Christmas, Wolves, Sheep, and Everything In-Between

Per usual custom, I spent Christmas Day at my grandparent’s, surrounded by family and more food than usually imaginable.

It was a very unusual Christmas, however, as nearly everyone stayed far later than usual, probably to see what “surprise” gift my uncle got that was forbidden to be opened until 6P.M. Either way, the inevitable happened: Someone mentioned something political.

The reference was something involving “Big Brother”. Had I been a fox, my ears would have visibly perked. Instantly, my realm of hearing focused on the conversation. For the record, the bulk of my family is pretty hardcore Republican, primarily due to the fact that they don’t feel many politicians are worthy of being voted into office, and so they default to the less intrusive of the two major political parties. Someone made the statement that under Barack Obama’s leadership, we were in for a big surprise, insisting that a surge in “Big Brother” activity was inevitable.

Instantly, I was somewhat irritated. Witnessing what has taken place over the past eight years, including the USA PATRIOT act, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, and the use of sonic hearing devices in law enforcement vehicles, I was shocked. I quickly made the interjection that, “I highly doubt anyone could do more damage than George W. Bush has done”. A few quick “Just you wait”s came out and I decided that the argument wasn’t worth my time.

Don’t get me wrong, any president that can dodge a shoe as well as Mr. Bush certainly deserves a bit of respect. In fact, that video alone gave me more respect for him than his being president for the past four years. I’m not a “Bush Basher”. I agree with the foreign policy he ran on in his campaigns; limited government, non-interventionalism, the good stuff.

The point I wanted to make was not that we would see a lack in Big Brother activity. My point, for one, was that Big Brother has grown incredibly the past eight years, all of it behind-the-scenes and under the stage. I don’t see the behemoth growing that exponentially in the next four years. In addition, I believe any increase we see in “Big Brother” under Barack Obama’s leadership will certainly be rivaled by any behind-the-scenes increase that G.W. made. I could be wrong. Who knows.

The second point that I really wanted to make but knew would fall on deaf ears was more of a plea than a point. No president does things alone. While our system of checks and balances lies in wreckage and shambles, it still exists and is still legally binding. We elect senators and representatives to stand up for us in the face of tyrannical injustice. Without their approval, as things stand, the president meets a brick wall with his orders and desires. Unfortunately, we as Americans have grown so distanced from the political forum that we no longer elect people to protect us. We elect people that will lead us on endlessly, even if it is in a negative direction. When things go sour, we blame our president, never the men that we gave the opportunity to say “No, Mr. President” and didn’t. Why is it that when a senator does not do his job properly and continues supporting higher taxes and less freedom we do not simply reject him? We will not hesitate to get the cook at McDonald’s fired for forgetting ketchup on our burger, but we certainly do not care enough to fire the man or woman responsible for protecting us from tyranny? I know that I, for one, have written many many letters to congressmen, either supporting, denouncing, or offering potential changes to a piece of legislation.

I was told in elementary school by a teacher that there were two types of people in the world; sheep and wolves. She said that sheep were fairly happy with the necessities; food, water, shelter, etc., but that they were dumb, easily confused and scared. Then she said that wolves were smart and clever and, while they sometimes went hungry, they always seemed to be able to get back on their feet and when they did manage to get food, it was an amazing meal, generally of sheep. She then asked the class delicately, “Are you a sheep or a wolf?” In a room of no more than thirty, only about three or four people raised their hands claiming to be sheep, the remainder claimed to be wolves. She then established that, in life, wolves would be the leaders and sheep the followers. Obviously nearly everyone in the room lied; victims of a false positive self-image. If the majority of that classroom were truly wolves we, as Americans, would not be nearly as clueless as we are today.

I did not raise my hand to be a wolf. My hand was soft and quiet. I was a sheep, complacent with my place in the world.

Times have changed.