MessageAuthor: Deborah Bolton, Chargé d'Affaires a.i., United States of America I am honored to represent Ambassador Proffitt, who is out of the country. Please accept her best wishes for the success of this major conference. One does not have to spend much time in Malta to understand that this ancient land has welcomed many different people from many different nations through the millennia. They arrived via the great Mediterranean and most moved on to the next trading port or adventure. Yet some stayed. Those who stayed created the richly textured stew that is the people of Malta. In this, the United States shares a similar experience. We often speak in America of the great melting pot, where people of many nationalities come together and form one people, united by their desire to pursue American ideals and the American dream. In recent years, some in America have argued that America is more of a salad - each ingredient maintaining its individuality, yet forming a unique whole. It is more politically correct in America today to speak of hyphenated Americans - Irish-Americans, African-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Italian-Americans and, yes, Maltese-Americans. I am both an Irish-American and a German-American. And, as I say, my German gets me out of bed in the morning and my Irish gets me through the day. We know from historical texts that Maltese were early settlers in the New World and in the 20th Century, particularly after World War II, many Maltese joined the waves of immigrants that came to America from shattered countries looking for a better life. For the most part, they found it. In post-war America there was plenty of opportunity for those willing to work hard and the Maltese who went to America prospered. America is grateful for the contribution that they have made. The son of Maltese immigrants heads the dynamic NASDAQ Stock Exchange and has a business school named for him at this alma mater. Another is chief counsel for a major multinational. Yet another a prominent doctor at the Mayo Clinic. Most, however, found a job, raised a family, and settled into the great American middle class. In doing so they created the fiber of American society and helped make ours a more prosperous and successful nation. An example comes from our own Embassy community. With me today is U.S. Marine Corps Cpl Nathan Frendo of the U.S. Marine Guard Detachment. As his surname suggests, he is of Maltese origin and has been very busy tracing his roots since his arrival here two months ago. What has drawn so many to America is the central American idea of freedom. The majority of Americans continue to believe that if you have a good idea, are willing to work, that you can rise, even from humble beginnings, to be the next in a long line of quintessentially American success stories. It is an important ingredient in the glue that holds America's diverse population together. As national economies become more intertwined in a process we now call globalization, the fundamental idea of letting markets work and giving individuals a free hand to play their roles as economic actors has brought increased prosperity and new opportunities to millions of people. This is an idea that we hope will emigrate throughout the world. The story of Maltese immigration to America would be incomplete, however, if I failed to mention another central fact and that is the place that this island has in the imaginations of Maltese immigrants, no matter where they are. Drive through Nadur and you will see the tidy homes with names like Michigan and God Bless America that bear testimony to the occupants' immigrant experience. With their work days ended many have come home. One is struck by the tug that Malta exerts on its people when they are away from this island. This can also be seen in the success that the Maltese-American Association has enjoyed in gathering contributions for humanitarian causes here in Malta. Many Maltese have found comfortable lives in America, but it is evident that their hearts will always be in the warm sun and beside the blue waters of this island. A Maltese proverb says: Fejn tmur il-qalb jimxu r-riglejn. Whether drawn to adventure, opportunity, or the comfort of familiar limestone walls, Malta's immigrants have most assuredly followed their hearts. Thank you.
    
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