To Kill an American

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: 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 one 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 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, the tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11,2002, 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.

Well said!

Thanks for the letter.

Thanks for posting that jt /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

A very well thought out & inteligent response.

My hat's off to the Australian dentist /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

Actually, an American professor wrote that apparently..but it's still excellent.

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-ferraraprint092501.html

What I find somewhat ironic, that's stood out from that first post, is that Americans don't have a cultural identity. Their very indentity lies in the fact that can retain whichever part of themselves as they see fit.

Very good sentiments there. It reminded me of another letter I recently received via the mass-stupidity-email channel. The positive response you guys have given to the professor/dentist's letter (so far anyway), got me to wondering if any of you also got the email reprinted below and what your response would be. Or if it would be different after reading " To Kill an American ". Or are they compatible views? I'm not trying to start a patriotism argument or anything but I was a little suprised the professors letter wasn't immediately trashed as being "multicultural" or "one worldish". I'd do a poll if I knew how yet. I would like to have had a copy of "To Kill an American" when I got the following email. It would have saved me the trouble of composing my own response I think. IMHO, other than the sentiments about the desirability of newcomers learning English, the guy's way off base. As Onyx observed, and despite the rantings of this silly faux-patriot, Americans don't really have a single overarching cultural identity. Unless, of course, you count the "consumer culture".


Here's the email I got from one of my neo-conservative buddies. The bold text of the pertinent lines and the italics have been added by me. The original was much more garish.

Subject: America...

This is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he?

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.
I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!
"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.
If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every! citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great American freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.


If you agree -- pass this along; if you don't agree -- I don't want to hear about it.
AMEN


P.S.
CPFers, (Please DON'T pass this along. It should be preserved only as one would preserve a midevial torture device or the art of Adolph Hitler- for educational purposes only.)