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| March 22, 2009
A Monograph on Herding Sheep
I slept fitfully most of last night. Restless. At my age my brain is muddled with quite a bit of useless data and memories. I persisted in waking to the thought of ‘Patrick Henry’ [Give me liberty, or give me death] and sheep.
My mental data bank contains quite a bit about the nutrition, care and marketing of Swine, cattle and poultry, but virtually nothing about sheep. I arose early to confirm the definition of a shepherd: A shepherd is a person who tends to, feeds or guards sheep, especially in flocks.
Real change is often in subtle increments over time; sometimes unnoticed until a significant event attracts our attention. As daylight peeked through the window in my den/office area, it ‘hit me.’ I have become a sheep. I have been transformed from a hard-hitting problem solver, a person ‘many learned not to fool with,’ an amateur observer of human behavior, a participant in “once free-markets” into a toothless, nearly brain dead, senile sheep.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was my President. I really did not view Richard Nixon as such a bad guy. Barry Goldwater was my favorite.
I chose to eliminate the boring chronology of events, but a cycle exists. One generation experiences the horrors of war, the worst in politics and significant economic trauma. The survivors endeavor to warn the next generation and ‘do their best’ to “soften their lives a bit” and to instill hope and a level of morality.
The first GREAT SHEEPHERDER was FDR. He stepped in to save America and most of the world.
As folks experience these various cycles, some grow timid. FDR and his associates proved GOVERNMENT could assist everyone through some of these difficult times.
As I sipped my special blend of coffee beans (very strong) I mused that I was in the company of Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine. Men instrumental in the formation of our country objecting to an unfair tax burden, unfair representation and Rule by Hereditary Government.
They, more familiar with sheepherders in a literal sense, were curious about these happenings of the past centuries. I am not a student of FDR, but briefly outlined some facts, from my studies.
The next GREAT SHEEPHERDER was LBJ. I explained the ability of a poor Texas lad achieving great power and wealth, noting in particular his close ties to Brown and Root; Brown and Root having constructed considerable war assets in Southeast Asia. LBJ became our protector, lead us into war…inflation, turmoil and etc.
All the result, we think, because of good intentions.
Samuel Adams interjected at this point. “Well, in view your party, co-incident with my beliefs, Republicanism, has been in power for several years, positive changes have occurred. Right?
I pondered this comment, noting that we elected one President, a former head of the CIA (knew everyone’s secrets-secrets being power) and a ‘behind-the-scenes Cable Puller (there are string pullers & there are Cable Pullers) whose father, Preston, is rumored to have made a fortune in handling the finances of the Third Reich. He is a grandfatherly type, and a younger more dynamic candidate appeared, granted he was a womanizer, but he was flashy, intelligent and ambitious. He could help save us.
But, the situation was a bit out of control and folks were again ready for a change. A new face. Someone to comfort them. They chose to elect an alcoholic son of a former President, who’d pretty much failed at everything he touched, but he was ‘Born Again.’ His father, grandfatherly in appearance, still sits on many of those old secrets. A man of the people with little press coverage the family fortune and tentacles of power which dwarfed most.
Patrick Henry, with a reputation as a radical, chuckled. “I’ll bet the good old money boys promoted this boy—he’d be money in their pockets. Since it costs so much money to serve in public office, it appears our country has almost returned to a heredity chain of power.”
He was definitely a favorite of Wall Street, I added. There was insufficient time to discuss the Halliburton Company connection and the missing bales of currency in Iraq and the crude oil situation.
Our reaction to 9-11 was the expenditure of great sums of money. An analysis of our economy since that date, with historic low interest rates, if the housing bubble were removed from the data, suggests a pathetic growth.
Samuel Adams, once a municipal authority raised the question…’it appears your response to terrorism cost considerable resources, and you also sacrificed some liberties, did you win the war against terrorists?”
I pretended I did not hear the question. I did not provide detail of our current financial mess. I didn’t think they would understand, as I am not sure I understand. I did however raise the point we are now a debtor nation relying upon former enemies for our survival.
If a strategy in chess. Checkmate is not far away.
The atmosphere took a grave turn. Their expressions seemed to exhibit a real concern. Is there a grand strategy here?
Speaking now as a sheep, I assured them ‘it seems to be a co-incidence.’ But, we have once again elected a new leader. A GREAT SHEEPHERDER WHO WILL SAVE US.
It is time for church. I finished my coffee.
The war continues. On all fronts.
There is no difference in our political parties.
Corruption abounds.
Most of us are sheep.
Packs of wolves are in the distance.
Either there will be a revolution or we are a substitute for ALPO.
While the marketing of livestock, grain and oilseeds is a primary concern for all of us...it has become a true mess. In agriculture we will either once again witness boom or bust. I know not which.
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Herding Sheep
