I suppose that if you watched the State of the Union address, this post could be titled "Poopie's Response." Don't confuse that with the Democratic rebuttal. I'm a non-partisan smartass.

I was a bit uplifted by a statement of purpose for the exit strategy from that whole mess in the Middle East that is Dubya's legacy. He wants to lay out a bunch more troops to secure Baghdad. This is a positive step, in my humble opinion, as we have moved several steps back from the delusions of grandeur that were "winning the war on terror." That particular fight will never be won until we choose to ignore the greedy side of human nature and un-do the damage that got done in the Garden of Eden when old Mr Snake made his debut.

Had I been in charge of the country on September 12, 2001 this would have been my challenge to the American people:

Trade in that gas guzzler for something smaller and more fuel efficient like your feet or a bike if you're within a mile or two of your destination. Make your next vehicle a hybrid and don't trade it in just because the neighbors have something classier.

Homeland security is just what it sounds like, and that doesn't involve going TO the enemy. It consists of taking care of the tax paying citizens of a country who have watched the rise and fall of a big government that is living high on the hog and protecting their own financial interests while the middle class pays the bill for their easy life.

Seriously consider what your God given talents are and use them accordingly to help thy neighbor. I would be inclined to pay attention to the least of these like Katrina veterans who are still struggling to survive that natural disaster which, by the way, was completely avoidable had the money been spent the way it was meant to be on the levees. Oops!

The healthcare delivery system in this country is so totally screwed up it's not even funny. I had the pleasure of working with a married couple from Canada who came down here to make a little money because times were hard for doctors and nurses up there in the land of equal access to good medical care. The paradox is that they focus much more heavily on healing or dying with dignity than on invasive procedures and grandstanding that pump up the bottom line of a big ass company. They went back home, by the way.

Education has gotten totally out of hand. Instead of teaching someone how to fish, we reward our schools for cutting vocational courses. Some folks just won't have the means to go to college y'all. Does that mean they don't deserve a chance to learn how to make a living? There are more degrees in this country than you can shake a stick at, but many of them are earned the easy way on Daddy or Mama's dime. The alternative is a lifetime of payback on federal student loans. My degree has not made a lick of difference in what I'm paid at the sawmill. That might explain why there is currently a staffing crisis in clinical laboratories across the nation. The ones who don't have a stake in the community like family and friends left a long time ago for greener pastures.

I only read the first book in the Left Behind series because, frankly, I don't care for scare tactics. Soon as that plane found itself pilot-less I immediately identified as a one of the sheeple in a country without leadership. Math isn't my strong suit but the way I figure it nobody in their right mind would go to Iraq or Afghanistan unless the money is damn good or there's a draft.

Y'all ready for that?