An American is me =) > > WHAT IS AN AMERICAN? > > The following was said to be written by a dentist in > Australia. > > "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 I just thought I would write to let them know what an > American is, so they would know when they found one. > > An American is English, French, Italian, Irish, German, > Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also > be Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese,Japanese, > Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, 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 could be Jewish, > 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 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. > > The best products, the best books, the best music, the > best food, the best athletes. > > Americans welcome the best, but they also welcome the > least. The national symbol of America 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 in the morning of September 11, > earning a better life for their families. > > I've been told that the people in the Towers were from > at least 30, and maybe many more, 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 bodiment of the human spirit of freedom. > > Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an > American. > > So look around you. You may find more Americans in your > land than you thought were there. > > One day they will rise up and overthrow the old, > ignorant, tired tyrants that trouble too many lands. > > Then those lands, too, will join the community of free > and prosperous nations. > > And America will welcome them! > .·:*´¨`*:·..·:*´¨`*:·. *: * Richiele * * *·. .·* `*·-:¦:-*´ ³´`*:»§«:*´`³