(no subject)

Today's sign that I have yet again successfully assimilated an RPG character of mine into my own brain: I can no longer listen to one of my old favourite songs without going "But that's not right!" When I was in sixth grade or so my father got a James Taylor album that included JT's version of the song "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". I hadn't seen the movie, and I still haven't, so Dad explained what the song was talking about. I was really quite impressed with the idea and the lone lawyer's bravery and all, even though he couldn't handle a gun worth beans. At least he was trying, had the courage of his convictions, etc. And Valance did wind up dead, right?

So now I go to listen to the song again, years later, and as I'm listening something wrenches in my brain. Wrenches really hard. And out of that wrenching comes: you know, I can think of at least one other country that had a vast and dangerous western frontier full of opportunities for lawlessness to get completely out of hand and trample the rights and safety of the settlers, and you know what they did? THEY GOT AN EFFECTIVE POLICE FORCE IN PLACE.

Thank you so much, sgt_preston, for ruining that song for me. I'd never liked Westerns before, but at least I enjoyed that song. And now I can't any more because all I want to see is Valance being arrested and led away to stand trial!