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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, 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.
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