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Sheep,
Wolves and Sheepdogs
Written by Charles Grennel and his comrades
who are veterans of the Global War On Terror. Grennel is an Army
Reservist who spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in putting
together the first Iraq elections, January of 2005.
It was written to Jill Edwards, a student at the University of
Washington who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel
Greg Boyington. You may occasionally view some of "Pappy's" activities
on The History Channel.
Ms. Edwards and other students (and faculty) do not
think those who serve in the U.S. armed services are good role models.
To: Edwards, Jill
(student, UW)
Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards, I read of your
"student activity" regarding the proposed memorial to Col. Greg
Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive
a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me.
You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations
of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow
students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and you
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
November 24, 1997 said: "Most of the people in our society are sheep.
They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who 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 who are not capable of hurting
each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are
sheep.
Then there are the wolves and the wolves feed on the sheep without
mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who 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 sociopath, 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 unchartered
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, that 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 kids' 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, and 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, can not and will not ever harm
the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms even the
lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.
The world cannot work any other
way, at least not in a representative 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 at the 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 they 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."
Do 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 destroys 98
percent of the population.
There was research 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 that 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.
"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible
evil of evil men." -- Edmund Burke.
Here is the point I like 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 didn'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 sheep dog 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 sheep dog. Indeed, the sheep
dog 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 which 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 - - millions - - of American sheepdogs
who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.
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The Conservative Republican
