Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 3.djvu/506

 113 STAT. 2024 PROCLAMATION 7144—OCT. 29, 1998 The United States can best honor and celebrate the good work and many accomplishments of the United Nations by ensuring its continued strength and effectiveness. The U.N. has made great strides in streamlining its programs and cutting its costs. I applaud this progress, and I deeply regret the failure of this Congress to agree to pay our overdue U.N. dues. I pledge to work with the next Congress to meet our financial treaty obligations to the U.N. America played a vital role in the birth of the United Nations more than 50 years ago, and, if we are to remain true to our values and goals, we must work constructively with this great institution and maintain our vote in its deliberations. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim (Dctober 24, 1998, as United Nations Day. I encourage all Americans to acquaint themselves with the activities and accomplishments of the United Nations and to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities furthering the goal of international cooperation. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty- third day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7144 of October 29, 1998 National American Indian Heritage Month, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation American Indians and Alaska Natives—the first Americans—have made enormous contributions to the life of oxu- country. When the first Europeans arrived on this continent, they did not find an empty land; they found instead a land of diverse peoples with a rich and complex system of governments, languages, religions, values, and traditions that have shaped and influenced American history and heritage. Generations of American Indians have served and sacrificed to defend our freedom, and no segment of our population has sent a larger percentage of its yoimg men and women to serve in oru" Armed Forces. But American Indians are not just an important part of otu country's past; they are also a vital part of today's America and will play an even more important role in America's future. There are more than 2 million American Indians living in our country today, from the hardwood forests of Maine to the Florida Everglades, across the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast, and throughout the State of Alaska. Through a variety of innovative enterprises, many tribes are sharing in the imprecedented prosperity our country enjoys today, prosperity that is reflected in the construction of commxmity centers, schools, museums, and other cultural centers. However, many people who live in Indian Country are caught in a cycle of poverty made worse by poor health care and a lack of educational and employment opportunity. If we are to honor the United States Government's long-

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