This is a quote I received in my email, so i don't have a source to link it to. Apparently it is from Jay Leno regarding the US media. I feel the message is loud and clear to all US citizens.

Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....

"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's 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?''
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..."

Continued on next post...

"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
2007

I would imagine the view of the world from a multi millionaire's perspective is pretty good. I bet his life is just peachy. I bet he doesn't have to make a choice between medicines, fuel oil, or groceries. I bet he doesn't not have to argue with the Veterans Administration about disability compensation. Yep, Jay Leno has it sweet! And so do the rest of the financial elite... but maybe if they would just roll down the window of their Limo's... they might see that for many Americans the last eight years have been devastating. Entire families are homeless, 16 and 17 year olds are on their own, our elderly are dumped in the streets because of no health insurance, the price of oil has pushed the price of everything else up so that people can no longer afford to pay their bills or buy groceries.

Yep, I bet life is pretty good for Jay Leno.

Amen for that! Good for Jay, to bring out that side of the picture.

Too many people tend to grumble and complain, rather than count the blessing we (USA) indeed do have, and too many people, regarding their own personal lives, focus on the negative, rather than being thankful for all the good that has been provided to them, regardless of what that may be.

Ah yes. The citizenry is not expressing dissatisfaction with our relative lot in life. That isn't what the survey asks. It asks are we satsified with the DIRECTION the country is headed. I like Leno. But this kind of apologist flag waving serves no one. We are all very fortunate to live here and, relative to other countries, have an especially good standard of living. That does not, however, give our leaders and elected officials the license to drive this country into the ground.

THEY did NOT make this country what it is. They are simply the current stewards of the country's resources, reputation, security and economy. It is their responsibility to build on the past success and good fortune or, in the very least, to safeguard the status quo. Instead they have taken us down a road that has destroyed our economy, sullied our international reputation and squandered our resources and treasure. Our standard of living has slipped below that of Great Britain for the first time since the 1800's.

So hell yea, we are absolutely on the wrong path and have been for some time. You'd have to be an idiot not to see this. I suggest you save you flag waving for when we get the ship turned around and on a better course.

Well ya know at some point in a lot of peoples lives they start feeling a dull ache in their soul for something missing, some sort of deeply satisfying meaning in their lives, something not related to materialism... so many turn to religion but in all reality that isn't it either... what they are missing it seems is a deeply satisfying and personal spirituality, and despite appearances to the contrary, religion is very often antithetical to true spirituality, a reality that many people feel but do not know how to express. I have known deeply spiritual atheists and totally dead spiritually, church goers.

Its not what goes on in the church, its what goes on in the heart. We Americans are the hogs of the world.... we want everything NOW if not sooner but despite all we demand, devour and destroy all in the name of the great American way of life, we are still not happy or satisfied.

Oh the irony, the irony.

Diocletion was the only Roman emperor to resign from office and actually live a life afterwards... the story goes at one point the Senate sent envoys to beg him to reassume the role of emperor... he refused and took them outside his villa and showed off his garden and swore the pleasure he got from tending his cabbages was far more than he ever got from being emperor.

Its not what you do its the spirit in which you do it.

Excuse me while I cultivate my garden.


[edit on 22-2-2008 by grover]

Jay seems to be everywhere these days, its bad enough I can't pick up a copy of

Popular Mechanics with out having to read about his $40,000 go cart type car.

Now I've gotta read about his take on the world. Why can't this guy just stick

to doing his crappy show where he sucks up to every guest, and leave the

commentary alone. This guy is one of the most annoying personalities out there.

I hate when people try to paint a picture about the problems in America and blame the people for being to critical of the leaders.

The fact of the issue at hand is the country we live in is based on a Constitution. This is the supreme law of the land. The anger Americans have is with the leaders and legislatures not following this most respected and trusted law by trying to justify a walk around instead of trying to change it via an amendment.

Would a cop be with in his rights in the law to give you a speeding ticket if he thought you might speed even though you were not? That is what these anti-terrorist laws do. They profile and accuse with no respect for the law. I don't care if it makes us safer, I care that it could happen to me if I said or did something that fit the profile they have established.

I hardly think that the President is something to brag about, or be grateful for. He has made a lot of arrogant moves and caused the death of thousands of Americans in a war that we see no end to. Terrorism is worse than ever, the economy is in a downward spiral, and people are losing their homes daily. Its a sad story for the struggling americans.

This economy is fed by big business and outsourcing, making it harder and harder for Americans to keep their jobs.

Sure any real motivated person can get a job and keep it, but there are people that get the shi*t end of the stick and struggle to put food in their families mouth. Is this their own fault? Not always.

In my opinion we need to keep business within our boarders, and we need to keee our nose out of the middle east. We need to stop wasting money shooting down sattelites to show our military power and we need to spend the money to fight disease through research such as stem cell. There are many things that we can do to improve and I think that is where the unhappiness stems from. Do you honsetly feel that your government gives a crap about you?

He has made a lot of arrogant moves and caused the death of thousands of Americans in a war that we see no end to.

Compared to other wars the death count is only a fraction. You forget that everyone in the military is there by choice. I have yet to meet one Marine that would not argue me to the death about why they should not cut and run.

In my opinion we need to keep business within our boarders, and we need to keee our nose out of the middle east. We need to stop wasting money shooting down sattelites to show our military power and we need to spend the money to fight disease through research such as stem cell. There are many things that we can do to improve and I think that is where the unhappiness stems from. Do you honsetly feel that your government gives a crap about you?

I agree completely with this line. To answer your question, no the government doesn't give a crap about ME personally. Its not about the individual, its about the country, IMO we could be much worse off than we are today as a country. Perhaps we are headed in a wrong direction, its going to be an interesting ride to see what the next leader does to remedy the current situations.

people are losing their homes daily.

This is due to the boom in housing a few years back and individuals risky moves to finance rates that weren't fixed. I wouldn't blame Bush if i lost my house due to my own mistakes. Yes they were offered these incredible deals, but as the old saying goes "if its too good to be true, it probably is"

Yes thats a lot for him to say,he who gets 500k for being at a guys birthday party,plus he has every toy he wants,he is pondering buying a Harley from my brother for 1.25 mil,I don't think he would be considered an average American

There was a lot of truth in what was said in the opening two posts...regardless of whether or not Mr. Leno wrote it. Many of us, and I certainly include myself in that, have a nasty habit of looking at things in one way, glass half full, or glass half empty. We see certain bad things happening and say to ourselves "Self, everything sucks..." or the other "Self, everything is peachy...", when good things happen.

It's never all one or the other. For every good thing, there may be two bad things, or the other way around, for every bad thing there's two good things goin' on. It's all in how you view it.

There's a war goin' on, that would qualify as a bad thing in most peoples books. However, as a direct result of that bad ongoing war, a group of people, the Kurds, oppressed in vile fashion under Saddam, are as prosperous a group as any in Iraq today. Out of a bad, a good occurs. It all depends on perspective.

I think the main thrust of that little screed was not everything is bleak and horrible...just as everything is not all sunshine and daisies. The media does bear some of the responsibility for that lack of perspective. So do we, for allowing ourselves to be drawn into it.

Bill Hicks used to do an absolutely piss pants hilarious impression of Jay Leno interviewing Joey Lawrence from that show Blossom.

I only wish I could repeat what he said here.

Something about Jay Leno.... and Satan doing something to his rear end?

EVERYTHING he describes is what the NWO wants to take away from us.

ESPECIALLY presenting your "papers"

This will be replaced with the RFID National ID card, after that it is implantable RFID's, after that......well there wont be an after that.......ITS ALL OVER!!!!

This thread is laughable.

This is some stupid email chain letter that gets passed around by stupid people all over the planet.

Not even worth having a discussion about.

Originally posted by yankeerose
I would imagine the view of the world from a multi millionaire's perspective is pretty good. I bet his life is just peachy. I bet he doesn't have to make a choice between medicines, fuel oil, or groceries. I bet he doesn't not have to argue with the Veterans Administration about disability compensation. Yep, Jay Leno has it sweet! And so do the rest of the financial elite... but maybe if they would just roll down the window of their Limo's... they might see that for many Americans the last eight years have been devastating. Entire families are homeless, 16 and 17 year olds are on their own, our elderly are dumped in the streets because of no health insurance, the price of oil has pushed the price of everything else up so that people can no longer afford to pay their bills or buy groceries.

Yep, I bet life is pretty good for Jay Leno.

I am SO FAR AWAY from being rich. LMAO. And I dont have a negative view about life. In fact, my life only improves as I get older. So, im not sure why millionaires were brought into the equation. Now let me clarify. I do not live in a utopian fantasy world. I have my days where life sucks. LOL. But overall. Im pretty content with life here.

Yes, many people have it bad. But guess what. Many people had it bad back in the 60s, 70s, 80s.

I also remember visiting Russia - not the trendy touristy areas either - and coming home and thanking God that I was born in America. Americans have it so darn good compared to MANY other people in the world.

In fact, we have it soooo good....that thousands of people try their damnest to get here and provide a better life for themselves.


[edit on 22-2-2008 by greeneyedleo]