April 12th, 2007

Where Have All The Leaders Gone?

Lee Iacocca has a new book out called Where Have All The Leaders Gone?. I read the following excerpt today, which made me jump for freaking joy.

Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, “Stay the course.”

Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I’ll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don’t need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we’re fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That’s not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I’ve had enough. How about you?

I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have.

My friends tell me to calm down. They say, “Lee, you’re eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people.” I’d love to—as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I’m going to speak up because it’s my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I’ll tell you how I see it, and it’s not pretty, but at least it’s real. I’m hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don’t vote because they don’t trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.

I’m so buying his book.

3 Responses to “Where Have All The Leaders Gone?”

  1. Kelly Winterton
    April 12, 2007 at 8:51 pm #

    I read that excerpt yesterday also. I liked it so much that I saved it to my hard drive.

  2. Dr. Louis Nitti Jr.
    April 23, 2007 at 7:51 pm #

    A fantastic excerpt. Yes, it is an unconscionable crime why people allow this ding bat Bush to get away with murder, literally. My question: why is the media so passive and wimpy about all of this. There should be a 7 page, full page series similar to the corruption story, but NoooOOOO! NOT THE newspapers. I mailed a copy of this to as many as I could with the question
    ANBODY HOME??? ANYONE WITH A HALF OUNCE
    OF GUTS STILL LEFT ????
    Dr. Lou Nitti Jr.

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  1. Top of the Mountains » Blog Archive » Where have all the leaders gone? - April 13, 2007

    […] night Connor posted an excerpt from Lee Iacocca’s new book Where Have All the Leaders Gone?. I really […]

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