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.
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 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.
i'm sorry, but i find it hard to believe a professor actually wrote this. much of it is completely wrong or misleading.
> "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."
there are between 3-6 million muslims in the US and 31 million in afghanistan according to the CIA's factbook. seeing that 99% of afghanis are muslim, i'll bet its safe to say they are free to worship as they choose too. they just happen to have chosen islam...
> "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."
this is a nice way of saying the usa funded arab guerrilla armies. let's be honest, even that had nothing to do with "enabling the people to win back their country". It was all about defeating the soviets. it was the cold war, remember?
> "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."
ok i'm starting to think that maybe this whole thing was written as a joke. iraq?
> "An American is free to criticize his government's officials when they are wrong, in his or her own opinion."
unless you are joe wilson, i guess
ok i was getting bored with going through these points, so i decided to look up the dude who wrote the original piece. turns out he admitted that he accepted bribes from jack abramoff (yes, the convicted and sentenced jack abramoff) to write biased op-eds. hmmm. now i get it...
i just want to say to americans: be american, be proud to be american, be a good citizen of the world. but please please please leave the rose colored glasses at home. the world is not perfect and the usa is not perfect. you don't have to make stuff up or exaggerate to make yourself feel good. theres lots of other real stuff to be proud of.
you have too much time on your hands! obviously, i'm not as well versed (or even interested, i guess) in u.s. history, etc.... it was intended as more of a feelgood statement than an accurate one... i learned my lesson : ) thanks for the clarification anyways. btw - i especially like what you wrote in your last paragraph.
YIKES!! how in the world did ya draw in that one??!! LOL!
I cant believe he actually went and checked out all that stuff?!! yowzers!!!