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Another Perspective

Apologize for This

What the President should have said.

There has been a lot of chatter about President Obama's "apology tour" in Europe and then in Latin America, the latter being particularly distasteful given the assortment of neo-Marxists and dictators whom he had to endure.

I guess confession is good for the soul. I am still holding out for an apology from the Queen of England for the Irish Potato Famine. I think it would do Her Majesty good.

Yes, there are many things for which all Americans should show remorse. Here are a few of my priorities for some all-American groveling before the rest of the world.

Americans really need to show some abject sorrow and regret for hoola-hoops, Pet Rocks and Veg-a-matic commercials.

Every citizen of every city in the American League should rend their garments for the designated hitter rule. This will, of course, entail explaining the game of baseball to an international audience, which could present some problems, but the purging of our national soul on this most grievous of sins will be well worth the effort.

Every American -- every single one of us -- needs to prostrate him or herself in atonement for soap operas and televised bowling.

Red-blooded fishermen and women need to show some real remorse for televised bass fishing tournaments on Saturday morning TV. On second thought, maybe we all should just apologize for American television, period.

We all need to utter a heartfelt Mea Culpa for Oprah, Dr. Phil, and all purveyors of personal advice even if we never studied Latin in high school or were altar boys before Vatican II.

Hollywood should hang its head in shame, shame I say, every time they produce another sequel to one of their boorish, unimaginative, technology-dependent, shoot-'em-up, blow-'em-up, over-sexualized blockbusters. OK, OK. I will make an exception for the Jason Bourne movies.

The entire American political establishment should exclaim a great big "I AM SORRY" for the Internal Revenue Code, trial lawyers (until you need one), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for frisking grandma at the airport.

By now you are probably getting the hang of this. There is so much out there for which we, the descendants of Pilgrims, huddled masses, pioneers and assorted immigrants and exiles from foreign shores should seek forgiveness. The President may have to schedule a worldwide tour to completely purge the American soul.

Maybe he will get off with just an Our Father, Hail Mary, and a Glory Be.

TAS readers are encouraged to send in their suggestions for the American Penitential Registry today! Let's keep this going and support our President.

About the Author

G. Tracy Mehan, III served at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the administrations of both Presidents Bush. He is a consultant in Arlington, Virginia, and an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (28) | Leave a comment

Sean| 5.11.09 @ 7:43AM

Apologize for this abysmal attempt at humor.

Ned| 5.11.09 @ 9:24AM

We should apologize to all the people who look to America for hope and the possibility of being freed from oppression. We can tell them that we haven't forgotten them, that we have only put them on hold for the next four years. We should warn them, while waiting, instead of elevator music, they will have to listen to President Obama read endless platitudes off of his teleprompter. Hopefully they won’t hang up.

Sean's Nightmare| 5.11.09 @ 9:40AM

How's the Kool Ade, Sean? Tin foil hat on a little too tight? Off your medication? Mommy didn't tuck you in last night? Still suffering from 'brain envy'?

I'd like to smack you in the head with a clue by four and see if it shakes you out of your ignorance. Doubtful.

Appleby| 5.11.09 @ 10:47AM

(1) Apologize for Twitter. A generation that thinks "tweet" is an acceptable substitute for "tell" is truly for the birds. And while you're at it, apologize for a generation turned loose with a spray can that cannot even spell f**k (there's a 'c' in it, nimrod).

(2) Apologize for the fact that the only seven words comedians can now use are the ones George Carlin said they couldn't.

(3) Apologize for all the Greenies that would rather OTHER PEOPLE have parasites, bedbugs, rats and malaria than that anybody use pesticides.
In fact, just apologize for the Greenies.

(4) Apologize for the undeniable truth that after having been liberated since 1865, Black folks have still refused to get their act together; in fact, apologize for the fact that virtually every right White Folks died to procure for them is now considered "acting White" by Black folks.

Ray| 5.11.09 @ 11:02AM

What we REALLY need to apologize for is the terrible blight that American capitalism has brought the world. You know things like TVs, Computers, Radios, Movies, Smoke Detectors, Light Bulbs, Telephones, Cars, Trucks, Airplanes, X-ray Machines, Home Printers, Fiberglass Insulation, Central Air Conditioning, and everything other product we greedily inflict upon the innocent. I mean, really, we'd all be SOOOOO much better if we were living short, labor intensive lives sleeping in wooden shanties, cooking our food over a central fire place, hoping that the nightly candle, oil lamp, or lightning dosn't set off a fire that wipes out our entire city in conflagration. Like was so much better before American capitalism became the dominant financial system in the world today.

Michael L. Hauschild| 5.11.09 @ 11:49AM

Being from Nebraska I feel I should apologize to all conservatives about Chuck Hagel, but then again not nearly as bad as Californians need to make amends for Austrian weightlifters

Ned| 5.11.09 @ 11:56AM

Apologize to the South Koreans for ruining their view of the nighttime stars by introducing them to capitalism and electricity. The lucky folks in the North can easily view the beautiful stars of the dark night as they sleep on the cold ground dreaming of eating a bowl of rice, or anything else for that matter.

John II| 5.11.09 @ 12:04PM

We should apologize to:

--the Cuban people, Palestinian people, Venezuelan people, Nicaraguan people, Iranian people, and God knows how many other people for sucking up to the creeps who control the lives of all those people

--all sensible people all over the world for permitting Hollywood and electing Barack Obama to represent America to those people

Tom | 5.11.09 @ 12:35PM

He could have apologized all he wanted when visiting Europe. All he had to do was visit two places to subtly pay respects to history. Normandy and Auschwitz. But, alas, he cut history class.

Old Texican| 5.11.09 @ 12:37PM

We Americans should apologize to the world that some fifty million of us failed to go to the polls last November, thus saddling the world with a new dark age and the end of pax Americana if we don't stand up and just say NO!

Appleby| 5.11.09 @ 1:03PM

Apologize for the fact that the people who make Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars made more money last year than Chrysler, GM and Ford did. (Thank you, Neil Boortz).

Apologize for Al Franken and all who voted for him.

Apologize for Gary Bettman and for anybody who thought it was a good idea to put a short wannabe American basketball guy in charge of Canadian hockey.

Apologize for Mrs. Obama wearing $540 sneakers when she went to a homeless shelter to serve the homeless with food donated by people she publically sneers at and scorns. And while you're at it, apologize for her sneer that the $600 sent to my parents as stimulus money would be spent on earrings. In fact, they spent it on funeral plots in a Veterans Cemetery, where they will rest because Daddy went to war for her sorry a** Mama.

Apologize for buzzing New York City in your New Ride, just because Rahm Emanuel thought it would be fun to see the white folks scurry out of the tall buildings like cockroaches in his home ghetto.

Tim| 5.11.09 @ 1:21PM

Apologize for the baby boom generation (cue 60's montage and "all Along the Watchtower").

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater| 5.11.09 @ 1:44PM

Apologize for this abysmal attempt at humor. NOW.

Aaron| 5.11.09 @ 2:23PM

The AMC Pacer
Jimmy Carter
Farrah Faucet's televised heroine induced body painting
Jane Fonda
and... Mullets!

political jules| 5.11.09 @ 2:52PM

I appologize for the rude comments by poster Sean aka pumpkin peter eater. I appologize that they had to post it twice when it was not even funny the first time.

I appologize for letting our kids grow up in an ineffective education system that turned them into hateful, narrow minded people with little to no faith in a higher power to help govern their values and morals. Hopefully into their adulthood they will come to respect each other and to respect the sanctity of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Before it is too late.

spacetuna| 5.11.09 @ 5:38PM

I apologize to my boss for wasting time reading cool websites like the American Spectator when I should be working.

ben| 5.11.09 @ 7:26PM

We should apologize for living our lives how we see fit and wanting the freedom for others to do the same, and for not submitting ourselves to the tyranny and oppression much of the rest of the world knows. And then we should apologize for our lack of understanding and compassion for their predicament.

stephanie| 5.12.09 @ 1:06PM

Tell it Appleby. Spot on sir/madam.

ds80| 5.12.09 @ 7:14PM

Here ya go, Barry O. Some more apologies to train your teleprompter with:

(1) the Left apologizes for not aborting more conservatives
(2) the Left apologizes for the 1st Amendment, especially AM radio
(3) the Left apologizes that the Republicans ended slavery
(4) the Left apologizes for having to tolerate religion, especially Judaism and Christianity

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