American Persuasive Speech

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Since we are all Americans, we are all equally blessed (or damned) by those things the world deems to be quintessentially "American." I heard a fellow on the radio this morning brand as "un-American" those persons who doubt the story of heroic passengers rising up on 9/11 to overpower hijackers to prevent their airplane being used as a flying bomb." This apparently suggests that one should at all times be "American," since being "un-American" is a terrible label to bear. But who is the arbiter of what is or isn't "American?" We all have our own opinions of what is and isn't "American," of course, including that radio DJ. But my guess is that the White House is the ultimate arbiter of what is "American" in the eyes of the world, since the administration…show more content…
The people of a nation are always held responsible for their leader's actions. We held the German people responsible for Hitler's actions and those of the German military machine, allowing millions of German civilians to starve to death after the end of WWII, without a twinge of guilt. We punished the Japanese civilian population in months of fire bombing of Japan's major cities, barbecuing women and children in their houses, because they allowed their leaders to wage war against the US and other nations. Without a twinge of guilt. We carpet-bombed schools, hospitals, temples and regular old neighborhoods in Hanoi for months because the North Vietnamese wouldn't stop their leaders' war being conducted in South Vietnam. Without a twinge of guilt. So. You are a torturer, an assassin, a murderer and a terrorist in the eyes of the world. Yes, you. The housewife in Pacoima. The retiree in Redondo Beach. The garment worker in downtown LA. The cattle rancher in Utah. The rap singer in Detroit. Your administration has made it so. To deny it is, simply put, un-American. Will each of us have to pay for these crimes against humanity? When you look into the eyes of a Pakistani, or a Greek, or a Namibian or a Peruvian, ask yourself, what are they thinking about you? Only time will tell. When you look into a mirror, what are you thinking about yourself? In the meantime, enjoy being an American. If your conscience will allow

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