Mr. RYAN of Ohio (for himself, Mr. TURNER, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. FORD, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. CONYERS, MS. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Mr. McGOVERN, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. GILLMOR, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. STRICKLAND) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Whereas Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Dorothy Stang, moved to the Amazon 22 years ago to help poor farmers build independent futures for their families, and was murdered on Saturday, February 12, 2005, at the age of 73, in Anapu, Para, a section of Brazil's Amazon rain forest; Whereas, a citizen of Brazil and the United States, Sister Dorothy worked with the Pastoral Land Commission, an organization of the Catholic Church that fights for the 2 rights of rural workers and peasants, and defends land reforms in Brazil; Whereas her death came less than a week after meeting with the human rights officials of Brazil about threats to local farmers from some loggers and landowners; Whereas, after receiving several death threats, Sister Dorothy recently commented, "I don't want to flee, nor do I want to abandon the battle of these farmers who live without any protection in the forest. They have the sacrosanct right to aspire to a better life on land where they can live and work with dignity while respecting the environment."; Whereas Sister Dorothy was born in Dayton, Ohio, entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur community in 1948, and professed final vows in 1956; Whereas, from 1951 to 1966, Sister Dorothy taught elementary classes at St. Victor School in Calumet City, Illinois, St. Alexander School in Villa Park, Illinois, and Most Holy Trinity School in Phoenix, Arizona, and began her ministry in Brazil in 1966, in Coroata in the state of Maranhao; Whereas, last June, Sister Dorothy was named "Woman of the Year" by the state of Para for her work in the Amazon region, in December 2004, she received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Brazilian Bar Association for her work helping the local rural workers, and earlier this year, she received an "Honorary Citizenship of the State" award from the state of Para; and Whereas Sister Dorothy lived her life according to the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame: making known God's goodness and love of the poor through a Gospel way of •HCON 89 IH 1 3 life, community, and prayer, while continuing a strong educational tradition and taking a stand with the poor people especially women and children, in the most abandoned places, and committing her one and only life to work with others to create justice and peace for all: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 2 concurring), That the Congress hereby honors the life and 3 work of Sister Dorothy Stang. 109TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 149 Recognizing the 57th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel. IV IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. PENCE, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Recognizing the 57th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel. Whereas on May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was established as a sovereign and independent nation; Whereas the United States was one of the first nations to recognize Israel, only 11 minutes after its creation; Whereas Israel has provided the opportunity for Jews from all over the world to reestablish their ancient homeland; Whereas Israel is home to many religious sites which are sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Whereas Israel provided a refuge to Jews who survived the horrors of the Holocaust and the evils committed by the Nazis which were unprecedented in human history; 2 Whereas the people of Israel have established a unique, pluralistic democracy which includes the freedoms cherished by the people of the United States, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of the press, and government by the consent of the governed; Whereas Israel continues to serve as a shining model of democratic values by regularly holding free and fair elections, promoting the free exchange of ideas, and vigorously exercising in its Parliament, the Knesset, a democratic government that is fully representative of its citi zens; Whereas Israel has bravely defended itself from attacks repeatedly since independence; Whereas the Government of Israel has successfully worked with the neighboring Governments of Egypt and Jordan to establish peaceful, bilateral relations; Whereas, despite the deaths of over one thousand innocent Israelis at the hands of murderous, suicide bombers and other terrorists during the past 4 years, the people of Israel continue to seek peace with their Palestinian neighbors; Whereas the United States and Israel enjoy a strategic partnership based on shared mutual democratic values, friendship, and respect; Whereas the people of the United States share affinity with the people of Israel and view Israel as a strong and trusted ally; Whereas Israel has made significant global contributions in the fields of science, medicine, and technology; and |