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The Gypsy Mule

I was having a quiet lunch at the County Line Cafe when Bubba and Shorty arrived. Bubba invited himself to sit down. Shorty pulled up a chair next to him. What have you fellows been up to? I asked. Well, Bubba said, we was talking about them politicians up in Washington as we was driving over, and it reminded me of my Grand pappy and his gypsy mule. So, Gypsies and mules make you think about politicians, I interjected. Nope, arsenic makes me think about politicians, Bubba said solemnly. I could feel another mountain parable coming, so I called for a cup of coffee and leaned back. Sometimes these fellows took a while to get to the point; I thought I might need refreshment.

Well, it was like this. Bubba started his tale. I remember one day, back when I was a kid, my Granddad and me was leaning on the barnyard fence watching his new mule. That mule was prancing around the lot, kicking up his heels and generally saying to the world, look at me. I feel great. I could plow this whole farm without even breaking a sweat. He's a little older than I wanted, Granddad said. But you know I never saw a healthier looking mule or one with a more cheerful disposition. He was a bargain. He'll be a big help with the spring plowing.

A week later, we were leaning on the same fence but looking at a completely different mule. This one hung his head, his ears drooped and his body said all over, I feel old and tired. I can barely carry myself around much less pull a plow. Is that the same mule? I asked. Well, yes and no, he replied. Those Gypsies pulled one over on me, son. Remember this, boy; if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. You never get something for nothing, he said sadly.

What happened? Arsenic, he said. Arsenic? You mean the poison? That arsenic? Yep. I had the Vet come by. It was arsenic all right. It's an old Gypsy trick and I fell for it. You see, Granddad, continued, arsenic is funny stuff. It's poison but if you put just a little arsenic into the feed of an old or sick animal, at first it make them feel great. They perk right up and they get frisky. It can make an old mule act like a young colt.

Well, why don't you just give him some arsenic yourself? Because, then I wouldn't have no mule a tall. You can't keep feeding arsenic forever you know. The stuff builds up in the body and you can't get rid of it. When you get enough, it will kill you. The funny thing is, that they feel wonderful right up to the time that they start to sicken and die. And if you stop feeding it to um they go down hill fast. They have become, what is called, addicted to the poison.

Bubba continued, I was thinking on how government money acts just like arsenic. It starts out making you feel good and then turns on you. But politicians love it. They grab all the federal money they can lay hands on. It gets them votes. I hear them politicians bragging all the time about how much federal money they bring home to their districts. After awhile they get so that they don't think they can live without it. But federal money is tricky stuff and they never mention the price we have to pay to get it. Like my Granddaddy said, You never get something for nothing. You never get government money without the government taking control. With every dollar we take, we lose more rights to live like we want too. Them government fellers use our tax money to take over everything. They're stealing our lives, Shorty added. I see what you mean, I said. With every federal dollar comes control and control is cumulative too. Over a period of time it will kill our liberty and deprive us of our freedom.

You got it. It's like bait in a trap, and believe you me, for a little money they get a lot of control, Shorty chipped in. You know, only seven per cent of the money we spend on education in Alabama is federal money, yet they demand nearly one hundred per cent control over what and how we teach our kids. We've got to learn to just say no to their money. Every time we take that money we're selling a piece of our freedom. We're selling ourselves into slavery, Bubba concluded.

Bubba looked at his watch. Well, we got to go. We're burning daylight and there's lots of work to be done, he said as he pushed his chair back from the table. Be see'n ya, said Shorty on his way toward the door. I sipped my coffee and pondered what Bubba and Shorty had said. But it's free money, I have heard people say so many times. Somebody is going to get it, so it might as well be us. Free money indeed, I thought. If we take it long enough it will kill our culture, it will kill our self-determination and it will destroy our freedoms.

Bubba is right; we are selling ourselves into slavery. The good news is, that it is not too late to take America back. If we truly understand what is happening, we can start the battle to regain control of our lives and protect our children's futures. It is simple really. Just walk away from the trap. Don't take the money!

Kenneth L. Freeman

Chairman, The Alliance for Citizens Rights