BreakTheChain.org
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What's An American?Date Added: Jan. 16, 2002
In the days following the the terrorist attacks on civilian targets in the United States, patriotism was at an all-time high. What exactly constitutes patriotism is subjective, but the popularity and long life of this rant indicate that many agree with its message. Subject: Be an American After hearing that the state of Florida changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered, one American had had enough. This is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa newspaper. Did quite a job, didn't he? IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or his culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a multi cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language! "In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture. If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But, once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great American freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE. Please pass this along if you agree. This chain is a shortened version of an article written in the days after September 11, 2001, by Barry Loudermilk, an Air Force veteran from Georgia and frequent op-ed columnist in the The Bartow Trader, a local newspaper. Given the politically charged condition society was in at that time, other papers quickly picked it up. Some feel Loudermilk's remarks are dead-on, while others consider it racist. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, this one has become one of the most popular rants about what many perceived as political correctness run amok. Its message, apparently, is universal. In 2005, unidentified forwarders adapted the message to appeal to international audiences, with Australian and English versions leading the pack. Subject: article from West Australian newspaper Our Country - YOU Have the right to leave After Sydney not wanting to offend by not putting up Xmas lights. After hearing that the state of South Australia changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered prompted this editorial written by an Australian citizen, Published in an Australian newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on, please! Quote: IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of Australia being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, Learn the language! "In God We Trust" is our National Motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, Because God is p art of our culture. If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like ' A Fair Go, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, And we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE,and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our National Motto, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, "THE RIGHT TO LEAVE". ------ United Kingdom - The Right to Leave Our Country - YOU Have the right - the right to leave ! After many cities not wanting to offend other cultures by putting up Xmas lights and after hearing that the Birmingham council changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered. This prompted this editorial written by a UK citizen. Published in a British tabloid newspaper. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on London, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Brits. However, the dust from the attacks has barely settled and the "politically correct" crowd begin complaining about the possibility that our patriotism is offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Britain. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of London being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Britons, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, Learn the language! "In God We Trust" is our National Motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, Because God is part of our culture. If the Saint George cross offends you, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, And, we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our National Motto, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great British freedom, "THE RIGHT TO LEAVE". If you aren't happy here then go!! We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted. Pretty easy really, when you think about it. Ironically, while the revisionist(s) managed to change any reference to American place names, they neglected to change references to undeniably American concepts, such as national motto ("In God We Trust") and the Pledge of Allegiance. The titles "Immigrants, Not Americans, Must Adapt" and "Right to Leave," along with the preamble about the woman being permitted to have her drivers license picture taken while wearing a face covering were not part of Loudermilk's original text. In January, 2001, Najat Tamim-Muhammad was denied a Florida driver's license in Daytona Beach, Florida, because she refused to remove her veil. However, the issue was resolved through a compromise that satisfied both Florida identification requirements and Tamim-Muhammad's religious beliefs. No suit was filed and Florida law was not changed. In fact, officials later revoked a license they issued to another muslim woman, Sultaana Freeman, who was previously allowed to be completely veiled in her ID photo. Freeman filed suit, saying the requirement violated her constitutional freedom of religion. The relative anonymity of the Internet makes rants like this one extremely popular. For many, they provide an avenue to express thoughts we may agree with, without having to write them down or take more responsibility for them than admitting they passed them on from someone else. The e-mail version of this one are so removed from their original that they are now spreading misinformation. Break this Chain. References: Snopes.com |