Worth reading!

[ARJ]

(Forwarded from my daughter.)

"This is long but so wonderful.

Subject: Jay Leno seems to have the answer
(I don't actually know if Jay Leno really said this or not but it echoed my sentiment to I passed it on...)

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some
poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy
with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are
so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7
days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.
You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we
enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the
world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and
has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent
approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there
defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he
actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have
volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general''
discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent
of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations.

They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut
off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God
several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.


"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides,
flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?""

Jay Leno

[CanDo]

Thanks for sharing. I work with Marines every day, and some of them have returned minus limbs. One of them who lost a leg was afraid he would not pass his medical board and have to leave the Corps. He passed his board and has volunteered to return to Iraq. Not sure what the outcome of his request will be, but it is as said above, they volunteer. God bless them, each and every one. And God bless America.

[adelmoll]

Very powerful. You are right. It is well worth reading. Thank you for the reminder that we all need every so often.

Helen

[Montana Sky]

Thank you for posting this, such a great reminder of all the blessings we truly have.

[Hemlockusa]

ALL I CAN SAY IS EXCELLENT POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Parrothead]

It is a very great post, however, I doubt Jay Leno said this. Listen to him some night and you may doubt the source also. It sounds more like Dennis Miller to me.
Happy trails.........................

[dsprik]

Ditto...

[jretz]

Great thoughts. With a negative press how can people be anything short of "unhappy". Even though they buy new SUV's, motorcycles, boats and other luxury items at numbers never before seen in this country, the press tells them how terrible the economy is. Its funny how 2/3's of the population wants change but only 20 to 30 percent vote in an election. It must be the other 1/3 of the happy population that goes to the poles. We seem to be becoming more and more a country driven by opinion poles and media hype.

[boylanag]

Great post from a daughter to be proud of.

[DonandBonnie]

Amen. Unfortunately, the negative always seems to gets the publicity and the positive blends into the woodwork. I rarely believe the polls, this includes the ones that I agree with and those with which I disagree. Creative polsters, on both sides of an issue, phrase their questions to get the answers that support their agenda and then spin the results for further justifucation. Everytime we get down about what is being portrayed in the media, we need to reread this post to regain perspective and to understand our true blessings.

[Longwell]

It doesn't matter who said it, it's right on target.
I'm fortunate to be one of the "happy ones" that votes every time, because I'm an optimist (with some realism built in.)
Also, I seldomly watch the news on TV, I don't listen to radio (radical) talk shows, and I haven't read a newspaper for years, just because of the media slant on bad news and other issues such as gun control.
If it's important, I'll hear about it. Otherwise, I don't care about it because it's unimportant.
Just my take on life, but it's what keeps me happy - lol.
Larry

[Cat320]

That is a great article, unfortunately it was not written by Jay Leno. Things of that nature can be checked out here: http://truthorfiction.com/ Click on "Search."

Here is the actual link for that article: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors...commentary.htm