Scarecrow Logic

True story: I once met a farmer who had the most beautiful vegetable garden. The garden was enclosed by a 3' tall wire mesh fence to keep the rabbits out, but other than that, he used very little pesticide (locally applied only) and no scarecrow. While other gardeners had all kinds of elaborate scarecrows, from straw men to pie pans hanging from wires, even some that made a loud sound, they were all still bothered by crows. The farmer in question had no such problem. I asked him how he kept the crows out of his garden and he pointed out that he had placed his bean poles and climbers on the outer edges of the garden and atop the 7' poles he had stretched a line of twine, encircled the garden, and that it was the twine that kept the crows out. Noting, with amusement, my puzzled expression, he explained, "The crows are smart enough to see the twine and think it a trap, but not smart enough to see that it isn't." This bit of logic, which I call "Scarecrow Logic", has stuck with me. I see it everywhere. I see it in the praise the Lord types who are smart enough to memorize and recite all of the dogma, but not smart enough to see the central message of love and brotherhood. I see it in the political right-wingers who are smart enough to know we should look out for our best interests, but not smart enough to see the best way to do that is a policy of inclusion. But most of all, I see it in the money grubbers who are smart enough to figure out how to get it all, but too dumb to realize that eventually "getting it all" will inevitable lead to all of us losing it all. And the environmental consumptionists who are smart enough to figure out how to harvest it all, but too dumb to see that it will all soon be gone. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but here it is none-the-less.