Ambassador
Ambassador's Speech
REMARKS TO THE FULBRIGHT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION THANKSGIVING RECEPTION
November 25, 2008
Good evening to all! It is a joy to be here with you tonight as we celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and colleagues. The Fulbright program is very special to our Embassy, and I would like to thank Hugo Carranza, President of the Fulbright Alumni Association, Norma Gonzalez, Fulbright Executive Director, and the entire Fulbright Commission for your contributions to this outstanding Fulbright program.
I am sure that many of you tonight are fondly remembering past Thanksgivings that you shared with your American friends as Fulbright scholars. The American people are our country's best diplomats, as they open their homes to foreign guests and offer generous servings of American warmth and hospitality. Your American friends, those examples of American culture and ideals, have done more for projecting a positive image of the United States than our most concerted public diplomacy programs.
Thanksgiving has become one of America’s most cherished holidays. In fact, it is now the busiest travel day of the year, since more Americans share Thanksgiving with friends than they do Christmas. All over the United States, friends, and loved ones will share turkey dinners and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.
Although this is a time of economic uncertainty, both our countries have many blessings to be thankful for. For the Argentines, next Wednesday you will celebrate 25 years of uninterrupted democracy. As for us Americans, we have just completed a thrilling and historic presidential election, and we now look forward to the future with renewed hope as a new administration assumes leadership.
Thanksgiving was begun as a celebration by the settlers of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts in 1621. They thanked God for their autumn harvest and invited their Indian neighbors to join them in a meal to express thanks for having taught them how to grow corn and hunt local game, including, of course, wild turkey. In the same way, our two different cultures tonight are sharing more than a meal – we are sharing our mutual appreciation of the Fulbright program and the impact it has had on both our lives and our countries. All of you have contributed to making Senator Fulbright’s dream of a saner, more peaceful world a reality.
This year, the Fulbright Commission celebrates 52 years of success in this country, and the Alumni Association marks its 22nd anniversary. I want to congratulate both organizations for their dedication to strengthening the links between our two countries. In the past half century, over 4,500 Argentines and Americans have participated in the Fulbright program, at a cost of over 50 million dollars.
The United States government does not support Fulbright and other exchange programs to remake the world in our own image. Fulbright is not a program to force the world's peoples to enjoy eating turkey as much as we do. These programs exist so that people will have the tools they need to make their own decisions and choose their own paths, hopefully with a better understanding of what the US is and isn’t. Programs like Fulbright reflect our belief in the capacity of individuals to shape their own destinies and remake our world.
I would now like to close by reading two paragraphs of the Proclamation given by the President of the United States for this year’s Thanksgiving:
Today, as we look back on the beginnings of our democracy, Americans recall that we live in a land of many blessings where every person has the right to live, work, and worship in freedom.
Americans are also mindful of the need to share our gifts with others, and our Nation is moved to compassionate action. We pay tribute to all caring citizens who reach out a helping hand and serve a cause larger than themselves.
Tonight, we are also paying tribute to those who serve a cause larger than themselves: both those who support the Fulbright program and many of its alumni whose daily work entails reaching out with a helping hand.
Thank you for inviting Pam and me to share in tonight’s celebration! I look forward to talking with you both tonight and in the future.
THANKSGIVING DAY, 2008
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A PROCLAMATION
Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends to gather together and express gratitude for all that we have been given, the freedoms we enjoy, and the loved ones who enrich our lives. We recognize that all of these blessings, and life itself, come not from the hand of man but from Almighty God.
Every Thanksgiving, we remember the story of the Pilgrims who came to America in search of religious freedom and a better life. Having arrived in the New World, these early settlers gave thanks to the Author of Life for granting them safe passage to this abundant land and protecting them through a bitter winter. Our Nation's first President, George Washington, stated in the first Thanksgiving proclamation that "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." While in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition of proclaiming a day of thanksgiving, asking God to heal our wounds and restore our country.
Today, as we look back on the beginnings of our democracy, Americans recall that we live in a land of many blessings where every person has the right to live, work, and worship in freedom.
Americans are also mindful of the need to share our gifts with others, and our Nation is moved to compassionate action. We pay tribute to all caring citizens who reach out a helping hand and serve a cause larger than themselves.
On this day, let us all give thanks to God who blessed our Nation's first days and who blesses us today. May He continue to guide and watch over our families and our country always.
GEORGE W. BUSH