On the recordFebruary 8, 2011
I generally don't come into the well to give speeches, and I realize our Nation is confronted with very serious issues in different regions of the world, for example, the current crisis in Egypt and the Middle East, our involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iraq, the problem of nuclear proliferation on the Korean peninsula, the global economic recession, and many other issues that are now before us. This evening, however, Mr. Speaker, I want to share with my colleagues and the American people a particular issue that is now brewing in the Pacific region. It is the current crisis now happening between the Government of Chile and the people of Easter Island. Mr. Speaker, Easter Island is a province of Chile, also known as Rapa Nui among its native people. Located some 3,800 miles east of Tahiti and some 2,300 miles from Santiago, Chile, Easter Island is one of the most isolated pieces of land on the entire planet, as you can see there with the arrow pointing. It is also the southeastern point of the Polynesian triangle, from the State of Hawaii north and as far south as New Zealand, with several other islands in between, including the Samoan Islands. On Easter day in 1722, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen landed on the island and thus named it Easter Island. Today, Easter Island is best known throughout the world for its massive stone statues of ancient days. There are some 877 of these huge, humongous stone statues throughout the island.
