Bear's Den: "Getting What You Pay For, And Paying... For What You've Got."
David Walks-As-Bear
February 06, 2009
Now, the phrase about wolves in sheep´s duds comes originally from the Christian Bible. It´s a metaphor about false prophets, modified from the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Yeah, and I figure that it´s worth noting that Jesus didn´t mention the color of the wolf, either. It was given then, and it is now, that it´s the nature of the beast that he was referring to, eh.
Well, if you´re paying attention to the news out of Washington these days regarding the so-called "Stimulus Bill", and if you look closely you may just get a peek at a wolf through that sheep´s costume. But then, even if you think you spy the tell-tale signs of a canine beneath that angora, there wouldn´t be much a shepherd could do about its presence amongst the flock, either. That´s the paying for what you got part because we… are the ones that left the gate open, eh. Uh-huh, and I´m calculating that we´ll be paying for that particular judgment for quite awhile. But I talk about things, here, that have little meaning to most, yet, because so far… the majority of the shepherds haven´t figured out that there´s a wolf amid the flock. So, instead, I´ll spiel about a new study about American wolves, and supposedly why… they´re sometimes black.
According to new findings, the black fur of some North American wolves is the result of long-ago romances with domesticated dogs. They say that these romantic rendezvous´ took place some 45,000 years ago. Um-hmm, and they insinuate that the domesticated hounds involved in these trysts probably belonged to American Indians at the time. Uh-huh, well, being a broken-down old Indian, all I can say is ´Okay – so what?´ As a traditional American Indian, I function on the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle. While it may be nice to know, I really don´t care what color a wolf is or why his coat is black. Now, I don´t know who paid for the study, but, personally, the KISS principle would forbid me from being happy if it were my tax dollars that funded the fee, eh. Simply put, I know all I really need to know about m´weowa aka: wolf. Yessir, and I recognize and acknowledge this noble canine for what he actually is… beneath the fur. Yess´um, and like Jesus, I know that this has nothing to do with his shade or hue. So, while I can appreciate his many fine attributes, I sure don´t plan on trusting him any farther than I can spit. Yep, and since I don´t play baseball or chew tobacco recreationally, then I´m not all that adept at spitting, either.
They say that the country is hurting economically, and, truth be told, I´m seeing it every day. But stimuli, as I think those in Washington imply it here, means: something that incites or rouses to action; an incentive, according to the dictionary. Well, when I look at the monies being allocated, and what they´re being allocated for in this big bill to stimulate the economy, the only economic things that I figure will be incited or roused to action are… nothing… in just about every shape and form. And like the study on wolf color, it´ll cost much and provide little that we truly need. Sure, but then, we left that gate open, too. So, the bottom line is that wolves – in either wool or black fur – are still wolves, and thus, you get what you pay for. Yep, you do get what you pay for, and, as a shepherd, if you aren´t careful in your judgment then… you´ll be paying for what you've got… too.
David Walks-As-Bear is a Kispoko Shawnee Indian. He works as a private game warden and detective and is an author and syndicated newspaper columnist living in Northwest Michigan. Contact him at The White Lake Beacon: 231-894-5356 or visit his website at: www.Walks-As-Bear.com
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