So, let's get to it!
Ok, so, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM....Bungled Land Management?) has suspended plans to seize the 500 to 750 head of cattle run by Clark County rancher Cliven Bundy south of Mesquite - and 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. They were going to attempt to at least bring the cattle numbers down to what was negotiated decades ago, and which had become a legal agreement, a lease, involving public land ("This land is your land, this land is my land, from California, to the New York island..."), a lease that has indeed been violated (did I mention that Mr. Bundy had not paid up on his lease to the Feds in 18 years?). But, guns are the order of the day, and with Mr. Bundy threatening an armed revolt, the BLM has backed down in the interest of public safety....and government subsidized cattle ranching. Meanwhile, from the safety of their helicopters, they conduct another roundup of wild horses (because horses have no opposable thumbs and can't stand upright so can't shoot a gun...and have no pockets either, so...no ammo) for fear that these mustangs will die of thirst and have nothing to graze on....wait a minute! What are those cows drinking? What the hell are they eating, too? Whose water is that anyway?
Lesson #1: Cows are better than wild horses because you can make a profit from them. They also taste better. They have a use, a purpose, a profitability, so therefore, they are worth killing over. Wild horses are just....pretty. Kind of like Paris Hilton or whatshername Kardashian. Definitely not worth killing over.
Lesson #2: Cows are a lot like personal possessions in a home. They are worth killing another person over. The life of an unarmed 19 year old guy who was shot by the homeowner 5 (FIVE) times (once in the back) while trying to break and enter was far less important than the homeowner's TV, computer, and jewelry. What ever happened to running away when faced with danger? If I was that homeowner, I would have bolted out the front door while the perp was entering the back, and gone to the neighbors to use the phone...oh yeah, we don't talk to our neighbors anymore. Because we don't need to. We got guns! (ok...the real reason I'd run is because I don't have a gun...that I know how to use, but hey, at least I didn't kill anyone for coveting my macbook!).
Lesson #3: A person who packs a gun in public is like a vicious dog on a leash. They have become vicious because they no longer have the option to flee. Who the hell runs if they're packing a gun (and admits it?) Running is awesome. We should do more of it. Oh wait, "These colors don't run".
Ah, home:
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| Land of the Pee, Home of the Depraved |
Well, Norway has a heck of a lot of laws as well. Actually, WAY more than an American would ever allow. But one thing I learned when I was there, was that Norway's laws, for the most part (I'm SURE there are exceptions) were hammered out through a long, arduous, inefficient bureaucratic process, meaning that many, many discussions at the local level happened before any pen was used to sign those babies into law. And so, people tend to obey them. My Norwegian teacher said I was being a little idealistic, but from my observation, I saw a lot of law-abidin' goin' on over there. A lot more than here, anyway.
I just have to laugh at my home though. America is my home, whatever that means. My home: where the federal government does not enforce the law against a violating cattle rancher because people need to eat more cows so we can continue to be the country with the highest incidence of heart disease (that's called Cowrma if you ask me!); where a person can sue (and win) a fast food place for being scalded by their hot coffee; where I can get money from a drive-through ATM machine...hell, in Vegas, I can get married in a drive-through; where I can carry a gun to a political rally...or to work; where apparently I can sue a place for not warning me that the toilet water wasn't safe to drink....
I have been laughing a lot lately, actually. It beats the alternative!
Interesting post, Teresa. My experience with Norwegians is that they have a larger number of umbrella laws (or, shall we say, state intervening laws), but fewer micro-managing rules, because it is assumed that people can and will make responsible decisions. This is my stoplight vs roundabout theory. In the US stoplights are used to tell people when they have to stop. Roundabouts force you to use your own good judgements. (Probably why there are so few of them in the US: we aren't taught to use our own judgement, we are just taught to obey rules). In the US adults parents are always standing around telling kids what they can and cannot do. Norwegian kids are left to figure it out on their own: fall off that rock? Oh well, maybe it was too high for you. Live and learn. In the US we have the idea that we have to follow orders OR ELSE (jail, ticket, etc.) but in Norway the idea of following laws and rules is seen as an incentive of sorts. It gives you something you want (like a decent place to live). And I think most Norwegians feel they have quite a lot of freedom in their individual lives, but I don't think most Americans do. (Esp. not after 9/11!) So perhaps people are forced to look for ways to have freedom in the US -- to say, I'm not going to be told what to do here. I'm going to go straight through that red light . . .
ReplyDeleteSorry I am taking so long to get back to you Jena! I loved your comment and totally agree...I saw it everytime I walked by a barnehage. Accidents just WAITING to happen! Yikes! My conditioning really became apparent. Another thing I realized about why traffic circles are so GREAT, is that it prevents one from ever entering an intersection at a high rate of speed. Even if you ARE taking someone else's right of way, and if an accident does occur, it is not usual fatal at 5-10 miles per hour....we have some roundabouts here in Vegas, and boy, do people put up a stink about 'em....most likely because it forces them to slow the heck down! Hope all is well in your world. It's really not as bad here as I make out. Spring is lovely in the desert and I think I'll post about that next...so that I can at least be on an UP note! Take care.
DeleteWish I could let my horses graze on public land or just help myself to something that belongs to everyone. I live in a National Forest and many of the "locals" don't like the gubmint telling them what to do in their own (but it's really everyone's) back yard.
ReplyDeleteThis is really the land of opportunity. We are all just one lawsuit away from a great retirement! I honestly don't know how we keep functioning with so many who are nuckin' futs!