Colonel's Blog

The War against "Divine Right"

rjones@semsar.org — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:00:00 GMT

I have just returned from yet another "anti-terrorism" conference. Unlike many I have attended, however, this one seemed to have the right idea in how to combat terrorism.

Most of the conferences I attend generally have a few lectures on bomb recognition, a speaker who talks about the "global threat" of terrorist groups, and of course, the token FBI agent who dutifully talks about how we are "winning" the War on Terror.

As I have stated in previous blogs, we are not engaged in a "War on Terror." We are engaged in a war against organized crime, and as far as the "global" threat is concerned, we are engaged in a war against Islam.

I find it intriguing that no-one ever wants to talk about the "elephant in the corner."

If an intelligent person examines every act of terrorism that has been perpetrated in the last 30 years "globally" one draws some rather interesting conclusions.

Nearly every major act of terrorism, especiially those claiming the lives of innocent civilians, has been perpetrated by a group that follows Islamic tenets.

To me, that is a pretty big smoking gun as to where we should direct our attention in the "War on Terror."

No, I am not excluding "terrorist" acts by groups like PETA or ALF, or minimizing the damage they have caused,but I have yet to see a video of a PETA member strapping a bomb to themselves, then blowing up a school bus full of children while shouting "Free the Puppies!"

In the years since 9-11, it seems to me there has been a concerted effort at educating the American public on the "Islam, the Religion of Peace" while at the same time, making sure the public sees Christianity and Judaism as being "radical and dangerous."

History is a powerful teacher, if we allow ourselves to learn from it. I personally have nothing against Muslims, or the Islamic faith, nor any other faith for that matter. I truly beleive in mans' right to choose who and what he worships. I do, however, draw the line in who or what I will be "forced" to worship.

An objective viewer simply need to look at the facts to draw a conclusion. The Middle East was once considered the "Cradle of Civilization." While the rest of the world was living in caves, and dragging women around by the hair, Babylon had the code of Hammurabi, Israel had the 10 commandments, and Iran had Cyrus the Great. The Middle East produced scholars, mathematicians, physcians, and provided numerous acheivements in the realm of science.

Enter Islam in about 610 AD. The trail of blood has continued to the present day, and rather than the "Cradle of Civilization" most of the Middle East now resembles the "Cradle of Rosemary's Baby."

Just in case I get the perfunctory mass emails that want to villify my time-period sense, please understand that I am well aware of the technological achievements of other early civilizations. I am generalizing for the sake of argument. And yes, I tip my hat to how civilized the Aztecs were, even if they were cutting the hearts out of living victims. The tradition survives today. Just take a really good look at the United States tax code.

I have also engaged in several converstions with learned individuals as to the differences in "moderate islam" vs. "radical Islam." When I have challenged the concept as to why "moderate Islam" is not speaking out against the atrocities committed by "radical Islam" I get hit with "Why is moderate Christianity not speaking out against "radical" Christianity?"

Touche. On a gut level, I understand the defense. I have never gotten on national T.V. and decried the actions of Fred Phelps, John Birch, Jim Jones (No relation) or any of the other people I consider fringe extremists. In my mind, thier words and actions are the direct antithesis of what true Christianity is. I have decried thier actions and association with Christianity within my own sphere of influence, but apparently not forcibly enough to get the attention of CNN or FOX.

Somehow, though, I tend to think that if a Muslim Iman stood up and said "This is an outrage!" that at least one network would carry it.

I am also cognizant enough of human nature to understand that many Muslims probably tend to view thier religion with the same amount of dispassion that many Christians view their own. They attend mosque on holy days, and for weddings, and pay lip service for the rest of the time.

I cannot help but wonder though, what would happen to the "moderates" if America were to suddenly recognize Sharia law?

Throughout the history of man, religion has always been the catalyst for either the greatest awakenings, or the greatest devastation. Nearly every conquerer or war monger in the history of the world, believed he was an "instrument of God."

The "War on Terror" is actually a war against ideals. In such a war, peace is not an option, because no matter how much one side desires it, the other side will never accept it. There are only two solutions to such a war: Conquer, or capitulate.

Capitulation and appeasement will only result in slavery.

Combating Terrorism and why appeasment will not work

rjones@semsar.org — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 06:00:00 GMT

I was discussing the recent bloodbath in Gaza the other day with a good friend, a man who is a fellow police officer, as well as an Arab linguist and Army officer.

We were discussing our Nation's foreign policy, and how the war on terror is being conducted. The conclusion being that neither of us believe our current national efforts are either efficient or productive. The problem, as he stated, and to which I concur, is that "organized crime, is organized crime, is organized crime." Every terrorist organization in the world is much like one of the organized crime families that the FBI has worked against for years. Mafia bosses have used terrorism to support thier regimes all the way back to the 1920's, and as the FBI has learned, the only way to reduce organized crime, is to eliminate and curtail the pipelines that make the activity profitable.

The Mafiosos of old were never satisfied. Wars between crime families occured because there was always someone who needed one more street, one more business, one more area of town under thier control. Terrorist organizations have the same modus operandi, especially the Islamic Jihadists. Gaza will never be enough. Dividing Jerusalem down the middle will never be enough. Driving every Jew and Christian out of the Middle East will never be "enough." The religious fanaticism of these groups demands the eradication of everyone that does not subscribe to their own brand of "fundamentalism."

Appeasement will never work. Peaceful co-existence will never work. You cannot peacefully co-exist with someone whose fervent belief is that killing you if you won't convert is the ultimate service to God.

Our goverment will not insure the security of Americans, by taking away the rights of Christians, but bowing down and insuring that Muslims have ritual foot-washing baths in airports and high schools, or by allowing a senator to swear on the Koran, or by refusing to allow Christian students to pray on campus, but ensuring that Muslim students are excused from class five times a day to pray in a room especially set aside for that purpose.

Terrorism will only be fought by making terrorism un-profitable. Every capitulation, every troop withdrawal, every act of "appeasement" will only strengthen the resolve of the said organization. We cannot allow the adoption of "Sharia" law in the United States, and if Muslims want to live and work here, they must uphold and respect the laws of the United States. That means a Muslim can't have more than one wife, and if he forces his daughter to undergo ritual circumcision, he should be prosecuted for child abuse. Please tell me with a straight face that if any "Christian" denomination practiced such a thing, that the FBI would not be all over them.

Terrorism in the States will only be fought when we allow our nation's police officers to perform "directed patrol", train them in cultural awareness, and yes, even allow profiling. Numerous terrorists have been found and incarcerated in the United States, not by the FBI or CIA, but by the street cop doing his job on a routine traffic violation.

By refusing to give into the demands of "one more street, one more business", by refusing to be intimidated by violence, by insisted that our own laws be obeyed, by refusing to do national business with any country or firm that supplies terrorists, by seizing or freezing assets, by aggressively retaliating for any action against our country, or against a single citizen of our country, and by cutting off the pipelines that supply money and arms to terrorists, we will win the war on terror. We will never fully eradicate terrorism. There will always be one more zealot or fanatic to deal with. We can, however, make terrorism an isolated incident, rather than a fact of life.

The Apologetics of Violence

rjones@semsar.org — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Sigh... Yet another post dealing with the topic of violence. In the six years that this ministry has maintained an online presence, I have received emails from all over the world. A few have been encouraging, and wanting more information, but many have been downright hateful. The most hateful always seem to come from atheists and left-wing liberals (OK, I expect that) but more than a few have come from fellow Christians, who seem to have a wild mis-understanding of what we are, and what we do. These commentaries are also obviously from people who have actually never bothered to read the web-site, or request additional information, but choose to just make an assumption and attack.

I was talking to an individual the other day, and the subject of this ministry came up. He stated "I've heard of you. Your the guy that trains Christian mercenaries."

Again, sigh... Please. A mercenary is a "soldier for hire" who works for the highest paying employer, and generally does not care who they kill, as long as they are getting paid.

SEMSAR is not a mercenary organization. We don't train "Christians" to de-stabilize third world countries, or provide mercenary armies to the highest bidder. In fact, security is only a small part of what we do. We were formed as a medical missions and search and rescue organization, and that is still our main mission. We do, however, train Christians and ministries in how to be secure, and how to protect themselves. I find nothing in the Bible that says that is wrong, or in any way "un-Christian."

I have even had people go as far to say that my being a police officer is "offensive" to God, and that I cannot possibly be a cop and a Christian, because I carry a gun and may have to "murder" someone. These comments obviously made by individuals who have never read Romans 13.

I will never forget the individual who asked me a question after preaching on being a Christian warrior in a small country church.

This person approached me with a "Scenario" and wanted to know how I would respond to it. The scenario was this: "Suppose you come home from work, and find your Police Chief in your house, violently raping your wife. The Bible says we are to respect the authorities over us, and he is your boss, after all, and that we are to turn the other cheek. The 8th commandment is "Thou shalt not Kill." So, what would you do?"

My immediate response was that the next day's newpaper would report both a funeral listing, and a job opening for police chief. This response highly offended the person asking me the question, and he questioned whether my salvation was even real. I then asked him what he would do.

He responded "I would fall down on my knees and pray for that man." Wonderful. I am sure his wife would be real appreciative of his level of faith.

The problem here, is that this person had a total mis-understanding of scripture, but like most people, was convinced of his own theological intelligence.

I will be the first to state that I don't understand how to apply much of the Bible, and readily agree that there are many aspects of scripture that I do not understand, even after years of study. (anybody out there know who the "helpers of Rahab" are mentioned in Job, and why God made them crouch low?)

I do know this. The 8th commandment is actually translated as "Thou shall not shed innocent blood." The police chief in the above illustration is not innocent. He has entered my home, violated and hurt my wife, shown no respect for her person or mine, and at the very least has broken commandments 7,8, and 10. He has violated and abused his right to authority, broken the laws he has sworn to protect, and there is probably no other reason that I should come home at just that moment, than for the reason of arranging for this "chief" to meet God face to face.

My wife was given to me as a gift from God, and it is my duty to protect her.

It is a sick society that protects the evil doer, and enables him to do evil. God has never repealed capital punishment, nor did He ever state that His people should be the doormats of the devil's children.

Yes, part of what our ministry does is teach people how to use violence. We do not, however, teach them to enjoy it, or to employ it for other than righteous means. We teach them to protect themselves from the predator that would try to harm or steal from them.

In the area where I live, a young teenage girl was recently abducted from a shopping mall and killed. The video tape of her abduction does not seem show her to be resisting as the abductor forces her into her own vehicle. The abductor may have had a knife, or a gun pointed at her, I really don't know at this point. The bare fact of the case is this: The abductor obviously used some threat of force or violence to gain compliance, and then once allowed the upper hand, followed through with murder. Violence against the abductor in any form, could have radically changed the outcome of this tragic event. The psychological profile of every bully is roughly the same. They will bully until they face resistance, and then the coward within takes over. Many bullies will torment and torture a defenseless puppy, but I don't know of any that would torment a slavering and aggressive pit bull. From everything I have read of this case, the young lady in question was exactly that. A young lady. Sweet, innocent, caring, loving, and friendly, and would never want to harm another human being. I wish we lived in a world where such people were the norm, but it is people like this young woman that predators seek out. They expect little or no resistance, and the fear of the victim gives them a sense of power they lack. In this case, the darkness won, and a bright light was snuffed out.

We teach Christians how to protect themselves. Yes, we teach non-Christians too, but it is the Christian that often has a problem with defending themselves, believing that it is somehow wrong to protect onesself or loved ones. Knowing how to defend yourself from a predator does not make you less of a Christian, nor does it make you a "mercenary." The predator does not care whether you live or die, and if what we teach allows one person to survive an encounter like the one above, then that life is well worth all the hate email.

Virginia Tech

rjones@semsar.org — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 06:00:00 GMT

'You must practice with the intensity of real life situations or it becomes a game and you can be beaten'
- Miyamoto Musashi, 'Book Of Five Rings'
Massacre at Virginia Tech

As of today, the “blogosphere” is alive with commentary on the shootings at Virginia Tech. Pet theories as to why, the motives of the gunman, etc., and as in the normal course of American politics and media juries, who is ultimately to blame.

As is typical, I have seen blogs blaming, yes, President Bush, and one media journal that puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of Charlton Heston, the president of the National Rifle Association.

Schools across the country have faced numerous bomb threats in the aftermath, as sick-minded individuals try to increase the nation’s feelings of panic, or even sicker, try to capitalize on this tragedy just to skip school for a day. The media, in all of their liberal left-wing glory, is making sure that every shooting incident across the nation is getting front and second page attention. Incidents that normally would not even be a blip on the news radar. Lastly, (Or firstly, depending on your view of politics) the politicians are warbling to the left and right on the issue of gun control, with a generous sprinkling of politicians waffling in the middle, trying to determine which viewpoint is destined to win the most votes in upcoming elections.

Probably one of the cheapest capitalizations I have seen yet, is the front page of the Washington Post Online, which shows a “random” photo of the thousands of people who showed up today at V-Tech for a memorial service. The “random” close-up prominently displays four Muslim women wearing the traditional Muslim hijab (headscarf). Nothing like a little friendly reminder while America is mourning that “Muslims” are non-violent, and the war in Iraq is a travesty. I feel reasonably certain that there may have been at least one or two among the dead that were Muslim, and I am sure the mourners pictured were genuine in their intent to honor the dead and in their expression of grief. What angers me is that I am also reasonably sure that among the mourners there was at least one group of Christians, with a John 3:16 sign, that did not get photographed because it would be “too controversial” and might offend some readers. I am also reasonably sure there were probably some Jewish expressions of faith presented, as well as a few other religions, whose representatives at the service will never see their grief shared with the nation, because ultimately, the job of the media today is to influence politics, not to report the news, so as a result, we have a subtle innuendo by the Post that ties a national tragedy to the policies of a current president.

A cheap shot, and in my opinion, irresponsible and sensationalistic reporting.

Also in the news, is the numerous panels that are being assembled to “deal” with the issue of school violence, the numerous “psycho-babblers” making the rounds of the airwaves to “discuss” school violence, and the especially numerous college and high school campuses scrambling to install “cell-phone warning systems” so that students and faculty can be more quickly appraised of situations requiring them to take shelter. I even saw one or two news articles favoring the arming of teachers with handguns. (Bad idea!)

The real issue here, and the most important one, is why a lone gunman was able to murder 32 people, and wound others, before ultimately killing himself. Cho was not taken out by a police sniper, or by a campus police officer. He ended his spree of violence with more violence directed at himself. Why and how was he able to do it?

The answer in my opinion, is because America today has a surrealistic view of violence. We are constantly exposed to it by the media, the entertainment industry, the music industry, the book-publishing industry, the video-game industry, etc., etc. For many Americans, violence is not real. As a result, when it is encountered truly, most Americans either retreat from it, or stand numbly in shock disbelieving they have become entrapped in its tendrils.

Cho did not murder 32 people with automatic weapons, or possess “illegal” high capacity magazines loaded to the hilt with ammo. Witnesses say that he was observed several times manually reloading his ammo clips. These interludes would have been the perfect tactical opportunity for an unarmed person to try to take Cho down. Why did that not occur? My belief is because society has conditioned the typical American to believe that “guns are bad” and “He who has the gun is more powerful.” In short, the focus was on Cho’s weapons, not on Cho himself, which led to inaction by those possibly able to stop him. This focus makes most Americans sheep. When sheep are scared, they do not scatter, they huddle, or fall over paralyzed with fear.

A gun is only a weapon when it is in the hands of someone with INTENT. Otherwise, it is just a paperweight. Violence itself is neither good nor evil. It is the INTENT behind the violence that shifts the scales right or left.

Cho’s intent was to kill, and in his mind, to hurt back those he believed to have hurt him, rather real or imagined. Violence was the tool he chose to accomplish that task. This is the same modus operandi of most terrorist organizations in the world today. Kill innocents, and make a statement. Cho may have been mentally deranged, but it is a wrong focus to zero in on his mental capacity as an excuse for violence. The VT massacre was obviously pre-planned, thought-out, and executed to achieve a purpose, whether that purpose had any validity in reality or not. This indicates that Cho made a “decision” to use violence as a weapon, which makes Cho a “terrorist” in every sense of the word.

As I have preached before, the only way to deal with violence, is with violence. The violence of the righteous has to be focused and targeted. If one person at VT had made a decision to assault Cho, the headlines would most likely not read “worst school massacre in U.S. history.”

Lest I be thought of a “violence monger” let me unequivocally state that as a practice, I abhor violence. I would like nothing better than to live my life in peace, and never have to raise my hand against my fellow man. I would like nothing better than every time I have to make an arrest, that the offender offer me his hands and say, “Gee, officer. I sure am sorry. It was wrong of me to break the law.” I will give you three guesses as to how many times in my career “that” has happened.

Mankind is violent. 10,000 years of recorded history, and man’s violent acts outnumber the acts of peace. For every Ghandi, there are ten Hitlers. Jesus Christ is the only answer to man’s pre-occupation with inflicting violence upon his brother, but until He comes again to rule and reign, the peaceful among us must survive. We can only do so by dealing with violent situations both aggressively, and violently.

32 innocent people were murdered on a school campus this past week, because no one wanted to accept the responsibility of responding in kind. The grim truth of America remains that “the police will not arrive to save you” and the “cavalry is not just over the hill.” Security, like freedom, has to occasionally be fought for to be preserved. Until individual Americans once again take up the responsibility that evil must be fought, and be fought decisively and aggressively, we will continue to see incidents such as VT and Columbine become all too common.

Wolves, Sheep, and Sheepdogs

rjones@semsar.org — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 06:00:00 GMT

The security mission of SEMSAR is one that that quite often puts me at odds with mainstream Christianity. I cannot begin to recount the numerous churches that have refused to let me speak or address their congregations because my ministry “condones” violence. Before I go any further, let me unequivocally state for the record that we as a ministry DO NOT “condone” violence. We embrace it. Now, before you go all sanctimonious on me, let me explain:

Violence is rarely the answer to any problem, yet when it is the answer, it is the ONLY answer. Contrary to what is taught by mainstream Christianity, God is not adverse to “condoning” violence when the need calls for it. Drowning the Egyptian Army in the Red Sea strikes me as a singularly violent act. Causing the earth to open up and swallow the children of Israel who worshiped the golden calf sounds a little violent as well. Telling the children of Israel to put every man, woman, child, and beast to the sword while conquering the Holy Land, well, I detect just a teeny bit of violence there as well. If God himself can use violence, the it stands to reason that violence itself may occasionally be a righteous act.

We live in a violent world. Jesus himself said “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” The difference between criminal violence and righteous violence is simply one of intent. If I physically strike a man to show my martial skill, to humiliate, or to intimidate, I commit an act of criminal violence. I have hurt my fellow man for the basest of all intents, for personal enjoyment. If, however, I physically strike a man who I catch in the act of rape, robbery, assault, or other asocial violent act, and my violent act stops or hinders his commission of asocial violence, then my violent act can be construed as “righteous violence.”

I received the following email recently. I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the introduction, but I can relate to message by Col. Grossman. The article kinda sums up what we at SEMSAR believe about our security mission.

Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs

Jill Edwards is a junior math major at the University of Washington. In brief, Edwards, a member of the UW student senate, opposed a memorial to UW grad "Pappy" Boyington. Boyington was a U.S. Marine aviator who earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Edwards said that she didn't think it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people. She also said that a member of the Marine Corps was NOT an example of the sort of person the University of Washington wanted to produce. What follows is Gen. Dula's letter to the University of Washington student senate leader.

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 naivetéé.

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. Please take a couple of minutes to read the following. And be grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

Brett Dula, Sheepdog, retired

----------------------------------------------------------

ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS

By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D., author of "On Killing."

Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? - William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: 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.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me, it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell.

Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, And someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "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," he went on, "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 hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed

Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. 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, cannot 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? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

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." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. 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 he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront 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.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.

Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up. Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling." Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level. And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself..."Baa."

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. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

"If It Weren't For The United States Military, There Would Be NO United States of America"

Hurricane Katrina

rjones@semsar.org — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 06:00:00 GMT

The devastation that has recently hit our Southern Coast has shocked us all. I am a native of Louisianna, and have extended family all over the state, so it is very likely that some of my own family was caught up in this disaster.

SEMSAR contacted the Office of the Louisianna Governor early on in the crisis, as well as the Missouri SEMA office, to offer our assistance. We received a polite thank you and a promise to call us if needed. Meanwhile, the media is attacking FEMA, the president, Homeland Security, and anyone else they can find about the poor response to the crisis.

Hello? FEMA is not a first responder agency. The Federal government is not responsible for initial response. They are responsible to assist operations already in place. Disaster response is the Congressionally mandated responsiblity of the American Red Cross, as well as numerous other Non-governmental entities throughout the United States. Disaster response is also the responsibility of local government, which is why we have LEPC regions, disaster plans, and federal and state funding to manage those plans. Please take a look at he New Orleans Disaster Management Plan (http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26) and see if you can tell where the plan was implemented or followed. The Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, has blasted the President and FEMA, for failing to provide greyhound buses to evacuate residents, yet the New Orleans Disaster plan states that between public and private transportation in New Orleans, there are over 500 buses available for evacuation. Where are they? Obviously underwater. Why? The disaster plan was not followed.

Obviously, the scope of the disaster overwhelmed local resources, and nobody was prepared for what happened, but let's not turn a horrible tragedy into a blame game and and political sideshow. If there is anything more sickening than seeing overwhelming tragedy being turned into racism, bigotry, and political spin-doctoring, I am at a loss as to what it is.

Where should the ultimate responsiblity lie for response to this crisis? Who is ultimately responsible for providing relief and comfort?

Ultimately, it is the responsiblity of the Church. It is for humanitarian reasons that the Church is not taxed in the United States. It is so that the Church can offer comfort and succor to those in need. When a disaster of this magnitude hit's our shores, it is the Church that should be emptying it's coffers and it's members mobilizing.

Government has replaced God in the lives of most Americans. Why? Because the church has failed it's mission to provide for the poor (thus we have welfare). We have failed to feed the hungry (thus we have food stamps). We have failed to preach sexual purity (thus condoms in schools). We have failed to provide Godly counsel (thus social services). We have failed because our personal desires have been more important than God's.

Salvation does not come from the Government. Do not blame the government for the poor response to Hurricane Katrina. Blame the Church. We should have been there first. Instead, most of us sat on our couches, watched the TV with morbid fascination, and wondered why the "Government" was not saving the day.