From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnss!ihuxn!djmolny
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Title: Air Force One
Article-I.D.: ihuxn.141
Posted: Mon Jun 14 09:15:53 1982
Received: Tue Jun 15 05:48:39 1982

The President of the United States, the Secretary of State, a Catholic
priest, and a hippie were all flying in Air Force One.  They're chatting
amiably, when the pilot comes on the PA and says, "I've got some good
news and some bad news.  The bad news is that we have engine trouble and
we're going to crash.  The good news is that there are three parachutes."

All four men look at each other, until the President stands up and says,
"Well, I'm the most important man in the world, so I'm taking a parachute,"
and he jumps out.  The Secretary of State stands up and says, "Well, I'm the
second most important man in the world, and certainly the smartest, so I'm
taking a parachute," and *he* jumps out.

The hippie and the priest look at each other for a moment, and the priest
says, "My son, I have lived a full life, and yours has just begun.  Please
take the last parachute."  The hippie says, "Oh wow, like no sweat, father,
the smartest man in the world just jumped out of the plane with my backpack."

(This joke was told by a Western Electric executive at a recent Bell Labs
gathering.)