The Truth on US as I know it...

There was an article allegedly written by Jay Leno recently that was forwarded to me by a friend. Regardless, who wrote this article or what the message states, my comments that follow are the real story!

Subject: WHAT JAY LENO HAS TO SAY ABOUT OUR COUNTRY

As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark

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 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.
So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are
we so unhappy about?''
A.. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?
B.. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the
summer and heating in the winter?
C.. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?
D.. 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?
E.. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the
Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present
identification papers as we move through each state?
F.. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
G.. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine
from around the world is just not good enough either.
H. 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.
I.. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.
J.. 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.
K.. 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.
L.. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
M.. 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% 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 dis-contentment 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!
Turn 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 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, tornadoes, 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

I tried to find the original source, but all I found was other blog postings of the same article.

My take on this follows:

Yes we have many things to be thankful for. However, we mustn’t loose site over the fact that our life is also difficult due to the social, economic, status pressures we face because we are in a “free” society. Many of us are in slavery to debt, meaningless jobs, unhappy relationships, abusive situations etc. Just because we are in the land of the “free”, doesn’t discount the fact many are suffering here in the United States, due to a system that is not really out to help us better our lives, in some cases.

There are many forms of injustice…. Jay Leno has a good life, able to afford what he needs and wants all the while doing it greener, cleaner and safer. It is easy for him to make wide sweeping statements like these and assume they apply. What he doesn’t know is that a family of 4, has been without their daddy for 2 months, living in a temporary housing situation, eating out of the cupboards, because that is what we have to do. This family is on the brink of bankruptcy, forced to move away from a support system the two children have grown to love. This family is not able to buy newer cars to reduce the economic pains and is not able to take advantage of public transport in our new metropolitan city. If the economic pressures continue, we will be in dire need if food becomes out of reach.

Our story is only one of thousands in this country of far worse stories. The worst offense is US citizens think it is okay. We do have it all and we can say what we want, do what we want and have what we want. It all comes at a price. For many the price will be paid sooner than later and there will be fallout. That is the worst, lying to a nation of what is real and what is not, as if the stories of the people is not something we can talk honesty about, we need to make it sound not soo bad. Isn’t that what Katrina was, a rude awakening to the US truth? Many of those families will never be able to regain what they had, no matter how large or small it was, it is unattainable now for them. They are still trying to rebuild!

Having lived in NOLA, I know the reality there. It is not as easy as this article paints it to be. I just think, we need to stop pushing the injustice we see and feel in this country under the rug. I know many people unable to heat or cool their homes. I represent one family that wore hats to bed, scarves inside to keep warm, because we were unable to afford our heat bill, so we turned it down to 58-60 degrees while living in Northeast Ohio during the past 3 winters. AND I AM AN AMERICAN!