A modern fairy tale: Aesop I am not.

Once upon a time, there was a colony of rabbits. It was a very large colony, so big, in fact, that it was decided that one leader couldn't possibly represent the entire group. So boundries were drawn, and local leaders were elected to rule their local groups. Each new, smaller colony was responsible for making it's own laws, to be enforced by it's own police. One of those laws was the making of Carrot Juice. Although some bunnies thought in immoral, others enjoyed its sweet intoxication. Freedom of choice, right?

But, with all this local power, it was agreed that there needed to be one, All Powerful Leader who sort of ruled the rulers. To bring together all the new, smaller colonies, and have them work as one unit for a common good: freedom of oppression from their enemies. After all, cute as they may be, rabbits are pretty low on the food chain. Pretty good in a stew. Fast forward 150 years.

The numbers of colonies grew 4 fold (after all, they were rabbits), and there were so many of them, with so many different laws, it was becoming difficult for the All Powerful Leader to keep it all together. So he did what he had to do, he started enforcing his own set of rules, to be obeyed by all the colonies, no matter if their own local laws said the opposite. Carrot Juice was banned. To those who didn't partake, it was a joyous moment in their history. To others, it was an infringement on their local rights. So they continued to make the Carrot Juice, grand poo-bah be damned. They drank in the shadows and fought with the All Powerful Leader. After 10 years of futility, he realized he couldn't win this fight, so, against his own beliefs, he made Carrot Juice legal again. The colonies rejoiced. Fast forward another 75 years.

At some point in the ensuing years, a couple of rabbits accidentally dropped a few carrots in a fire one night, and breathed in its' aroma. It was an amazing feeling. Different from the intoxication of the juice, but pleasant all the same. Soon they started drying out the carrots, and made Carrot Sticks, which they smoked. It was all the rage. Everyone was trying it. Everyone, that is, except the All Powerful Leader. He wasn't about to let a bunch of burn-outs dictate colony law, so he did what he had to do. He banned the Carrot Sticks. Again to the delight of the non-partakers, it was a righteous decision. But to others, it was another in a growing pattern of intrusion by the All Powerful Leader. So one rather large colony way, way off on the farthest reaches of their land, decided enough was enough. They found that the smoke from the Carrot Sticks was actually beneficial to the health of some of the older, and sicker rabbits. They would let the common rabbits decide with a vote. And vote they did. Against the will of the All Powerful Leader, they made it legal to make your own Carrot Sticks.

But some of the younger, healthier rabbits didn't like the fact that it was OK for a sick bunny to legally enjoy the benefits of the Carrot Sticks, while they could not. If it was actually GOOD for some rabbits, how could it be BAD for others? And who was this All Powerful Leader that he could tell us what is or isn't good for us? After all, it was the All Powerful Leader that was supposed to serve to our will, to save us from oppression from the colonies of the world that would come in and do us harm, not the other way around. So who's law rules the land? The will of the rabbits, or the will of the All Powerful Leader? On Nov. 2 we will find out.