WHERE DID ALL THE HEROS GO?
Joe Faulisi

I’m not talking about the law enforcement or the military community. I mean the common citizen; sure there are a few cases that show up. For example the passengers on flight 97, the Holocaust survivor at the Virginia Tech tragedy and a few others like that. Why are there not more Hero’s out there like this. We live in a cruel and dangerous world, and if we had more people out there with the bravery and courage to stand up and fight for what they believe in, and to protect themselves and others it would make the world a better place. Now I’m not saying that people should go out and look for trouble, but if evil should raise its ugly head you should make a stand. That is what our country is made from, people who faced the dangers and fought for what is right.

According to LT. Col. Dave Grossman’s writings there are three types of people sheep, sheep dogs, and wolves. The Sheep are the people who walk around all day and think nothing bad will ever happen to me, and if it does the sheep dog will protect me. The sheep dog is just that, the police, the military, the few common civilians who will fight for what is right and just. Now the wolf is the predator who feeds on the weak (or the weak minded) the terrorist. The definition of a terrorist is anyone who strikes fear in the people.

There is a great need for more sheepdogs in the world. I know the sheep minded people who may read this are saying “are you telling me that I should try to stop an armed gunman?” The answer is in most cases yes I am, of course you have to be able to do it so that it doesn’t endanger others. Most statistics say that you have a 75 to 80% chance of surviving a wound from a handgun, however if the assailant has you on your knees and puts the gun to the back of your head you have almost a 100% chance of dying. Which are the better odds? I personally would rather go out fighting and maybe save a life or two and my dignity, than die on my knees. I cannot Monday morning quarter back any past incidents, that would not be fair to the victims and I refuse to publicize any of the attackers and give them the spotlight that they set out for. I will tell comment on one incident, the off duty police officer in the Salt Lake City mall. This is a hero to the highest extent, not only is he brave he was smart about it. He got his pregnant wife to safety and then he acted. What if he wasn’t carrying a gun? Would he still have distracted the gunman until the police arrived? I believe he would have. He was able to think in a high stress situation and acted accordingly, he was able to assess the situation and deal with it by any means necessary.

There is a smart way, a wrong way, and the coward’s way. If you are unarmed take cover get people to safety and wait till the gunman is reloading, in the lull of the gunfire then act. If more people stand up against the evil there will be less evil. If you sheep out there would have stood up against the bully who was stealing your lunch money in high school, chances are they would have stopped and you would have no longer been a sheep.

The people who are committing these acts are bullies and bullies are nothing but people who prey on the weak. They are cowards who look for victims who will not fight back, when they find out you will fight back they will back down. Don’t be an easy target for these bullies, stop them in their tracks. Become a sheep dog, because the police and military are not going to be there every time, there is a lot of evil out there and they are spread pretty thin. They need help and they need help by the citizen, in this world where no one wants to get involved to help others, what if the others were your family how would you feel then?