Political Quotes

“may I commend my distinguished colleague from Maryland and Senator Mikulski and others. The two Virginians and the two Marylanders have joined together, and it is a very important step to be taken in connection with a national commitment to the recognition of the Jamestown period. I wish we could in some way reduce this for the record, but we simply can't do it. There is an excellent review in the National Geographic of June of this year, on the whole area. It is something that I think an inordinate number of Americans will be interested in reading about because it goes to the very roots of the foundation of this great Nation. I thank the distinguished managers of the bill. Come 2007, we will celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, as well as the heroics of its first leader, Captain John Smith. Lasting from 1607-1609, John Smith's historic 3,000-mile exploration of the Chesapeake's main stem and tributaries made him the first ambassador to the native peoples of the Chesapeake, allowing for the exchange of cultural customs and material goods. Along his journey, Smith noted the incredible bounty of the Bay, writing that ``oysters lay thick as stones'' and fish were so prevalent you could catch them ``with frying pans.'' What would this trail accomplish?…”