FW: Which are You? Sheep or Sheepddog?

["As long as my ‘retired’ Dad still gets forwards from his buddies in the military, I’m never going to run dry of things to send you.

-Ted"

Thanks Ted. Being a docile lamb, I've always wanted to peek into the logical, trustworthy minds of the law enforcing sheep dogs who "permit" us our glorious freedom. Let us see more!? ]

---- Begin Forwarded Message ----

SHEEP VS SHEEPDOG

"This letter was 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. 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
your naivete. 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 chose 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 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 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."

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 is okay 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 .....

Generation Chickenhawk: the unauthorized College Republican National Convention Tour

[This is a treat I found on boingboing.net.]

National Language Debate

[This is not a forward...yet.]







A comic from xkcd.com

RE: Jay Leno's Letter

["Just got this icky one today...supposedly written by Jay Leno. -Sandy" This is a variance of an earlier post, but I find its logic so bullet-proof, I had to share it again. Read it a few times, and you SPOILED BRATs will realize how good we have it here under Bush's protective watch. That we are a BLESSED PEOPLE in spite of our bad-news media, free to drive cross-country or eat at a restaurant, so just shut-up and enjoy your unappreciated FREEDOM UNDER GOD.]


---------- Forwarded message ----------

Subject: Jay Leno's Letter
Received this from a friend. I hardly ever watch Jay Leno (I fall asleep by
then) so don't know much about him. I do know that his wife has done and
continues to do a lot of work in getting women's rights and respect for
women in Afghanistan where they are treated like useless property by the
Islamic radicals. This is good so hope you all will read it. It's long,
but worth the read. I definitely believe that the media is driving the
negativity in our country. Not that all is perfect, but it's sure not as
awful as they lead you to believe.

Jay's letter:
"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll
data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source,
right? The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy
with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is
unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the
citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so
unhappy about?'' Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air
conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4
percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk
into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur
has seen in the last year? Maybe it is the ability to drive from the
Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification
papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and
safe motels we would find along the way that can p rovide temporary shelter?
I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the
world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car,
emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a
helicopter to take you to the hospital. Perhaps you are one of the 70
percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in
the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear
in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving
you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of
your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer
equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your
family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood
free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the re sidents. Neighborhoods
where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers. How about the
complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy
of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks
unhappy. Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the
world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great
disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed
people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have ,
and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live
here.I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has
no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval
rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days
after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of
recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the
book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from
terrorist attacks?
The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending
you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or
talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you
couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and
be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually
caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was
failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake
about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and
in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in
this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end
up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable''
discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few
days in the brig. So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of
69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If
it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a
car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at
the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit
corporations. They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend
their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they
tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he
didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this
way......Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the
TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird
cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is
exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed peoples on
Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and
appreciative. With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides,
flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to
another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure
this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Jay Leno


Pass it on.

RE: Jihad

[How nice. Here's a flash video that will ROCK YOUR GOD-FEARING WORLD. Tip 'o the hat to my buddy Kevin, "Hi Mike -Nice alarmist video... forwarded by my right-wing, conservative wacko step-father."]

----Begin Forwarded Message----

If you have not seen this, you NEED to. If you have, then delete or send it to others that need to be informed. M. Coye

This could be the most powerful video you have ever seen..... no download required, just click on it.

[ But be sure to turn the speaker down if somebody is asleep]

http://www.terrorismawareness.org/know-about-jihad/


Red Skelton---How did he know???

[Thanks for the latest submission Sandy! I feel an uncommon pride, dignity and purpose...UNDER GOD!
" My daughter Laura...told me about your website after I sent her an email wondering why someone doesn’t start sending Liberal Left Wing stuff so we can bombard our “friends” who send all this apple pie/flag/support the troops/pray for ???/ stuff. Your website is fun, so thanks. Here is the latest I have received….I think it’s been 2 years since I last got it. Note the type-o’s."]

----Begin Forwarded Message----

This is a good site, you well enjoy. Bob

Subject: Red Skelton---How did he know???

Some of you may remember him but he passed away before many of you were born. Red Skelton was a good & funny man. He also ended every show by saying, "GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS". Listen to the end of this. It is something he said 38 years ago.

Take a moment and listen to it (from 1969).

How would he have known that this is what is happening today?

Click on the link when on line, and turn your sound on.

Pledge Of Allegiance To The Flag Of The United States Of America

FOR THE FEW WHO DON'T KNOW:
Red Skelton was a movie star and comedian on television back in the 1950s. He created a number of characters, and his show was watched by millions He did this on his show one evening--back when shows were live.

FW: DO NOT DELETE..send back if U can't forward please

Subject: FW: DO NOT DELETE..send back if U can't forward please


23 Eagles - - DO NOT DELETE
(note: when forwarded an eagle is added.)


Prayer wheel for our soldiers...please don't break it
Please send this on after a short prayer.

When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a
prayer for our troops around the world
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen."
There is nothing attached.... This can be very powerful.... Just send this to all the people in your address book. Do not stop the wheel, please...
Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine & others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one.
I noticed that as I forwarded this...another eagle was added!! Neat!!




 
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