What Is An American?

The following was authored by an unknow writer. Is was cirulated, via email, and is rumored to be the work of an Australian dentist in responce to a report that certina unknow individuals in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American. The author wrote the following to let everyone know what an American is… so they would know when they found one. The original title of the email was If you Kill 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, 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 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.

When the Soviet army overran Afghanistan 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.