An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek.  An American may also be Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab or Pakistani or Afghan.  An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache or one of the many other tribes know 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 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, 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 one 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 national 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 American.  Some 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 blood thirsty tyrant in the history of the world.  But in doing so you are killing yourself because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place.  They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom.  So look around you.  You may find more Americans in your land that 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 will too join the community of free and prosperous nations.