Page 41 - Fables volume 3

“Nonsense!” Grisly was adamant. “You have it all wrong: in fact,
nobody’s dangerous if everybody’s dangerous. When everyone can
put up a credible defense, no one is going to threaten them.”
Ursula growled her disagreement and retreated to the back of the
cave, perhaps to cry herself into hibernation.
Grisly sniffed the breeze blowing past the cave entrance and
scrutinized the distant trees for unusual movement or patterns of
light. He was about to leave. Smokey confronted him.
“I can’t stop you. Perhaps the cycle of revenge and paranoia has
gone too far to be stopped: too many guns in the hands of the
mentally ill and ignorantly unsocialized, too little respect for the
inefficient and corrupt guardians of law and order. Those who would
become neither victim nor aggressor, like Ursula, appear weak and
unrealistic to those like you, who would risk destruction of the web
of compromises necessary for civilized behavior in the name of
selfish satisfaction.”
“Bah! You can wait here and wave the white flag all you want: it
makes an excellent target. The best defense is a good offense: I didn’t
pick this fight. Either I help end it with my bullets or my body, or it
will not end. Bears like you are part of the problem—you and
Ursula.”
“Then you have already crossed a line I hope I never approach,”
replied Smokey, getting out of his way. “You consider yourself able
to make decisions that affect everyone—that’s wrong. Some creatures
are safe, some are not; some are dangerous, others are not. Being safe
and being dangerous have some correlation, but not totally. That is
the point of leaving the means of violence in responsible hands. You
are willing to capitulate too quickly to the end of the rule of law, and
thus hasten its demise. Have we gotten to the point of vigilantism
and might makes right? It could be a one-way journey into hell.
Think about it: only you can prevent a forest free-fire zone.”

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