To kill an American (726 hits)
Category: NewsRating: 0.23 on 18 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by ugaly <UG_A_LY.at.hotmail.com> (View user info) at 2004-02-21 13:04:45 EST
I am not sure if any of you have seen this before, but this is cool. I searched for it on google to see if I could find a site to credit it too. http://www.sullivan-county.com/z/kill_americans.htm
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
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.
User Reviews
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2004-02-22 15:44:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
True.
Submitted by ugaly (user info) at 2004-02-22 15:04:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I dont think that he was labelling everyone that loves freedom as an American. Rather, I thought that he meant that basically a member from every country is an "American" because they live here, under the laws.
Yes, the guy that wrote this failed to mention like 200 countries, but would you expect him to list them all off? I wouldn't, would get too boring and you lose the readers interest.
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2004-02-22 13:02:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
So is a canadian, a japanese, a brit, a german, a frenchmen, an italian, an austrian, a scandinavian, a gabonese...and many more.
Liberty and freedom is even more present in liberal country such as canada, scandinavian countries and particularly the Netherlands. For instance, these can critic their government without being call unpatriotic or other stupid name-calling such as "freedom-haters" or simply traitors.
The article is absolutly right about the idiocy of attacking a multi-ethnic country such as the US but labelling everyone loving freedom as "american" is just plain dumb.
Should we call anyone democratic Ancient Greeks ?
Or anyone enjoying being free french-americans ? (since the founding fathers based part of your Constitution on the french republic at the time -- and vice-versa)
America represents the free-world because it leads it, but the free world is not [only] america.
So, IN MY OPINION (I don't hold no truth), the author sounded more like a patriot bragging about the US power than a freedom-loving author.
Submitted by virgil (user info) at 2004-02-21 23:29:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
This article was written shortly after 11Sep, so in context one can understand why is it so rancidly patriotic (there's a difference between being patriotic and trying to inspire people to throw up with it). Why it is posted NOW, three years later...
Submitted by domenad (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:49:23 (#)
Ranking: 2
Amazing. This was wonderful. Ignore the terminally stupid (Virgil)
At first I thought, wow, this guy must be writing that sarcastically. But no, he really means it. It's one thing to, as ohlookasquirrel noted, like the idea while acknowledging that the article is disregarding some info and is 'lovey dovey'. Actually, nationalistic drivel is the word I would use, but whichever you prefer. But to actually call it "Amazing"...
Idiocy still amazes me. Go back to reading reader's digest and calling fries "freedom fries".
Submitted by ohlookasquirrel (user info) at 2004-02-21 23:13:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
A little too lovey dovey about America for me, and disregards some stuff, but I liked it.
Though I know that I would answer to armed thugs.
And am I not an American?
Submitted by AlwaysAnEagle (user info) at 2004-02-21 15:01:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Twee, those are "good" quotes, but damn, are they scary.
Submitted by TwEE (user info) at 2004-02-21 14:46:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"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."
General William Boykin, Appointed by bush to hunt for Osama bin Laden, once said the war on terror was a fight against Satan, and also told a Somali warlord that, "My God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."
General William Boykin: "George Bush was not elected by a majority of the voters in the United States. He was appointed by God."
Bush: "'I feel like God wants me to run for President. I can't explain it, but I sense my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen... I know it won't be easy on me or my family, but God wants me to do it."
Bush: "God told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam (Hussein), which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."
"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."
Which ignorant, ungodly cruel, old men are you talking about? Cheney, Bush, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld or one of the countless Corporations (whose only purpose is to produce ever-increasing profit for it's shareholders regardless of the cost to anyone, or anything else)?
Submitted by Tastycat (user info) at 2004-02-21 14:18:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
What about the natives?
Submitted by KoolMang (user info) at 2004-02-21 14:11:00 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
An American, to me, is:
-owns a U.S passport and has a U.S citizenship
-loves America, and will defend it
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:55:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I don't know about the cutting and pasting deal, but the article was good. Try and keep it a little more creative next time.
Submitted by domenad (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:49:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Amazing. This was wonderful. Ignore the terminally stupid (Virgil)
Submitted by EatMeCompletely (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:46:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
It's nice to see some patriotism.
Submitted by Tom (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:14:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Does it strike anyone as a surprise that the Afghanis that were fighting along side Americans against the Taliban and Al Queda let Bin Laden and his fellow militants go on several occasions for bribes? Not correlation to the post, really.
Submitted by MisterCeltic (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:13:31 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
-1 for cutting and pasting the article
-1 for not including info on how much a Yank is worth and where I send the self-addressed, stamped box of heads.
Submitted by Fleet_Marshall_Badass (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:12:10 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Stupid. Utterly stupid. I couldn't read it all. I felt stupid for clicking on the link to this post.
Badass.
Submitted by Quartermain (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:08:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn straight.
Submitted by virgil (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:07:31 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
What tripe.
"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"
HAHAHA... yeah, we really did that because we felt bad for the Afgans. This guy needs to get a clue... I wonder if he forgets that we 'enabled the people' to win back their country by suppling terrorists (Osama Bin Laden, for example) with weapons.
Submitted by hamilton (user info) at 2004-02-21 13:06:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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