Press Releases 08
Independence Day Celebration
Statement
by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza
Mexico City, July 4, 2008 - The following represents a translation
of the Spanish remarks made by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza,
Jr. on the occasion of the Independence Day celebration.
“Mariasun and I would like to thank you for joining us today
to celebrate the 232nd Anniversary of the U.S. Declaration
of Independence.
“When we started planning this celebration, I knew that I
wanted to do something really memorable and beautiful, not
only to honor each of you, but also to pay proper homage to
the reason we are here today – to celebrate our independence
and the values that our two countries share.
“Some said it was crazy to try and accommodate an entire
orchestra in the garden, but I am glad we pulled it off. I
especially want to thank the members of the Mineria Symphony
Orchestra and in particular Maestro Carlos Miguel Prieto for
their inspiring rendition of our national anthems.
“Our anthems serve as symbols of nationhood, and each of
our anthems also extol our respective countries’ commitment
to independence.
“Just as music calls to our hearts, bells have long been
used to call people together in times of challenge. Here in
Mexico, Padre Miguel Hidalgo rang the bell of Dolores to call
the people to revolt against oppression. It was a call to
people across this country to seize their destiny and fight
for freedom.
“In the United States, our tradition holds that the Liberty
Bell rang out from the tower of Independence Hall in Philadelphia
on July 8, 1776 to summon the townspeople to hear the first
public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
“Without a doubt, the ringing of bells as a call to fight
for one’s independence is as clear a call as those words in
the book of Leviticus which direct us to, “Proclaim Liberty
throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
“Both the calls of these bells and our anthems remind us
of our responsibility to liberty and democracy. We know well
that liberty and democracy are not free, and we must continue
to stand tall in their defense against all enemies.
“A few days ago, I reread Ronald Reagan’s call to the United
States to reject drugs and defeat the criminals profiting
from their poison. In 1986 Reagan said that the revolution
out of which our liberty was conceived was a call to an entire
world seeking hope, and that it would be an insult to what
we are and whence we came if we did not rise up together in
defiance against the cancer of drugs.
“That call is as urgent today as it was then. Today both
of our nations are suffering as another generation in the
United States demands drugs and drug-related violence strikes
at the people of Mexico. But unlike twenty years ago, Mexico
and the United States are joined together in this fight. Gone
are the days of finger pointing and recrimination.
“Monday, President Bush signed the Merida Initiative into
law. This initiative represents the strongest mutual effort
our two nations have undertaken to fight this cancer. The
Merida Initiative is the product of the efforts of both our
presidents and legislatures in both countries. And in a democracy,
one can say that these actions represent the will of the people
in both of our countries.
“The United States is accepting and sharing its responsibility
in this fight… but government alone cannot win this battle
without the support and commitment of all… This fight calls
on all good and honorable people in both countries to do their
part. The drug traffickers must hear all of us speaking with
one voice, with the same resolve with which our forefathers
responded to the pealing of those bells, whether it be at
Dolores Hidalgo or in Philadelphia. We are two nations who
overcame oppression to forge strong nations of free men and
that is how we will remain… today, tomorrow, and always. We
will defend our right to be free – free from addiction, free
from violence, and free from fear.
“Our challenge as a generation is to leave both Mexico and
the United States safer and more prosperous for our children.
“Every year for the past six years, I have had the privilege
to stand before you and celebrate the independence of the
United States. And never have I felt more optimistic than
I do today. Our future is a bright one. And not because the
challenges are easy, but because we are united.
“Over these past years, I have seen how our bilateral relationship
has entered a new era. One that is more open, mature, honest,
and yes, respectful. Today I see a relationship where we meet
challenges together, with a clear vision of what is possible.
We do not hesitate in asking the hard questions: How to combat
poverty and inequality? How to be more fair about immigration?
What can we do to take care of our environment or to be more
efficient and productive about our energy needs? And how we
can best educate our children so that they can compete in
a world that becomes more globalized and uncertain every day.
“In this new era, I am sure that we not only will ask the
questions, but that working together, shoulder to shoulder,
we’ll find the answers. I have faith that together we can
create a more prosperous future. Together we can lead the
hemisphere toward greater openness and democracy. Together
we can succeed in creating what the next generation hopes
from us: a better life.
“And although the challenges are great, my belief in the
United States is absolute; my belief in Mexico is absolute.
“I do not doubt that in this new era, our successes will
be such that once again we will hear bells, bells that ring
out not only to call us to a challenge, but to celebrate what
together we have achieved.
“It seems like just yesterday that I arrived in Mexico, thinking
I knew this, the country of my grandparents. Today I know
this country much better, and I feel truly at home in this
great nation. I have traveled the country, and everywhere
I have gone, both doors and hearts have opened to me. I have
met with Mexicans from cities and villages, farms and factories.
I have marveled at Mayan ruins, and stood in awe watching
the sunrise from the roof of the Cathedral. And yes, I have
felt the scorching desert where so many have lost their lives
following their dreams.
“I have literally lived Mexico, and I have felt the soul
of this country. And just like that man in search of his reason
for being, it was in Mexico that I found that reason, the
love of my life, my Mariasun.
“Mexico has not only changed me, it has blessed me, and although
‘thank you’ is a small thing to say, it is the truest expression
of the profound gratitude that I feel.
“Before I offer the traditional toast, I want to thank the
orchestra again. Maestro Prieto has prepared a program of
Copland, Moncayo, Sousa, and Jiménez. Mariasun and I would
like to dedicate them not only to the friendship that our
countries share, but also to the warmth that all human beings
must feel for one another.
“Now I invite you all to join me in lifting your glass to
make a toast on this, the anniversary of our independence.
And today, in my sixth and perhaps final celebration as Ambassador,
I would like to close as I always do, with the simple prayer
asking that God bless Mexico and the United States.”
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