Speeches
U.S. Independence Day Reception
Remarks by Ambassador Herbold
Raffles City Convention Centre
July 2, 2008
Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests. Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 232nd birthday of the United States of America. We are honored by your presence this evening.
In this election year, we are constantly reminded of our nation's Founding Fathers. After risking their lives to win freedom for their country, they took steps to ensure that freedom would be preserved. In the Constitution, they established the foundation of our method of choosing leaders that we have used for more than two centuries, and still use today.
Of course, we have made some changes during the past two hundred years. The Founding Fathers would surely find today's lengthy election process, analyzed from every angle on the Internet, to be quite unlike the elections of their day. But the essential principles are still the same, and each successful election and subsequent transition is a testament to their foresight and wisdom.
We are proud to count Singapore among our nation's friends, and we are grateful to Singapore for its support as we uphold the ideals of our Founding Fathers today and in the years to come. I wish each of you a very happy American Independence Day.