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"Just remember every dog has his day."
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Colloquialism as it may be, Hill Billy, I believe you are right. Or in other words, "What goes around, comes around." Karma. Eventually, if not through self-inflicted idiocy, then in some form of nature's reprisal or retortion - or someone else's reprisal, whomever he or she may be, seen or unseen.
2Thick distilled it well. And Macro and WCP, as Mods, added good remarks as did others. And "in this small world in which we travel" (Slopain's words and one of my favorite phrases), the Mods have seen all species of wildlife and vermin.
It's gotta be hell to distinguish the good from the bad.
Some sources are practically sociopaths who will befriend you and then lead you down the garden path - before screwing you (e.g., scamming, laming, squeeling).
Others, seemingly stable and reliable, will crack when the going gets tough and will shamelessly betray their clients and divulge fellow source information, thinking they will save their boil-encrusted skins or, perhaps in some distorted thinking, actually believe they will secure a better "market share."
And seemingly good clients will barf up everything they know about sources and other bros under stress. Some are the type of people Macro describes. The scenarios go on and on and on...and on, ad nauseam, ad infinitum.
I adamantly and respectfully disagree that the Powers that Be are only looking for distributors, because what I've seen (including some very cogent comments about Federal funding and priorities) just doesn't support that notion in my view.
It's a crap shoot, and while you're in the floating game you have to have eyes in the back of your head, because someone can be behind you with a kitchen knife ready and willing to stab you in the liver.
So, if you're going to place yourself in the jungle, just keep in mind the principal rule of the jungle: "Only the strong survive." And while the biggest, or smartest (including those who delude themselves thinkng they are the smartest) get their prey, so do the smaller, well adapted - or well adjusted - ones who on the surface appear harmless.
A few more random thoughts.
Dex