By the way 20
bonus points to whoever comes up with the movie from which I stole (and
somewhat butchered) that last line from.
Sitting here,
"flipping" through the articles and pieces on the S-T web site, I
keep getting drawn to the Unger piece from last Sunday I think. The
headline for it is what really has stuck in the back of my mind.
The written
statement is absolutely correct. The problem is just what would we, and
the newspaper, tolerate to see it put in play. I have said before that
politics is the original blood sport. Those who are best at it, very
seldom actually spill blood. What makes them good at it though are the
willingness to do so when needed, and the fact that everyone else knows that
they will do it if needed.
Before you can get
there, you actually need to elect a few sharks though. And despite the
fact once in awhile sharks do in fact bite, or worse, they are vital to the
ecosystem of politics.
The opinion piece
in the S-T on Thursday is somewhat relevant too. Seal Protection threatens humans. Let's face it;
seals are just fodder for sharks. They can get a bit nasty at times, swim
circles around the big fishy at times, and they congregate in pods for
protection. It is that last quality that is somewhat of a problem in the
political ecosystem.
The "so long
as it is not me" mentality.
They are more than
willing to let a few members get eaten alive, so long as they can grab a few of
the little fish. Seals are smart in their own way. They never
tackle a meal then can't handle, not the ones that have been around for a long
time. Those tend to know what waters are safe to swim in, and how to
avoid a shark attack. A shark, pretty much isn't worried about the size
of the problem, it just wants to eat.
The only problem
is a pod of seals does in fact bring the sharks into local waters. The big ones
pick off a seal here and there, which would be no problem except for the fact
that there is too often some heavy collateral damage.
While the sharks
prefer the seals, they aren't necessarily concerned about the bites they might
take from the other mammals hanging around. A meal is a meal.
Might in fact be a
good idea to thin the pod locally. Get a few of our own sharks in the
water, and when the pickings become slim around here, they can swim up to
Boston and go after the seals up there.
John, Is the movie you're thinking about "The Outlaw Josey Wales", 1976, starring Clint Eastwood?
ReplyDeleteThe quote is from Lone Watie, "We thought about it for a long time, 'Endeavor to persevere.' And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."
Do I win 20 bonus points?
It is.
Delete