You Can't Kill Me -- I'm Rich

One of my favorite authors for casual reading is Larry McMurtry. The Texas native is best know for his western novels including Lonesome Dove. In 2002 he wrote the first of the Berrybender novels set in the 1830s about a very rich English family on an adventure up the Missouri River. Lord Berrybender and his subjects were seemingly oblivious to the danger they were exposed to; as if they felt protected by their aristocracy. Funny thing though, the people of the new American west didn't care that they were aristocrats from England.

They did make some preparations for the trip -- including towing a separate boat behind their steam driven paddle wheeler -- just to carry the wine. The Berrybenders were stunned when they found that some Native Americans would happily kill them, and those that were not interested in murder felt free to just take their wine.

We now find ourselves cast as the Berrybenders. We do not fully understand the way the rules are changing and feel entitled to continue to enjoy our status and lifestyle. I just hope we don't find ourselves frozen in the middle of the river without enough food and no idea what to do next.