Both of my next-door plot neighbors are moving out and selling their homes. One claims he wants to live closer to the schools that their grown children attend. The other has an irresistible urge to breathe the air of the Alpine foothills and is relocating near the Austria-Hungary border. But I know the real reason they’re leaving - they just won’t admit it, as revealing the truth would significantly devalue their properties.
It all boils down to this:
my Puli dog, with relentless clockwork regularity, begins his nightly patrol at 2:30 a.m. – give or take a few minutes – barking to regulate the pitch darkness and the utterly deserted street. He performs this “service” for the “delight” of the neighborhood, ensuring that I, too, am wide awake from that moment onward,
because – unlike my wife – I cannot fall back asleep. My initial reaction, pushing aside the Christian ideals of patience and forgiveness, is to flay the dog or send him to the pound. But after all, he is a dog - or not even that. According to Puli owners, “they” are not dogs but Pulis. For the longest time, one of life’s great mysteries was why he deemed 2:30 a.m. the ideal time for his nocturnal frenzy. Solving this puzzle was not made easier by the fact that during the day, my dear dog perceives the far busier street as a continuous assault, erupting into hysterics whenever a hapless foreign dog strays into view. But again, he is a Puli.
As my musings progressed, it suddenly dawned on me that, much like my neighbors, I too had been misguided about our watchdog’s behavior. I arrived at the solution during a vacation, thanks to a slightly better-functioning mind – likely aided by the rare luxury of sleeping until 6 a.m. (since our “precious” little dog wasn’t with us). The reason for the dog going on night duty: prevention, plain and simple.
Because by barking, my dog successfully keeps away nighttime burglars and the martens, foxes, and wild boars that frequent our area. My departing neighbors fail to grasp that, by leaving, they’re forfeiting this guaranteed layer of security - unless, of course, they take my dog with them.
Security and prevention are fundamental principles, not inventions of modern theory, but proven solutions throughout history. Homes, communities, and entire nations can effectively thwart potential threats using this straightforward, practical method.
Security is the visible manifestation of order, essential for any human society. If this uncomplicated concept was embraced by the “authorities” chosen to lead - namely, the political elite - peace, stability, and livable conditions would be achievable. For example, there would be no terrorist attack in Magdeburg.
There would be no deaths or serious injuries inflicted on innocent people. There would be no assault on a Christmas market, a German town, a nation, or the order of Europe. Let’s be clear: the true target of these atrocities – repeatedly occurring over the past years in Berlin, London, Paris, Nice, Barcelona, and other places – is our Christian faith. The perpetrators exploit Christianity’s welcoming compassion. Prevention, prevention, and more prevention! Only by adhering to this logic can we avoid becoming desensitized and indifferent to such attacks. Do politicians not see this? Are experts in relevant fields failing to warn them? Or are politicians – by reason of being politicians – simply devoid of compassion and conscience?
So, we faced yet another attack. The perpetrator is in custody, but no one is taking responsibility. Older generations may recall a time, some 20-25 years ago, when politicians would resign – if not face prosecution – after extraordinary events. Today, Magdeburg paints a true picture pof, and exposes, the moral decay of contemporary politics.
Five people - including a small child - are dead, and over 200 are injured. Their only “crime” was attending an event celebrating the birth of the loving Jesus. Meanwhile, an “accepted refugee” – a wanted criminal in his home country – drove a rented car into the crowd of peaceful pedestrians. Was he insane, a criminal, or a fanatical Muslim? Does it even matter? What matters is this: we must finally say enough is enough to misguided compassion, liberal nonsense, and the cynical mantra that “attackers are people,too." Let’s speak plainly. A murderer will stand trial and likely be sentenced to nothing more than imprisonment. But the question remains:
is prison a sufficient deterrent for others planning the next attack? Let us not forget that New Year’s Eve is approaching, a night that in recent years has often been marked by attacks on celebrating crowds in various European cities.
So how might the presiding judge – perhaps even personally connected to some victims, in a town like Magdeburg – feel? Such a judge might possess a stronger moral foundation to issue a harsher, more deterrent sentence. But judges are not politicians or policymakers. The true culprits are
the municipal, provincial, and national leaders who, despite the tragedy, have not even considered resigning. What further aggravates the outrage is the political notion that prevention is solely a police matter. “We need more concrete barriers around event venues to ensure safety,” they say – not out of cynicism or mockery, but from an infuriating conviction born of their own stupidity.
Thus, as a small act of civilian resistance, I have resolved to rise without complaint at 2:30 a.m., understanding the true purpose of my Puli’s defensive actions. For the sake of security, I am willing to make the minor sacrifice of starting my day earlier than I’d like.
As a new year approaches, it’s disheartening to see that a dog may possess more sense than much of the political elite entrusted to serve us here, in Europe.
The author is an intelligence expert and chairman of the board of the Protected Society Foundation
