As that fact becomes increasingly clear to Americans, the urgency to act against the enemy at hand, whether by local sheriffs, state legislatures, or vigilantes, will result in unpredictable outcomes, none of which is likely to be tranquil.
“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a
sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the
wolf.” Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement
agency put it, “We intimidate those who intimidate
others.”
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? Then you are 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
Everybody thinks they are the sheepdog.