Could someone explain to me why I am supposed to be proud to be an American when a large percentage of citizens (including Democrats) cannot name even one of the nine Democratic candidates for president? We are bombarded by news reports, both print and electronic, about the primaries, yet a vast majority of people do not know who the candidates are.

At least half, possibly more, Americans believe that Saddam Hussein was behind the attacks of September 11, despite the fact that there is no known connection, and the fact that we are certain that Osama Bin Laden masterminded the horrible events. But such sentiments are fueled not only by the White House, but by such idiotic and offensive lyrics as David Worley's "And we vowed to get the ones behind Bin Laden, Have you forgotten?" No, David, we haven't forgotten. This will come as a great shock to you, I know, but some of us believe you can be outraged and get the facts right at the same time.

The latest polls show that Americans believe the current president is doing a good job with the economy. Obviously, they are too busy to notice that jobs are rushing out the door to China and India, schools are being shut down all over America, every state is making drastic budget cuts, and we made an $87 billion deposit on the gigantic cost of re-building a country we blew up.

A great number of Americans also believe that the president is the standard bearer for morality. What a strange concept Americans have of morality, since our chief executive has lied--and lied big--about every issue in his administration: energy, the environment, education, Medicare, public health, and the Iraq war. But Americans had already estabished that they didn't mind constant deception. After all, Bush committed insider trading, was a National Guard deserter, and continually lied to the people of Texas when he was governor of that state.

Now we have Patriot II, and every day, more and more civil liberties are going down the drain. People are held in prisons for months without the benefit of legal representation, and without being charged with crimes, a scenario right out of Through the Looking Glass. This White House even has people arrested (and in some cases, abused) for exercising peaceful demonstrations in the chief executive's presence. But that's okay, too: A shocking number of Americans believe that the Bill of Rights goes too far.