AN AMERICAN DECLARATION FReepers, what does being an American mean to you?

1/14/04

[Liz]

We, the people, hold these truths to be self-evident......

[rface]

hmmmmm - ".....never having to admit our I am wrong"

[2banana]

I have been lucky enough to travel around the world both as an American tourist and American soldier. Some insights I have picked up along the way:

I can honestly say, most of the world loves America and Americans. Even the French. They admire our "can do attitude," our eternal optimism, our individual independence and our absolute fearlessness in taking on "city hall” and the powers in charge. They are also very grateful for our generosity. Americans are by far the most friendliest and giving people (individual and collectively) on the face of the planet. I could present statistic after statistic, but just ask any bartender or waitress in any remote town of any third world country who would they like as customers, and they will reply "Americans."

Our enemies, who I have also met and talked with, believe this optimism and generosity are a weakness. They feel that any country foolish enough to try to help other people (instead of crushing them) or permits dissenting points of view is weak. They feel our wealth (ironically made by extremely hard work) has made us soft and unwilling to fight very hard.

Our course, they do not know our war history and ignore our fighting traditions and legends. They do not understand that Americans do not really want to make war and want nothing to do with conquering the planet (too much paperwork). We would rather stay home with our families, enjoy life and work. But if we must fight, then we go all out; that we will kill our enemy as fast and numerously as humanly possible, that we will bring relentless devastation and carnage to our adversaries and not stop until they are either dead or have surrendered. We want to get the miserable job of war done as fast, efficiently and as brutally as possible so that we can go home.

Our enemies look at our military as the strength of machines. They feel if we did not have our wonderful helicopters, F-16’s, Abrams Tanks, aircraft carriers, etc. that our soldiers would melt away. However, it is a rare event when an American soldier surrenders, even against overwhelming odds. The American soldier has slugged it out toe-to-toe with every enemy we have ever faced (even after all the wonder machines have broken down) and have always emerged the victor. This warrior spirit has been proven in regular army units, special op units and militia/National Guard units. It is not something that is taught, it is just always understood; that the soldiers of liberty and freedom will always defeat the soldiers of dictators and tyrants no matter what.

[Hank Rearden]

To me, being an American means looking forward to retirement with Free Pills, from Canadian pharmacies, delivered to me (no shipping charge either!) at my new home on Mars. All thanks to Limited Government.

I can't wait.

[jdege]

It means I can spit on the mat and call the cat a bastard.

[A CA Guy]

First thing that comes to mind is I thank God I wasn't born somewhere else. We are the best place to be on earth and we need to appreciate that more.

[JohnGalt]

Thanksgiving Day High School Football, English Ales, tobacco, salty smoked meats, Southern and Texas BBQ, New England clam chowder, suspicion of all centers of power- public and private, Kentucky Bourbon and the Kentucky Derby, whitewater rafting, 4-wheel drive off roading, Southern and Cracker Culture, Yankee poets, Johnny Cash, dive bars with St.Louis beer...

Just a few ideas on the only country I know...

[A CA Guy]

But you can't spit on the cat and call some guy named Mat a bastard or you could get sued! LOL

[Huck]

It means getting my pockets picked to help po' folks get married, help companies find cheap labor, pay the social services and medical bills for millions of lowlifes, and be lied to about a bunch of typical DC activist bullshit packaged as conservatism. BARF!

[Dead Corpse]

Freedom. The Rule of Law and Laws that respect individual Rights. That everyone is held to the same standard under those Laws in a Constitutional Republic.

Of course, that standard set forth by our Founders no longer exists in our current Democracy.

[Huck]

Ok, that's not ALL it means.

[hunter112]

I gave a speech a few years ago, to a local Rotary Club, to persuade the members to sign up to take an exchange student. The Rotary model is that each kid gets four host families, as no American family is totally "typical". In the audience at the time were TWO exchange students that my ex and I had for the full school year, from a non-Rotary program that made placements for the longer period. Being as they were both born under communism (one was from Ukraine, and the other was from Albania), it was easy for me to see what the experience of being in America had done for them, our fifth and sixth exchange students, but what really motivated my speech was what was shown to the students that had gone before, who were from prosperous European countries.

I stated to the group that I had myself been born in Canada, and adopted by American parents, and brought to the US at the age of six months. I went on to say that even though I probably would have had an economically decent life in Canada, I still wouldn't know about the American Dream that makes us all citizens of this great land. I finished up with, "There is a difference between living in a country that fought for its freedom, that still continues to fight for the freedom of people all around the planet, and living in a country that simply waited for the British to get tired of the weather and leave!"

Got a lot of cheers for that line!

[Protagoras]

Being an American nowadays means sports, sex, and shopping.

It used to mean individual liberty and personal responsibility. The experiment failed, the patient died.

[Jaysun]

My wife stays at home and takes care of the house and children. That’s the way that we both wanted it (for our kids sake). I’m also the “boss” at home. Not because I like to rule over my wife, or feel that she’s less that me, but because we both agreed that such an arrangement is best to avoid needless arguments. I take my whole family to church every Sunday. I teach my children that life isn’t fair and that they can either wise up to that and do their best, or they can whine and fight and fail. I spank my children when necessary. They do not disrespect me, my wife, their teachers, or anyone else for that matter. I own two guns. If someone came into my house to do harm to my family, they’d quickly find themselves lying on the floor with a sizable hole somewhere in their body. I believe that part of what makes America great is knowing that my children have the opportunity to become anything they want (even wealthy). I love America because it affords us all an equal opportunity. I do not believe that people who succeed should be sneered at or punished in any way.

My wife is from Germany. Her father moved here with his wife and children in 1987 – without even knowing the language. He learned English, started a business, and sent all 3 of his kids to college. His company now employees more than 40 people. I, on the other hand, was born here. I did not go to college yet I started my own company at the age of 19. We live quite comfortably and my company now employees more than 70 people. I do make considerably more than my employees do, but I didn’t force them to come to work for me, I don’t force them to continue working for me, nor do I think that they're unable to become business owners themselves. That is why I love America. That is also why I hate anyone who seeks to destroy such things.

[JohnGalt]

Who'd a guessed I'd be the optimist on this thread?

Yours in liberty,

[stylin19a]

By God's Grace and the genes of my parents, I was born in The U.S.A..
The U.S.A. doesn't owe me anything...I owe it everything !
I defend it with my life.
To paraphrase the words of Sonny Corleone, "I better not be doing it with just my d$ck in my hand"

Gun grabbers need to layoff the 2nd Amendment.

[CyberCowboy777]

Fighting for what is better, what is good, what is right.

[fatso]

America means freedoms given by GOD....those guaranteed by our Bill of Rights, and our Constitution......and the rule of GOD law

[Protagoras]

Who'd a guessed I'd be the optimist on this thread?

I wish I was optimistic on the direction of the country. I'm old enough to remember what it was like. It's been a steady slide.

[itsahoot]

I'm old enough to remember what it was like. It's been a steady slide.

Amen. Didn't have a TV, but we could play hide and seek after dark and not have to worry about being killed or abused.