competent courts in Egypt to assist in the safe and immediate
return of Noor and Ramsay Bower to the United States.
S. Res. 478
(Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the chartering of Hamilton
College in Clinton, New York)
Whereas Hamilton College, located in Clinton, New York,
received its charter from the Regents of the University of
the State of New York on May 26, 1812, ``for the instruction
and education of youth, in the learned languages and liberal
arts and sciences'';
Whereas Hamilton College was originally founded in 1793 as
the Hamilton-Oneida Academy by the Reverend Samuel Kirkland,
a missionary to the Oneida Indians;
Whereas all-male Hamilton College joined with all-female
Kirkland College in 1978 to form one coeducational
institution of higher learning dedicated to academic freedom
and the unfettered pursuit of truth;
Whereas the distinguished alumni of Hamilton College
include recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, and the Pulitzer Prize, and public servants
at every level, including a former Vice President of the
United States, United States Senators and Representatives,
United States district and appellate court judges, members of
the Presidential Cabinet, ambassadors, Governors, and State,
county, and local officials; and
Whereas Hamilton College is currently comprised of 1,812
students from 49 states and 37 countries, and a faculty
dedicated to teaching and the discovery and advancement of
new knowledge: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commemorates the bicentennial of the chartering of
Hamilton College in Clinton, New York; and
(2) honors the outstanding contributions made by the
alumni, faculty, and students of Hamilton College during the
past 200 years, including service to the United States that
has fostered the development of the United States as a
diplomatic force and industrial power in the world.
S. Res. 479
(Commemorating the dedication of the Strategic Air Command Memorial
during the 20th anniversary of its stand down)
Whereas Strategic Air Command was formed on March 21, 1946,
to provide the United States with long-range bombing
capabilities;
Whereas Strategic Air Command operations were moved to
Offutt Air Force Base in 1948 to avoid a surprise attack from
the growing nuclear threat by the Soviet Union during the
Cold War;
Whereas the men and women of Strategic Air Command
perfected aerial refueling, allowing Strategic Air Command
bombers to reach any spot in the world and advancing the
ability of the United States to project military power
worldwide;
Whereas in 1953, following the Korean War, the defense
strategy of the United States shifted and President
Eisenhower designated Strategic Air Command as the primary
nuclear deterrent for the United States;
Whereas the Strategic Air Command played a major role in
the triad of aircraft, missiles, and submarines that provided
an undefeatable nuclear force that prevented nuclear war and
kept the Soviet Union at bay until the demise of the Soviet
Union in December 1991;
[[Page S3737]]
Whereas Strategic Air Command is credited with the
development of the Snark, Atlas, and Minuteman missiles;
Whereas Strategic Air Command maintained continuous
airborne alert operations from October 1957 until September
1991, which many consider the longest continuous military
operation in history;
Whereas in 1962, the visibility of Strategic Air Command
bombers responding to the DEFCON 2 order issued by President
Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis presented a clear
indication to the Soviet Union of the determination of the
United States to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba;
Whereas at its height in 1962, Strategic Air Command
employed 283,000 personnel and maintained 3,400 aircraft and
224 land-based missiles;
Whereas in December 1972, 33 crewmembers and 10 B 52
bombers supported by Strategic Air Command were lost during
Operation Linebacker II in North Vietnam during the aerial
bombing campaign that forced Vietnamese leadership back to
negotiations and a peace settlement;
Whereas the need for absolute command and control by
national leaders led Strategic Air Command to organize the
National Emergency Airborne Command Post operation, which
became the National Airborne Operations Center and the E 4B
aircraft operating at Offutt Air Force Base;
Whereas the operational practices and procedures for safe
and secure nuclear weapons were established by Strategic Air
Command and continue under the leadership of United States
Strategic Command and Air Force Global Strike Command;
Whereas the Strategic Air Command performed the assigned
mission flawlessly according to its famous motto, ``Peace is
Our Profession'';
Whereas the United States, and particularly the State of
Nebraska, is extremely grateful to those who served the
United States at Strategic Air Command; and
Whereas the Senate recognizes the service and dedication of
the individuals whose unyielding commitment and sacrifice
contributed to the continued safety of the United States for
over 4 decades: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the stand down of
Strategic Air Command and the immeasurable contributions and
prominent role of Strategic Air Command in national security
and nuclear deterrence during the Cold War;
(2) commemorates the dedication of the Strategic Air
Command Memorial in the State of Nebraska, which pays tribute
to the men and women who worked tirelessly to make Strategic
Air Command the most powerful and professional military
organization in the world; and
(3) honors the personnel who served at Strategic Air
Command and those who have carried on the tradition of
excellence through service at United States Strategic
Command.
S. Res. 480
(Commemorating the 20th anniversary of United States Strategic Command)
Whereas United States Strategic Command was established on
June 1, 1992, to meet national security needs of the post-
cold-war era by combining all strategic planning, targeting,
and wartime employment of forces under one commander
headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base in the State of
Nebraska;
Whereas United States Strategic Command was reestablished
in 2002 at Offutt Air Force Base, combining the
responsibilities of United States Strategic Command and the
United States Space Command along with responsibility for
early warning and defense against missile attack;
Whereas over the last 20 years, United States Strategic
Command has flawlessly executed the mission to deter nuclear
attacks and employ nuclear forces if necessary;
Whereas in 2010 the mission of United States Strategic
Command expanded again to include cyberspace operations
through United States Cyber Command, a subunified command;
Whereas United States Strategic Command provides continuous
information regarding orbiting satellites and space debris to
spacecraft such as the International Space Station;
Whereas United States Strategic Command has supported
coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan by providing
intelligence, planning, and cyber support;
Whereas United States Strategic Command contributed to
United States operations in Libya through long-range
conventional strikes and intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance;
Whereas United States Strategic Command continues to be the
premier nuclear deterrent in the United States, serving as a
center for global command and communications headquartered in
the State of Nebraska; and
Whereas the United States, and particularly the State of
Nebraska, is grateful to those who serve the United States at
United States Strategic Command: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the establishment of
United States Strategic Command and the vital contributions
of United States Strategic Command to national security; and
(2) honors the dedicated men and women who serve at United
States Strategic Command executing the mission to deter and
detect strategic attack against the United States and allies
of the United States and to defend the nation as directed.
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