Wait a minute. I come from people whose comics LIVED the old Irish joke "The light at end of the tunnel is a train." We gave the world Richard Pryor, Moms Mabley, Scatman Scruthers,Lenny Bruce,Steve Allen, George Burns, Mantan Moreland et al. We have no humor? We gave the world Bing Crosby and Chris Tucker? Are you mistaking us for a different country?

This Frau/frau/fraulein understands wryness and quirkiness, schadenfreude and seriousness mingled with levity but I've discovered that Americans in general, whatever their hue might be, do not. It must be awful being grim all the time. ?

I'll have to ask Chris Rock about that or Jeff Foxworthy. Maybe Red Foxx had some insight into it. Or Nipsy Russell. Or PigMeat Markham. We grim American just can't know anything about humor. Of course, Wanda Sykes is just SO serious all of the time. Must come from having worked at the CIA. George Lopez knows nothing of schadenfreude, either. Or Freddie Prinze Sr. Seinfeld is such a sad, serious person

To suggest that I wouldn't understand about Irish America is ludicrous (can I say Ludicris without being head-butted?) Then why come at me the way you did? Why did you assume anyone who voted for a Kennedy was gullible? Irish Americans have been very good at working the system here. WHy assume all JFK supporters were Irish Americans and yell at me that you call them American, not Irish? You went and played Irish police.

Look, you Americans had a very lucky escape Except for lynching, slavery and death. Those Irish who died digging canals in New Orleans, the Italians who were lynched in New Orleans, the other blacks and whites lynched, might disagree.

We all speak the same language here (well, sort of) but it surprises me a lot how seriously Americans take themselves. "Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone" is quite a good maxim. There are very few people on earth who have no problems at all and though we must all be sympathetic to genuine plight it really is tiresome to listen to endless recrimination and self-pity. I like that poem by the American, Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken"; it's full of wisdom.

So we should laugh off lynching, war, corruption, theft, unemployment, gangs, and lack of medical care? I have a close friend who is dying of cancer. She had no insurance after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her employer, worked several jobs without insurance, forwent tests, and found out she has advanced inoperable cancer now that she has insurance. I'm not laughing. It's not funny. My cousin is a German (from Berlin-West Berlin) and I have a friend who is from East Berlin. They would not agree with you. They think we Americans are too easily distracted and entertained, that we take things way too lightly, and ignore important things in the world. Some do, some don't. We Americans are not monolithic. Every group has it's numnuts, it's smart people, it's light hearted people, etc. Ironically, the dark humor at the heart of so much of Richard Pryor's work would be perfect to explain what is going on, but someone would call me racist for even thinking of telling his jokes. Perhaps you should watch "Live on Sunset Strip" and THEN try to tell me Americans take ourselves too seriously. Or "The Kings of Comedy" or "The Queens of Comedy". Any coutry that hosts "The Redneck Gameswhich includes mud belly flopping as a medal sport, can NOT be accused of being too serious. Besides, didn't some Germans give David Lee Hasselhoff a singing career? My cousin has no explanation except that "some are crazy here." One of the best metal/rock scenes in the world...and David Lee Hasselhoff? And you think we have a problem?

There is a time for laugher and a time for work. Now is the time for work. Too many people die without cause. Too many have needs. To fiddle as Rome burns is not a good idea. I'll let the Neros tell the jokes.

I missed where you said that Zuckerman was quoting McCain campaign sources. I thought that Zuckerman herself was offering that explanation. My bad on that one.

OK joan, now I'm really scared. The ad that came out today from Obama's campaign is the reason he's "scary". This ad makes him out to be the Messiah. If you really listen and look at the background and read the words, it's frightening. When Moses parts the sea, and the presidential seal of Obama comes out...it's freaky. I think this is blasphemous, and I'm sure now Obama's not the one for me!!! Pegster

I had noticed and commented on the Britney/Paris thing with the two, young, White blond women and it being the kind of thing that got Black men lynched all across the South but I also think we should keep in mind the term "playing the race card" entered the public lexicon through the OJ Simpson trial where a different Black man was on trial for butchering a young, white, blond woman. Disgusting.

"You gave the world....". I've heard of two of them, I think. I've never mentioned this before but Lynch is an Irish surname and "lynching" is a derivitive from the name of a Mayor of Galway who had his son strung up without benefit of trial because of some misdemeanour. Boycott is another word which comes from Irish history during the Land Wars. Your take on the old Irish joke about "the light at the end of the tunnel" is erroneous. For all their faults, the English can be wickedly witty and this is an English joke of fairly recent vintage.

I don't know whether you're having me on or not but you seem to think that war and corruption are confined to America. Your list is impressive but I'm more into linear thinking myself. I won't try to do the readers' heads in with any lists of names although I could, if provoked sufficiently, name all the great writers this tiny island has produced. I'll just mention the man from Co. Clare, John Holland, who went to New Jersey and invented the first submarine. Now, domini, I come from an ancient people and don't take too kindly to anyone lecturing me about oppression and suffering. Carry on being humorous because I can see that you're a barrel of laughs. What's the reason for taking chunks of my letter, inserting them into your own, and then coming back in true Torquemada style. That's a rhetorical question, incidentally, but I have to tell you that as you seem so literal-minded. I'm off now. Have some fun. It will do you the world of good.