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July 03

I'm going to say something that my American family may find a little startling..and I will certainly understand that they may not understand.....but I've never felt patriotic towards America. I don't apologize for saying this..simply because its true. I was born in Australia..I'm an Australian citizen, Ive lived there for twenty five years of my life. Im the first daughter of an Englishman..who later became an Australian citizen..which makes me more "English" that most people! LOL... and my first daughter, Lauren was born in Australia. She is an Australian citizen also.

I will never become an American citizen. I have no desire to do so because Im not American. I have two daughters who are American citizens, and I am proud that they are, because I love them dearly..and because their father is an American citizen. The American, and Australian government have produced a law that states that if I wanted to become an American citizen, I have to give up my Australian citizen ship entirely, to become an American citizen. Decades ago, I would have been permitted to have dual citizenship, which I may have considered...but now of course this is not the case.

I am not certain of the reasons behind this law. Maybe its something to do with taxes...who knows. It just makes me sad to feel that a country can force upon its "people" such a law. Dont get me wrong, Im grateful to be permitted to live with my husband, to be allowed to marry him, have children with him and to be allowed to be recognized as an American "resident". Mark and I had to go through tremendous emotional hardships for me to be allowed to come to America to live with him. If it wasnt for his loving parents, I probably wouldnt be here today.

So with tomorrow being Independence Day...I contemplate my place in the world. Living as an Australian citizen in America. I moved to America to be with my wonderful husband. The past few years have been a struggle for me to become use to living in a different country, but slowly Ive adjusted and in some regard, become fond of America. And today, even surprised myself when I read a blog on someone elses website relaiting to Americans. I actually became teary..and I admit...a little paitriotic.....

I found the following on http://tamijohnson.spaces.msn.com/

What is an American?

Written by an Australian Dentist...

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, 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 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 inAfghanistan. 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.

1:30 PM | Blog it

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