Demodave
02-01-2008, 06:33 PM
SHEEP, WOLVES AND SHEEPDOGS
This is as powerful as it gets. You can complain about the war, or you
can supposedly "support the troops", or you can just go to your kids
baseball games and not keep up with current events. But, at some point
reality is going to slap you upside the head. Take your time and read
this; IT IS REALITY! Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
Charles Grennel and his comrades, veterans of the Global War On Terror
wrote this letter. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in
Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections
in January 2005.
They wrote it to Jill Edwards, student at the University of Washington,
who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg
Boyington. Ms. Edwards, other students, and faculty do not think those who
serve in the U. S. armed services are good role models.
***
To: Jill Edwards, Student, University of Washington
Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards,
I read of your student activity regarding the proposed memorial to
Colonel Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you
will receive many angry e-mails from conservative people like me. You may
be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of
servicemen and service women on whose shoulders you and your fellow students
stand.
I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may
be that you are simply a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep,
as long as you know and accept what you are.
William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy on
November 24, 1997 said, "Most of the people in our society are sheep.
They are kind, gentle, productive creatures that can only hurt one
another by accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history,
but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are
kind, decent people, not capable of hurting each other except by
accident or under extreme provocation.
They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves that feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you
believe there are wolves out there that will feed on the flock without
mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they
are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is
not so, you become a sheep.
There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs and I'm a sheepdog.
I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no
capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep.
If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow
citizens, then you have defined an aggressive psychopath, a wolf.
But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your
fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone
who is walking the uncharted path. Someone who can walk into the heart
of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep.
They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can
accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their
kid's schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an
armed police officer in their kid's school.
Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or
seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response
to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to
kill or harm their child is just too hard. So they choose the path of
denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference,
though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the
sheep.
Any sheepdog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be
punished and removed.
The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative
democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that
there are wolves in the land.
They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them
traffic tickets, or stand ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues,
holding an M-16.
The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray
paint himself white, and go baa until the wolf shows up. Then the
entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough
high school students, and under ordinary circumstances would not have had
the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just
had nothing to say to a cop.
When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing
the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those
clinging, sobbing kids off of them.
This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is
at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the
wolf pounded hard on the door.
Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about
their law enforcement officers and military personnel?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a
sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.
Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter. He is always
sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things
that go bump in the night and yearning for a righteous battle. That is,
the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle.
The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the
sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently.
The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for
that day.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is,
most citizens in America said "Thank God I wasn't on one of those
planes."
The sheepdogs, the warriors, said "Dear God, I wish I could have been
on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference."
You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally
superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real
advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an
environment that would destroy 98 percent of the population.
Research was conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of
violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes
of violence assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers.
The vast majority said they specifically targeted victims by body
language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose
their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of
the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically
primed to be wolves or sheepdogs.
But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be,
and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become
sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was
honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey.
Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who
called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about
the hijacking.
When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been
used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist
hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers -
athletes, business people and parents - from sheep to sheepdogs and
together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of
lives on the ground.
Edmund Burke said "There is no safety for honest men except by
believing all possible evil of evil men."
Here is the point I want to emphasize; especially to the thousands of
police officers and soldiers I speak to each year.
In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep.
Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They don't have a
choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you
want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay,
but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and
your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to
protect you.
If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going
to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.
But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you
must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip
and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the
wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy.
It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice.
It is a matter of degrees, a continuum.
On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is
the ultimate warrior.
Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live
somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum,
away from denial.
The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their
warriors and the warriors started taking their job more seriously.
It’s OK to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the
sheepdog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better
and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with
the sheep moving from "baa" to "thanks".
We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a
small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank
that is drained protecting the sheep.
And, when our number is called by The Almighty and day retreats into
night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say
thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep.
And be grateful for the thousands of American sheepdogs who permit you
the freedom to express even bad ideas.
This is as powerful as it gets. You can complain about the war, or you
can supposedly "support the troops", or you can just go to your kids
baseball games and not keep up with current events. But, at some point
reality is going to slap you upside the head. Take your time and read
this; IT IS REALITY! Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
Charles Grennel and his comrades, veterans of the Global War On Terror
wrote this letter. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in
Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections
in January 2005.
They wrote it to Jill Edwards, student at the University of Washington,
who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg
Boyington. Ms. Edwards, other students, and faculty do not think those who
serve in the U. S. armed services are good role models.
***
To: Jill Edwards, Student, University of Washington
Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards,
I read of your student activity regarding the proposed memorial to
Colonel Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you
will receive many angry e-mails from conservative people like me. You may
be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of
servicemen and service women on whose shoulders you and your fellow students
stand.
I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may
be that you are simply a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep,
as long as you know and accept what you are.
William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy on
November 24, 1997 said, "Most of the people in our society are sheep.
They are kind, gentle, productive creatures that can only hurt one
another by accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history,
but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are
kind, decent people, not capable of hurting each other except by
accident or under extreme provocation.
They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves that feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you
believe there are wolves out there that will feed on the flock without
mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they
are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is
not so, you become a sheep.
There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs and I'm a sheepdog.
I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no
capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep.
If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow
citizens, then you have defined an aggressive psychopath, a wolf.
But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your
fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone
who is walking the uncharted path. Someone who can walk into the heart
of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep.
They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can
accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their
kid's schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an
armed police officer in their kid's school.
Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or
seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response
to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to
kill or harm their child is just too hard. So they choose the path of
denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference,
though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the
sheep.
Any sheepdog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be
punished and removed.
The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative
democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that
there are wolves in the land.
They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them
traffic tickets, or stand ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues,
holding an M-16.
The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray
paint himself white, and go baa until the wolf shows up. Then the
entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough
high school students, and under ordinary circumstances would not have had
the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just
had nothing to say to a cop.
When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing
the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those
clinging, sobbing kids off of them.
This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is
at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the
wolf pounded hard on the door.
Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about
their law enforcement officers and military personnel?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a
sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.
Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter. He is always
sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things
that go bump in the night and yearning for a righteous battle. That is,
the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle.
The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the
sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently.
The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for
that day.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is,
most citizens in America said "Thank God I wasn't on one of those
planes."
The sheepdogs, the warriors, said "Dear God, I wish I could have been
on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference."
You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally
superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real
advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an
environment that would destroy 98 percent of the population.
Research was conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of
violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes
of violence assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers.
The vast majority said they specifically targeted victims by body
language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose
their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of
the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically
primed to be wolves or sheepdogs.
But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be,
and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become
sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was
honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey.
Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who
called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about
the hijacking.
When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been
used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist
hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers -
athletes, business people and parents - from sheep to sheepdogs and
together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of
lives on the ground.
Edmund Burke said "There is no safety for honest men except by
believing all possible evil of evil men."
Here is the point I want to emphasize; especially to the thousands of
police officers and soldiers I speak to each year.
In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep.
Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They don't have a
choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you
want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay,
but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and
your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to
protect you.
If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going
to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.
But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you
must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip
and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the
wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy.
It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice.
It is a matter of degrees, a continuum.
On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is
the ultimate warrior.
Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live
somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum,
away from denial.
The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their
warriors and the warriors started taking their job more seriously.
It’s OK to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the
sheepdog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better
and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with
the sheep moving from "baa" to "thanks".
We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a
small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank
that is drained protecting the sheep.
And, when our number is called by The Almighty and day retreats into
night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say
thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep.
And be grateful for the thousands of American sheepdogs who permit you
the freedom to express even bad ideas.