By Sofia Villa
04 Jul 2024, 06:31 AM EDT
It is no coincidence that this month we commemorate independence in several of our countries; the festivities begin with the declaration of independence that we celebrate this July 4 here in the United States, the land where we seek a change of direction and a new future, far from evils such as insecurity that we thought we had forgotten.
Venezuela is still celebrating its national holidays, as its Act of Independence was signed on July 5, 1811; in Argentina, on July 9, 1816, in San Miguel de Tucumán, the General Constituent Congress signed the Act of Independence.
If we continue in order of days, on July 15, 1821, in Peru, General José de San Martín proclaimed liberation with the signing of the independence act, but much earlier, Colombia, on July 20, of the seventh month of the year 1810, joined the independentist countries, by adopting that date as a symbolic day and it became the day of the first milestone of independence of New Granada.
How did it happen? It is quite easy to answer, these nations were influenced by the libertarian ideas of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and obviously the American independence.
The thing is that here in the United States we are beginning to experience the anguish of returning to the insecurity that is felt inside homes, in the transportation system, or on the streets, due to the attacks and robberies that leave more victims every day, especially since the changes that tied the hands of the police began, because the petty thieves and common criminals know that nothing happens to them, because the poor patrolmen on the streets will have to go after them again, because the law sets them free, no matter how many times they are caught committing crimes, this must be analyzed by the legislature and the laws must be returned to their proper proportion.
And so that we do not go backwards in security with the return of the corruption that drove us out of our countries, let us defend justice, support the rules that serve us all and, above all, let us take a good look at who we want in command positions, now that the presidential elections are approaching, with the renewal of seats in the nation’s Congress on November 5.
Let us remember how much those cries for independence that we celebrated more than 200 years ago cost! Let us think about whether those sacrifices of blood, sweat and tears are going to be lost, because the generations that followed did not defend those principles. Because we all have a role in democracy and as voters, our duty is to know who we elect for the defense of the freedom and independence that we have already won.
As an author, Sofía Villa writes this column in a personal capacity and her opinions do not represent those of Televisa-Univision, where she works as an Assignment Manager.