Posted on 06/12/2005 9:35:01 PM PDT by quidnunc
Once there was a farm located by a tranquil river. One day a duck from the river bumped into a chicken from the farm, and they immediately fell head over heels in love with each other. Sadly, no one else in the barnyard community could appreciate their romance, and both were mocked by all the other animals. "Ducks and chickens were not meant to fall in love," guffawed the cows and the dogs and the roosters — especially the roosters. Deeply mortified by the ridicule, the duck told his beloved hen, "We will flee these narrow-minded bigots. Come, let us find a place free from such ignoble prejudice." And with these inspiring words on his beak, the duck plunged into the river, followed by the love-stricken chicken, who, of course, promptly drowned.
We are not told what lesson the duck learned from his tragic experience. Being a duck, he may not have learned one at all. He may even have gone to other farmyards and urged other love-smitten hens to follow him to their watery graves. Perhaps he thought, one day I will find a chicken that can swim.
Ever since our miraculously successful revolution in 1776, other countries, falling in love with our democracy, have tried to follow in our webbed footsteps, only to drown miserably in the misadventure, as France would do in its revolution of 1789, and as nations like Mexico or Venezuela would come to do after the collapse of the Spanish Empire in 1808. Sometimes we have, like the duck in the fable, cheered on the chicken to her aquatic death; sometimes we have merely been the inadvertent inspiration. Yet, in case after case, the chicken always ended up dead, while the duck went happily quacking down the river.
Why is this?
It is because Americans take to democracy, so to speak, like a duck to water. It is our element. We thrive in it and prosper in it. It is our refuge and haven. But, like the duck of the fable, we too often forget our natural element may not be the natural element for other peoples, whose history, culture, and ways are radically different from ours. We forget that, just as the duck has evolved to survive in the water, so America has evolved to survive in the midst of democratic bickering and dickering.
-snip-
For Your Consideration
The US is a republic not a democracy.
I thought the story was supposed to teach us that its okay for ducks and chickens to intermarry.
In other words = not everybody should be a democracy. We're IMPOSING democracy on Arabs who really don't want it.
Or rather we take to Republican Government. Democracy is and will always be a misnomer, whether or not the rest of the world follows that path.
I get the point of the editorial, however, we languished under King George until we decided to act. And then only approximately 30 percent of America at that time supported the war. So, I'd say that we revel in Republican Government. This is the reason we don't continue to thrive under Democratic leadership.
The wishes of the Foudning Fathers were to remain in that form of Republican government, a decided difference between a democracy. But like I said, "I get the point of the editorial."
Thank you, PC. My point in #6 exactly.
Democracy is to Duck as Republic is to _________?
No, we're imposing democracy on Arabs who can't swim.
No, we are forcing arabs to eat water-logged chickens. And that is just wrong.
owwwhhhh....what a foul thing to do!!! Made me laugh , hard!!
All humans want freedom. It is very rare, however, when the chance for success and desire and opportunity line up together to make it a real possibility worth risking it all to acheive it.
Somebody should smack you with a rubber chicken. :^)
hm. According to the guidebook, slapping someone with a rubber chicken equates to imposing an Oligarchal Theocracy. I wonder how a duck would fare against that.
I'm torn between two desires; to either teach a chicken to swim or learn how to french-fry facile sophists.
Are we?
If given the chance they may take to it like a duck to water.
I am speaking about freedom, not water logged chickens
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.