The Big Dogs in the Yard

We are taught when we are children that we should respect authority. We are taught to obey policemen, to listen to religious counsel and to accept the proclamations of government because they are wiser and more informed than we in respect of the needs and necessities of our country. We are taught that in a democracy every citizen has a vote and every vote is counted. We are taught a common morality to insure that a majority will color inside the lines and that the stability of the family unit will remain sacrosanct.

It’s a nice idea. It’s an ideal. We aren’t usually taught the difference between the ideal and the real but that’s something we observe as we go about our lives.

A wise general once said that “every ship of state sails on a river of darkness.” What he meant was that in the process of doing business and protecting its citizens a government sometimes has to do certain things to secure the success of these efforts. It can certainly be said that a country is only as good as its leaders; that’s what the rest of the world sees. It can also be said that a country’s leaders are a reflection of its people; “where there is no vision, the people perish” Somebody else said that.

The thing is, in government and in business, the big dogs run the yard. That’s how it is. What that means is that the big dogs take what they want and you get whatever is left. When I was in prison a cagy con once said to me, “Gypsy, there’s three kinds of men in prison. There are the bulls and the foxes and the sheep. The bulls run the joint. The foxes know how to get around the bulls and the sheep... wind up on the hooks.”

There are rules that when followed lead to a smooth operation of government and fair dealing in business. In the larger prison of the world’s parameters one might say that the heads of government and business are the bulls, the lawyers and bureaucrats are the foxes and that the sheep are the people.

I’d like to further expand upon that. Bulls and sheep have very different grazing methods. We know from history that the ranchers responsible for these two types of livestock did not get along. Maybe the livestock didn’t either; if they had the capacity to think about it. I imagine that bulls and pigs might get along better since their mutual interests don’t conflict. I note that in America today there are a great many pigs and a great many sheep. These pigs, which you can see in tight stretch spandex pants, are great admirers of the bulls. There’s something that happens in the way the bulls move that benefit the pigs. Pigs, being pigs, are quick in defense of the bulls because, for a pig, there’s only one important thing; getting as much swill and offal as the belly can contain. Pigs are smarter than sheep. Sheep just want to graze and sheep are often and easily frightened. Pigs don’t frighten.

One thing for sure though, both of them wind up on the hooks.

But we were talking about big dogs and how they run the yard. Most people who were trained to respect authority believe that the big dogs have a right to run the yard. If the yard is well run they might be right. There’s this thing about respecting authority that causes one to see some things and not others. Maybe you see the uniform and not the man. Maybe you hear the words but don’t understand their meaning. It’s quite possible that the power of certain impressions on the human mind has made it very difficult for the little dogs to see that the big dogs are not really dogs and that the yard is no longer a yard but a sty.

For some reason, in America, a great many things appear to be different than they actually are. In a few short years the job market has disappeared. War has become a commonplace. Strife is ubiquitous and one’s former freedom of movement and expression has become tightly circumscribed. It’s getting worse all the time. Somehow the big dogs are now herding the sheep at the behest of the pigs and the bulls are off somewhere out of sight working through proxy’s that appear to be bulls but are actually pigs masquerading as big dogs. It’s confusing isn’t it?

What I wonder is what the sheep are thinking. As the sheep are being herded ever closer together on smaller patches of land; as the pressure grows and the fear increases, what will the sheep do?

Pigs have a reputation and this reputation has come about due to observing their behavior. When you call a person a pig it is because they are exhibiting certain qualities of behavior. Pigs never get enough. One might say that the ruling instinct of a pig’s behavior is appetite. They even look like that.

Just as there are rules of behavior that determine whether a society is successful there are also laws of nature that come into play depending on whether the behavior of the society moves too far toward either extreme. If you shit where you eat certain health conditions come into play. If business ignores the laws of the environment in which they produce their goods then something happens in that environment. If the conditions of life for the people are reduced to a point where pressure impacts on the valves then something has to give.

It’s hard to determine what truth is. A lie is not as hard to spot but a lie seldom remains static. You might say that the truth, whatever it is, doesn’t change but that a lie changes all the time, adapting to the needs of the intentions of the lie. If you keep modifying the lie the conditions of life continue to adapt to it until life itself is nothing but a lie adjusted to the imperatives of the lie.

Certain big dogs have morphed into pigs and this has caused a mutation in a segment of the population of little dogs that has morphed them into pigs. When the big pigs squeal then the little pigs squeal. There aren’t any big sheep. Once pigs take over it’s just a matter of time before everyone winds up on the hooks.

The evidence of corruption and venal intent is so great at the moment that only the truly blind cannot see it. Ordinarily there would be a hue and a cry; a general uproar, but somehow the information is constantly adjusted to give the impression that everything is just fine. This is because a very few pigs control everything that you hear. Everything is not fine. What’s going to happen?

Okay, let’s move away from all the allegory and metaphor and let’s look at what surrounds us. Let’s look at business and government. Let’s observe the pornographic interplay of these sweat hogs upon the bridal bed of life. Let’s observe the pimping of the youth. Let’s look at bloody war for gain and the unsettling of the entire world for the benefit of these wallowing swine. Let’s look at their plans for the future. No, it doesn’t look good for the sheep.

All across the world governments and their peoples are lining up at the entrance to the Judas Gate. They think the circus is in town. How did it get like this? Maybe while eternal vigilance was the price of liberty somebody fell asleep at the switch. It’s like the aftermath of Thanksgiving dinner; packed with heavy food and drink the nation fell asleep in their armchairs in front of the TV. Now the house is burning down. Perhaps the smell of mutton and pork will awaken them. Perhaps they will think it is time to eat again.

You have been warned. All too few Jeremiahs are crying from the hilltops but there are some. Either you think them mad or fear the association. Maybe you think you’ll wake up and the bad dream brought on by the bad food and too much drink will pass. I guess it was enough for you to get your little piece while the big dogs got their bigger piece. I guess you thought the system was good. Maybe you thought that authority was in place to ensure your future dinner table rights. You’ve turned into a nation of pigs and frightened sheep. Don’t be surprised when you wind up turning on a spit in the aftermath. This is probably just another way of bringing home the bacon.