Who’s Smarter?
by Cindy Osborne
The Hollywood group is at it again. Holding anti-war rallies, screaming
about the Bush Administration, running ads in major newspapers, defaming
the President and his Cabinet every chance they get, to
anyone and everyone who will listen. They publicly defile them and call
them names like "stupid" , "morons", and "idiots". Jessica Lange
went so far as to tell a crowd in Spain that she hates President Bush
and is embarrassed to be an American.
So, just how ignorant are these people who are running the country?
Let's look at the biographies of these "stupid", "ignorant" , "moronic"
leaders, and then at the celebrities who are castigating them:
President George W. Bush:
Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale
University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as an
F-102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard. He began his career
in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy
industry until 1986. He was elected Governor on November 8, 1994, with
53.5 percent of the vote. In a historic re-election victory, he
became the first Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year
terms on November 3, 1998 winning 68.6 percent of the vote. In 1998
Governor Bush won 49 percent of the Hispanic vote, 27 percent
of the African-American vote, 27 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of
women. He won more Texas counties, 240 of 254, than any modern
Republican other that Richard Nixon in 1972 and is the first
Republican gubernatorial candidate to win the heavily Hispanic and
Democratic border counties of El Paso, Cameron and Hidalgo. (Someone
began circulating a false story about his I.Q. being lower than any
other President. If you believed it, you might want to go to
URBANLEGENDS.COM and see the truth.)
Vice President Dick Cheney:
Earned a B.A. in 1965 and a M.A. in 1966,
both in political science. Two years later, he won an American Political
Science Association congressional fellowship. One of Vice
President Cheney's primary duties is to share with individuals, members
of Congress and foreign leaders, President Bush's vision to strengthen
our economy, secure our homeland and win the War on
Terrorism. In his official role as President of the Senate, Vice
President Cheney regularly goes to Capital Hill to meet with Senators
and members of the House of Representatives to work on the
Administration's legislative goals. In his travels as Vice President, he
has seen first hand the great demands the war on terrorism is placing on
the men and women of our military, and he is proud of the
tremendous job they are doing for the United States of America.
Secretary of State Colin Powell:
Was educated in the New York City public
schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he
earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology. He also
participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second
lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958. His further academic
achievements include a Master of Business Administration Degree
from George Washington University. Secretary Powell is the recipient of
numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and decorations. Secretary
Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of
Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal,
the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of
Energy Distinguished Service Medal. Several schools and
other institutions have been named in his honor and he holds honorary
degrees from universities and colleges across the country.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:
Attended Princeton University on
Scholarship (AB, 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval
aviator ; Congressional Assistant to Rep. Robert Griffin
(R-MI), 1957-59; U.S. Representative, Illinois, 1962-69; Assistant to
the President, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Director
of the Cost of Living Council, 1969-74; U.S. Ambassador to
NATO, 1973-74; head of Presidential Transition Team, 1974; Assistant to
the President, Director of White House Office of Operations, White House
Chief of Staff, 1974-77; Secretary of Defense, 1975-77
Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge:
Was raised in a working class
family in veterans' public housing in Erie. He earned a scholarship to
Harvard, graduating with honors in 1967. After his first year
at The Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where
he served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze
Star for Valor. After returning to Pennsylvania, he earned
his Law Degree and was in private practice before becoming Assistant
District Attorney in Erie County. He was elected to Congress in 1982. He
was the first enlisted Vietnam combat veteran elected to the
U.S. House, and was overwhelmingly re-elected six times.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice:
Earned her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa,
from the University of Denver in 1974; her Master's from
the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies
at the University of Denver in 1981.
(Note: Rice enrolled at the University of Denver at the age of 15,
graduating at 19 with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science (Cum
Laude). She earned a Master's Degree at the University of Notre
Dame and a Doctorate from the University of Denver's Graduate School of
International Studies. Both of her advanced degrees are also in
Political Science.)
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has
been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Morehouse College in 1991, the
University of Alabama in 1994, and the University of
Notre Dame in 1995. At Stanford, she has been a member of the Center for
International Security and Arms Control, a Senior Fellow of the
Institute for International Studies, and a Fellow (by courtesy) of the
Hoover Institution. Her books include Germany Unified and Europe
Transformed (1995) with Philip Zelikow, The Gorbachev Era (1986) with
Alexander Dallin, and Uncertain Allegiance: The Soviet Union and
the Czechoslovak Army (1984). She also has written numerous articles on
Soviet and East European foreign and defense policy, and has addressed
audiences in settings ranging from the U.S. Ambassador's
Residence in Moscow to the Commonwealth Club to the 1992 and 2000
Republican National Conventions. From 1989 through March 1991, the
period of German reunification and the final days of the Soviet
Union, she served in the Bush Administration as Director, and then
Senior Director, of Soviet and East European Affairs in the National
Security Council, and a Special Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs. In 1986, while an international affairs fellow of the
Council on Foreign Relations, she served as Special Assistant to the
Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1997, she served on the
Federal Advisory Committee on Gender -- Integrated Training in the
Military. She was a member of the boards of directors for the Chevron
Corporation, the Charles Schwab Corporation, the William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, the
International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan and the San Francisco
Symphony Board of Governors. She was a Founding Board member of the
Center for a New Generation, an educational support fund for schools in
East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park, California and was Vice President of
the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula. In addition, her
past board service has encompassed such organizations as Transamerica
Corporation, Hewlett Packard, the Carnegie Corporation, Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, The Rand Corporation, the
National Council for Soviet and East European Studies, the Mid-Peninsula
Urban Coalition and KQED, public broadcasting for San Francisco. Born
November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama, she earned
her bachelor's degree in political science, cum laude and Phi Beta
Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974; her Master's from the
University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate
School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981. She
is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been
awarded Honorary Doctorates from Morehouse College in
1991, the University of Alabama in 1994, and the University of Notre
Dame in 1995. She resides in Washington, D.C.
So who are these celebrities? What is their education? What is their
experience in affairs of State or in National Security? While I will
defend to the death their right to express their opinions, I think that
if they are going to call into question the intelligence of our leaders, we
should also have all the facts on their educations and background:
Barbra Streisand : Completed high school
Career: Singing and acting
Cher: Dropped out of school in 9th grade.
Career: Singing and acting
Martin Sheen Flunked exam to enter University of Dayton.
Career: Acting
Jessica Lange Dropped out college mid-freshman year.
Career: Acting
Alec Baldwin Dropped out of George Washington U. after scandal
Career: Acting
Julia Roberts Completed high school
Career: Acting
Sean Penn Completed High school
Career: Acting
Susan Sarandon Degree in Drama from Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C.
Career: Acting
Ed Asner Completed High school
Career: Acting
George Clooney Dropped out of University of Kentucky
Career: Acting
Michael Moore Dropped out first year University of Michigan.
Career: Movie Director
Sarah Jessica Parker: Completed High School
Career: Acting
Jennifer Anniston: Completed High School
Career: Acting
Mike Farrell Completed High school
Career: Acting
Janeane Garofelo Dropped out of College.
Career: Stand up comedienne
Larry Hagman Attended Bard College for one year.
Career: Acting
While comparing the education and experience of these two groups, we
should also remember that President Bush and his cabinet are briefed
daily, even hourly, on the War on Terror and threats to our
security. They are privy to information gathered around the world
concerning the Middle East, the threats to America, the intentions of
terrorists and terrorist-supporting governments. They are in constant
communication with the CIA, the FBI, Interpol, NATO, The United Nations,
our own military, and that of our allies around the world. We cannot
simply believe that we have full knowledge of the threats
because we watch CNN!! We cannot believe that we are in any way as
informed as our leaders.
These celebrities have no intelligence-gathering agents, no fact-finding
groups, no insight into the minds of those who would destroy our
country. They only have a deep seated hatred for all things
Republican. By nature, and no one knows quite why, the Hollywood
elitists detest Conservative views and anything that supports or uplifts
the United States of America. The silence was deafening from the
Left when Bill Clinton bombed a pharmaceutical factory outside of
Khartoum, or when he attacked the Bosnian Serbs in 1995 and 1999. He
bombed Serbia itself to get Slobodan Milosevic out of Kosovo, and
not a single peace rally was held. When our Rangers were ambushed in
Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was heard from
Hollywood. Yet now, after our nation has been attacked
on its own soil, after 3,000 Americans were killed by freedom-hating
terrorists while going about their routine lives, they want to hold
rallies against the war. Why the change? Because an honest,
God-fearing Republican sits in the White House.
Another irony is that in 1987, when Ronald Reagan was in office, the
Hollywood group aligned themselves with disarmament groups like SANE,
FREEZE and PEACE ACTION, urging our own government
to disarm and freeze the manufacturing of any further nuclear weapons,
in order to promote world peace. It is curious that now, even after we
have heard all the evidence that Saddam Hussein has chemical,
biological and is very close to obtaining nuclear weapons, their is no
cry from this group for HIM to disarm. They believe we should leave
him alone in his quest for these weapons of mass destruction, even
though it is certain that these deadly weapons will eventually be used
against us in our own cities.
So why the hype out of Hollywood? Could these celebrities believe that
since they draw such astronomical salaries, they are entitled to also
determine the course of our Nation? That they can make viable
decisions concerning war and peace? Did Michael Moore have the backing
of the Nation when he recently thanked France, on our behalf, for being
a "good enough friend to tell us we were wrong"? I
know for certain he was not speaking for me. Does Sean Penn fancy
himself a Diplomat, in going to Iraq when we are just weeks away from
war? Does he believe that his High School Diploma gives him
the knowledge (and the right) to go to a country that is controlled by a
maniacal dictator, and speak on behalf of the American people? Or is it
the fact that he pulls in more money per year than the average
American worker will see in a lifetime? Does his bank account give him
clout?
The ultimate irony is that many of these celebrities have made a
shambles of their own lives, with drug abuse, alcoholism, numerous
marriages and divorces, scrapes with the law, publicized temper
tantrums,
etc. How dare they pretend to know what is best for an entire
nation! What is even more bizarre is how many people in this country
will listen and accept their views, simply because they liked them in a
certain movie, or have fond memories of an old television sitcom!
It is time for us, as citizens of the United States, to educate
ourselves about the world around us. If future generations are going to
enjoy the freedoms that our forefathers bequeathed us, if they are ever
to
know peace in their own country and their world, to live without fear of
terrorism striking in their own cities, we must assure that this nation
remains strong. We must make certain that those who would
destroy us are made aware of the severe consequences that will befall
them.
Yes, it is a wonderful dream to sit down with dictators and terrorists
and join hands, singing Cumbaya and talking of world peace. But it is
not real. We did not stop Adolf Hitler from taking over the entire
continent of Europe by simply talking to him. We sent our best and
brightest, with the strength and determination that this Country is
known for, and defeated the Nazi regime. President John F. Kennedy
did not stop the Soviet ships from unloading their nuclear missiles in
Cuba in 1962 with mere words. He stopped them with action, and threat of
immediate war if the ships did not turn around. We did not
end the Cold War with conferences. It ended with the strong belief of
President Ronald Reagan... PEACE through STRENGTH. |
