What is an American?

[alpha]

*Subject:* What is an American?

*/Written by an Australian Dentist....and too good to delete....

_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 en 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, or Arab, or 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/**/ . Americans welcome
the best of everything...the best products, the best books, the best
music, the best food, the best services. But they also welcome the
least.


The! nationa l 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.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So
did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and othe! r 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

[Ningishiddza]

Originally Posted by alpha

"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.

That's patently false. US law prohibits dual-citizenship for those of majority age, and one is only Polish or African if one speaks those languages and practices the cultures of those ethnic groups. Case in point, those of you who are "Irish-Americans" should refrain from mentioning that in Ireland, Northern Ireland or any Irish pubs in the UK, unless you enjoy being ridiculed to tears. On the other hand, if you speak fluent Irish, they'd probably buy you a pint.

Originally Posted by alpha

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

That's also false. Per the Constitution, treaties and public laws, those are separate nation-states that have "agreed" to recognize the US Government.

Originally Posted by alpha

The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

That isn't true either. There are limitations on worship and certain religious groups, particularly christians, discriminate against other groups.

Originally Posted by alpha

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.

That isn't true either. Atheists, agnostics and others are constantly derided, debased, denigrated, and discriminated against, especially in the work place, and may be denied promotions or advancement by their christian supervisors and superiors.

Originally Posted by alpha

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.

That isn't true either, and even if it was, that prosperity came by depriving others of their life or liberties, of their resources, by interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, by assassinating heads-of-state, attempting to assassinate them, or using force or the threat of force. In other words, prosperity exists because of deceit, deception and criminal activity, not hard work and ingenuity and "christian brotherhood."

The US is prosperous too only because the World is forced to use the US Dollar as a reserve currency, even the sworn enemies of the US are forced to do so, and the World is forced to trade oil in US Dollars, again including the sworn enemies of the US.

Once the World dumps its US Dollar reserves and the World is no longer forced to trade oil in US Dollars, we'll see how prosperous "America" really is.

But, oh, gosh, my, oh, my, the World is dumping its stinky dollars and starting to trade oil in other currencies and we're seeing the effects, like the plummeting value of the US Dollar.

Oh, yes, we are, and the fun part has only just begun. When the US Dollar is on equal footing with all currencies of the World, we'll see just how prosperous the US really isn't. It was all an illusion.

Originally Posted by alpha

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.

The Declaration makes no such references.

Jefferson, et al, were Deists, not christians, and if anything they were agnostic. Their god was the God of Reason, not the god of the Hebrews.

The "Pursuit of Happiness" doesn't mean getting tatoos, piercings, gang-banged every weekend, having 5 kids by 5 different fathers and then demanding that every one else be taxed to support that life-style.

The "Pursuit of Happiness" means the ownership of land. For those who doubt that, read John Locke, because the Founding Fathers did and it's a direct quote, not to mention that Bentham and others also defined it as the ownership of land.

Originally Posted by alpha

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.

Perhaps they never asked, but there's an expectation of reciprocation.

Originally Posted by alpha

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!

Afghanistan was not over-run by the Soviet army. The Afghani government, who had came to power by a coup, like the Vietnamese government that came to power by coup, asked the Soviets for help in stopping insurgent action, like the Vietnamese government asked the US for help, and the Soviets obliged, just as the US did.

And US motives in helping the Afghanis were not at all altruistic.

Originally Posted by alpha

including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

That would seem to include Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the US and Israel.

Originally Posted by alpha

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.

I don't think Bush-Cheney have risen to that level, yet, but give it time.

[alpha]

dude, I got bored reading your arguments. I copied and pasted that from an email my Dad sent me!

it was supposed to be light-hearted and sarcastic (as Australians usually are and are probably Kings of sarcasm and dryness) and a major dig at the stupid terrorists who aim to hurt Americans when the fact of the matter is that they will invariably hurt their own kind too!

[Max]

Australians are mere children next to the sarcasm and dryness of BRITS!

[Perfectionist]

Originally Posted by Max

Australians are mere children next to the sarcasm and dryness of BRITS!

Yup, us Brits invented dry sarcasm !!

[Now]

Originally Posted by Perfectionist

Yup, us Brits invented dry sarcasm !!

Yes, but you also invented cricket.



Now.

[Skynet12]

Originally Posted by Perfectionist

Yup, us Brits invented dry sarcasm !!

And irony. Is it true americans have difficulty understanding ironic jokes?

[Skynet12]

Naah, I guess not-I mean, take Mickey Dolittle! wait a mo, he isnt american, us he?

What are we defining as american here? us citizen or someone who lives on the continent of America?

[FireAnt]

Originally Posted by Perfectionist

Yup, us Brits invented dry sarcasm !!

You Brits also invented Australians.

One of the GREAT Dominant people in the GLOBE (^^,) YO ! Peace BRO. have contributed
so many things for us vice/versa <----TIME ELEMENT