The Joke"s on Us

Thought for the day:

This year, Ground Hog Day and the State of the Union message are on the same day. An email I received this morning points out that, “It is an ironic juxtaposition of events: one involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication, while the other involves a groundhog.”

Presidential ribbing has a long history in this country. I remember one of my friends telling me this one on the way to school one morning during the Truman years:

Harry was flying in a plane when he turned to a reporter and said, “Should I throw a $100 bill out the window and make one person happy, or should I throw 100 $1 bills out the window and make 100 people happy?” The reporter said, “Harry, why don’t you throw yourself out the window and make everybody happy?”

Most presidents are their own joke. Who needed to make jokes about Gerry Ford when he was giving us slapstick by falling down the stairs when exiting a plane and hitting spectators 20 yards off the tee?

Or Richard Nixon with his “I am not a crook.” declaration with his hands raisedin peace signs.

Who needed to make jokes about LBJ’s oafishness when he supplied moments like showing us his appendectomy scar or holding his beagle up by the ears and claiming the dog liked it?

The last three presidencies have all been a joke in some sense or other, and it’s a pretty sad joke when the presidency goes from a Bush to a seed (think blue dress) to a shrub like W.

Is there any chance that the next one we elect will be any less of a joke? The really sad part is that the joke’s always on us.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. -- M. K. Gandhi

Individually we have little voice. Collectively we cannot be ignored.
But in silence we surrender our power. Yours in Peace -- BR

The reason for going was to keep the crude flowing and raise a false flag abroad. – from a poem by Jack Evans titled 3500 Souls - http://www.myspace.com/paralegal_eagle