‘Shot in the Foot by Prop. 103’

Zycher speaks from the ivory tower. He wanted to fix up the mess with theory and debate, weapons which had, until now, proven useless. Because 103 has passed and the ball is rolling, they may work. The insurance beast is a donkey with the head of an insurance man, the belly of a politician, and the back end of a lawyer. He pulls your cart to market and he has been getting slower and slower, eating more and more. Your eggs are spoiling and the donkey has stopped again to eat 18% more hay. What can you do? You’ve been unable to get a response from the belly, and the back end is protected by powerful forces (in collusion with the belly). So, you pick up a 2 x 4 and whack him over the head. Not too hard, you don’t want to kill him. You just want to get his attention.

Well, we’ve got the beast’s attention all right. He might jump around a bit before we get back on the road, but he understands us better now. Maybe he’ll even listen to Zycher. I know he’s listening to me.

CHARLES G. BRAGG JR.

Pacific Palisades