Heads up People. Very good read

[Judy Harder]

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.

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,  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?"