Proud To Be An American

Some things come my way that are soooo good that I have to pass them on! This is one of them.

Some time ago, a notice appeared in a Pakistani newspaper: "A reward will be given to anyone who kills an American, any American." An Australian dentist, living in Pakistan, wrote this reply: " I'm writing this to let everyone know what an American is, so you will know when you find one."

"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American might also be Canadian, Mexican, Indian, African, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Asian, Iranian, Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American might 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 could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than there are in Afghanistan. The 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 at all. For that, they will answer only to God, and not to any government, or to any 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 roots of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of every person to freedom and 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 some years ago, Americans came to the rescue with arms and supplies to enable the Afghan people to win back their country. As of the morning of Sept. 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. Americans 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, the tempest-tossed. These, in fact, are the people who have built America.

"Some of these people were working in the Twin Towers the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, earning a better life for their families. The victims of the World Trade Tower were from at least 30 different countries, cultures and first languages, including those who aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American, if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung, as well as other blood-thirsty tyrants. But, in killing an American you would be killing yourself -- because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. Americans are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, wherever they live, is an American!"

Religion on 07/24/2014