What Is An American?
A primer.
By Peter Ferrara, an associate professor of law at the George Mason University School of Law.
September 25, 2001 9:20 a.m. ou 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.
An American is also free to believe in no religion.. For that he will answer only to God
Quote:
IN GOD WE TRUST
yeah, not pushing an agenda there.........
I find it odd how in "western" culture the religious view other religious people as being ok if they believe in a different mythological fairy tale (religion) as long as you believe in "A" mythological fairy tale.....
I find it odd how in "western" culture the religious view other religious people as being ok if they believe in a different mythological fairy tale (religion) as long as you believe in "A" mythological fairy tale.....
?I would rather live my life believing there was a god,
and when I died find out there wasn?t,
than live my life believing there wasn?t a god,
and when I died find out there was."
?I would rather live my life believing there was a god,
and when I died find out there wasn?t,
than live my life believing there wasn?t a god,
and when I died find out there was."
sounds great until you realize what you are giving up including the ability to think rationally about right and wrong.....
?I would rather live my life believing there was a god,
and when I died find out there wasn?t,
than live my life believing there wasn?t a god,
and when I died find out there was."
Pascal's Wager can be played by anyone of any religion, not just your particular brand of Christianity. There are religions out there that require believers to kill blasphemers, heretics, Christians... Do you want these people to believe in God as they understand him, rather than not believe and risk their own damnation?
__________________
We work together every damn day. --Jon Stewart
Thanks for this reference link.....I corrected the article to give credit where it belonged.......
And.......do you remember this one......click this {"The Americans" - by Gordon Sinclair} at the heading and listen to the actual audio and read the script......
And click this {"The name GORDON SINCLAIR could become the classic definition of a full life." } at the bottom of the article for his autobiography......facinating....and at the bottom of this article is also the "Audio".... CANADA
We yell for the Government to balance the budget, then take the last dime we have to make the down payment on a car.
We whip the enemy in battle, then give them the shirt off our backs.
We yell for speed laws that will stop fast driving, then won't buy a car if it can't go over 100 miles an hour.
Americans get scared to death if we vote a billion dollars for education, then are unconcerned when we find out we are spending three billion dollars a year for cigarettes.
We know the line-up of every baseball team in the American and National Leagues but don't know half the words in the "Star Spangled Banner".
We'll spend half a day looking for vitamin pills to make us live longer, then drive 90 miles an hour on slick pavement to make up for lost time.
We tie up our dog while letting our sixteen year old son run wild.
We will work hard on a farm so we can move into town where we can make more money so we can move back to the farm.
In the office we talk about baseball, shopping or fishing, but when we are out at the game, the mall or on the lake, we talk about business.
We are the only people in the world who will pay $.50 to park our car while eating a $.25 sandwhich.
We're the country that has more food to eat than any other country in the world and more diets to keep us from eating it.
We run from morning to night trying to keep our earning power up with our yearning power.
We're supposed to be the most civilized Christian nation on earth, but we still can't deliver payrolls without an armored car.
We have more experts on marriage than any other country in the world and still have more divorces.
ou 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. 
CANADA
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