Americans are dumber than posts
by Benjamin Roberts, 2006

In the international war of words you might be led to believe that it was a citizen from one of the many nations displeased with America, or one of its long-standing detractors that uttered these words. You know, like maybe a French citizen on the European continent, upset with our reckless unilateralism. Possibly an Iranian, Syrian, or Palestinian citizen in the Middle East distraught with our overt heavyhandedness and partiality. Or maybe a North Korean citizen in Asia, reacting to our jingoistic threats. Think so? Then think again.

The setting was the checkout line at my local grocery store. Behind me in the line was a middle aged, fairly well dressed white male. He appeared to be a decent and upstanding citizen. He was an American. Our eyes were both directed at the headline on one of those incredible news magazines that adorn the checkout stand begging for our attention. You know, the ones with headlines like 'Bush Abducted By Aliens, and 'Theresa Heinz-Kerry Slimed By Aliens With Ketchup.' Really, the latter was an actual headline in one of these papers. This particular one, complete with photos of Bush and Kerry, screamed 'November Elections Canceled!'

The man rolled his eyes and looked at me as if to say, 'God give me strength.' I inquired of him as to who he thought actually read such drivel. Here is his full response. 'You'd be surprised. We have so many ignoramuses in this country. Americans are dumber than posts. You know, I would like the job of being a writer for a newspaper like this. I could get to use my imagination to convince them of anything.' I smiled conspiratorially, paid the cashier as I grabbed my bags and headed for the door, shuddering on my way out.

What's with the shuddering, you ask? Okay I give. Here's my confession. I experienced a sinking feeling when the man said that Americans were dumber than posts, because my mind immediately went to the upcoming November elections. I reasoned that if Americans were dumber than posts, as this man assured me, and were charged with making the most crucial electoral choice in decades, as to which direction their country and the world is headed, then we most certainly have major problems on our hands. Hence we must wrestle with the question as to whether or not Americans are dumber than posts.

Let's take a look at George W. Bush, the man who occupies the White House, and wants us to extend his lease come November. Does he think Americans are dumber than posts? Well, we often hear it said that Bush is an embarrassing dumb buffoon, who is not very smart. Then what does that make us if this man was able to convince or con us into putting him into office to oversee our affairs? Because, let's face it, the 2000 presidential vote had this nation roughly evenly split, as far as votes tallied. This same man, according to polls, had 75% of Americans believing that Iraq and its leader, was responsible for our September 11 disaster, though there was no evidence to support this. This man dragged us into war by telling us that such action was needed to squelch terrorism, remove what turned out to be non existent doomsday weapons of mass destruction that could annihilate us, and guarantee that peace would break out in the Middle East. No such thing has happened.

This man saluted us and declared 'Mission Accomplished!' In the aftermath of this assurance more than a thousand souls, produced from this land, have departed in the battleground of Iraq, and we can only guess at the number lost from that country. This man told us that he is a great Commander In Chief who served his country patriotically as a Guardsman, while claiming that his opponent is unsuited for that role. This is notwithstanding the fact that he is unable to show that he served, and eyewitnesses insist on never having seen him, whilst his opponent led his fellow Americans in battle, saw them die, and saved them from the jaws of death in a hellish war far from home. Now that same man is telling us that he has done a good job of making our lives better leading this country in the last four years, and will do an even better job if we reinstall him. Are Americans dumber than posts? And if not, is there reason for George Bush to thinks so? I'm really wrestling with this one, but I think we have a winner. And it is:

Americans are not dumber than posts, though sometimes their actions can leave us to wonder. At the recent Democratic Convention in Boston there were four protesters arrested, whilst at the Republican Convention in New York there were in excess of eighteen hundred arrests for protest. In no way can this mean that Democratic supporters are more radical than Republicans. Americans are smart, on to something, and know when they are being sold snake oil. Americans are not dumber than posts when our courts stop Bush and his crew in their tracks and disallow them from holding Americans indefinitely and incommunicado under the guise of national security, and rule that this nation has to allow foreign detainees to have legal representation. Both decisions hallmarks on which this nation's Constitution stands. Americans are not dumber than posts, because the last time Bush and his crew did their song and dance of raising the terror alert, and holding a press conference to warn us of diabolical terrorists on the loose and out to do us bodily harm, John Q Public gave a collective yawn and did not buy it. There is one more thing Americans need to do in proving they are not dumber than posts. Come November they need to select a real President.

Ben is a newsletter editor, freelance writer and published author. He is the author of numerous Internet published articles. His action adventure novel, Jackals of Samarra, can be found at www.iUniverse.com, and at all the major Internet book outlet sites. Ben can be contacted by email at: grandt730@aol.com