I have an old Nigerian friend who has filled my head with so many traditional Igbo proverbs that I sometimes forget whether I'm recalling folksy American wisdom or folksy Igbo wisdom. (When it has anything to do with yams, it's the latter.) These days, I can't stop thinking about a sage little gem he threw my way long ago. I consulted his advice on a particularly difficult decision confronting me, and he just nodded his head and said, "Yes, a large fly has landed on your nether regions." When I raised an eyebrow in his direction, he said gravely, "Whether you swat it away or leave it there, you're in trouble."
That seems, to me, to sum up the whole awful reality smacking freedom-minded Americans across the face day after day. We know there's something terribly wrong in our country, but there's no good way to remedy the situation without causing ourselves a great deal of pain.
-Rurik
