Thuggery and fear

I was reflecting on the wise words of the TB when the studied calm of the Reptile House was shattered by what the bard refers to as 'noises off'. Looking out I noticed that it was caused by a group of young swine, aged about 9 or so, who were finding joy in the simple pastime of hurling pebbles up the street at houses, cars, pedestrians and so on.

Struck by the resonance between this scene and the dilemma described by the delectable Token, I regarded them with a baleful eye from my window. Evidently awed by the magisterial Reptilian presence, they scattered, pausing only to gesture expressively in my direction. But the problem is, if I had been forced to disperse them directly, not only might I have ended up with a blade between the ribs, but even if I hadn't, the shouts of child abuse and assault would have echoed after me.

So, not only do we face injury or death for doing the right thing, we also face prosecution by the Criminal Justice System. Fan-fucking-tastic.