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Dielli | The Sun

Albanian American Newspaper Devoted to the Intellectual and Cultural Advancement of the Albanians in America | Since 1909

4 KORRIK, 2026 — 250-VJET AMERIKË: NJË MIQËSI QË NDRYSHOI PËRGJITHMONË HISTORINË E SHQIPTARËVE

July 4, 2026 by s p

Nga Frank Shkreli 

Megjithë problemet e brendshme dhe protestat prej më shumë se një muaji, Frank Shkreli: Kur zgjohet rinia, dridhen elitat. A po vjen më në fund ndryshimi në trojet shqiptare?! | Gazeta Telegraf —

në Tiranë dhe qytete të tjera shqiptare vazhdojnë protestat masive studentore-qytetare kundër regjimit të Kryeministrit Edi Rama dhe politikave të tija ekonomike dhe shoqërore.  Nën hijen e protestave anti-qeveritare ne Tiranë, 4 Korriku, 2026 shënon 250-vjetorin e Amerikës – një ditë që shqiptarët kudo festojnë dhe kujtojnë sot këtë përvjetor me rëndësi për dy kombet e mëdha mike –Kombit Amerikan dhe atij shqiptar – por ndoshta duhet të shërbejë edhe si një rast për të reflektuar edhe për demokracinë, lirinë dhe protestat e qytetarëve me fokus të drejtat e tyre si qytetarë të atj vendi.

Por qëllimi i këtij shënimi modest eshtë 250-vjetori i Amerikës dhe rëndësia e këtij përvjetori për shqiptarët gjatë 100- e ca viteve lidhje  midis dy popujve tanë.  Kur Amerika i doli zot Kombit Shqiptar.  Dyqind e pesëdhjetë vjet më parë, atëbotë, lindi një republikë e ndërtuar mbi idealet e lirisë, dinjitetit njerëzor dhe qeverisjes demokratike.  Në kuadër të 250-vjetorit të Shteteve të Bashkuara të Amerikës, historia e marrëdhënieve shqiptaro-amerikane është një histori besimi, miqësie dhe mbështetjeje në momentet më vendimtare për fatin e Kombit shqiptar, sidomos gjatë 100-viteve të lidhjeve shqiptaro-amerikane: në çastet kur liria, identiteti kombëtar, dinjiteti dhe e drejta për të jetuar në paqe u vunë në provë për shqiptarët, ndërkohë që Shtetet e Bashkuara ishin në krye të përpjekjeve, në mbrojtje të interesave dhe eksistencës kombëtare të shqiptarëve.  Një nga momentet më të rëndësishme të këtyre përpjekjeve të herëshme të fillim shekullit të kaluar, ishte qëndrimi i Presidentit Woodrow Wilson, i cili pas Luftës së Parë Botërore kundërshtoi copëtimin e Shqipërisë dhe mbrojti të drejtën e saj për të ekzistuar si shtet i pavarur, pasi Wilsoni, sipas kujtimeve të Peshkop Fan Nolit, i kishte premtuar atij se një zë që do kishte në Konferencën e Paqës, atë zë do e përdorte në mbrojtje të Shqipërisë. Ky angazhim amerikan i asaj kohe, mbetet një nga gurët themelorë të miqësisë shqiptaro-amerikane, mbi 100-vjeçare.

Por lufta kundër shqiptarëve dhe të drejtave të tyre në Ballkanin Perendimor nuk pushoi kurrë.  Dekada më vonë, gjatë shpërbërjes së ish-Jugosllavisë, Presidenti George H. W. Bush, gjithnjë në mbrojtje të shqiptarëve dhe të drejtave të tyre në tokat e tyre shekullore – përball kërcënimeve serioze për spastrim etnik dërgoi një mesazh të qartë amerikan, në reagim të kërcënimeve serbe kundër shqiptarëve të Kosovës për regjimin e Beogradit. Në dhjetor 1992, paralajmërimi i njohur si “Paralajmërimi i Krishtlindjeve” (“Christmas Warning”) i Presidentit Bush, bëri të ditur se Shtetet e Bashkuara do ta konsideronin, me seriozitetin më të madh, çdo përdorim të forcës ushtarake serbo-jugosllave kundër shqiptarëve autoktonë në Kosovë. Ky ishte një sinjal i fortë amerikan dërguar regjimit terrorist serbo-jugosllav se Amerika nuk do të qëndronte indiferente përballë një përshkallëzimi të dhunës serbo-sllave kundër shqiptarëve.

Por, megjithë paralajmërimet amerikane, për mos shkelje vizash së kuqe në Kosovë, kriza politike dhe ushtarake në Kosovë arriti kulmin nga fundi i 1990-ave. Kësaj radhe qe një president tjetër amerikan, Presidenti Bill Clintoni që i erdhi në ndihmë shqiptarëve.  Presidenti Clinton udhëhoqi politikën amerikane kundër Serbisë që çoi, më në fund, në ndërhyrjen e NATO-s kundër forcave terroriste serbe, duke ndaluar spastrimin etnik dhe duke krijuar kushtet që Kosova të ndërtonte rrugën e saj drejt lirisë, shtetësisë dhe më në fund drejt pavarësisë.  Më 10 qershor 2007, gjatë vizitës së tij historike në Tiranë, Presidenti George W. Bush i riu – në vazhdën e mbështetjes amerikane për Shqipërinë dhe për shqiptarë — dha një mesazh të qartë e të fortë në mbrojjtje të të drejtave të shqiptarëve — përsëri nga një President i Amerikës, që u dëgjua në mbarë botën: “Kosova duhet të jetë e pavarur.” Kjo deklaratë shënoi një moment tjetër vendimtar diplomatik dhe i dha një shtysë të fuqishme procesit që kulmoi me shpalljen e pavarësisë së Kosovës më 17 shkurt 2008.

Në të gjitha këto momente, Amerika dëshmoi se marrëdhënia me shqiptarët nuk ishte vetëm një aleancë strategjike, por një partneritet i ndërtuar mbi vlerat e lirisë, demokracisë dhe respektit për të drejtat e njeriut.  Një fakt se Shtetet e Bashkuara të Amerikës – pa dallime politike, republikanë e demokratë — kanë zgjedhur gjatë gjithë kësaj historie më shumë se 100-vjeçare me shqiptarët, të qendronin në anën e duhur dhe të drejtë të historisë.  Prandaj, mirënjohja shqiptare ndaj Amerikës dhe popullit amerikan në këtë 250-vjetor nuk është vetëm një slogan politik e madje as edhe ndonjë formulë diplomatike. Por është një mirënjohje historike që buron kryesisht nga kujtesa e fortë historike e një populli që e di mirë se kush i ka qëndruar pranë në ditët më të vështira të historisë së tij moderne. Duke  mos harruar, njëkohsisht, as sot kur valet e e pasigurisë po rikthehen në shumë pjesë të botës dhe kur demokracia dhe liria po përballen me sfida të reja, lidhjet midis Kombit Amerikan dhe Kombit Shqiptar, duhet të mbeten gjithnjë ndër asetet më të çmuara të shqiptarëve kudo.

Me rastin e 250-vjetorit të Shteteve të Bashkuara të Amerikës, shqiptarët kujtojnë me mirënjohje kontributin e popullit amerikan dhe të presidentëve të tij që lanë gjurmë në historinë kombëtare shqiptare. Miqësia shqiptaro-amerikane mbetet një nga shtyllat më të forta të orientimit euroatlantik të Kombit shqiptar dhe një dëshmi se aleancat e ndërtuara mbi vlera të përbashkëta i rezistojnë kohës dhe rreziqeve.  Gëzuar 250-vjetorin, Shteteve të Bashkuara të Amerikës! Faleminderit që në momentet vendimtare të historisë i dolët zot lirisë dhe aspiratave të Kombit Shqiptar nga sulmet dhe plane grabitqare të huajve.  Unë jam veç një shqiptaro-amerikan dhe flas vetëm në emrin tim personal kur them se, ndërsa Shtetet e Bashkuara kremtojnë sot me 4 Korrik, 2026, 250-vjetorin, komuniteti shqiptaro-amerikan i bashkohet këtij jubileu me një fjalë të thjeshtë, por të mbushur me kuptim historik: THANK YOU, AMERICA!  Faleminderit, Amerikë! Faleminderit që për mua, familjen time si dhe për breza emigrantësh shqiptarë që erdhën në brigjet e tua, me pak pasuri materiale, por me shumë shpresë në zemër, duke u bërë strehë e sigurt për të gjithë ne. Faleminderit që na dhe mundësi të ndërtonim jetë të re, të arsimonin fëmijët tanë dhe të bëheshim pjesë e një shoqërie ku puna, talenti dhe përkushtimi vlerësohen më shumë se prejardhja etnike.  Faleminderit që në momentet vendimtare të historisë kombëtare të shqiptarëve qëndrove pranë aspiratave të shqiptarëve për liri, demokraci dhe të drejta njerëzore. Kujtoj në në këtë 250-vjetor se në Amerikë, ne shqiptarët nuk gjetën vetëm një atdhe të dytë. Këtu gjetëm një vend ku mundën të ruanin identitetin, gjuhën, traditat dhe besimin, duke u bërë, njëkohësisht, qytetarë krenarë amerikanë. Kjo pra është forca e modelit amerikan në këtë 250-vjetor: uniteti kombëtar amerikan, pa kërkuar uniformitet.  Nuk është rastësi që figurat më të ndritura të diasporës sonë, e deri te veprimtarët e shumtë të komunitetit shqiptaro-amerikanë, e shohim Amerikën si tokën ku liria dhe përgjegjësia qytetare ecin krah për krah. Sot, ndërsa festojmë këtë përvjetor me rendësi le të kontribojmë  në ndërtimin e Amerikës dhe të falënderojmë brezat e amerikanëve që ndihmuan çështjen shqiptare në kohë sfidash dhe sakrificash.

Historia e komunitetit shqiptaro-amerikan është një histori mirënjohjeje, por edhe kontributi. Është historia e njerëzve që erdhën për të kërkuar  liri, mundësi dhe që, në këmbim, i dhanë Amerikës punën, dijen, kulturën dhe përkushtimin e tyre. Në këtë 250-vjetor, mesazhi i shqiptaro-amerikanëve si unë, është i qartë: Faleminderit, Amerikë, për lirinë që frymëzon. Faleminderit për mundësitë që krijon. Faleminderit për miqësinë dhe mbrojtjejn që ke treguar ndaj shqiptarëve.

Dhe, siç do të thoshin etërit e diasporës sonë, le të vazhdojë të forcohet kjo lidhje e veçantë mes popullit amerikan dhe popullit shqiptar, e ndërtuar mbi vlera të përbashkëta, respekt të ndërsjellë dhe besim te liria.

Gëzuar 250-vjetorin, Amerikë!
Me mirënjohje dhe krenari! 

Frank Shkreli

                            Faleminderit për Pres. Wilson që mbrojti Shqipërinë dhe shqiptarët në Konferencën e Paqës në Paris (1919-1920)  

                             Faleminderit për Pres. Bushin e vjetër që paralajmëroi Serbinë kundër padrejtësisë me “Paralajmërimin e Krishtlindjes” në mbrojtje të shqiptarëve të Kosovës nga spastrimi etnik djellëzor i Millosheviçit  (Dhjetor 1992)

                                           Faleminderit për Pres. Clinton që me angazhimin e Aleancës ushtarake NATO shpëtoi Kosovën duke sulmuar forcat serbe brenda Kosovës dhe objektivave ushtarake serbe anë e mbanë ish-Jugosllavisë. (mars 1999)

Faleminderit për Pres. Bushin e ri i cili gjatë një vizite zyrtare në Tiranë deklaroi se “mjaft është mjaft”, Kosova të jetë e pavarur tanimë. (Qershor 2007)

Përveç falënderimeve të këtyre udhëheqësve amerikanë, për mbështetjen e tyre ndaj të drejtave të shqiptarëve – në këtë 250-vjetor të Amerikës, falenderimet më të veçanta i shkojnë popullit amerikan për një miqësi që në një shekull histori e ka bërë të pavdeshme këtë miqësi – Gëzuar 250-vjetorin, Amerikë!

NJË KOMB I TËRË SHQIPTAR JU PËRSHËNDET ME RESPEKT, KRENARI DHE MIRËNJOHJE TË THELLË!

Filed Under: Emigracion

FEDERATA VATRA: AMERIKË, GËZUAR 4 KORRIKUN, 250 VJETORIN E PAVARËSISË

July 4, 2026 by s p

New York, 4 Korrik 2026- Federata Pan-Shqiptare e Amerikës Vatra me rastin e 250 vjetorit të Pavarësisë së Shteteve të Bashkuara të Amerikës uron të gjithë popullin amerikan, shqiptaro-amerikanët e vatranët: Gëzuar 4 Korrikun.

Në këtë ditë historike, të shenjtë e madhështore për mbarë popullin e shtetin Amerikan, Federata Vatra shpreh mirënjohje, respekt e falenderim dhe nderon e kujton heronjtë e lirisë së shtetit e kombit amerikan dhe të gjithë ata që kanë kontribuar në historinë, lirinë, zhvillimin e demokracinë e Shteteve të Bashkuara Amerikës.

Si shqiptaro-amerikanë ndihemi me fat dhe të privilegjuar që jemi pjesë e këtij shteti e kombi të lavdishëm, të lirë, të fortë, të begatë, të dashur, të vlerësuar e të admiruar nga e gjithë bota.

Kombi shqiptar i detyrohet përjetë kombit e shtetit amerikan, popullit e kësaj toke të bekuar për gjithçka që Amerika ka bërë për Shqipërinë, Kosovën e kombin tonë në ditët tona më të vështira.

Shqiptarët në çdo cep të globit janë krenarë, mirënjohës dhe falenderues për miqësinë e sinqertë, aleancën e pandarë dhe partneritetin jetëgjatë me Shtetet e Bashkuara të Amerikës.

Miqësia me Amerikën është vlerë e shenjtë për kombin shqiptarë.

Zoti e bekoftë Amerikën.

Zoti i bekoftë shqiptarët e Amerikës.

Gëzuar 4 Korrikun.

Gëzuar Amerikë.

Mirënjohës përjetë

Me gëzim të veçantë

Kryetari i Federatës Pan-Shqiptare të Amerikës VATRA

Dr. Elmi Berisha

Filed Under: Featured

President Donald J. Trump’s Historic Address at Mount Rushmore: Full Remarks on the Eve of America’s 250th Anniversary

July 4, 2026 by s p

Distinguished guests and fellow citizens, tonight, we gather on the eve of one of the most extraordinary days in the history of the world. Tomorrow, we mark 250 years of glorious independence and 250 years of majestic American freedom. Nothing like it.

In all the chronicles of the ages, never before has any nation celebrated so magnificent a triumph as this one, the one that we are participating in right now. At 250 years, America is the oldest republic on Earth. We are the freest people on Earth. We have the most righteous and enduring constitution on Earth. We are the strongest and most powerful country on Earth. And by the grace of God, the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history. And it is great to be your President. It is great. Your President. It is great.

For a quarter of a millennium, liberty, justice, equality, self-government, and unmatched prosperity have flourished here as they have never flourished anywhere before. There is nothing like what we are doing.

The birth and survival of the American nation under God is quite simply the best and most incredible thing ever to happen on this planet by human hands ever. That is ever, ever, ever. No other country has done more good for this world than the United States of America. And we give thanks for these extraordinary blessings.

We must remember that what we have created in this country is not the natural way of the world. It is not the norm. It is the exception. It is rare. It is priceless. And it is truly miraculous.

Throughout the entire story of humanity, most people in most places have lived a life plagued by suffering, poverty, exploitation, violence, and misery. But here in America, in this land, on this continent, we have written a very different story. It’s a tale of adventure, liberation, and unmatched greatness.

It’s the story of people governing themselves, the many uniting as one, the men and women rising by their own skill and talent to go further and reach higher than anyone has ever gone before. There has never been anything like this.

The triumph of American independence was the result of the most extraordinary people in history, the most extraordinary culture in history, and the most extraordinary ideas in history, all creating the most extraordinary republic ever, ever, ever in history. It all came together for the miracle of July 4th, 1776. That was a big year. 250 years ago, tomorrow. What a big day that is.

I consider this a big day because I’m with you. I like that too. And by the way, we won big here. We won really big. Each and every time.

But 250 years ago tomorrow, the words of our Declaration of Independence sent an earthquake through all of the coming time. They sparked a revolution that has never ended but still continues to this day. And tonight, we come to this beautiful mountain, and it is beautiful, to express our gratitude to those who made it possible, starting with the four men most responsible for reaching this milestone more than any others.

We salute the father of our country, George Washington. The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. The great emancipator and savior of our union, Abraham Lincoln. And the man who built America into a global superpower, Theodore Roosevelt.

These are the men who declared the freedom, won our freedom, saved our freedom, and secured our freedom. They were men of action, men of ambition, men of daring, men of destiny, and men of truly great intelligence. Above all, they were great men of history.

Tonight, on the threshold of our 250th year, we stand beneath the monument of these heroes, a true group of unbelievable people. And we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble, and as great as these American giants. And that’s not easy to do, but we’re going to do it.

These men could only have been made in the USA. Their faces are engraved on these bluffs, not only because of what they did, but to remind us forever who we are. These heroes exemplify what is timeless, enduring, and eternal about the American character.

And in the end, it has always been that character, our distinct and unique identity.

It is a truly unique identity, and it’ll never change. It’s the ultimate source of our strength and the bulwark of our freedom.

On this anniversary, we must remember, we have to remember, we can never forget that American liberty has not endured for 250 years merely because of words on paper. Liberty has prevailed here because of the culture and character of the people who declared it, defended it, and preserved it.

These are very, very special times, and this is a very special place. You live in a very special place. Congratulations, everybody.

The identity of a nation is the destiny of a nation, and America has a destiny like no other because we are a people like no other. For whatever reason, that’s just the way it is.

Here, the old world sent its bravest, boldest, and most resilient, its fiercest, most faithful, and freedom-loving. These men and women brought values, traditions, and customs transmitted over the centuries in Britain and stretching back even further to Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome.

The United States of America is where the greatest civilization in human history became greater than ever before. On the grounds and granite hills and the rugged plains of this wide-open continent, they forged a uniquely American character, a new breed of citizen. That’s you. Congratulations. Congratulations.

You’re not that new a breed. You’re a really good breed, but I’m not sure that you’re that new a breed.

Americans did not bow before a king or a government, but kneeled only before Almighty God. That’s right.

These were the people who founded our republic. These were the patriots who fought for independence. This was the spirit that demanded freedom, and this was the culture that built America and carved its heroes into Mount Rushmore.

For generations, it was understood that the core patriotic duty of every American was to pass this culture on to our children and to preserve the nation for centuries and centuries to come.

But in recent years, there’s been an undeniable attempt to change this exceptional character, to beat the American spirit out of us, alienate us from our history, and to make it impossible to even answer the question, what does it mean to be an American?

As we march into our 250th year, credible, beautiful year it will be, we must never forget there is no American freedom without American culture. And there is no American founding without the American people.

Many nations have paper constitutions and legal systems, but the citizens live in fear and squalor. A constitution is only as strong as the people and the culture responsible for upholding it. But as long as we remember who we are, we have to always remember who we are and what we’re all about, the United States of America will forever be the land of free men and women, and we will never, ever fail.

So tonight, let us say clearly and proudly what makes Americans so unique and extraordinary. We’re going to give our country its identity back. Above all, Americans love freedom. We cherish independence, and we know that we are the heirs to the most beautiful land, the most thrilling story, and the most precious legacy in which the sun has ever shined.

In America, we do not need anyone’s permission to say what we think and to live as we please, to worship as we choose, or to keep and bear arms. You know that. And for almost six years during my presidency, I’ve saved almost single-handedly, but working with John and some other great people. We’ve saved your Second Amendment, and I will continue to do so, I promise. Our rights here are given to us by the God who made us and those rights shall not be infringed.

Americans believe in self-reliance. We look at success with envy not. And I say that some people are envious and some people are not. We are not. But with admiration and we earn it and we will always earn it and we will always respect it.

We are an incredible, good, kind and generous people, always ready to help a friend or a neighbor in need. No one has ever given more to charity, ended more hunger, cured more disease, or done more to uplift humanity than Americans, and no country ever will be able to match it.

Americans honor excellence. We admire boldness. We respect ambition. We are a nation of dreamers and believers, warriors and explorers, doers and fighters. In every human endeavor, Americans see an unfinished competition. What is strong can be made stronger. What is fast can be made faster. What is great can be made greater than ever before. And that’s what’s happening with America. Show us a mountain, and we’ll just climb it. Show us an ocean, and we’ll just cross it. Show us a problem, and we will just solve it. Show us a task the world calls impossible and Americans will get it done.

Americans are strong and always ready to stand firm for a good cause. We treasure justice, fairness, family, honesty, and human dignity. Unlike societies based on class, clan, or tribe, we see every citizen as an individual equal under the law and equal under the eyes of the Lord. In America, we speak English because that is the language of our founding. For a thousand years, that has been the language of freedom.

And American always wants peace and order, but we will never shrink from danger or threat. We will always fight, fight, fight, and win, win, win. We’ve got to do that. Because this is our culture, this is our character. Not every American is all of these things, but every American knows these are the traits that make our country exceptional. And exceptional it is.

You do not have to be born here, but you do have to love what we have built. You must love our country. There has never been anything like us anywhere on Earth, and we are not going to let anyone take that away.

Yet, as we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack. A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success.

These are not mere political disagreements like differences over taxes or regulations. Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9-11. We’re not going to let this happen to us. Believe me, we’re not letting it happen.

Because communism is the enemy of free people everywhere, everywhere in the world. Never works. It’s the enemy of the Constitution. Above all, it’s the enemy of July 4th, 1776. It is the enemy indeed.

Even while the radicals and extremists attack our incredible history at every turn, they are silent on the miserable history of communism itself because it never worked. Thousands of years, if you look at it, under different names, under somewhat different ideologies and systems, that system has led to more death and destruction than any system ever tried. It killed 100 million people just in the last century alone.

Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s death, tyranny, and the pursuit of evil. The godless communist morality states that anything is justified to bring about inhuman visions and to really propose what’s good. They don’t want good. They don’t love God, and they don’t want God. They don’t love religion and they don’t want religion and they won’t have it. But we will not let them win. They have no chance against us.

They have no respect for law, justice, principle, tradition, or your God-given rights. It’s an ideology of mass theft, mass control, mass lies, and mass murder. Such doctrines can be given no quarter in a democracy because the first thing they do when they get into power is turn around and destroy it. It always is destroyed, just as communists have done in other countries all over the world, no matter where you look.

Very simply, communism represents the worst ideas and abuses in history by the worst people. The American founding represents the best ideas and traditions in history by the best people like you.

You can be loyal to Karl Marx or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.

As for those who peddle Marxist lies about our heritage, tell our children that we live on stolen land or that our heroes were oppressors, they’re doing something much worse than slandering our past. They are slandering and attacking our future. Not going to let that happen.

They’re trying to tear down the great American character to destroy the people who declared independence, who crossed the Delaware, who settled the West and conquered the skies. You know who those people are. But we will never let that happen.

Our American ancestors did not shed their blood at Concord and Trenton, Gettysburg and Shiloh, Midway and Normandy, just so that a band of thieves, radicals, and lunatics could come in and loot and pillage our nation. Our heroes died to win, build, and to save, and to build truly a great country, the greatest country ever in the world.

So, on the eve of this 250th anniversary of American heritage, we resolve and swear for all to hear that the citizens of the United States of America will vanquish communism quickly. Don’t let them take too much of your time. You know they’re wasting your time, don’t you?

But we’re not going to let them take too long or too much of our time as they play their games and send them into exile. We will send them quickly away and we will continue to build our country bigger and better and stronger than ever before. America will never be a communist country.

We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms if we are foolish, stupid, and unwise. But if we terminate the filibuster as we should do and immediately vote for the Save America Act, then we will not lose an election for 100 years.

We do that. We’re not going to lose an election for 100 years. The Communist Party is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals, and everybody that doesn’t want to work. Communism is a loser. It always was, and it is right now.

It’s a big loser. Look at the people that are promoting it. They are not the people you’re going to follow.

In 250 years, the free people of this land have accomplished more with our liberty than any other society has accomplished, even in thousands and thousands of years, as you look back and you study. What our critics will never understand is that America is not the sum of its mistakes. Our mistakes make us human.

Our achievements make us American. And nobody has ever had the achievements that we’ve had. We are the nation that dreamed and created the modern world. We laid the railroads. We raised up those big, beautiful skyscrapers, harnessed electricity, and invented the light bulb, the telephone, the airplane, the assembly line, the television, the microchip, the personal computer, the internet, the GPS, the smartphone, and almost everything else that has ever been invented, including, especially over the last few days in certain areas, a thing called air conditioning.

We invented it all. We charted the human genome to cure diseases. We powered entire cities by splitting single atoms and planted our flag on the moon. Americans fill the airwaves of the planet with our music and our culture. We invented baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, NASCAR, and the rodeo.

We love that rodeo of the West. Americans have won the most Olympic medals of any country in the world by far, the most Nobel prizes. Well, they haven’t given me one. I settled eight wars. I still haven’t gotten it. That’s okay.

And the most world records. We published by far the most patents. We produce the best movies. We make the best music. And we raise up the greatest entertainers and strongest athletes the world has ever seen. So true.

We built the biggest and most dynamic economy. And by the way, our country today is doing better than it’s ever done before. Never had anything like it.

With as of last week, $19.2 trillion pouring into the United States right now from all over the world. That’s the investments being made. And the record was three. Four years and in four years. The last administration did much less than one, and we did 19.2 in 12 months.

And thanks to our great election win, November 5th, and the tariffs, plants and factories are being built all over the United States right now, and they’re being built at a number that we’ve never, ever seen before. So much more. There’s — we’re breaking records by double, triple, quadruple.

We created the strongest and most powerful military. We won two world wars — the Cold War — left America’s enemies in the depths of history. We beat Venezuela in one day, and we knocked the hell out of Iran. They’re dying to settle. They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral because we’re nice.

For 250 years, the entire world has looked to our country and been inspired by the leaps of progress, feats of strength, and acts of selflessness, faith, and hope that could only have happened right here.

Two years ago, we were laughed at, mocked, and the nation in decline. We were in very serious decline. Last administration, what they’ve done to us, we can never, ever forget that. And today we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. Everybody respects us like no nation.

Remember this, we’re respected like no nation in the world is respected like us. Every king, every prime minister, every president, they respect us more than any other country by far. Two years ago, they laughed at us. Now it’s only respect. And I want to tell you, the best is yet to come.

So, in conclusion, from the roaring waters of Niagara Falls, to the shimmering gushes of oil and fire from our beloved Texas, from the magnificent fields of corn and wheat and barley of our farms in the Midwest, to the vast canyons of finance in New York City, from the billowing sacks of steel now being produced all over our country at record levels, to the car plants that are rising like we have never seen before.

We have more plants under construction than we’ve had ever before. Automobile plants, something you didn’t see of at all for 35 years. To technology from the minds of geniuses that is being brought to life in all corners of our country, from the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies to the white sand shores of the Gulf of America. And to right here in the Black Hills of the Dakotas.

After 250 years, American freedom still rings. The American dream still lives, and the American flag still flies more proudly than ever before. Over the people who will not quit, the nation that will not fail, the country that will not fall, no matter how hard the enemy tries, we cannot be beaten.

Tomorrow, we reach a milestone like no other and celebrate with joyful hearts and soaring spirits because after two and a half centuries, we know that this is not an ending. This is only the beginning of the Golden Age of America.

And together, we will make America bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. I promise you that. It’s an honor to be your president. Thank you very much and happy Independence Day to all. God bless you all. God bless you all. Thank you.

Filed Under: Emigracion

When America Falls Silent: The Strategic Costs of Dismantling VOA

July 4, 2026 by s p

For millions, VOA was a beacon of hope and a window into America that no other institution could replicate.

BY ELEZ BIBERAJ*

https://afsa.org

U.S. Secretary of State James Baker speaks to the Albanian people in 1991. When U.S. Secretary of State James Baker congratulated the Albanian people on throwing off decades of communist rule in Tirana’s Skanderbeg Square on June 22, 1991, Chief of VOA’s Albanian Service Elez Biberaj, second from right, served as his translator. VOICE OF AMERICA

The United States is confronting the consequences of relinquishing one of its most enduring instruments of soft power a year and a half after the Trump administration dismantled the Voice of America (VOA). That decision, part of an effort to shut down the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), silenced an institution that had delivered independent, fact-based journalism into some of the world’s most contested information environments and, through that work, embodied and conveyed America’s democratic principles.

The U.S. retreat from the global information contest has eroded its capacity to shape global understanding and ceded influence to competitors who weaponize information. The damage has been profound, lasting, and corrosive to U.S. credibility and long-term national interests. At a time when information itself has become a strategic battleground, the costs of this retreat are too high to ignore, and a course correction is now essential.

For someone who spent more than four decades at VOA, the dismantling has been painful to watch—not out of institutional sentiment, but because of what the United States has forfeited: a trusted voice capable of explaining America accurately and with integrity, advancing its foreign policy objectives through credible reporting, and reaching strategic audiences at the very moment such engagement is most needed.

Inside the Voice

I witnessed VOA operate at defining moments in modern history: the collapse of communism and the emergence of democratic systems in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the wars in the Balkans, the Orange and Rose Revolutions, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In each of these periods, VOA proved its worth. It delivered objective news and information, provided an unfiltered window into America’s democratic discourse and institutions, and explained U.S. policy in ways that helped foreign publics understand the stakes of U.S. engagement. Today’s global information landscape—marked as it is by disinformation, distortions of U.S. actions, rapid technological change, and rising authoritarianism—makes the need for such a voice clear. If VOA did not exist, it would need to be invented.

The Trump administration justified its action by asserting that VOA was politically biased, unaccountable, and vulnerable to foreign influence. No independent investigation or systematic content analysis was conducted; assertion replaced assessment; and unsubstantiated allegations stood in for evidence. Senior officials claimed that VOA had broadcast anti-American news and suggested that future reporting should reflect positively on the United States.

This framing fundamentally misunderstands journalism, treating accuracy and transparency as disloyalty and conflating the essential distinction between independent reporting and political control of VOA. By equating editorial independence with political defiance, the administration undermined an institution that had served presidents of both parties precisely by maintaining its nonpartisan integrity and fulfilling its statutory mandate.

My own experience contradicts the claims of systemic bias and foreign political influence. As director of VOA’s Eurasia Division, responsible for coverage of Russia, Ukraine, the Caucasus, and the Balkans, I oversaw journalism grounded in rigorous editorial standards and constant internal scrutiny. As acting director of VOA in 2020, I had direct visibility into the work of all regional divisions. Had systemic bias or foreign influence existed, it would have been immediately apparent. VOA had robust internal checks; U.S. embassies monitored our broadcasts; and VOA journalists themselves would not have tolerated political manipulation. Like any large news organization, VOA occasionally made mistakes, but these were isolated and swiftly corrected through established editorial processes—evidence of a journalistic culture, not institutional bias.

The absence of deliberation behind the decision to shutter VOA was equally troubling. There was no consultation with Congress, the foreign policy community, or American experts in international broadcasting. No one asked the essential question: What happens the day after? What replaces VOA’s reach, credibility, and influence?

For decades, VOA was one of the most cost-effective assets in America’s global engagement. With a budget of roughly $250 million, modest by national security standards, it reached hundreds of millions of people weekly in 48 languages. Its mandate, enshrined in the VOA Charter, was straightforward: to provide accurate, objective, and comprehensive news; represent America’s diversity and values; and present U.S. policies clearly and responsibly. This dual mission was often misunderstood by critics, but it was precisely what made VOA effective. It was not propaganda; it was high-quality journalism practiced in full view of the public, and its credibility was the foundation of its influence.

The consequences of dismantling such a vital institution are visible across every part of the world where U.S. interests are at stake.

Case Studies

Iran offers one of the clearest illustrations of what has been lost. For years, VOA’s Farsi language programming provided Iranians with comprehensive, multiplatform coverage that combined daily news, in-depth analysis, live call-in shows, and reporting on human rights and U.S. policy debates. That breadth and consistency created a trusted alternative to state-controlled information and enabled millions of Iranians to follow and understand U.S. actions in real time.

Since the February 28 start of the Iran War, in particular, the absence of sustained, authoritative reporting by VOA in Farsi and other languages has allowed narratives promoted by U.S. adversaries to dominate foreign public discourse. Despite a scramble to restore some programming, the result bears little resemblance to VOA’s earlier presence: It reaches fewer audiences, lacks the depth and continuity that once defined VOA’s reporting, and cannot counter the volume and velocity of state-driven anti-American narratives.

In Russia, where VOA once provided clarity and a trusted alternative to state propaganda, Kremlin-controlled media now dominates the information space unchallenged. After the Russian government forced VOA to close its Moscow bureau in 2022, we were still able to reach Russians on digital platforms. Now, however, with the termination of VOA broadcasts altogether, reliable information about the U.S. is much harder for ordinary Russians to access, and the loss extends far beyond U.S. policy explanation.

The U.S. retreat from the global information contest has eroded its capacity to shape global understanding and ceded influence to competitors.

VOA offered what no domestic outlet could safely provide: sustained coverage of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian system, including the shrinking space for political opposition, pressure on independent media, pervasive corruption, and the manipulation of elections and public institutions. It reported on the harassment, imprisonment, and murder of opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov—stories state media distorted or ignored. With the silencing of VOA, Russians lost one of the few outlets that helped them understand the political forces shaping their own society.

In Ukraine, VOA’s silence has been especially damaging. VOA’s Ukrainian Service provided verified reporting during a period of profound national crisis, offering something no domestic outlet could fully replicate: clear explanations of U.S. policy, debates within Washington, and the broader Western response to Russia’s aggression. By silencing VOA, the United States eliminated one of the few trusted sources capable of conveying U.S. intentions directly to Ukrainian citizens at a moment when their survival depends on sustained U.S. and European Union engagement.

Across the Balkans and the Caucasus, the loss of VOA’s reporting has opened information vacuums that authoritarian and illiberal actors have moved quickly to fill. In Serbia and Bosnia, Russian-backed outlets and local partisan media now shape public perceptions of the United States with almost no counterweight, amplifying disinformation that VOA’s fact-based journalism once routinely challenged. In Georgia, where democratic institutions remain fragile and politics are sharply polarized, the absence of a trusted U.S. broadcaster leaves citizens more exposed to anti-American messaging and conspiracy theories pushed by Moscow and its proxies. Armenia, caught between geopolitical pressures and domestic instability, faces a similar surge of external propaganda. In all three cases, VOA’s disappearance has weakened the broader information environment that underpins democratic resilience.

The same dynamics have appeared in other regions where information is tightly controlled, media ecosystems are fragile, or U.S. policy is routinely refracted through state-backed competitors. The circumstances differ, but the result is similar: Without a credible U.S. presence, adversaries’ interpretations gain greater traction. Although VOA has resumed limited programming to China, the loss of full-scale coverage has left Chinese audiences with no alternative to state-controlled accounts of the United States. In the Middle East and Africa, the end of VOA’s broadcasts has enabled regional state media and well resourced external actors to set the terms through which U.S. actions and intentions are understood, with few authoritative alternatives available. Across these regions, the role once played by VOA has been overtaken by Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and other state-backed outlets.

The Most Urgent Step

The cumulative effect of VOA’s silence is a widening vacuum in the global information space. The United States is no longer a consistent participant in the conversation about its own intentions, values, and actions. Adversaries are now setting the terms of debate and, in many cases, deciding which audiences matter most and how those audiences should view American power and purpose. Addressing that trend requires a deliberate shift in course and a renewed commitment to sustained engagement.

The most urgent step is a targeted restoration of VOA operations in core strategic theaters. At the same time, the United States must pursue a broader reform effort grounded in strategy rather than politics, reaffirming the principles that have long defined VOA’s credibility: editorial independence, accuracy, objectivity, comprehensive reporting, and a clear presentation of U.S. policy and the full diversity of U.S. perspectives. These are not obstacles to effectiveness; they are its foundation.

A bipartisan commission composed of experienced foreign policy and national security practitioners, prominent journalists, and regional experts should be established to review VOA’s operations and articulate a renewed mission aligned with today’s geopolitical challenges and global information demands. What must emerge is a revitalized, digitally agile, and strategically focused VOA, protected by strong guardrails that ensure its editorial independence.

For generations, VOA was a uniquely trusted instrument of American soft power, its strategic value recognized across administrations and parties. During his visit to VOA on its 40th anniversary in February 1982, President Ronald Reagan described VOA as “the ultimate weapon in the arsenal of democracy” and praised it for remaining “faithful to those standards of journalism that will not compromise the truth.”

Nearly three decades later, President Barack Obama marked VOA’s 70th anniversary by describing it as “a beacon of truth” that helps people “make informed decisions about their lives and their futures.” That bipartisan understanding has not faded: On January 14, 2026, the House of Representatives voted 341-79, a veto-proof majority, to restore VOA funding—a contemporary reaffirmation of VOA’s enduring mission and value.

For millions, VOA was a beacon of hope and a window into America that no other institution could replicate. Its silence has eroded the nation’s capacity to communicate clearly, credibly, and consistently with audiences that look to the United States not only for reliable information, but also as a benchmark for democratic norms, the rule of law, and press freedoms; as a model of cultural openness and pluralism; and as a counterweight to authoritarian governance.

Restoring America’s voice is now an urgent strategic imperative, not a discretionary choice.

*Elez Biberaj retired from the Voice of America in December 2023 after a 43-year career. From 2005 to 2023, he served as director of VOA’s Eurasia Division, overseeing broadcasts to Russia, Ukraine, the Caucasus, and the Balkans. From June to December 2020, during President Trump’s first term, he served as acting director of the Voice of America. He holds a PhD in political science from Columbia University.

Filed Under: Analiza Tagged With: Dr. Elez Biberaj

Nga “subjekt” në “shtetas” – Koncepti kyç i Deklaratës së Pavarësisë

July 3, 2026 by s p

Rafaela Prifti/

Gjatë shkrimit të Deklaratës së Pavarësisë, Thomas Jefferson bëri një ndryshim gjuhësor dhe filozofik thelbësor. Gjithë muajin qershor 1776 Thomas ai hartoi dokumentin “Deklarata e të Përfaqësuarve të Shteteve të Bashkuara të Amerikës të mbledhur në Kongresin e Përgjithshëm” i njohur si Deklarata e Pavarësisë. Bënte redaktime dhe korrigjime me kujdes në tekst. Por në një paragraf, në faqen 2, ka një fshirje të dukshme dhe jo një vizë të pastër. Ai fillimisht shkroi fjalën “subjekt” për t’iu referuar banorëve të kolonive, por e fshiu atë dhe sipër saj shkroi fjalën “shtetas” (citizen). Ky gjest i vetëm shënoi shkëputjen nga besnikëria ndaj një monarku dhe kalimin te besnikëria ndaj idealeve të përbashkëta dhe njëri-tjetrit.

Ndryshimi nga “subjekt” i një monarku në “shtetas” të një republike hyri si koncept kyç në Kushtetutën e Shteteve të Bashkuara. Thomas Jefferson në Deklaratën e Pavarësisë kishte shpallur idenë se populli nuk shihej më si nënshtetas i një kurore, por si qytetar i barabartë me të drejta të patjetërsueshme.

Kushtetuta e Amerikës, e ratifikuar më vonë, e ktheu këtë vizion të Jefferson-it në një strukturë qeverisëse konkrete. Ndërsa koncepti i vjetër i nënshtrimit nënkuptonte se të drejtat i jepeshin nga lart, nga një sovran, Kushtetuta e SHBA-së përmbysi këtë logjikë. Ajo fillon me frazën “Ne, Populli” (We the People), duke vendosur sovranitetin te shtetasit. Pushteti nuk zotërohet më nga qeveria, por buron nga qytetarët e lirë të cilët zgjedhin të delegojnë autoritetin për të mirën e përbashkët. Ky ndryshim e shndërroi individin nga një subjekt pasiv i ligjit në një pjesëmarrës aktiv në jetën politike dhe sociale. Në këtë sistem, qeveria është përgjegjëse ndaj shtetasit dhe jo e kundërta.

Zbulimi u bë nga punonjësit e Sektorit të Hulumtimeve dhe Ruajtjes së Dokumenteve në Bibliotekën e Kongresit.

Foto: Biblioteka e Kongresit

Filed Under: Kronike Tagged With: Rafaela Prifti

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