Bill Text: IL SR0123 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates the people of Greece on the 200th anniversary of their independence. Expresses support for the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are committed. Recognizes the important role that Greece has played in the wider European region and in the community of nations since gaining its independence 200 years ago. Declares 2021 as the Year of Friendship between Greece and the State of Illinois.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-03 - Referred to Assignments [SR0123 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-SR0123-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The people of ancient Greece developed the | ||||||
3 | concept of democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was | ||||||
4 | vested in the people; and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, The Founding Fathers of the United States, many | ||||||
6 | of whom read Greek political philosophy in the original Greek | ||||||
7 | language, drew heavily on the political experience and | ||||||
8 | philosophy of ancient Greece in forming the representative | ||||||
9 | democracy of the United States; and
| ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, Petros Mavromichalis, the former | ||||||
11 | commander-in-chief of Greece and a founder of the modern Greek | ||||||
12 | state, said to the citizens of the United States in 1821, "It | ||||||
13 | is in your land that liberty has fixed her abode, and … in | ||||||
14 | imitating you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought | ||||||
15 | worthy of them if we succeed in resembling you."; and
| ||||||
16 | WHEREAS, The Greek national anthem, the Hymn to Liberty, | ||||||
17 | includes the words, "most heartily was gladdened George | ||||||
18 | Washington's brave land"; and
| ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, Few brave American Philhellenes took an active | ||||||
20 | part in the Greek Revolution and became heroes of the Greek | ||||||
21 | liberation struggle; and
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | WHEREAS, The people of the United States generously | ||||||
2 | offered humanitarian assistance to the people of Greece during | ||||||
3 | their struggle for independence; and
| ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, Greece heroically resisted the Axis Powers at a | ||||||
5 | crucial moment in World War II, forcing Adolf Hitler to change | ||||||
6 | his timeline and delaying the attack on Russia; and
| ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Winston Churchill said that "if there had not | ||||||
8 | been the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which | ||||||
9 | the outcome of World War II would have been" and "no longer | ||||||
10 | will we say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes | ||||||
11 | fight like Greeks";
and
| ||||||
12 | WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of the people of Greece | ||||||
13 | were killed during World War II; and
| ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Greece consistently allied with the United States | ||||||
15 | in major international conflicts throughout the 20th century; | ||||||
16 | and
| ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the | ||||||
18 | United States in bringing political stability and economic | ||||||
19 | development to the volatile Balkan region, having invested | ||||||
20 | billions of dollars in the countries of the region and having |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | contributed more than $750,000,000 in development aid for the | ||||||
2 | region; and
| ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, The government and people of Greece actively | ||||||
4 | participate in peacekeeping and peace-building operations | ||||||
5 | conducted by international organizations, including the United | ||||||
6 | Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European | ||||||
7 | Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in | ||||||
8 | Europe; and
| ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, Greece received worldwide praise for its | ||||||
10 | extraordinary handling during the 2004 Olympic Games of more | ||||||
11 | than 14,000 athletes and more than 2,000,000 spectators and | ||||||
12 | journalists, a feat the government and people of Greece | ||||||
13 | handled efficiently, securely, and with hospitality; and
| ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Greece, located in a region where Christianity | ||||||
15 | meets Islam and Judaism, maintains excellent relations with | ||||||
16 | Muslim countries and Israel; and
| ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, Greece remains an integral part of the European | ||||||
18 | Union; and
| ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, The government of Greece has taken important | ||||||
20 | steps in recent years to further cross-cultural understanding, | ||||||
21 | rapprochement, and cooperation in various fields with Turkey |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | and has also improved its relations with other countries in | ||||||
2 | the region, including Israel, thus enhancing the stability of | ||||||
3 | the wider region; and
| ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, The governments and people of Greece and the | ||||||
5 | United States are at the forefront of efforts to advance | ||||||
6 | freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and human rights; and
| ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Those efforts and similar ideals have forged a | ||||||
8 | close bond between the people of Greece and the United States; | ||||||
9 | and
| ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, It is proper and desirable for the United States | ||||||
11 | to celebrate March 25, 2021, Greek Independence Day and the | ||||||
12 | bicentennial anniversary of the Greek Revolution against the | ||||||
13 | Ottoman Turks, with the people of Greece and to reaffirm the | ||||||
14 | democratic principles from which these two great countries | ||||||
15 | were founded; therefore, be it
| ||||||
16 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
17 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we extend our warm | ||||||
18 | congratulations and best wishes to the people of Greece as | ||||||
19 | they celebrate the 200th anniversary of the independence of | ||||||
20 | Greece; and be it further
| ||||||
21 | RESOLVED, That we express our support for the principles |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are | ||||||
2 | committed; and be it further
| ||||||
3 | RESOLVED, That we recognize the important role that Greece | ||||||
4 | has played in the wider European region and in the community of | ||||||
5 | nations since gaining its independence 200 years ago; and be | ||||||
6 | it further
| ||||||
7 | RESOLVED, That we declare 2021 as the Year of Friendship | ||||||
8 | between Greece and the State of Illinois.
|