The United States, bastion of the Western world
Freedom, respect for individual rights and self-determination, as well as the defense of the principles of democracy are among the founding values of the American Union, established in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
These are precisely the precepts that make the United States great and, for many of us who come here in search of opportunities, make us choose it as our adopted homeland.
But the greatness of freedom and democracy comes at a price; to enjoy them, we must first conquer them and then defend them.
Living with respect for the individual freedoms enshrined in the United States implies both knowing the laws that govern the nation and honoring them; it means enriching society and our environment with the best of the heritage that identifies us but also assimilating and integrating into this country that welcomes us and where we have taken root.
The United States is a nation of millions, not only because it has become the common home for many, but also because it is the bastion of principles that underpin the Western value system and culture.
When the United States promotes actions that display its power in defense of an ideal or peace itself, it does not always receive the gratitude commensurate with these acts of dedication from the world, but its role as world leader demands both commitments and sacrifices.
Almost two and a half centuries after its founding, the United States commemorates its National Day. Its continued greatness depends on all of us: on those of us who owe it gratitude for the well-being and privilege of being admitted, on those who, with their attitude and effort, open doors, and also on those who defend it in their own right and seek to preserve order as a basic condition, without renouncing the hospitality and altruism that have always characterized the United States.
249 years after its declaration of independence, DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS salutes and honors the United States.
