[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E344-E345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       COMMEMORATING THE 192ND ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RUSH HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 2013

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, today we mark the 192nd anniversary of Greece 
declaring its independence from the Ottoman Empire. After eight years, 
Greece was free again for the first time in nearly five centuries. As a 
former colonial people, we Americans instinctively have a sense of 
affinity for other peoples seeking to throw off the shackles of foreign 
rule. In the case of Greece, that feeling is particularly powerful 
because our very conceptions of democracy, self-government and citizen 
participation in the life of the nation come directly from ancient 
Greece.
  Today, the people of Greece are struggling with new and serious 
challenges, especially deep-seated economic problems that have not only 
rocked the economic foundations of the nation but have put Greek 
democracy itself at risk. The rise of the ``Golden Dawn'' movement is a 
reminder that anti-democratic forces in a society can emerge with 
frightening speed. I am encouraged that the overwhelming majority of 
Greeks have rejected the fascist and racist ideology of ``Golden 
Dawn'', and America should continue to do all it can to help our Greek 
ally achieve a full and enduring economic recovery. The bonds of 
friendship between America and Greece are strong in no small part 
because of our common commitment to a core value of Western 
civilization: democracy. On this 192nd anniversary of the rebirth of 
Greek democracy, I wish

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the people of Greece and all Greek-Americans a happy independence day.

                          ____________________