[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13757]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CELEBRATION OF INDEPENDENCE DAY

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                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2006

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, 230 years ago today, a small and 
rebellious colony did an extraordinary, but simple thing. It stood up 
to its powerful and mighty oppressors, exploded the shackles of their 
tyranny and declared itself an independent nation. I rise on this 
Fourth of July to remember the people who gave us our present freedom, 
and honor them for their ability to recognize that there will always be 
more to unite us than divide us.
  It seems obvious today that our country would be united, but in 1776, 
the thirteen colonies had less in common with each other than they did 
with their arch enemy. It is a tribute to the phenomenal leadership of 
our Founding Fathers that they had the vision to see past these 
differences, and to forge a common bond, founded on the principles that 
``all men are created equal,'' and that no government has the authority 
to restrict the rights of the people to life, liberty and the pursuit 
of happiness.
  These shared values are the essence of our Union. If the signers of 
the Declaration of Independence were the architects of the nation, the 
foundations they built for us were made of the strongest stone. Even 
during our darkest hours, we look back on the document that launched 
the ship of this Republic into the rough seas of the nations of the 
world, and we take solace in its good words.
  Mr. Speaker, the celebration of our independence is a celebration of 
the beliefs we hold together as a nation; it is a celebration of why we 
are a nation; and it is, above all, a reminder to us all that our 
country was founded in hope, and in the desire by the good people of 
the thirteen colonies to build a new nation where freedom would reign 
forever.

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