(453) EMIL ZATOPEK & THE QUEST FOR POWER

Copyright 2012 by Donald M. Heavrin

Emil Zatopek ran in 69 races in the late 1940's, at a distance of 5,000 meters or 10,000 meters. During that time-period, he never lost a race. What an amazing feat of human athleticism.

*****

On the power issue, I was at a conference in Florida, and my friend Jeff introduced me to a Judge who was operating a drug court. His name was Stanley Dulchild. When I said that we are not getting anywhere in the war on drugs, Dulchild responded, ‘Well, I’m not going to let my children decide what is best for them. That is certainly an invitation to disaster. That’s what parents are for–to keep their children safe.’

All of the turds who want to control your life will quickly obfuscate the issue when they can’t answer a question. Dulchild had reached that point. I did not say a word about how he should control his family, I merely observed that if it were my children, I would let them decide what was best for them, rather than have Dulchild, my neighbor, or the police department decide what mood-altering drugs they should use. Of greater importance, I didn’t want Dulchild or others of his ilk deciding what should happen if they use a drug that was not governmentally approved. However, logic and liberty was lost on Dulchild and reality was not an option, as he tried to bully me into concession. Fortunately for me and him, old age and poor physical condition have overtaken me, and I seldom get angry anymore. Not being angry allowed me to nod and grunt my way through lunch without punching him in the face or challenging him to a duel. When I ate all the food I needed, I jumped up and said, ‘Thank you, Judge Dulchild for the informative discussion. And thank you, Jeff, for allowing me to join you for lunch.’ Jeff looked relieved that I was leaving. I suspect that Dulchild was petty enough to hold my opinion against him for the rest of his legal career. That is akin to killing the messenger, since I was never going to be in the turd’s Court. He would punish Jeff because Jeff knew me and had invited me to lunch.

Dulchild was intoxicated with power that had been bestowed upon him by some brain-dead Legislature. He had been put in charge of the Drug Court and proudly said that, ‘If you’re stupid enough to go through my program, then you are going to pay a heavy price.’ All conflict is over who controls the power. Judge Dulchild was firmly in control of the Drug Court, and he was making it as hard as possible on the poor saps who landed in his Court.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Trying to avoid Dulchild and to find more Zatopeks in the world