To Kill an American



You probably missed it in the rush of news last

week, but there was actually a report that someone

in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of

a reward to anyone who killed an American, any

American. So an Australian dentist wrote the

following to let everyone know what an American is,

so they would know when they found one. (Good on ya,

mate!!!!)

An American is English, or French, or Italian,

Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may

also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese,

Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or

Afghan. An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot,

Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other

tribes known as native Americans. An American is

Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or

Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America

than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in

America they are free to worship as each of them

chooses. An American is also free to believe in no

religion. For that he will answer only to God, not

to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to

speak for the government and for God.

An American is from the most prosperous land in the

history of the world. The root of that prosperity

can be found in the Declaration of Independence,

which recognizes the God given right of each person

the pursuit of happiness. An American is generous.

Americans have helped out just about every other

nation in the world in their time of need. When

Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years

ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable

the people to win back their country. As of the

morning of September 11, Americans had given more

than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

Americans welcome the best, the best products, the

best books, the best music, the best food, the best

athletes. But they also welcome the least. The

national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty,

welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched

refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest

tossed These in fact are the people who built

America. Some of them were working in the Twin

Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a

better life for their families. I've been told that

the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30

other countries, cultures, and first languages,

including those that aided and abetted the

terrorists. So you can try to kill an American if

you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and

Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty

tyrant in the history of the world. But, in doing so

you would just be killing yourself. Because

Americans are not a particular people from a

particular place. They are the embodiment of the

human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that

spirit, everywhere, is an American.



Author unknown