Speeches

Ambassador's July 4 Speech

July 2006

Honorable Ministers, Excellencies and distinguished colleagues of the Diplomatic Corps, Respected Representatives of the Government of the State of Eritrea, honored guests and fellow citizens of the United States:

Welcome, to this celebration of the 230th anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America. We’re delighted and honored that you could join us tonight.

May I begin what will be brief remarks by thanking my colleagues at the Embassy for all their incredibly hard work in putting together tonight’s event. Elaine French spearheaded the effort but I know that she received tremendous support from our Eritrean and American colleagues alike. Thank you all.

Thank you as well to the management and staff of the Intercontinental Hotel. As always, your professionalism and expertise have ensured that we will have a wonderful evening.

So….230 years. Its starting to look as though the American experiment might have some staying power. And, if I may, I’d ask you to indulge me as I share two short passages with you…passages that have now weathered over two centuries:

The first:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal. And they are endowed, by their creator, with certain, unalienable rights. Among these, are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just power, from the consent of the governed.”

I am willing to wager that virtually everyone here tonight has heard those words before and that many of you could \recite them with me. That is not because the United States has had great public relations agents over the years or because the document from which they come, the Declaration of Independence, is regular bedtime reading for you all. Rather, I think these words remain etched in memory and resonate in every soul because, simply, they are so right. So undeniably true. So, “self-evident.”

The second passage is even shorter:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

“We the People”… three amazingly powerful words with which to begin the preamble to the Constitution of the United States, a document, of which Americans are rightfully proud, and which has guided our nation since its adoption in 1787.

Three words that affirm that the “people” are the source of authority and power for their own governance. It was a radical thought two hundred some years ago. In some parts of the world it remains a radical thought today. But it is a thought that is central to the nature of governance in the United States.

So, for the United States, it comes down to a simple formula. Government of the people, by the people, for the people, and a commitment to protecting the right to life, to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness which includes a commensurate commitment to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights – including freedom of speech, of assembly, of religion, and of the press to name a few.

There are those, of course, who like to criticize the United States and question our commitment to the values on which we were founded. To those who wonder, I can only say that we welcome the debate and the questions. That is what free speech and free societies are all about. And there is no doubt that we struggle at times, as do many other nations, to find the best way to balance adherence to the principles that define us, against the threats that challenge us, in today’s world.

We are, however, I believe, meeting that challenge. Through vigorous public debate among our legislators, through a vibrant and free press, in internet blogs, and in public and private gatherings, the workings and decisions of our government face intense scrutiny. Government programs and decisions can be, and are, challenged in the courts and in the Congress and are at times overturned or defeated. That again is the way a free society works.

There will always be more to do, and always more to strive for. But I challenge anyone to dispute our openness, transparency, or our determination to remain true to our beliefs in democratic governance, open societies and the protection of fundamental rights.

So, as we celebrate the 230th anniversary of our independence with you tonight I hope you will remember that it is not just what a nation stands for, but what it choose to strive towards, that help define it. And after 230 years I am proud of the values, the principles, and aspirations that define the United States of America.

Now, I ask your kind attention as we play the anthems of the Government of the State of Eritrea and the United States of America.

Now, may I ask you to join me in a toast.

To the friendship between the people of the State of Eritrea and the people of the United States of America. May it grow and strengthen.