Here is a column I wrote, under the pen-name of Desiderius Erasmus an old Dutch philosopher, for a monthly Illinois newsletter on the Second Amendment. Old Desiderius’ motto was In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King, which meant that you didn’t have to be perfect in your skillset, just better than your opponent. In Latin, the phrase “in regione caecorum rex est luscus.”
In regione caecorum rex est luscus
In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King
By “Desiderius Erasmus”
You Need a “Dog”
Every human endeavor needs a “dog.” A family needs a “dog.” A sports team needs a “dog.” A private sector company needs a “dog.” A military organization needs a “dog.” And on it goes. We aren’t talking about a Labrador Retriever here; or a Great Dane there. We aren’t talking about your best four-footed friend or pal. We are talking about a real “dog,” a person.
A real dog is someone who never quits, never gives up. A real dog can be counted on to do the right thing – even when that isn’t the popular choice on Facebook and the other social trash media – every time. A dog puts the group before the dog’s own individual interest. We all need a dog like that.
In the Army, we had a whole institution full of dogs, known as Inspector Generals. George Washington created them back in the day to improve training, drills, discipline, and organization of what was then the ragtag Continental Army. If you were to ask IGs today what their job is, they would probably say something like, “an internal watchdog, who routinely investigates allegations of misconduct by Army officials, examines complaints of waste, fraud or abuse that violate Army rules and regulations, assists soldiers in solving their problems that their normal chain-of-command cannot or will not resolve.”
These IGs like to think of themselves as the Army’s conscience, keeping an eye on day-to-day events and making sure everyone follows the rules. Many are senior; they know they aren’t getting promoted again; the Army knows they aren’t getting promoted again; and the Army selects them precisely because they aren’t motivated by personal aggrandizement.
Every sports team needs a dog. A veteran player, who will get in your face if you are “dogging it” and not giving your best effort, can make a regular team a champion. This dog is rarely the highest-paid player on the team, and often not even the most-talented athlete, but nobody outworks the dog – in the gym or on the field.
Firefighters have a lot of dogs in the station, in addition to a Dalmatian. That’s because almost all human beings have an innate fear of fire. Fire hurts, maims, kills, and destroys; and yet these two-legged dogs run toward the fire to put it out and maybe save your life, not run away from a blaze.
Police officers are often dogs. It’s potentially dangerous on every shift, every patrol, every 911 call; and generally underpaid; often over-blamed; and routinely overworked. We sort of expect police officers to be dogs – guarding society from “wolves”. That’s why in those very rare cases when a police officer does something really bad – that other cops know crosses the blue line – the punishment is so severe. Because society can’t have wolves in dogs’ clothing.
But most important in society, every family needs a dog. My old man, all 5’7″ of him, was a dog. Mom would let you win at games and contests – to teach you how to be a good winner. Dad would crush you without mercy – to show you that life isn’t fair and losing hurts. Mom often said, “that’s pretty good.” Dad never said that; he was more likely to say, “That isn’t good enough.” But the worst outcome of all was if Dad thought you might quit, or were “dogging it.” Now moms can certainly have the roll of the dog, but the point is someone has to.
So what does our “Great Society” do over the last sixty years? Limousine liberals, either well-intentioned or power-hungry, got government way too involved in families, and government has very few real dogs; they’re too busy trying to be popular and get re-elected. And what has happened? Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said it best: “There is one unmistakable lesson in American history; a community that allows a large number of young men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship to male authority, never acquiring any set of rational expectations about the future – that community asks for and gets chaos.”
Patrick could have just said, “Every family needs a dog.” But many don’t have one. And chaos? 85% of youth currently in prison grew up in fatherless homes. Children without a father are four times more likely to live in poverty than children with a father at home. Children from fatherless homes are twice as likely to drop out from school. 63% of youth suicides involve a child who was in a fatherless home. Children who live in fatherless homes are 279% more likely to deal drugs or carry firearms for criminal purposes, compared to children who live with a father around.
We all need a dog.