SCOTTSMYMAN
02-23-2003, 07:19 PM
> > 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, 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 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 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 twenty years ago, Americans came
> with arms and
> supplies
> > to enable the people to win back their country. As
> of the morning of
> > September 11, 2001, 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,
> > earning a better life for their families. I've been
> told that the
> World
> > Trade Center victims were from at least thirty 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, and every blood
> thirsty 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 and
> freedom. Everyone who
> holds
> to
> > that spirit, everywhere, is an American.
> >
> > Pass THIS around the World
:crest:
> >
> > 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, 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 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 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 twenty years ago, Americans came
> with arms and
> supplies
> > to enable the people to win back their country. As
> of the morning of
> > September 11, 2001, 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,
> > earning a better life for their families. I've been
> told that the
> World
> > Trade Center victims were from at least thirty 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, and every blood
> thirsty 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 and
> freedom. Everyone who
> holds
> to
> > that spirit, everywhere, is an American.
> >
> > Pass THIS around the World
:crest: