Enjoy this story, where a Texan speaks truth to power in amusement, and where a man who confuses power with authority experiences natural power that instantly strips away his alleged authority. In an instant, all his egoistic pretenses are ripped away, as he faces the limits of his man-made authority.
Don’t be afraid to speak truth to power responsibly…you might save a life in the process of shattering some useless illusions.
The farmer and the DEA agent
A 
DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas, and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, “I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.” The rancher says, “Okay, but do not go in that field over there,” as he points out the location.
The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, ” Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me.” Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher. “See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish . . . on any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?”
The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores.
A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher’s big Santa Gertrudis bull . . .
With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he’ll get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs . . .
“Your badge. Show him your BADGE!”
Have you finished laughing? Then here’s the story’s message and question:
Real power is organically balanced by responsibility, and real power can only be taken through taking responsibility. Meanwhile, authority tries to take power without taking responsibility. So I ask: who is being responsible and irresponsible in this story? There lies the real power…always.
Categories: Everyday Wisdom · Humor
Tagged: authority, Humor, power, truth
Today I share a re-post, courtesy of D.K. Brainard’s Words For the People. D.K. lives and works in New Orleans and is, among other things, a perceptive astrologer. But aside from that, he writes on subjects that interest me and we share many perspectives.
In fact, I was just sitting at my desk catching up on my overloaded Google Reader, and feeling incredibly grateful to be listening to Willie Nelson playing a new Austin City Limits show on my TV in the background. Willie has been part of the fabric of my universe for so long, and as I listened tonight, I felt enveloped by the warm feeling we get from those family members whose presence always makes us feel oh so stable and secure. As I was silently sending out thanks that Willie just keeps on going no matter how many years go by, I found this post in my reader.
So I guess what I’m saying is…turkey is NOT required for experiencing thankfulness in my life…how about yours?
The Problem With Thanksgiving
By D. K. Brainard
I was talking about abundance with Aoghain Lakes, the Irish healer I work with at Eternal Balance in Royal Oak. He said, “The secret to manifesting abundance is so simple. It’s gratitude and optimism, and that’s all it is.” Americans, he said, have a hard time getting this because we’re so programmed to believe in the American Dream.
“Americans think, ‘When I get the American Dream, then I can be happy and fulfilled.’ But that’s not the way it works! The way it works is, when you are thankful for every moment in your life, then you will be far happier and wealthier than you could ever imagine by going after the American Dream.”
To Aoghain’s mind, when Americans say “thank you” we are often saying it out of a sense of social obligation — we say it because it’s good manners and then we feel pleased with ourselves for remembering. Whereas when people in other parts of the world say “thank you,” you can really feel the power of their gratitude.
I’ve been reflecting on our conversation this weekend and I’ve come to two conclusions:
(1) Americans aren’t un-grateful by nature; we’ve actually been systematically brainwashed to believe that being “good” means always striving for more.
(2) The other reason we find it so hard to express genuine gratitude is because most of us don’t know what it feels like to truly live in want.
Keep reading →
Categories: Everyday Wisdom
Tagged: gratitude, love
Come and listen to a story full of intrigue and very real danger. Statins and weed and prisoners, oh my!
It’s the story of how an organized crime ring called the pharmaceutical industry unleashed fear and deceit, and will stop at nothing to corner the market on drug dealing. Cornering the market is a form of war, and war creates prisoners–literally speaking.
It took decades for the sordid story of pharma to fully emerge, but feast your eyes on the progress that’s now been made. The statistics below tell the tale of how many competitors have been taken off the streets, leaving much bigger profits for the winners of the war for drugs. Yes, I meant to say war FOR drugs.
You don’t actually believe you’re supporting a war ON drugs, do you? No indeed, it has been a war FOR drugs all along. It’s been an all out war by pharma (another day, another war) to own control of human pain and suffering in its many forms, by owning perceived relief.
I have to admit it…the War On Drugs was built around a brilliant marketing plan — especially the tactic of using the police force as D.A.R.E. officers to spread the gospel chosen by pharma. This wasn’t exactly a new tactic, since organized crime has always brought the police into collusion with them. Still, using the police to scare children took the old tactic to a new level.
And how brilliant that a simple word substitution reveals the truth behind the campaign. To win the war for drugs, let’s market it as a war on drugs. Perfect! I can actually imagine the conversations and meetings that continue to orchestrate this campaign with such stone-faced cunning. It makes me shudder to think of it.
The biggest collateral damage of this positioning war by pharma is undoubtedly the effects of their products. How about Olestra products, for the pain of weight control issues when you just can’t stop eating chips…just watch out for the anal leakage. (Yes, we have pharma products in our food). Or how about the new secondary anti-depressant your doctor needs to prescribe because the first one doesn’t do the job? But the collateral damage second-runner-up is the increasing numbers of ‘prisoners of war’. The picture above only depicts Federal prisons; if state prisons were included, most of the base map would be covered, and the “Land of the Free” motto suddenly would become laughable.
It’s estimated that ~70% of the overall US prison population committed drug-related crimes. You have to ask yourself why there are so many more drug-related crimes today? Seems to me that pharma’s criminal marketing strategy is working quite well, and will continue to work until enough people take off their blinders and see that they’re being played by a bad-ass playa who could give two shits about their health or their pain.
Keep reading →
Categories: Articles
Tagged: denial, freedom, lies, questions, truth, wake up, war
November 14, 2009 · 1 Comment
In spite of the serious nature of my usual posts here, I do have a sense of humor that is alive and thriving. And lately, I have been in humor heaven, thanks to a new site called Regretsy. Here, you will find the penultimate in tastelessness and snarkiness–which happens to be one of my favorite forms of humor, along with the self-deprecating sort.
Should you visit the site and find yourself confused by the seeming disparity between what I write here and the fact that I enjoy this type of humor, consider it a wonderful opportunity to expand your ability to stop labeling others and placing them in pre-assembled boxes!
Just the cleverness of the site’s name alone is enough to throw a huge grin onto my otherwise sober face. Regretsy is based on a site called Etsy, where crafters sell their handmade goods. Regretsy locates all the most ridiculous stuff being sold on Etsy and adds snarky comments about those items (the comments are always at the bottom of the post, below the item’s description, and if you miss reading them then you’ve missed the entire essence of the site).
Since the posts on Regretsy may be seen as controversial by some, I am including the DISCLAIMER posted by the Regretsy team on the website:
Don’t get us wrong. We like crafts.
We just don’t like these crafts.
Yes, we know these people put their hearts into it. We know it took hours and hours. We know how mean it is to laugh at their creations. And we regret being the only web site on the internet that makes fun of things.
But what can we do? We’re immature.
Besides, art is totally subjective. Who cares what we think? I barely care and I’m writing this.
Listen, if you like something you see here, don’t argue with us, go and buy it. Seriously. Click on any photo and you’ll be taken to the seller’s store. We’re only too glad to have made the introduction.
- The Regretsy team
Categories: Humor
Tagged: creativity, Humor, laughter
A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package; what food might it contain?
He was aghast to discover that it was a mouse trap!
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning, “There is a mouse trap in the house, there is a mouse trap in the house.”
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell you this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me; I cannot be bothered by it.”
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mouse trap in the house.”
“I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray; be assured that you are in my prayers.”
The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, “Like wow, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap; am I in grave danger, Duh?”
So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to face the farmer’s mouse trap alone.
Keep reading →
Categories: Everyday Wisdom
Tagged: collaborate, denial, other, perspective, problems
A number of year 12 girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.
