Kerry's Joke, Funny or Not.....

Sure, Kerry goofed in terms of political gamesmanship (what's new?) but... Kerry is, like it or not, an intellectual. He tends to out-think himself and the audience he is attempting to woo. Kerry was telling a JOKE that proved to be too intellectual (with too fine of a distinction) for our dumbed-down Americans to get at the level he intended them to "get it." He was referring to George W. Bush who is self-admittedly not intellectually curious and whose transcripts show he was not the brightest of students (even though he had the winds of academic prestige at his back). As a rule Americans, in recent decades, detest really "smart" people. Smart, ain't cool ya see. The truly cruel joke is on those who actually "try" very hard in life and "throughout life" to better understand their world and the many perspectives the world offers to those willing to learn. Often, their reward is contempt and mistrust from those who don't quite follow the results of the perpetual student's concerted efforts to better understand a specific part of life or life in general.


...but more important than the "botched joke" is that Kerry touched on a truth (a nerve) we Americans have long swept under the lumpy rug of denial or are too dumb and/or stubborn to accept. Let me prepare everyone for what I am about to say. You will notice I don't use the terms "all" or "none" or "every." I use terms like "most" and "many." There are exceptions to what I say and many of them but.... the overwhelming number of those who join our military forces are NOT well educated. I challenge to anyone to prove this statement wrong. In recent weeks the Army lowered an already low educational and citizenship entry bar to military service. it's a fact folks.

Historically, many recruits barely made it through high school. Many sign up before ever graduating high school. Many choose the armed services over jail. Many are poor and see themselves doomed to a life as a second-class citizen and see the military as their only option (a last chance) to defy poverty and social injustices. These facts do not mean these young folks are necessarily dumb. Hardly. These facts do mean the recruits I described are not well educated. These facts mean we Americans are dumb if we keep pretending we are sending waves of rocket scientists and/or war heroes destined to be immortalized in bronze statues. Most Americans are content to send mostly poorly educated kids to magically morph into men and women "over there" while fighting wars that our leaders claim will keep those of us who stay home nice and comfy "over here." It is easy to see why so many keep cheering the underprivileged youth of this nation to go fight "over there." I find this the cruelest joke of all and it is on those kids we call soldiers.

A nation that can not or will not face irrefutable facts, i.e., truth is doomed to fail as a nation.

Kerry's JOKE did not offend me or our troops. The truth associated with the joke, on the other hand, offends me and should offend our troops, in that, most well-financed and well-educated young Americans feel (and they won't admit this) they are too damned good and important to "waste" their time, maybe a limb or two (like the Republican swift-boated Max Cleland) or maybe their privileged life in some god-forsaken place like Iraq.

Perhaps an intellect like John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, should stop trying to charm his way to the presidency. Kerry, sadly, lacks charm. But does Kerry's unfortunate lack of charisma make him mean or anywhere near as mean-spirited as those who "swift-boated" his service during his bid for the presidency?

Until the U.S. citizenry, i.e., electorate, matures and educates itself to a level that permits issues and not jokes (funny or not) to sway their votes and shape their politics we are doomed to have snake-charmers on our school boards, in our city councils, and in every other den of governance all the way to the White House.

More and more we elect actors. Think about that! Actors! As if politicians are not well-trained enough to lie to us we elect actors! Many Americans don't want disturbing truths to come from their politicians. They want to be comforted and entertained. "Tell me what I want to hear," is far too pervasively the American voter's plea.

We elect heroes like the "The Terminator" and "The Gipper" to save the day. George W. Bush, with Karl Rove's expertise guiding him, actually pretends to be an actor. He smiles and tells the American people exactly what everyone would like hear. Iraq is a threat to you BUT TRUST ME, I WILL SAVE YOU!" "Iraqi will welcome us with open arms, TRUST ME!" "Mission Accomplished!" "We are winning in Iraq...!" he smirks with that charming Texas grin. We are winning the War on Terror!" Whoa, whoa, whoa... ughmmm.... OSAMA?

Reality seems not to matter to the American people. Just keep telling us warm fuzzy things.

So who do we elect next? Harrison Ford (he played a president!)? Robin Williams?

If not actors, we elect silver-spooned, silver-tongued personalities to smile and nod and to make us feel all good inside.

America the Adolescent! It is high time we grow up!

Folks, unlike Kerry, I offer no apology if my comments seem a bit stuffy, academic, or aloof... for they are anything but. They are simple, easily verified facts. Don't waste your time trying to refute what I have said. On second thought... maybe the research would do ya good! Hmmm?

Our troops are what they are just as I am what I am and you are what you are. Glorification of any human being is, inherently, a distortion of the facts about that one. You know it. I know it.

The grand-daddy of all jokes is to deny the truth. Simply wanting the truth to be this or that does nothing to change reality.

Does anything I have said offend you or our troops? Only if the truth offends you should you feel offended. Friends, the truth offends and insults me and my beliefs often. I don't always get it right but I have learned to welcome the discomfort of being wrong... and being right. I chose truth, any day, over being right or being misled or feeling good in error.

The truth sometimes hurts but the cancer of denial eats away one's being and a nation's collective soul, often in the painless bliss of ignorance.