What is 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.
> >
> >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, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or
> Arab,
> >or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may, also, be a Cherokee, Osage,
> >Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, or one of the many other tribes known as
> native
> >Americans.
> >
> >An American is Christian, or he or she 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, nor 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 man and
> woman
> >to 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. One 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, earning a better life for their families.
> >
> >I've been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least
> 30
> >other countries and cultures with first languages other than English
> >including those countries of the 9/11 terrorists.
> >
> >So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler tried. So did
> >General Tojo, Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant
> in
> >the history of the world. But, doing so would be futile 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.
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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