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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 399 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 399

Designating March 25, 2006, as ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day 
           of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 13, 2006

  Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Allen, Mr. Bennett, Mr. 
Biden, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Chambliss, Mrs. Clinton, 
 Mr. Cochran, Mr. Craig, Mr. Dayton, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, 
Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
 Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Johnson, 
  Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. 
    Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lott, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. 
Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Obama, Mr. Reed, Mr. 
  Reid, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
 Smith, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Thomas, 
Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which 
                      was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Designating March 25, 2006, as ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day 
           of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy''.

Whereas the ancient Greeks developed the concept of democracy, in which the 
        supreme power to govern was vested in the people;
Whereas the Founding Fathers of the United States drew heavily on the political 
        experience and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming our 
        representative democracy;
Whereas Greek Commander in Chief Petros Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern 
        Greek state, said to the citizens of the United States in 1821 that ``it 
        is in your land that liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating 
        you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we 
        succeed in resembling you'';
Whereas Greece played a major role in the World War II struggle to protect 
        freedom and democracy through such bravery as was shown in the historic 
        Battle of Crete, which provided the Axis land war with its first major 
        setback, setting off a chain of events that significantly affected the 
        outcome of World War II;
Whereas the price for Greece in holding our common values in their region was 
        high, as hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in Greece during 
        World War II;
Whereas, throughout the 20th century, Greece was 1 of only 3 countries in the 
        world, beyond the former British Empire, that allied with the United 
        States in every major international conflict;
Whereas President George W. Bush, in recognizing Greek Independence Day, said, 
        ``Greece and America have been firm allies in the great struggles for 
        liberty. Americans will always remember Greek heroism and Greek 
        sacrifice for the sake of freedom . . . [and] as the 21st Century dawns, 
        Greece and America once again stand united; this time in the fight 
        against terrorism. The United States deeply appreciates the role Greece 
        is playing in the war against terror. . . . America and Greece are 
        strong allies, and we're strategic partners.'';
Whereas President Bush stated that Greece's successful ``law enforcement 
        operations against a terrorist organization [November 17] responsible 
        for three decades of terrorist attacks underscore the important 
        contributions Greece is making to the global war on terrorism'';
Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the United States in bringing 
        political stability and economic development to the volatile Balkan 
        region, having invested over $10,000,000,000 in the region;
Whereas Greece was extraordinarily responsive to requests by the United States 
        during the war in Iraq, as Greece immediately granted unlimited access 
        to its airspace and the base in Souda Bay, and many ships of the United 
        States that delivered troops, cargo, and supplies to Iraq were refueled 
        in Greece;
Whereas, in August 2004, the Olympic games came home to Athens, Greece, the land 
        of their ancient birthplace 2,500 years ago and the city of their modern 
        revival in 1896;
Whereas Greece received world-wide praise for its extraordinary handling during 
        the 2004 Olympics of over 14,000 athletes from 202 countries and over 
        2,000,000 spectators and journalists, which it did so efficiently, 
        securely, and with its famous Greek hospitality;
Whereas the unprecedented security effort in Greece for the first Olympics after 
        the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, included a 
        record-setting expenditure of over $1,390,000,000 and assignment of over 
        70,000 security personnel, as well as the utilization of an 8-country 
        Olympic Security Advisory Group that included the United States;
Whereas Greece, located in a region where Christianity meets Islam and Judaism, 
        maintains excellent relations with Muslim nations and Israel;
Whereas the Government of Greece has had extraordinary success in recent years 
        in furthering cross-cultural understanding and reducing tensions between 
        Greece and Turkey;
Whereas Greece and the United States are at the forefront of the effort for 
        freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and human rights;
Whereas those and other ideals have forged a close bond between these 2 nations 
        and their peoples;
Whereas March 25, 2006, marks the 185th anniversary of the beginning of the 
        revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire; and
Whereas it is proper and desirable to celebrate this anniversary with the Greek 
        people and to reaffirm the democratic principles from which these 2 
        great nations were born: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates March 25, 2006, as ``Greek Independence Day: 
        A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American 
        Democracy''; and
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
                                 <all>
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