Sunday, January 08, 2006

Spam and tangents and opinionated rants..

My cousin Mitzi, who sends the best spams EVER, sent me this tonight. It's probably made the forwarding rounds many times over, but I hadn't ever seen it till now.

To Kill an American

You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, 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. (Good one, mate!!!!)"

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, orArab, 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 in Afghanistan. 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. Americans welcome the best of everything...the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But they also welcome the least. 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.

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*Please notice that we have the right to PURSUE happiness. Actually getting happiness is not part of the deal.

Freedom isn't entirely free. It requires WORK, and a lot of it. So, any able-bodied person who isn't willing to work, deserves no freedom. Those who use this freedom of choice to choose NOT to work are forfeiting the rewards of work, namely, money. At least, they SHOULD be. And such people do not deserve any luxuries whatsoever. Not. One. Single. Luxury.

"Constant vigilance," as Professor Moody advised. Too bad we as a society are not taking that advice, and are letting people be lazy and have luxuries both at the same time.

To be quite frank, we have so little money and are living so on the edge of desperation, that when I see someone who doesn't work at all with things we can't afford after working our tails off, it really bothers me. It isn't right. My daughter has three jobs, and still can't afford to eat some days.

I once took on a second job (after teaching all day) in a grocery store deli, working part time in the kitchen and part time as a cashier. I loved the kitchen part, but the cashier part made me so angry I could barely speak sometimes. Food stamps, federal vouchers, free stuff, free stuff, free stuff, mostly intended for children, but from most of the allowable choices. . . . who were we fooling? Nobody, that's who. And people using food stamps and then buying alcohol and tobacco products with change. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. People using food stamps to buy steak and ice cream and potato chips.

Freebies should be exchangable for milk, bread, flour, etc, Staples. No luxuries.

Sorry. By my way of thinking, luxury items are only for those who can earn them. Just like bonus points in school. Earned. EARNED.

I know I'm mean sometimes. Or maybe a lot of times, gosh, I hope not. But really, when did it happen that people who work hard all day and all night and who still can't afford certain things, fund the tab for people who take it and buy luxury foods like steak and pound sacks of candy?

Real Americans work for their stuff. That's my opinion and I'm not budging.

(Please understand that I am not ranting about disabled people. Only people who are able and who choose not to even try.) (My father was blind and had no legs, and wouldn't accept charity.)

In the old days, living on the public dole for any length of time was a disgrace. I do not go quite that far, but I do believe that living on the public dole as a permanent lifestyle is a disgrace.

As a temporary fix for people in need, it's wonderful. WONDERFUL. There is no disgrace in need, and no disgrace in accepting help for it.

As a permanent lifestyle, it's degrading, disgusting, and disgraceful.

End rant. For now.