Strong
Allies
Friday, May 21, 2004
Once in a while special guests visit the Illinois
Capitol in Springfield and the state senators with the
closest connection get to introduce them to the
Senate. This happened Thursday morning and here’s what
I had the privilege to say:
“We are fortunate today to have Mr. George Predescu,
the Consul General of Roumania, visiting Springfield.
Two generations ago, all four of my grandparents, the
Lauzen’s and the Moldovan’s, immigrated from Roumania,
so I’m delighted to introduce the Consul General to
you.
Throughout history, because of its geographic and
strategic location and resources, Roumania has stood
at the crossroads of the struggle between East and
West.
In ancient times, from the East came the conquering
hoards of barbarians from the steppes of Asia. From
the West, the Romans imposed their civilization for
several centuries when the land was still called Dacia.
In medieval times, from the East came the Turks. The
Holy Roman Empire pushed back from the West against
this invasion with men like Vlad the Impaler, who has
come down to us through legend as Count Dracula. (As
recently as in my maternal grandfather’s childhood,
mothers still frightened children to come home from
the woods before dark by warning that “…the dracutsu--or
little devils--will get you if they catch you in the
forest at night.”)
More recently, in the 20th Century, from the West came
Hitler’s Nazis to steal petroleum reserves in order to
fuel their war machine and imprison tens of thousands.
Just five years later, from the East marched the
Communists who imprisoned millions and a whole country
for decades. (Of my two uncles who were Catholic
priests during that time, one was tortured by the
Communists and had his hand mangled over a burning
candle because he refused to disclose a local
official’s confession.)
Roumania in Eastern Europe on the shores of the Black
Sea at the delta of the mighty Danube River has stood
at the crossroads of Eastern and Western cultures,
crossroads of freedom and fascism, and the crossroads
of hope and despair. Roumanians are hard-working,
fearless people who are accustomed to struggle.
These people and their democratic government have sent
George Predescu who was appointed Consul General in
Chicago on December 1, 2003. Prior to his appointment,
he served as political counselor and head of chancery
at the Roumanian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
From 1999-2000, Mr. Predescu was the Deputy Head of
N.A.T.O. and International Security Affairs Division
at the Roumanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The
President of Roumania in 2003 awarded Mr. Predescu the
National Order for Merit for his dedication to
promoting Roumania’s membership in N.A.T.O. Before
joining the Foreign Service in 1990, Mr. Predescu
worked as an engineer in the petroleum sector. He is
married with two kids.
Welcome Consul General George Predescu.”
One of the first things that the Consul General said
when he came to the microphone was, “There are 1000
Roumanian combat troops serving shoulder-to-shoulder
with U.S. combat troops in Iraq and more than 500 in
Afghanistan.” Men and women who are willing to shed
their blood in common cause to stop terrorism are
indeed our strong allies and brothers.
The Honorable George Predescu told us that the
Roumanian people made the fundamental decision in the
last twenty years to reject Communism and choose
democracy. Freedom, peace, and prosperity in a free
market economy under the rule of law are what the
Roumanian people and government have chosen.
As President Ion Iliescu of Roumania wrote in a
January 31, 2003 letter to President George W. Bush,
“Roumania can understand that aggressive dictators
cannot be appeased or ignored, but must always be
opposed. Roumanians indeed know the value of freedom
and living in peace. They have seen the face of evil
embodied in communism and deeply share your
conviction, expressed in the state of the Union
address, that ‘free people will set the course of
history.’”
Inside
the Illinois State Senate
Strong Allies