The following was excerpted from an essay at
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/172284.php
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.
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," 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."