Frehya
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 2398
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 Posted: 02/19/05 - 02:46 Post subject: Johnny Carson on Democracy
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The most common descriptive word applied to the late Johnny Carson is
"comedian". I prefer "wit", which implies more thinking, more
intelligence.
Indeed, upon his retirement, when President George H.W. Bush awarded
Johnny
the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the country's highest civilian honor),
the citation Bush uttered was, "With decency and style he's made America
laugh and think." Not just laugh: laugh and think.
There is no better example of this than a longer 1991 piece Johnny
delivered on The Tonight Show with the band playing "The Battle Hymn of
the
Republic" in the background. The Berlin Wall had fallen two years before,
and now the Soviet Union was coming unglued.
"What Democracy Means to Me" by Johnny Carson
To me, democracy means placing trust in the little guy, giving the fruits
of nationhood to those who built the nation. Democracy means anyone can
grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice
president.
Democracy is people of all races, colors, and creeds united by a single
dream: to get rich and move to the suburbs away from people of all races,
colors, and creeds. Democracy is having time set aside to worship -- 18
years if you're Jim Bakker.
Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't have
to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike communism, democracy
does
not mean having just one ineffective political party; it means having two
ineffective political parties.
Democracy means freedom of **** choice between any two consenting
adults;
> Utopia means freedom of choice between three or more consenting adults.
But
I digress.
Democracy is welcoming people from other lands, and giving them
something to hold onto -- usually a mop or a leaf blower. It means that
with proper timing and scrupulous bookkeeping, anyone can die owing the
government a huge amount of money.
Democracy means a thriving heartland with rolling fields of Alfalfa,
Buckwheat, Spanky, and Wheezer. Democracy means our elected officials bow
to the will of the people, but more often they bow to the big butts of
campaign contributors.
Yes, democracy means fighting every day for what you deserve, and fighting
even harder to keep other weaker people from getting what they deserve.
Democracy means never having the Secret Police show up at your door. Of
course, it also means never having the cable guy show up at your door.
It's
a tradeoff. Democracy means free television. Not good television, but
free.
Democracy is being able to pick up the phone and, within a minute, be
talking to anyone in the country, and, within two minutes, be interrupted
by call waiting.
Democracy means no taxation without representation, and god knows, we've
just about had the hell represented out of us. It means the freedom to
bear
arms so you can blow the "o" out of any rural stop sign you want.
And finally, democracy is the eagle on the back of a dollar bill, with 13
arrows in one claw, 13 leaves on a branch, 13 tail feathers, and 13 stars
over its head. This signifies that when the white man came to this
country,
it was bad luck for the Indians, bad luck for the trees, bad luck for the
wildlife, and lights out for the American eagle.
I thank you.
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