House Proceeding 03-24-09 on Mar 24th, 2009 :: 0:47:30 to 1:07:30
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0:44:20 to 0:47:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Howard L. Berman

0:47:16 to 0:47:30( Edit History Discussion )

Howard L. Berman: benefit of cultural exchange by welcoming soon greece into the visa waiver program. mr. speaker, i congratulate the beautiful and noble country of greece on its anniversary, and i join with americans and democracy lovers throughout the

0:47:31 to 0:47:52( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: world in celebrating greek heritage and our thriving greek-american friendship. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair wreck 23450euses -- recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker, to start our discussion i would like to yield four minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. royce, the ranking member on our

0:47:35 to 0:51:15( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Edward R. Royce

0:47:53 to 0:48:13( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: subcommittee of terrorism, nonproliferation, and trade. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. what come tomorrow we have 188-year anniversary of the independence of greece. we are celebrating greek and american democracy.

0:48:14 to 0:48:34( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: that date tomorrow represents the day in which after 400 years of oppressive rule greeks finally became free. greeks were able and its amazing to think about it, to maintain their language, maintain their religion to hold on to their

0:48:35 to 0:48:55( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: culture despite 20 generations of persecution during that period of time. and i think one of the reasons we are proud here in the united states about theole we played was because u.s. president james monroe and our then secretary of state daniel webster pushed to send funds and supplies to aid greece in that struggle, but

0:48:56 to 0:49:17( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: more importantly to all of us, freed born men both white black, born in the north, traveled to greece during that struggle. they played a role over 180 years ago in securing those freedoms. that was the power at the time of the concept of greek liberty. that it drove americans in this early republic to travel to

0:49:18 to 0:49:38( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: greece in order to take part in that very struggle. and that struggle, frankly, began an alliance between u.s. and greece that has joined our two countries in nato, that has seen our soldiers fight tyranny in world ward ii,-d. wld war

0:49:39 to 0:50:01( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: t, we are indebted to the greeks. 2,500 years ago the greeks ushered in western civilization. and they brought about at that time the scientific method. they gave us the philosophy of aristotle logic. the birth of democratic government.

0:50:02 to 0:50:22( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: the age, first age of reason. they brought forward the poetry of ue rip december, the three dimensional i want painting that wasn't rediscovered as a technique until the end of the dark ages, until the end of the renaissance, when again the enlightenment represent really the rediscovery of greek

0:50:23 to 0:50:46( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: philosophy, of these concepts of the autonomy of the individual, of logic, and reason, and our own foundg fathers were deeply influenced by those ideas. thomas jefferson, adams, madison they not only wrote and read greek, they could speak greek.

0:50:47 to 0:51:07( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: . they were well versed in greek philosophy. jefferson and madison drew heavily on on the greek ideal that a government derives its power from the people. thomas jefferson's stirring words that all men are created equal and are endowed with certain inalienable rights hearten back to theories originating in greek

0:51:08 to 0:51:15( Edit History Discussion )

Edward R. Royce: philosophy. the very architecture of our buildings, the very ideals that drove our founding fathers through all of this, greek

0:51:16 to 0:51:36( Edit History Discussion )

Shelley Berkley: culture permeates throughout washington, d.c., and our nation. it is this legacy that we justly recognize today and thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

0:51:20 to 0:53:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Shelley Berkley

0:51:37 to 0:51:57( Edit History Discussion )

Shelley Berkley: the gentleman from florida. >> thank you, mr. speaker. to ms. berkley from nevada, i yield two minutes. ms. berkley: i thank the gentleman from -- the gentleman for yielding. i appreciate his support and also my good friend from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen for her leadership on this issue. mr. speaker, i rise today not only as a friend of greece but

0:51:58 to 0:52:19( Edit History Discussion )

Shelley Berkley: also as a proud daughter. my mother's family comes from greece and i count my greek-jewish heritage among my most enriching. greece has been a strong ally of the united states, standing by us in our struggles against the nazis and now in the extremism. the greek people paid a very

0:52:20 to 0:52:40( Edit History Discussion )

Shelley Berkley: high price for their opposition to the nazis and we are forever grateful for their sacrifices of which there were many. greece continues to be a top contributor to nato and a leader in the balkan region. the resolution extends its best wishes, our best wishes, and congratulations to the people of greece whom we look to as

0:52:41 to 0:53:01( Edit History Discussion )

Shelley Berkley: our forbearers in democracy. i am a proud co-sponsor of this resolution but i hope this will not be our last word in our -- on our friendship with greece. i urge this house and our administration to strengthen our relationship with greece by including it in the vist waiver program. by approving -- visa waiver

0:53:02 to 0:53:23( Edit History Discussion )

Shelley Berkley: program. will send not only a message of friendship but a message of thanks to the greek community which is so deserving of our friendship and our gratitude. greece has met the criteria to become a visa waiver country and only awaits approval of their application. on this anniversary, let us take concrete action to strengthen our bond with greece

0:53:24 to 0:53:25( Edit History Discussion )

Shelley Berkley: and send a message of thanks it

0:53:26 to 0:53:47( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: to our friends and allies. i thank the gentleman again and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves ? the gentleman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield four minutes to my wonderful colleague from florida, mr. bill rack us.

0:53:30 to 0:56:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Gus Bilirakis

0:53:48 to 0:54:08( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: no surprise, co-chair of the congressional hell enic caucus and a fine job he does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized four four minutes. bilirakis bilirakis thank you, mr. speaker. i --r. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. celebrating greek and american democracy.

0:54:09 to 0:54:29( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: i thank my good friend and ranking member ros-lehtinen for introducing this resolution. like the american revolutionaries who fought for inpendence and established this great republic, greek freedom fighters began an arduous struggle to win independence for grease and its -- greece and its people 188 years ago. when the greeks began this

0:54:30 to 0:54:51( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: glorious revolution after four centuries of oppression, they faced incredible odds. it was david versus goliath. on march 25, 1821, arch bishop raised the flag of freedom and this day of rebellion was not chosen by chance. it was a holy day, dedicated to

0:54:52 to 0:55:12( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: the mother of god, to the greeks of 1821, their savior, their protector. the revolution of 1821 brought independence to greece and emboldens those who still seek freedom across the world. it proved to the world that a united people through sheer

0:55:13 to 0:55:34( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: will and perseverance can prevail against tyran. by honoring the greek struggle for independence, we re-affirm the values and ideas that make our great nation. we also remember why freedom is so important. in the history of the greek war of independence, many greeks died but they were undeterred

0:55:35 to 0:55:55( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: from their ultimate goal. liberty or death became their battle cry. we know the price of liberty can democracy can only be maintained at a great cost. our greek brothers earned their liberty with blood, as did our american forefathers. the freedom we enjoy today i

0:55:56 to 0:56:16( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: due to the sacrifices made by men and women in the past. i take great pride in both my greek and american heritage. as thomas jefferson once said to the ancient greeks, we are all indebted for the light which led ourselves, american

0:56:17 to 0:56:25( Edit History Discussion )

Gus Bilirakis: clonnists, out of our gothic darkness. we celebrate greek independence to reaffirm the common democratic heritage we share. and as americans, we must

0:56:26 to 0:56:46( Edit History Discussion )

Zack Space: continue to pursue this spirit of freedom and liberty that characterizes both of these great nations. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from florida. >> mr. speaker, i yield four minutes to mr. space from ohio. the speaker pro tempore: the

0:56:30 to 0:58:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Zack Space

0:56:47 to 0:57:08( Edit History Discussion )

Zack Space: gentleman is recognized four -- for four minutes. mr. space: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the gentman from florida. i rise today in support of house resolution 273, recognizing the 188th anniversary of greek independence and celebrating greek and american democracy. this bill is personally significant to me because like

0:57:09 to 0:57:29( Edit History Discussion )

Zack Space: mr. bilirakis, i, too, am of greek descent, being the grandson of immigrants who came from a small but beautiful island in greece. it's significant that we understand and recognize and advocating for this resolution that our founding fathers chose the ancient greek models in the formation of our own

0:57:30 to 0:57:51( Edit History Discussion )

Zack Space: constitution and in formulating and defining the values of freedom, justice and quality. what's equally interesting is that when greek retained its inpendence, it turned to the jennifer sonians democracy in formulating its constitution. this resolution reaffirms the excellent relationship between the united states and greece and inity passage, i look

0:57:52 to 0:58:12( Edit History Discussion )

Zack Space: forward to continued joint cooperation between these two nations in their mutual quest for ace, justice and democratic principles. peace, justice and democratic principles are not just words. they mean something. in this case, it means a renewed interest and quest for peace, just in the principles

0:58:13 to 0:58:34( Edit History Discussion )

Zack Space: of democracy, in cyprus it means ending the occupation years, it means this country working with greece to effect wait that. it means preserving the sanctity and the integrity of the ecumenical, the spiritual father of nearly 300 million christian orthodox worldwide. ascribing to those principles

0:58:35 to 0:58:35( Edit History Discussion )

Zack Space: is what we believe in.

0:58:36 to 0:58:57( Edit History Discussion )

Ted Poe: it's what greece believes in and i look forward to working with greece in future years as we strive for that justice. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes judge poe.

0:58:40 to 1:00:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ted Poe

0:58:58 to 0:59:19( Edit History Discussion )

Ted Poe: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize for two minutes. mr. poe: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the gentlelady for yielding time. 188 years ago the greeks brought forth another democracy. but their philosophy started hundreds of years ago and they didn't just bring the world a relentless warrior that was willing to give everything to defend the sacred honor of the greek nation. but they brought the world a

0:59:20 to 0:59:40( Edit History Discussion )

Ted Poe: concept that was novel. because of no other country can it be said that they brought to the world philosophy that it was the individual that is more important than government itself. more important than the state. because always before in all cultures the state was the

0:59:41 to 1:00:01( Edit History Discussion )

Ted Poe: supreme power over the individual. and yet the greeks, the novel concept, that the human being, the individual, is worth more th the state. and because that seed, democracy was planted and democracy now flourishes throughout the world with the

1:00:02 to 1:00:21( Edit History Discussion )

Ted Poe: basic premise that it is the individual that is all important. so we honor them tomorrow because of their great heritage, because of their great influence on our democracy. but we also honor them because they gave to the world a concept of freedom and worth of

1:00:22 to 1:00:42( Edit History Discussion )

Dina Titus: the individual that had never -- before been known to any civilization. and, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from florida. >> mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from nevada, ms. titus. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for

1:00:25 to 1:02:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Dina Titus

1:00:43 to 1:01:03( Edit History Discussion )

Dina Titus: three minutes. ms. titus: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you for yielding and thank you, ms. ros-lehtinen, for offering this resolution. i rise today as a proud member of the congressional helen caucus to offer my strong support for h.res. 273, celebrating the 188th anniversary of greek

1:01:04 to 1:01:24( Edit History Discussion )

Dina Titus: independence day. i'm proud to follow other member of this caucus and agree with their wonderful comments about this special occasion. my grandfather for who i am named came to america from greece in 1911 and instilled in me a love of greece and greek culture. the helenic values he taught me

1:01:25 to 1:01:45( Edit History Discussion )

Dina Titus: have served me well as guiding principles throughout my career in public service and he would be so proud to see me today on the floor of the u.s. house. i've been blessed with this wonderful heritage throughout my life. i have enjoyed visiting greece

1:01:46 to 1:02:07( Edit History Discussion )

Dina Titus: a number of times to learn first-hand about the birthplace of democracy and these trips have given me a deep understanding of the country's regions, its mythologies, its history, its food, its music and especially its people. the u.s. and greece have always shared a special bond. when the new democracy was formed in greece, they charged themselves with imitating and

1:02:08 to 1:02:28( Edit History Discussion )

Dina Titus: resembling american democracy, just like our forefathers shaped our democracy around the ideals of aristotle and socrates. those are the very principles of government i teach in my political science classes at unlv. so, mr. speaker, i look forward to celebrating this holiday tomorrow with leaders of the helenic community and the

1:02:29 to 1:02:36( Edit History Discussion )

Dina Titus: president of the united states. and i look forward to working to further strengthen the relationship between the united

1:02:37 to 1:02:57( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: states and the wonderful helenic republ i yield back my time and thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. i'm proud to both sponsor and rise today in support of this resolution.

1:02:40 to 1:06:10( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

1:02:58 to 1:03:19( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: this measure as we have heard from each speaker expresses our support for the nation of greece as it celebrates the 188th anniversary of its independence and also notes the many very positive aspects of our relationship with that country. there's truly a kinship between

1:03:20 to 1:03:42( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: the people of greece and the uned states, one that was born from the shared ideals of democracy. americans indeedow a -- owe a greet -- indeed owe a great deal to the democracy thafts born in ancient athens so long ago in 500 b.c. it was the greek city state of athens that first created the

1:03:43 to 1:04:05( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: word democracy by combining demos, meaning people, with cratos meaning power. and so became the first state in history to introduce and implement the concept of democracy in its form of governor. as they framed our constitution in the late 18th century, our founding fathers drew upon the

1:04:06 to 1:04:28( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: principles and the forms of government that had been created in ancient greece thousands of years earlier. and soon after that, 45 years after america's declaration of independence, greek freedom fighters looked to the young united states for inspiration as they began their war for

1:04:29 to 1:04:51( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: independence from the ot monday turkey in 1821. in fact, at that time, one of those greek freed praised george washington and the united states for being the land of liberty in his poem "him to liberty" -- hymn to liberty." that poem became a rallying cry in the greek war of

1:04:52 to 1:05:13( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: independence and was later adopted as the national anthem for greece. today, mr. speaker, greece is a strong ally of the united states. it was the only country that fought alongside the united states in every major conflict of the 20th century. the contributions and sacrifices made by greeks in

1:05:14 to 1:05:35( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: fighting the nazis in world war ii, in the battle of create and elsewhere are not forgotten by us today, well over 60 years later. in this new century, greece has also sought to re-enforce stability and peace in her area of eastern mediterranean. as evidenced by her position at

1:05:36 to 1:05:57( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: the crossroads of energy supplies between asia and europe and by its efforts to support stability in the region of the balkans, greece will play an increasingly important role inity immediate the european union and the transatlantic community of

1:05:58 to 1:06:10( Edit History Discussion )

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: nations. it is my privilege to have introduced this, mr. speaker, recognizing the strong relationship between the united states and greece and honoring

1:06:11 to 1:06:34( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Wexler: the 188th anniversary of the revotion that led greece to its freedom. i urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this resolution and yield back the balance of our time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from florida. mr. wexler: i yield myself such time as i might consume. mr. speaker, as a proud member

1:06:15 to 1:10:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Robert Wexler

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Robert Wexler: of the hellenic caucus, i want to express strong support for this resolution recognizing the 188th anniversary of the independence of greece and celebrating greek and american democracy. i would also once again like to thnk my good friend from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, who has been a leading supporter of u.s.-greek relations in congress.

1:06:56 to 1:07:18( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Wexler: additionally, i want to expres my gratitude to the co-chairs of the hellenic caucus, congresswoman maloney and congressman bilirakis, for their efforts in moving this forward. having had the honor of meeting with the foreign minister of greece one month ago, it is an honor to highlight one of america east most important

1:07:19 to 1:07:39( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Wexler: allies, greece, in he the commitment to democracy and human rights and laws that bind our mation tos. this is an opportunity braise greece for its efforts to bring peace and stability to the balkans, as well as the support athens has given the united states following 9/11 and our collective efforts in the war on terrorism.