What is an American?

[Usaok]

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, Navahoe, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian or Jewish, or Buddhist or Muslims. In fact, there are more Muslims inAmerica 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 we 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 Afgahistan 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 of Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best of everything ... The best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But we also welcome the least!

The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes the tired, the 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 od 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-Tungsten 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!

[AKVET]

You hit the nail square on the head America is a melting pot of all peoples and beliefs. Hopefully it will continue to be in the future.

[Usaok]

America has to stay free . Vote very carefully or else you will never see America the same again . Obama must go ..

[Dinaronair]

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, Navahoe, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian or Jewish, or Buddhist or Muslims. In fact, there are more Muslims inAmerica 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 we 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 Afgahistan 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 of Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best of everything ... The best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But we also welcome the least!

The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes the tired, the 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 od 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-Tungsten 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!

I like this post very much... well said

[Usaok]

We need more reads on this . Please respond ..

[DinarMillionaire]

Take two minutes to see what Tony Blair says about America...He gets it.

Americans aren't the only ones with something to say about the meaning of our war for Independence.

Proving there are no hard feelings, here's a retired leader from country we gained our Independence from. None other than Tony Blair.

My link

[TPSprayduster]

America has to stay free . Vote very carefully or else you will never see America the same again . Obama must go ..

it was a great post until you made it political.

[JoeB]

When Afgahistan 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!

Yes, even America can make mistakes. Today America is fighting the same people and the same arms...

[40oz]

We need more reads on this . Please respond ..

I hate to rain on this parade. I was going to pass this thread and not say a word, but since you asked so nicely...

9/11 was payback for our 'helping'.

The US foreign policy is to identify uprisings in other countries and to exploit them if they fit in with our interests. We do this by semi-secretly aligning with resistant movements, insurgents, guerrillas, etc, providing intelligence, training, weapons, ammo, money, communications, and coordination, all the while influencing the movement to better fit our needs.

When a movement is nurtured into an insurgency and gets bloody enough, we are able to come out of the shadows and semi-officially send in our military to overthrow the government. This is what we have been doing for decades.

The 9/11 attacks were a message to America. We have responded to that message with more of the exact same thing that got us into this mess. If you think you are actually helping others by waging proactive wars around the globe, you have been fooled. Most of the time we are serving our own interests in situations that we had either escalated or weren't directly threatened by. There is a HUGE difference between defending your neighbors and violently imposing your will.

We need to be honest with ourselves. Do we want to try to control the world, making enemies of all who oppose our will? Or do we want to focus on America, regain control of our government and our country, and allow the world to keep spinning?

[tired_of_waiting]

I would respond by saying we should regain control of our government and our country, and allow the world to keep spinning while protecting our interests abroad !

[40oz]

I would respond by saying we should regain control of our government and our country, and allow the world to keep spinning while protecting our interests abroad !

If you have interests abroad, by all means YOU should protect them.

[Usaok]

We must protect the weak and our interests . No one will for us .

[40oz]

We must protect the weak and our interests . No one will for us .

You want to. I want to. But our government is taking advantage of our good will and using us for THEIR OWN AGENDA, and negating our intentions.

[Usaok]

Get rid of the Tyrant from the oval and we will prevail , or else ....?

[Mountain Girl]

I DO NOT CHOOSE TO BE A COMMON MAN

IT IS MY RIGHT TO BE UNCOMMON IF I CAN.

I SEEK OPPORTUNITY - NOT SECURITY.

I DO NOT WISH TO BE A KEPT CITIZEN,

HUMBLED AND DULLED BY THE STATE LOOKING OUT FOR ME.

I WANT TO TAKE THE RISK, TO DREAM AND TO BUILD,

TO FAIL AND TO SUCCEED.

I REFUSE TO BARTER INCENTIVE FOR A HANDOUT.

I PREFER THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE TO THE

GUARANTEED EXISTENCE AND STALE CALM OF UTOPIA.

I WILL NOT TRADE FREEDOM FOR BENEFITS,

NOR MY DIGNITY FOR A HANDOUT.

I WILL NOT COWER BEFORE ANY MASTER,

NOR BEND TO ANY THREAT.

IT IS MY HERITAGE TO STAND ERECT, AND PROUD,

AND UNAFRAID.

TO THINK AND ACT FOR MYSELF

AND FACE THE WORLD AND SAY:

"THIS I AM WITH THE HELP OF GOD!"

TO ME, THIS IS AN AMERICAN

[carlos in san diego]

I DO NOT CHOOSE TO BE A COMMON MAN

IT IS MY RIGHT TO BE UNCOMMON IF I CAN.

I SEEK OPPORTUNITY - NOT SECURITY.

I DO NOT WISH TO BE A KEPT CITIZEN,

HUMBLED AND DULLED BY THE STATE LOOKING OUT FOR ME.

I WANT TO TAKE THE RISK, TO DREAM AND TO BUILD,

TO FAIL AND TO SUCCEED.

I REFUSE TO BARTER INCENTIVE FOR A HANDOUT.

I PREFER THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE TO THE

GUARANTEED EXISTENCE AND STALE CALM OF UTOPIA.

I WILL NOT TRADE FREEDOM FOR BENEFITS,

NOR MY DIGNITY FOR A HANDOUT.

I WILL NOT COWER BEFORE ANY MASTER,

NOR BEND TO ANY THREAT.

IT IS MY HERITAGE TO STAND ERECT, AND PROUD,

AND UNAFRAID.

TO THINK AND ACT FOR MYSELF

AND FACE THE WORLD AND SAY:

"THIS I AM WITH THE HELP OF GOD!"

TO ME, THIS IS AN AMERICAN

Well said Mountain Girl, welcome to the forum!

[Snotrocket]

My daughter is studying abroad in Australia right now. She lives in an apartment that houses many "foreign" students. While socializing recently with some of her neighbors from Sweden, Ireland, Germany, and India, she made the comment that she was Swedish and Irish. The others found his wildly hilarious! They pointed out to her that unless she was born in Sweden or Ireland....she was was an American. To be precise, she was a North American. While this makes sense, it took her back a little because she has always celebrated her heritage. They also told her that it is amusing to the rest of the world that black Americans identify themselves as "African-American" for the same reason. Americans are Americans. Sure we come in all shapes sizes and colors but the world couldn't care less where we came from originally....they simply see us as Americans. I wish we could do the same. Anyway, thought that was an interesting perspective.

[Snotrocket]

[quote name='Usaok'

We need more reads on this . Please respond ..

/quote

I agree

[Scrumdiddles]

What is an american? Everything and nothing at the same time. We are important in our own minds but fail to see how we unite as one. We are separated by the fundamental basics of life like race, religion, groups, teams, and so on. We fight without remorse, we try to control everything we can, instead of understanding the principles of freedom and liberty. We accept the lessor of two evils instead of having the best. We are a body of complainers when we do not get our way, we learn everything but understand nothing. We watch sports, news, sitcoms, movies like they are reality and do not focus on what is important, the family. We spend quantity time with our families, not quality time. We are what we eat, we are what we think, we are what we do. Look in the mirror and tell me it ain't true.

Some will have a hard time to see this, and no matter the argument, no matter the hurt feelings, no matter the drama, something in this is true, and for some people all is true. This is not a bashing piece, no met to hurt feeling, not met to serve as judgement, it is reality no matter the way you look at it. Once we all live in harmony as one, these ideals will disappear from the face of this earth. Change starts with you.

[dog53]

I DO NOT CHOOSE TO BE A COMMON MAN

IT IS MY RIGHT TO BE UNCOMMON IF I CAN.

I SEEK OPPORTUNITY - NOT SECURITY.

I DO NOT WISH TO BE A KEPT CITIZEN,

HUMBLED AND DULLED BY THE STATE LOOKING OUT FOR ME.

I WANT TO TAKE THE RISK, TO DREAM AND TO BUILD,

TO FAIL AND TO SUCCEED.

I REFUSE TO BARTER INCENTIVE FOR A HANDOUT.

I PREFER THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE TO THE

GUARANTEED EXISTENCE AND STALE CALM OF UTOPIA.

I WILL NOT TRADE FREEDOM FOR BENEFITS,

NOR MY DIGNITY FOR A HANDOUT.

I WILL NOT COWER BEFORE ANY MASTER,

NOR BEND TO ANY THREAT.

IT IS MY HERITAGE TO STAND ERECT, AND PROUD,

AND UNAFRAID.

TO THINK AND ACT FOR MYSELF

AND FACE THE WORLD AND SAY:

"THIS I AM WITH THE HELP OF GOD!"

TO ME, THIS IS AN AMERICAN

+1 Can I get a HE!! Yes !!!!!!!!

[Usaok]

Well said scum . We are all Americans that must vote outside of our parties to elect a canadate that will Beat Obama to save our country from tyrannery . Yes scum we must come to gather forget color ,religion past slavery , past discrimination on all races , and just move forward and make a statement to Obama , we in America Do Not Want socialism . We work for what we attain , we are not freeloaders looking for the Obama government to control our every move . We are a nation of many here to test our abilities and intelligence and integrity . That is why people from all over the world come here . We want our land of the free back again . Vote for not a party or color but for freedom , a man who has the Best chance to beat this tyrant .

[Francie26]

it was a great post until you made it political.

It's still a great post, including the political.

[Francie26]

What is an american? Everything and nothing at the same time. [We are important in our own minds but fail to see how we unite as one. We are separated by the fundamental basics of life like race, religion, groups, teams, and so on. We fight without remorse, we try to control everything we can, instead of understanding the principles of freedom and liberty. We accept the lessor of two evils instead of having the best. We are a body of complainers when we do not get our way, we learn everything but understand nothing. We watch sports, news, sitcoms, movies like they are reality and do not focus on what is important, the family. We spend quantity time with our families, not quality time. We are what we eat, we are what we think, we are what we do. Look in the mirror and tell me it ain't true.

Some will have a hard time to see this, and no matter the argument, no matter the hurt feelings, no matter the drama, something in this is true, and for some people all is true. This is not a bashing piece, no met to hurt feeling, not met to serve as judgement, it is reality no matter the way you look at it. Once we all live in harmony as one, these ideals will disappear from the face of this earth. Change starts with you.

My dad, who served as a tank driver under General Patton during WWII, simply wouldn't understand you. To him, you would not be an American. He would simply not understand how a person who claims to be an American can ridicule instead of uplift, can whine instead of doing something about it, and can point fingers instead of looking within. A quiet man who said very little, my dad's example was in my face every day of my life. He went to church every week and made sure his family was in church with him. He had five loves--listed in descending order--his God, his country, his family, his woodworking shop, and his small backyard garden. I often saw and heard him pray, but I never once in all my life heard him whine or complain. Instead, when something went wrong, he got busy. Although my dad died many years ago, his impact on my life is still profound, even to this very day. I simply don't believe you would have impressed me that much when I was a little girl, with your whining, blaming, and shaming. I sincerely believe it is not your intention to send miserable vibes to others, but it's a little hard to make others want to live with you "in harmony as one" if they have to feel shame about themselves to do it.

[smee2]

I totally agree with the original post about all the things Americans are. But ... unfortunately ... there is something else that they seem to be. Disrespectful. Mostly to their own leaders. There is no such thing as a good loser when it comes to American politics. No matter who wins, the other side has an army of everyday people who are willing to spend four years showing the greatest disrespect for the people in office right up to the President, and most importantly, the office of the President. Also, unfortunately, a lot of the people who show such disrespect for the office of the President, seem to have the positive consipiracy theory gene. They see a conspiracy around every corner, and are downright disgusting about how they try to push their views down someone else's throat.

I know there are more Americans who are tolerant of the opposition and realize it is up to them to make a change if a change must be made, by volunteering for their candidate, and making sure they vote themselves. I like the Americans who do show respect to their President. I am not sure I like the ones who feel they know it all and everyone else is stupid, especially and including the current President.

There is an old movie, based on the comic strip L'il Abner ... remember Mammy, Pappy, and DaisyMay? In the movie, which is a musical, there is a piece entitled, "What's Good For General BullMoose, Is Good For The USA". It highlights the concept of the pork barrel politician who gets elected by making promises he has no intention of keeping, and is out to buy votes with these promises.

I feel America has seen just that kind of run for the Oval Office, but I don't believe that is what the current President did, or is doing. Now that I have said that I'll get all sorts of bashing comments. Please don't. I have heard it all before. There is nothing convincing about having someone do nothing but spout negatives about someone. There is, however, a lot that is convincing when one speaks of the good of a candidate. So, stop this bashing of the President and rather start telling us what is good about your candidate, without telling us what is bad about another candidate.

Oh boy how I wish that could happen here. But, I am not going to hold my breath.

smee2

[Francie26]

I hate to rain on this parade. I was going to pass this thread and not say a word, but since you asked so nicely...

9/11 was payback for our 'helping'.

The US foreign policy is to identify uprisings in other countries and to exploit them if they fit in with our interests. We do this by semi-secretly aligning with resistant movements, insurgents, guerrillas, etc, providing intelligence, training, weapons, ammo, money, communications, and coordination, all the while influencing the movement to better fit our needs.

When a movement is nurtured into an insurgency and gets bloody enough, we are able to come out of the shadows and semi-officially send in our military to overthrow the government. This is what we have been doing for decades.

The 9/11 attacks were a message to America. We have responded to that message with more of the exact same thing that got us into this mess. If you think you are actually helping others by waging proactive wars around the globe, you have been fooled. Most of the time we are serving our own interests in situations that we had either escalated or weren't directly threatened by. There is a HUGE difference between defending your neighbors and violently imposing your will.

We need to be honest with ourselves. Do we want to try to control the world, making enemies of all who oppose our will? Or do we want to focus on America, regain control of our government and our country, and allow the world to keep spinning?

I don't believe we intend to "stop the world fom spinning," nor to take control of other countries who have no bad intentions toward us. As a leader in the world, and as an example of what other countries and peoples could be, our country is sometimes the object of angst, jealousy, and anger radiating from other countries. We give more help to more countries than does any other country in the world, and for the most part, our help is without strings attached. Of course, we sometimes make mistakes, and because we are such a vast country, our mistakes are often vast, too. But because we absorb every religion, every sort of family and culture, we are limitless in our scope and beliefs. But we are not a country looking for a war. Nor are we a country looking for another country into which to dump our sins. We are mostly ordinary people, living rather ordinary lives, doing our best to raise our families, and to give the best of what we are to others who need our help. As individuals, we generally respect our community, our family, and our faith. We make mistakes as individuals, but we do the best we can, and for the most part, that "best" is not too shabby.

And as long as we elect people to represent us who actually do represent us, who also love the best of what America is and who also believe that we are the finest country the world has ever witnessed, our country will be fine. We are in danger, however. Among the worst mistakes we have made is our recent failure to teach our children to love and respect the flag, the country it represents, and the factual history of what makes our country so great. We have allowed others to ursurp our rights as parents to have our children sing "God Bless America" in school, and we have allowed others to tell us we cannot celebrate our religious holidays publicly, and cannot speak pointedly and clearly when we see an injustice or to uphold our values. We have allowed others to alter our history textbooks so that lies are taught to our children. To counter this and to regain our country, we must begin holding others in this country accountable for meeting our values, rather than keeping silent while they attempt to impose their values on us. We have allowed far too many people to come here and bring their old values with them, without regard for what America and Americans believe. We have also turned a blind eye to vast numbers of illegal people who come here without permission and use our system without bringing their own allegiance to our country, without going through the established process and being vetted. Our ancestors gave us the finest, kindest, most generous country in the world, and we have trusted politicians who failed us, and we have allowed strangers to come into our country in the dark of night, without permission and without the same love of country that we feel.

But we are beginning to see our errors now. We can see the result of all our tolerance and the price that tolerance has cost us. Tolerance is a wonderful thing, but in some ways, we should offer no tolerance at all. No one should be able to abuse our laws and values based on obedience to laws and cultures far from our shores. It's time to pull back into being Americans, only. No one should be able to live in this great land and use her resources without going through the established process to make sure they are worthy of becoming one of us. Many of them are, but until they go through the established process, how do we know? Of course, we are among the most blessed people on earth, but it's time we start protecting that priviledge so we can pass it on to our own children. It is an honor to be an American, and because we are aware of that, we have been taught to honor others, to respect them and their history and culture. However, in these troubling times, it is far more important that we value our own history and culture more. Much more. If America is to survive beyond these troubling times, we must have stalwart souls to whom we can pass the torch. Our children must be taught to stand strong, to love and believe in their country. They must be taught to discern between a simple difference of opinion and an all-out effort to change our country and what we are as Americans. We know that we have a few problems of our own, but we have become aware of the most important,. pressing problem, the eternal "foreigner" in our midst, those who come here and will not adapt, who expect us to adapt to them. Thus, our correction has begun. Turning our "Ship of State" takes time since it is so huge, but it has begun, is turning even now, and one day soon, our children will feel the same love of country that we feel, and America will be safe again.

Until that happens, God bless America!! And God bless all Americans, wherever they are!! Amen.