To Kill an American
2005/09/08
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 an editorial the following day 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, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.
An American may also
be a Comanche, 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 lives in
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 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, never asking a thing in return.
When Afghanistan was
over-run 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 of everything...the best products, the
best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. 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. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were
from at least 30 different 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 other blood-thirsty tyrants in 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.
Please circulate this. This is the best instruction for those
bigotted Muslims who are filled with the hatred of America and Americans.
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