Quote from the Miss Teen USA contest:
"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for."

Second answer on the Today Show ... after extensive preparation:
“Well personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don’t know anyone else who doesn’t. And if the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography.”


Editors comment:

Given plenty of time to prepare to re-answer the question that has brought her so much agony and infamy, she agains starts her answer with "personally" ... implying that there is an alternate way to state her opinion that is more impersonal. I might imagine that to answer more formal questions, she might begin her statement with "In my professional opinion ...".

Secondly, I am impressed to see that she has done the required research to determine that she. as well as her friends know EXACTLY (not almost ... but exactly) where the U.S. is on OUR map. Like a good lawyer, she has specified that the map in question is owned by her and her friends ... in the event that YOUR map is different than her map. If it is different, she cannot vouch for YOUR map's validity or for her or her friend's ability to identify the U.S. on said map. Perhaps on your map, they might be able to approximate the location of the U.S., but not identify it "EXACTLY".

Again, like the good lawyer, she challenges the statistics. First, she claims that she knows no one that is unable to identify the U.S. Since she apparently knows a statisitcally large sampling of people, this statistics in the question deserve some doubt. But, as she claims, IF the statistics are correct (note the big "IF") ... then we should emphasize geography. By this, I assume her request is for more emphasis on geography in the U.S. American educational system (but it is not clear to this fan, whether the request is to education "some people out there" in the US, or South Africa, or the Iraq .... it is still unclear.