[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9146]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               PROMOTING FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say welcome back, Mr. 
President, from your historic trip to Europe.
  As a former military officer and a high school history teacher, I 
thank and appreciate the Soviet Union and the Russian people for their 
sacrifice in helping to win World War II.
  Some would justifiably argue that the Russians carried the lion's 
burden in Europe, both in sacrifice and materiel. However, as much as 
we thank the Russian people for their sacrifice, we must also remember 
the five decades of totalitarian regime that ruled over five of the 
Eastern European Block countries, those that we call the former captive 
nations. Loss of liberty, freedom, rule of law, executions, 
deportations and Russification was imposed on many countries. By the 
President book-ending his trip with a visit to Latvia and Georgia, we 
should know that old animosities can be put aside and a new Europe can 
emerge, one that promotes freedom and democracy and the rule of law.

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