Eddie Deen's Animal Stories

Eddie Deen is deeply involved in, and committed to, the South Dallas community. He has taught his 'Internal Freedom' course at the Martin Luther King Community Court, Paul Quinn College, the International Street Church, the Dallas Police Department, and the DISD.

His four special event companies – including Eddie Deen’s Ranch in downtown Dallas – are world renowned.

Eddie is also known as one heck of a raconteur (that’s storyteller to you non-French speakers). Here are a few tales Eddie has to share … tales that remind us in very simple terms why we all need to Vote No! on May 9…

Dallas lobsters vs. other lobsters…

A pilot was transporting boxes full of lobsters across the country. His co-pilot noticed that one of the boxes did not have a lid and he wanted to know why.

The pilot said that the lobsters in the box without a lid were raised in Dallas, while the other boxes with lids were from Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York City.

The co-pilot then asked the pilot, "Why do the boxes from all the other cities have lids on them, and the box from Dallas doesn't?"

The pilot said, "Because you don't have to worry about them escaping the box from Dallas. We have enough lobsters in that box that are opposed to pretty much everything, so when one comes up with an idea to crawl out, the others just pull him back down."

Yes, you can have no bananas

In a scientific study, a group of monkeys were locked in a room with a pole at the center. Some luscious, ripe bananas were placed on top of the pole.

When a monkey would begin to climb the pole, the experimenters would knock him off with a blast of water from a fire hose. Each time a monkey would climb, off he would go, until all the monkeys had been knocked off repeatedly, thus learning that the climb was hopeless.

The experimenters then observed that over time the other primates would pull down any monkey trying to climb. So they decided to replace a single monkey with one who did not know the system.

As soon as the new guy tried to climb, the others would pull him down and punish him for trying. One by one, each monkey was replaced and the scene repeated until none of the monkeys left in the room had experienced the fire hose.

Still, none of the new guys were allowed to climb. The other monkeys pulled them down. Not one monkey in the room knew why, but none were allowed to get the bananas.

When I think about this study, the behavior of the monkeys reminds me of the folks who are campaigning against the convention center hotel. The ones in opposition must have had a blast from a fire hose. I know that if a child perceives that their control is taken away, they will grow up exhibiting a fear of not having control, which will lead them to think that people exist for their benefit.

Today there are only two types of people in the world, takers or givers. The ones who have perceived that their power was taken away, think of themselves as takers, they think people exist for their benefit. The other group is made up of givers, who believe other people exist to be beneficial to. They want to serve others, because they feel lovable and valued.

Serving others is how we expand and grow the economy. Dallas has an opportunity to position in the world as a place where business can be done. A convention center hotel gives Dallas an opportunity to create greater advantages to organizations that want to expand and grow their economy.

There will be conventions somewhere, Dallas, working with other providers of convention services, has the greatest opportunity on May 9th to be on the fore front of being beneficial to the world.

Let's vote no, so that we can have an opportunity to grow the economy in Dallas Texas.

Vote No to the Sea Squirt

When I think of the campaign to kill the convention center hotel, I think of the Sea Squirt.

A Sea Squirt is much like a tadpole with a brain and nerve cord to control its movements. But as it matures, it develops an urge to attach to a rock and gradually digest its own brain and nerve cord. It then just squirts water.

Dallas cannot just attach to a rock and start digesting its own brain like it was a large Sea Squirt. Organisms that can move around and create new ideas need a brain. Organisms that stand still with no meaning and purpose just need a rock to attach to.

In this convention center hotel battle, the voters must understand the consequences of living like a Sea Squirt. The hotel opponents would prefer that Dallas just attach to a rock and become a spectator to other cities that have meaning and purpose.

Cities that have a purpose focus on being beneficial and creating greater advantages for guests visiting the city. That is what the convention center hotel will do----create benefits and advantages that will draw billions of dollars of business to Dallas as a whole.

Otherwise, Dallas's billion-dollar convention center will become an empty shell. The city that is "better able" to create advantages wins.

We cannot allow Dallas to become a Sea Squirt. Vote "NO" to the Sea Squirt.