"Pop" culture and the libs on the left...

Well, here goes. Certain unnamed people have trusted me to writing a story, and best I can tell they're either NUTS or I don't do that bad of a job. I’ve decided to jump on my proverbial soapbox. For those of you who know me, you know that one thing I love to do is complain, and vent… A LOT! Recently a friend and I had a fairly long dialog resulting from the following lyrics from System Of A Down, and their latest song “B.Y.O.B.” The refrain of the song repeats the following:

"Why don’t Presidents fight the war?
Why do they always send the poor?"

Next to the obvious statement “Last I checked people are signing up to fight for our rights”, I pointed out that those same “ poor who are going off to fight the war” are the reason these buffoons can spew their idiotic rhetoric in the first place. A few days had passed, and another situation was brought to my attention. This time Indra Nooyi, the CFO of Pepsico (yes, the makers of Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Quaker, and GatorAide) decided to take the following un-grateful stab at the country and it’s citizens, which last I checked included Indra. The following is a quote from one of her recent speeches.

"To begin, I’d like you to consider your hand. That’s right ... your hand. Other than the fact that mine desperately needs a manicure, it’s a pretty typical hand. But, what I want you to notice, in particular, is that the five fingers are not the same. One is short and thick, one tiny, and the other three are different as well. And yet, as in perhaps no other part of our bodies, the fingers work in harmony without us even thinking about them individually. Whether we attempt to grasp a dime on a slick, marble surface, a child’s arm as we cross the street, or a financial report, we don’t consciously say, “OK, move these fingers here, raise this one, turn this one under, now clamp together. Got it!” We just think about what we want to do and it happens. Our fingers – as different as they are – coexist to create a critically important whole. This unique way of looking at my hand was just one result of hot, summer evenings in my childhood home in Madras, India. My mother, sister, and I would sit at our kitchen table and – for lack of a better phrase – think big thoughts. One of those thoughts was this difference in our fingers and how, despite their differences, they worked together to create a wonderful tool.
As I grew up and started to study geography, I remember being told that the five fingers can be thought of as the five major continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Now, let me issue a profound apology to both Australia and Antarctica. I bear neither of these continents any ill will. It’s just that we humans have only five fingers on each hand, so my analogy doesn’t work with seven continents. Clearly, the point of my story is more important that geographical accuracy!
First, let’s consider our little finger. Think of this finger as Africa. Africa is the little finger not because of Africa’s size, but because of its place on the world’s stage. From an economic standpoint, Africa has yet to catch up with her sister continents. And yet, when our little finger hurts, it affects the whole hand.
Our thumb is Asia: strong, powerful, and ready to assert herself as a major player on the world’s economic stage.
Our index, or pointer finger, is Europe. Europe is the cradle of democracy and pointed the way for western civilization and the laws we use in conducting global business.
The ring finger is South America, including Latin America. Is this appropriate, or what? The ring finger symbolizes love and commitment to another person. Both Latin and South America are hot, passionate, and filled with the sensuous beats of the mambo, samba, and tango: three dances that – if done right – can almost guarantee you and your partner will be buying furniture together.
This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg-up in global business since the end of World War I.
However, if used inappropriately –just like the U.S. itself -- the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I’m talking about. In fact, I suspect you’re hoping that I’ll demonstrate what I mean. And trust me, I’m not looking for volunteers to model.
Discretion being the better part of valor ... I think I’ll pass.
What is most crucial to my analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents is that each of us in the U.S. – the long middle finger – must be careful that when we extend our arm in either a business or political sense, we take pains to assure we are giving a hand ... not the finger. Sometimes this is very difficult. Because the U.S. – the middle finger – sticks out so much, we can send the wrong message unintentionally.
Unfortunately, I think this is how the rest of the world looks at the U.S. right now. Not as part of the hand – giving strength and purpose to the rest of the fingers – but, instead, scratching our nose and sending a far different signal."

With these things being said, here is my question. Where, in the freest land in the world, do you get off making such statements, and then not leaving the country? Is it just me or does it seem like these people are coming to the Land Of The Free And The Home Of The Brave JUST to make a quick buck? What would happen to these people if they were to try similar in their home countries. Finally why are we, as Americans, supporting people like this, by supporting what they do, and the companies that they work for? My hope is that in reading this article you understand that we need to look at ourselves, and what we support. We need to be accountable for whose pockets we are putting money into, and the organizations that those people support. I welcome any and all ideas or comments on this article, and encourage you to look at what you support on a daily basis.