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>>
this is a bit long but well worth the time of every person who lives and works in AMERICA!
>> Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from
>> its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where
>> Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
>>
>> Lee Iacocca Says:
>>
>> '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 all 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 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 the '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. The
>> Biggest 'C' is Crisis ! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of
>> leadership, with crisis being the first.)
>>
>> Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of
>> crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and
>> talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've
>> never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when
>> your world comes tumbling down.
>>
>> On September 11, 2001 , we needed a strong leader more than any
>> other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out
>> of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
>>
>> We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan
>> for leaving.
>>
>> We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.
>>
>> We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great
>> companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
>>
>> Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent
>> energy policy. Our schools are in trouble.
>>
>> Our borders are like sieves.
>>
>> The middle class is being squeezed every which way.
>>
>>
>> These are times that cry out for leadership.
>>
>> But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the
>> leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators?
>> Where are the people of character, courage, conviction,
>> omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration,
>> but I think you get the point.
>>
>> Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than
>> making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
>>
>> We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy,
>> and all we know how to do is react to things that have already
>> happened.
>>
>> Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane
>> Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the
>> response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the
>> decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
>>
>> Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't
>> happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it.
>> Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
>>
>> Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we
>> can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have
>> believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three'
>> referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more
>> important, what are we going to do about it?
>>
>>
>> Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying
>> down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the
>> health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the
>> crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle
>> class dry.
>>
>>
>> I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on
>> your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is
>> being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity.
>> What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on CNN will
>> call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some
>> spine for a change?
>>
>> Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom
>> here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have
>> hope - I believe in America . In my lifetime, I've had the
>> privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments.
>> I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great
>> Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy
>> Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the
>> struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
>>
>> If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by
>> standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action.
>> Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for
>> our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm
>> raising in this book. It's a "Call to Action" for people who, like
>> me, believe in America'. It's not too late, but it's getting
>> pretty close. So let' s shake off the crap and go to work. Let's
>> tell 'em all we've had enough.
>>
>> Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and
>> care about.. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our
>> future is at stake!!
this is a bit long but well worth the time of every person who lives and works in AMERICA!
>> Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from
>> its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where
>> Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
>>
>> Lee Iacocca Says:
>>
>> '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 all 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 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 the '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. The
>> Biggest 'C' is Crisis ! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of
>> leadership, with crisis being the first.)
>>
>> Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of
>> crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and
>> talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've
>> never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when
>> your world comes tumbling down.
>>
>> On September 11, 2001 , we needed a strong leader more than any
>> other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out
>> of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
>>
>> We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan
>> for leaving.
>>
>> We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.
>>
>> We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great
>> companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
>>
>> Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent
>> energy policy. Our schools are in trouble.
>>
>> Our borders are like sieves.
>>
>> The middle class is being squeezed every which way.
>>
>>
>> These are times that cry out for leadership.
>>
>> But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the
>> leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators?
>> Where are the people of character, courage, conviction,
>> omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration,
>> but I think you get the point.
>>
>> Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than
>> making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
>>
>> We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy,
>> and all we know how to do is react to things that have already
>> happened.
>>
>> Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane
>> Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the
>> response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the
>> decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
>>
>> Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't
>> happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it.
>> Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
>>
>> Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we
>> can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have
>> believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three'
>> referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more
>> important, what are we going to do about it?
>>
>>
>> Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying
>> down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the
>> health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the
>> crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle
>> class dry.
>>
>>
>> I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on
>> your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is
>> being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity.
>> What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on CNN will
>> call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some
>> spine for a change?
>>
>> Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom
>> here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have
>> hope - I believe in America . In my lifetime, I've had the
>> privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments.
>> I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great
>> Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy
>> Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the
>> struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
>>
>> If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by
>> standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action.
>> Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for
>> our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm
>> raising in this book. It's a "Call to Action" for people who, like
>> me, believe in America'. It's not too late, but it's getting
>> pretty close. So let' s shake off the crap and go to work. Let's
>> tell 'em all we've had enough.
>>
>> Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and
>> care about.. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our
>> future is at stake!!