"To Kill an American "
You probably missed this in the rush of news, 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 an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is. So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!)
'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, Arab, Pakistani or Afghan.
An American may also be a Comanche, 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 lives in 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 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, never asking a thing in return.
When Afghanistan was over-run 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.
An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.
When Afghanistan was over-run 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 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. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001, earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different 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 other blood-thirsty tyrants in 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.
In the overall scheme of things, what has been the overall goal of the United States in regards to other countries? In my mind, it has been to help those in need and to support freedom and democracy. Have there be times when ulterior motives have driven our actions, absolutely. There have been individuals who have pressed for foreign intervention based upon oil and other resources, but tied to that has also been a desire to assist people in living a life of freedom and safety. If we look back to the founding of this country, there was no single country represented that had dominance to begin with. The people who came and founded the United States of America did so to escape religious persecution and to find freedom to live and worship as they chose. Has the road always been easy for the United States? Not at all. As with any country, we have had our civil wars, our internal disagreements, and our own issues at home. Yet despite all the problems, people still come to the United States to seek a better life and to live the American dream. Not everyone around the world desires that American dream, that freedom, that liberty. Yet, as the Australian dentist said, the American spirit has become the universal spirit of living freely and pursuing happiness. Even in this struggling economy that many in the world are dealing with, we still provide money and aid to those countries in dire need of it. We constantly seek to promote democracy (not always through the right channels) and encourage those being subjugated to stand up for themselves and fight for their own freedom. So to sum it all up, what does it mean to kill an American? I think that the Australian dentist got it right. With so many races, religions, and countries making up our culture, any person killed has the potential of being tied to America or as the dentists said, is an American. Today, celebrate freedom and the pursuit of happiness. If an Australian can see the value in the American dream and what it means to be an American, we must all see it and seek to embody the American ideal.
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