This piece was credited to Jay Leno but that is an error. The very last line was his. The rest was someone else.


Origins: In September 2005, the U.S. was still reeling from the physical, emotional, and political fallout of Hurricane Katrina (and several other recent severe storms), and national debate was ongoing about the Pledge of Allegiance and the appropriateness of its reference to the U.S. as one nation "under God." That month, comedian Jay Leno riffed on the emotional climate of America in one of his Tonight Show opening monologues:
As you know Hurricane Rita is headed toward Florida, Texas and Louisiana. Another hurricane! It's like the ninth hurricane this season. Maybe this is not a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance.
A year later, Craig R. Smith penned the above-reproduced essay exhorting Americans to focus on the positive aspects of their country rather than the bad events that typically comprise our daily news fodder. By March 2007 the original had been altered through multiple e-mail forwards, with the closing paragraphs (which quoted B.C. Forbes) removed and a paraphrase of Jay Leno's joke (with misplaced quotation marks) appended to the end, creating the mistaken impression that the talk show host was the author of the entire piece (as evidenced by its new opening line, "Jay Leno hits the nail on the head ..."). However, only the last sentence originated with the lantern-jawed comedian; the rest is the work of someone else.

Last updated: 29 April 2007

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/hitnail.asp

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2007
by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
Sources Sources:

Smith, Craig. R. "Made in the USA: Spoiled Brats."
WorldNetDaily. 20 November 2006.

WorldNetDaily. "WND Column Tied to Jay Leno Now Hot Urban Legend."
29 April 2007.
Still a good thought!

"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 2/3s 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, 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?"



Please keep this in circulation. There are so many people that need to
read this and grasp the truth of it all


America - Home of the free, because of the brave!

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