My husband mailed this to me today..UPDATE AND AN FYI

Mackey Mouse

Me read the Navigator? I don't
Joined
May 21, 2000
Messages
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UPDATE: I received a PM tonight from a Diser referring to a website(http://www.snopes.com/rumors/america2.htm) that deals with these internet postings.. and it says on the site that this is one of those false ones...I am assuming it means that no one offered a reward to kill an American or that there is no Australian dentist... At any rate, so disregard the following two paragraphs and just take in the words of what is an American.. I think that they are still truly special...

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:

What is an American?

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 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 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.

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. 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.
 
Marsha,
That is incredible...thank you for sharing...I'll be forwarding this along to many.

S
 
Now that is something that really makes one stop and think. I will forward this on to my friends. Thanks for sharing.:D
 
Thanks... I tried to make it single spaced.. I am not a great computer person.. I sent it to my daughter and she thought she had in fact got it single spaced.. mailed it to back to me.. I copied it here.. and it was double spaced... sorry.. but I thought it was worth sharing.. Have a great evening..
 

thank you, Marsha. How very true it all is! I've just printed it off. I like to keep things like that.
 
/
I like this Marsha. I made it single spaced for you.
 
Wow.
I hadn't seen that before.
Thanks so much for sharing Marsha!
 
Oh Kath.. thank you for fixing it for me.. it is great when you have good friends who know how to do these things.. Hugs...
 
Thanks Ethel and Fred. Ricky and I just loved this. :):)
 
Very nice, Marsha, thanks for posting. So very true. :)
 
Originally posted by Mackey Mouse
UPDATE: I received a PM tonight from a Diser referring to a website(http://www.snopes.com/rumors/america2.htm) that deals with these internet postings.. and it says on the site that this is one of those false ones...I am assuming it means that no one offered a reward to kill an American or that there is no Australian dentist... At any rate, so disregard the following two paragraphs and just take in the words of what is an American.. I think that they are still truly special...

It is still special and was written almost exactly the way you quoted. The only change is the author is: By Peter Ferrara, an associate professor of law at the George Mason University School of Law, who wrote it two weeks after the Sept.11th tragedy.

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 there 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…or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan.

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 choose.

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.

An American does not have to obey the mad ravings of ignorant, ungodly cruel, old men. American men will not be fooled into giving up their lives to kill innocent people, so that these foolish old men may hold on to power. American women are free to show their beautiful faces to the world, as each of them choose.

An American is free to criticize his government's officials when they are wrong, in his or her own opinion. Then he is free to replace them, by majority vote.

Americans welcome people from all lands, all cultures, all religions, because they are not afraid. They are not afraid that their history, their religion, their beliefs, will be overrun, or forgotten. That is because they know they are free to hold to their religion, their beliefs, their history, as each of them choose.

And just as Americans welcome all, they enjoy the best that everyone has to bring, from all over the world. The best science, the best technology, 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 nation 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. Many of them were working in the twin towers on the morning of September 11, earning a better life for their families.

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.

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.

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-ferrara092501.shtml

Bev
 

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