A bedtime story from the Field. Because we have all been so stressed lately.

With all this craziness going on in the world: Oil spills in the Gulf; our Miranda rights being eroded; protest in the Middle East; and a mass murder in England-in a place called White-haven no less. I think we should just lose ourselves in a little bed time story. (Did I mention that Al &Tipper broke up after 40 years? WTF?) I know it's a little early for bed, but hang with me, just so that we can get our minds off all this madness.

So once upon a time, in a land far away, there were these people called P's. And they came upon this land and loved it so much that they decided to stay. It was easy to stay because they were escaping all kinds of evil things in their own country such as religious persecutions.

But alas, there were already people in the land, and these people's way of life didn't exactly fit in with their own. It was different. So, unfortunately, they fought with these people until they eventually got the upper hand and drove most of them out. Except, of course, for designated areas where they allowed the native people to live and set up their own laws.

Now as these people's land became fruitful and multiplied, it became a great nation in all the world, and other people wanted to come to their land. Even people who shared the very same land with them many many years ago. But alas, they said no. Those people could not just come on their land. They had to have special passes and permits and they had to be accounted for.

Soon, other people in the world started growing envious of them, and they started plotting to do terrible things on their land. They were frightened and afraid of these evil people who wanted to destroy them, so they put in very strict measures to protect themselves. They even went to war.

And alas there was another land, far far away, whose people wanted to do the same thing with their land. But many people in the great land said no. How dare they do that? They should allow others to come into their land and co-exist with them.

But how could that be? Said the people from the other land. You did not co-exist with the people you drove from your land. Why can't we enjoy our land and do what we have to do to protect ourselves? Because our land is different than yours. They said. In our land people are free. In your land those people are not free. Yes, but some of those people want to kill us as well, said the people from the little land far far away, why can't we protect our land from them? Because, said the people from the great land, there are some who believe that those people have more rights to the land than you do. Yes but....didn't the people who were first in your land have more of a right to your land than you did? Aren't you guilty of the same thing? Said the people from the little land. So why are your people so down on the people from our land? Because we set the rules, they said. Besides, those people who are trying to destroy our land are probably the same ones who are trying to destroy you? We think that if you are nicer to those people they will be nicer to us.

And then we all lived happily ever after.