stop whining america!

(loosely based, and courtesy of craig smith)

i was reading newsweek magazine and came across some info I found hard to believe. but it's newsweek, so i like to give it @ least some credence...

newsweeks poll alleges that 67% of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed. 69% of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president.

in essence two thirds of us just ain't happy and want a change.

then, i starting thinking, ''what are we are so unhappy about?'' our electricity and running water 24/7? is our unhappiness the result of having a/c in the summer and heat in the winter? could it be that by and large, most 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's the ability to drive from the pacific ocean to the atlantic w/o having to show ID as we move through each state? maybe it's the choice of all the motels along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

i guess having thousands of restaurants with cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. rich or poor they treat your wounds and if necessary, get you to hospital.

perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. you may be upset to know that in case of fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear to put out the fire, thus saving you, your family and your belongings. you might hate knowing that while watching your flat screen TVs, if god forbid, a burglar intrudes? an officer with a gun and bullet-proof vest will come to defend your family. this all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. 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? is that what has 67 percent of us 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 heavens that 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? 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 brats safe from terrorist attacks? the commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? GW may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he is our president.

make no mistake about it. as unhappy as i am that we are at war, the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan 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 one of several different military discharges. do the research.

why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 67 percent of Americans?

i blame 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. freedom of press indeed...shame on them.

ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did...? this is insane.

stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. shut off the TV, burn newsweek, and use the ny times for the bottom of your bird cage. then start being grateful as a country.

there is exponentially more good than bad.

we are the most blessed people on earth. remember that.