An American

Donkey

Active member
I got this and figured I would share it....

An American.......
Body: Written by an Australian Dentist....and too good to delete....

To Kill an American
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 an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is . So they would know when 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 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. 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 other 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.


Please keep this going!
Pass this around the World ?
Then pass it around again.
It says it all, for all of us
 
Pfff.... he left out the Dutch!

They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

Oh please spare me.... Why is an Australian dentist so full of the Americans? I can understand that this has been the point of view decades even centuries ago. But saying this after WO II is to deny other people's suffering, deprivation and anguish for the last 50 years. America has had so many dirty digits in many dirty affairs that you can't speak of an universal value of freedom! I have heard the phrase "in the American interest" too many times...
 
Ted said:
Pfff.... he left out the Dutch!



Oh please spare me.... Why is an Australian dentist so full of the Americans? I can understand that this has been the point of view decades even centuries ago. But saying this after WO II is to deny other people's suffering, deprivation and anguish for the last 50 years. America has had so many dirty digits in many dirty affairs that you can't speak of an universal value of freedom! I have heard the phrase "in the American interest" too many times...

Why can't you? I am biased in my opinions of course since I am an American serving in the military. You have heard "In the Amreican interest" several times as have I and many others. You have also seen the results of other countries using a similar phrase "in the <insewrt country name> interest".

Think about this letter from every single aspect of two sides of an argument - for and against. I guarantee you will find very strong arguments both for and against.

I would like to think the more compelling arguments would be the ones on the side of America. But not everyone has the same patriotism and loyalty as I do.
 
Well I say it is time for us to be like, well.... :cen: .....

Americans get :cen: on way too much.....

More so then we dish out.....
 
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Donkey said:
Well I say it is time for us to be like, well.... :cen:.....

Americans get :cen: on way too much.....

More so then we dish out.....

I dont think most people in the rest of the world would agree with that, I'd say just the opposite.

America does alot of good, for example foreign aid, humanitarian work, promotion of democracy, of human rights, etc. I could go on and on. And it is true that other people focus only on the bad we do and not the good.

But we do some bad things in the world too, and I think we are not always honest about this with ourselves about this. We tend to see ourselves as always being right, and never doing wrong and this dillusion is used to coverup some really awful things we are responible for (directly and indirectly). The worst thing in my opinion, is our trade policies with third world countries espically Africa an Latin America, espically in Agriculture. I have always thought that greed is our greatest weakness. The trade policies we negiociate make the Elite of these countries (most of whom are dictators) very rich while the other 95% of the population suffers. The 'Elites' (such as those in Saudi Arabia) use their money on security and military forces to keep their people in a box with no way out. Its no coincidence that oppression, poverty, and suffering becomes furtile ground for terrorism and other forms of criminality. Drugs is another example. American and European subsides on exports place local agriculture of poor countries out of the market. Peasants in places like Colombia grow the only crop that they can sell: coco leaves. If these peasants got a good price for beans and rice they are supposed to grow, they would be less inclined to grow illegal crops.

I will conclude that we have begun to make some improvement on this, such as cancelling alot of Foreign Debt, but alot more needs to be done.

Just my opinion...
 
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Marinerhodes said:
Why can't you? I am biased in my opinions of course since I am an American serving in the military.

I just think that the definition of freedom is also culturally defined and there are so many of those. I do agree with you that there is a certain set of rudimentary freedoms which are general; such as living without oppression, with food, shelter etc. America wanting to enhance these values across the globe is one thing. But it is the motive that compel them to enter one country and leave to other at it's one whim.

As Donkey puts it so gently, maybe a little more isolationism might not even be so bad. Bad if you want to be a world player you'll have to go out and do business. Locking yourself up behind your borders isn't going to help you in that case.
 
Source on this Australian Dentist please?

Oh please spare me.... Why is an Australian dentist so full of the Americans

I don't think he exists.
Sure we mostly like Americans but not that much. It's not part of the Australian culture to talk about anyone like that... not even ourselves.

It sounds like it is written by an American.


(Not that I disagree with the piece. It's just no Aussie would write it)
 
AussieNick said:
Source on this Australian Dentist please?

I don't think he exists.
Sure we mostly like Americans but not that much. It's not part of the Australian culture to talk about anyone like that... not even ourselves.

It sounds like it is written by an American.


(Not that I disagree with the piece. It's just no Aussie would write it)

I'll agree with that. I liked the article too, but it doesn't sound like *any* foreigner would write it. People are proud of the nations the are from, whether they are Norweigan, Dutch, Australian or American. In France, people admire the Americans (they are just loath to admit it ;)) but I don't here anyone would go as far as this article does, just like I doubt any American would heap that much praise on any other country.

So I agree, it sounds like its author is American (perhaps he lives in Australia?).
 
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Of course, this wasn't written by a non-American. As friendly as we think we may be with our Aussie brothers it really makes little sense to think that one would write such a piece. Let me check this one out a bit.

I found this on snopes.com (Urban Legend site):
Origins: As the reaction to pieces from a Canadian broadcaster and a Romanian journalist demonstrate, Americans take great delight in encomiums to America and Americans authored by citizens of other nations.
This piece isn't such a case. The "What is an American?" article quoted above was not penned by an Australian (or a dentist), but by Peter Ferrara, an associate professor of law at the George Mason University School of Law in Northern Virginia. Mr. Ferrara's commentary was originally published in the National Review on 25 September 2001. (Text enclosed in brackets was not part of Mr. Ferrara's piece as published, but was added by someone else.)
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/america2.htm
 
So it is a false letter. The spirit of the letter still remains to be discussed as far as I see it.

mmarsh: Our trade policies with other countries is just that, a trade policy with the country, not the people within that country. Those people are at the whim of their leaders. Unfortunately no one can just go in and say "You will spend the trade dollars in this or that way or else".
 
First off you people took it way to serious (the non Americans from what it looks like) perhaps for reasons only you could answer...

Second, it was never stated that the Australian Dentist was living in Australia now did it, ponder that one....

He could have been an American from Australia, hell it could have been an Aboriginal even....

Yes the snopes article proves that it wasn’t written by an Australian but the point is that Americans are made up of everyone.....
 
As I said I like the message. But the fact the author was an American Law Professor (who ought to have known better, falsifying information like he did on an essay will get a university student expelled) and the fact National Review added text not originally part of the essay without mentioning it is Intellictual dishonesty. And that dishonesty that sullies the message. It would have been better had they just said it was written by an American...

MarinerRhodes

I dont want to get too far off-topic. I agree with what you said, however the US government does play a large part in whose put into power in the third world. These leaders are rarely democratically elected. We COULD (and sometimes do, like in Egypt) force them to be more attentive to their people, but Global Corportations protest this usually as its hurts their bottom line.
 
What if the American Law Professor Migrated here from Australia....

See what I am getting at :)
 
I have been accused of being too fast on the trigger and having too strong an American patriotic fervor ... but ... what the h*ll -

I really don't care if this piece was written by a baboon ... it speaks to the very real values and the spirit that has made the United States the great country it has become.

As far as those that find fault with the wording or the claims that are an integral part of just what an American is ... I recognize the hatreds and the envy that is part and parcel of every single one of your posts.

I am sick and tired of reading an article (or) editorial, where an American apologises for being an American.

So read this VERY carefully .......


USFlag11.gif
I AM AN AMERICAN ... I AM PROUD OF MY COUNTRY ...
ANY PERSON WHO ATTACKS MY COUNTRY WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME ...
IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN AND HATE AMERICA - THEN PACK YOUR BAGS AND LEAVE.
I WILL NEVER BACK DOWN OR APOLOGISE FOR BEING AN AMERICAN.

However, if you are foreign born, and are seeking a better life -
I will be the first one to extend a hand in welcome.
 
I really don't care if this piece was written by a baboon ... it speaks to the very real values and the spirit that has made the United States the great country it has become.

I agree. The article reflects the spirit perfectly. I wasn't being criticle.... just making a point about the claim of the author.

I AM AN AMERICAN ... I AM PROUD OF MY COUNTRY ...
ANY PERSON WHO ATTACKS MY COUNTRY WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME ...

IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN AND HATE AMERICA - THEN PACK YOUR BAGS AND LEAVE.
I WILL NEVER BACK DOWN OR APOLOGISE FOR BEING AN AMERICAN.

Good on you. Never be told you are to patriotic. If you were to swap the word American for Australian that wouild epitomise my feelings about my great country, and I approve. Well said mate.
 
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