I have seen several posts today on facebook regarding the Federal Building in OKC.
I even saw a post from a "dentist in Australia".
Times like April 19th...so many years ago...(and 9/11) make you wonder what this world is and has come to.Tragedies like the Murrah Federal Building and 9/11 bring people together hopefully more so than the events tore them apart. The Memorial in Oklahoma City is a beautiful site. If you get the chance, visit it.It brings a reminder of what people can do to rebuild, to strengthen and to grow when tragedy does strike.
The writing I saw posted on facebook today was touching. I looked it up on snopes.com.
I want to share the writing with you even though it wasn't written by an Australian Dentist. It still rings a nice chord:
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/america2.asp
by: Peter Ferrera
George Mason University, School of Law
Northern Virginia
You probably missed this in the rush of news, 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.
'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 inAfghanistan . 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 ...
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.
I enjoy the diversity put into this article. Regardless of who wrote it...It has some valid points.
It reminds me of how people can come together. It reminds of of a more "Norman Rockwell" time and what I hope is part of the future my children will inherit...peace, love, consideration for humankind and the good things in life that shine even at some of the worst of times.
Let me know what you think....leave a comment.
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