Democracy: A damaged pull toy?

The dogs of 'Tug-of-war'

 It is simple and fascinating entertainment for this early, mild winter.


I take a break and watch my two young dogs out in the snow  playing 'tug of war'  with  pull toys. The dogs themselves are different as night and day, one black, short and compact with a lot of fur, the other tan, tall,  and short-haired.  They're about the same age, still young enough to love playing with pull toys.
Pull toys are those brightly-coloured,  braided rope things everyone has,  inexpensive entertainment for dogs of all sizes and shapes.  Some come  with a short-lived fuzzy  tennis-ball on them,  a knobby plastic bone, or a loop for a handle.  They can be woven, braided or knotted, but  the actual construction is almost irrelevant as they get  dragged around, chewed up, and eventually totaled.
It's tough being  a pull toy around here. 


The combatants stand nose to nose, jaws clamped  tightly, seemingly to the death, pulling, growling, stiff-legged, shaking their heads,  not giving an inch except to reposition for a better grip or to gain some other advantage.  They are commonly both on the same end of the short rope, jaw to jaw, nose to nose, trying to gain as much of the plaything as possible.
Curiously, if called, given direction, such as  'wanna go for a walk?'  or otherwise, they will often mutually turn and  run in the same direction, side by side,  teamwork immediately apparent, but both are still unwilling to let go.


At times, in the mutual  attempt to dislodge the other determined combatant  from the rope they will  shake their heads so hard  it makes me wonder if  concussions could result, --how about  neck or brain damage,  like damaged hockey players-- injuries still arrogantly and vehemently denied by a few 'agitated and uninformed, but ' manly' sports advocates.  Hockey greats Crosby and Pronger  are  the latest, but  no matter--the injuries speak clearly for themselves, and yes,  we digress as surely as the dogs of tug-of-war  growl  in bravado and give nary an inch. Making big money with hockey leagues is  more important.  A tug-of-war between profit and common sense.  Go figure.  Back to the pups under observation.
Ultimately  the dogs might mutually drop the pull toy into the snow because of exhaustion, disinterest,  or sudden distraction like the chatter of a squirrel,  a scolding raven fly-by 100 feet in the blue sky above them,  a snow plow or  the occasional vehicle sputtering  down the road.

  
Bottom line,  unless specifically rescued from it's trials out in the cold world, the pull toy always gets the worst of it.

Shredded, chewed to bits, braiding segregated,  parts missing, lost in the snow - dismembered, abandoned or  just plain forgotten. Strangely,  it may be rediscovered at some later date,  and if enough material exists at the time of that revelation,  with a few sturdy knots and some attention it may be adequately restored to tolerate yet another round of use and abuse.  
Sounds something like democracy, isn't it?  Is democracy in North America like a damaged pull toy that will eventually be abandoned because of severe damage?  Can democracy survive stress, parts arbitrarily being removed,  'modified and stretched' in all directions, endless attacks perpetrated with intent  by the devious?  Is that process condoned by apathy and disinterest in government process? How about where the systemic, malicious degradation of democracy is practiced?

 Is democracy as we know it to be eventually abandoned? Can democracy be rediscovered and restored?

At Incoming Bytes we suggest this analogy should not be ignored, lost, forgotten, or abandoned. Why?
Since 9/11, personal  freedoms in North America  have been under attack under the guise of security. The images of  riots, pepper-spraying 'officers' and  riot-equipped police state are far too common. Across North America the 'Occupy This' movement was shut down by bureaucracy-- clearly with no moral right to stifle civilian protest and demonstration. Our leaders remove individual freedoms as they empower themselves and practice self-entitlement.   

Will North American democracy continue to be willfully  damaged, to a point where it will be eventually  abandoned?

The question must be: Following devious, repressive governance,  shall ever more extreme governments be installed until democracy is shattered?
History shows that the abuse of power eventually leads to the destruction of government--regardless of political dogma practiced.  Perhaps power leads to willful blindness and madness as well as abuse of power? 


The reader at Incoming Bytes  is encouraged to observe, think, and speak out --for change of direction and constructive teamwork--before genuine democracy is shredded, abandoned, AND  forgotten. 
Watching that progression is fascinating too--just keep that tug of war in mind.







That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

9/11 : The Bottom Line ?

It is September 11th, 2011, and once again the painful  anniversary of one of the most tragic events in modern North America consumes the mind.  The total destruction of the World Trade Center  Twin Towers and the loss of thousands of  lives in  an unprecedented, choreographed attack by extremists remains a terrorist attack unparallelled in the history of the United States. As the bell tolls at Ground Zero and countless names are read once more, it seems nothing must remain unsaid except the truth.

At Incoming Bytes we can only offer condolences and prayers for families that lost loved ones. We can only remember in silence the desperation, fear and confusion on the faces of people watching this horrific event unfold on television--a surreal happening that affected everyone as the news was updated instantly. Terrible images,  being played over and over, relentlessly and cruelly destroyed any doubt that remained. We can only relive those terrible moments.
 
Tears welled up in the eyes of the helpless; anger rose, disbelief  overwhelming reason as  it  became  clear the tragedy was not a terrible mistake, not raw television entertainment, but reality.  Stunned silence spoke of fear at the shocking transition.
The fact is, the warm, fuzzy illusion of  reality and  the error of believing in normal life has changed forever as many questions remain unanswered today, ten years later. 
What really happened? Why? Where did this evil originate?  Was it foreign, home-made, or a tangled web of murder and conspiracy to generate fear? Was it the opening salvo of a war on western civilization as we know it?  Was it based on a distorted segment of organized, bitter and unforgiving religious dogma bent on giving notice to the world to convert or die?  Was it a declaration of war upon an unjust, unsustainable global economic system?  Here at Incoming Bytes The reader is encouraged to make conclusions by observation. Think.

The bottom line increasingly seems to suggest the truth has not yet come out, and is unlikely to be revealed in my lifetime.  Each of us in careful reflection must draw our own uniqe bottom line-- and attempt to come to our own conclusions. Media spin, political lies, and distorted fact coupled with willful, evil intent is not helpful in ascertaining truth.  Inevitably, the truth must come out as it always does, but meantime, let us collectively mature and admit our true feelings.

The bottom line, then immediately becomes more  clear.  To me it is based  not only on the stark  reality of 10 years ago, and the unimaginable event unfolding, but also  the  strange, unbelievable and terrible  contradiction observed in humanity itself.
 
I must be honest. Ten years later, on this anniversary,   I once again reflect in silence, knowing nothing can change the past, yet I remain angry.   Why?   The bottom line is painfully obvious and very simple.   Like the people surrounding me in the waiting room,  collectively numbed by the unbelievable horror of the unfolding event before us,  I was in the  gentle company of wonderful people trying desperately to save the life of a loved one -- in the cancer unit of a hospital-- watching with tears in my eyes---while incomprehensibly arrogant, bitter, devious and evil people secretly rejoiced at the  mindless and brutal killing of thousands of innocent people--for nothing.   The old adage 'know thyself' comes to mind, and the fact is, I do not know how to accommodate that unfathomable lack of humanity other than by faith in our Lord.

May they be forgiven.


That's my story and I'm sticking to it.