This just in...What is an American?

You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was
actually a report that someone in IRAQ 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
or 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... "Give me 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 9/11terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must... Hitler tried... So
did General Tojo... Stalin... Mao Tse-Tung... Osama BinLadin ....Saddam Houssein 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.

Pass this around the World.

__________________
Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)