in sheep's clothing

In Sheep's Clothing

    One day, a hungry wolf found an old, discarded sheep skin. Putting it on, he proceeded to infiltrate the sheep flock and was so successful there that he was soon elected President of the Sheep. So he passed out sheep skins to all his wolf buddies, invited them to come on down, and appointed them to all the influential positions in Sheep government.
    Once in power, the wolf-sheep immediately passed the You Don't Get to Know Anything About Us Law, which allowed them to keep everything they did secret. That was quickly followed by the We Get to Know Everything About You Law, which allowed them to spy on the sheep. "These laws are necessary to protect you from the wolves," they explained with a wink.
    Now, sheep are not noted for intellectual depth or analytical skill, but some are more perceptive than others. Several of them began to notice telltale wolf signs: disappearing sheep, unexplained howling late at night, un-ovine snouts protruding from beneath fleeces. That sort of thing. They decided to get together and do something about it.
    "It appears that the wolves are sneaking in among us wearing sheep's clothing," said Phil, one of the smarter sheep.
    "We have to tell the Sheep Police," said Mabel.
    "Tell President Woolly!" said Eddy.
    "I've tried all that," said Phil. "No one wants to hear it. They don't believe us. We have to expose the problem dramatically so that everyone will take notice."
    "What did you have in mind?" asked Mabel.
    "I say, we de-skin one of those wolves in public," said Phil.
    "Are you sure that's safe?" baaed Eddy.
    "You have to take risks sometimes," offered Mabel.
    "Let's form an organization to focus on the wolf problem," suggested Eddy.
    "What will we call it?" mused Phil.
    "Let's see," said Mabel. "These wolves are defiling our very fleeces by wearing them."
    "How about Clean Fleece?" said Phil excitedly. "Because our organization will purge the wolfish pollution from our fleeces!"
    So Clean Fleece went wolf hunting. At last, they spotted a wolf donning a sheep skin. They saw the wolf heading for the flock and followed him quietly. When the wolf reached the sheep flock, the Clean Fleece activists pounced on him and tore off his disguise.
    "Look!" they cried to one and all. "A wolf in sheep's clothing!"
    Then they unfurled a banner reading, "President Woolly! Expel the wolves from our midst!"
    At length, the Sheep Police arrived.
    "Hurrah!" shouted the Clean Fleece crew. "There's the wolf! Arrest him!"
    And the Sheep Police proceeded to arrest the Clean Fleece sheep.
    "Wa-a-ait a minute!" bleated the Clean Fleece sheep. "We're sheep! The wolf's over there!"
    "We have our o-o-o-orders," replied the Sheep Police. "You're under arrest for assault on a fellow sheep."
    "Does that look like a sheep to you?" asked Phil.
    "Don't try any of your radical tricks on us," said the Sheep Police, "We have our orders from Mr. Goldenfleece the Attorney General."

    The Clean Fleece sheep appeared before President Woolly, Attorney General Goldenfleece, and the Sheep Council.
    "You are guilty of assaulting a fellow sheep," said Attorney General Goldenfleece.
    "Um, guilty?" squeaked Phil.
    "I mean 'accused,' for now," growled the AG.
    "A field full of sheep saw that it was a wolf," said Mabel.
    The sheep with form-fitting skins were nodding their heads in affirmation.
    "Wo-o-olf," they baaed.
    The sheep with loose skins conferred for a moment.
    "Maybe we'd better let that one drop, Fang," advised one of the ersatz sheep. "I mean, Mr. Goldenfleece."
    "But I want those sheep for dinner!" objected Fang. I mean, the AG.
    "Let's drop that charge," said President Woolly. "Just think up another one."
    "Very well," growled the Attorney General. "You are charged under the Wolves Aren't Allowed to Be Within 100 Yards of a Sheep Law of 1642."
    "That's an awfully old law," said Eddy, "but shouldn't you charge the wolf under that?"
    "But it was you that attacked the unoffending wolf!" bellowed Mr. Goldenfleece, hitching up his sheep skin.
    "Mr. Attorney General," remarked Phil, "what big teeth you have!"

In April 2002, Greenpeace activists boarded a ship carrying contraband mahogany from Brazil. The European Union and Brazil praised Greenpeace for its efforts to stop illegal logging. The US government, on the other hand, is prosecuting the whistleblowers rather than the smugglers. Having dropped the original charge that there was, in fact, no contraband on board the vessel, the government has now retrieved an ancient maritime law from mothballs in an attempt to shut Greenpeace up. Why, one wonders, would they go to such lengths to prosecute the good guys, while letting the bad guys go?