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The other day, my nine year
old son wanted to know why we were at war... My husband looked at our son
and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf
War and we would be honored to serve and defend our country again today. I
knew that my husband would give him a good explanation. My husband
thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front
living room window.
He said, "Son, stand there and tell me what
you see?"
"I see trees and cars and our neighbors'
houses," he replied.
"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house
and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said, "OK."
"Now, son, I want you to look out the window
and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different
country," my husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out
the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife,
he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and
crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he
starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to
stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do
nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father. You see
all of this, son.... what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do, son?"
"I'd call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United
Nations. They take your call. They listen to what you know and saw but
they refuse to help. What do you do then, son?"
"Dad....... but the police are supposed to
help!" My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to, son, because they say
that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you
should stay out of it," my husband says.
"But, Dad... he killed her!!" My son
exclaims.
"I know he did... but the police tell you to
stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you
see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the
same thing to his children."
"Daddy... he kills them?"
"Yes, son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I
will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him," our son says.
"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is
happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the
door and help you stop him," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by
myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO, SON?" Our sons starts to
cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across
the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop
him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next,
son?"
"What, Daddy?"
"He walks across the street to the old lady's
house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and
sets her house on fire and then... he kills her. He turns around and sees
you standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy...."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?" Our son is crying and he
looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."
My husband looks at our son with tears in his
eyes and asks him. "Why?"
"Because, Daddy... the police are supposed to
help people who need them... and they won't help... You always said
neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...
they won't help me stop him... I'm afraid.... I can't do it by myself,
Daddy ...... I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these
terrible things and ... and ... do nothing ... so ..... I'm just going to
close the blinds ... so I can't see what he's doing . And I'm going to
pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine
year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his
answers to my husband's questions. He says....
"Son....."
"Yes, Daddy?"
"Open the blinds, because that man...... he's
at your front door... "WHAT DO YOU DO?"
My son looks at his father, anger and
defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father
square in the eyes, and without hesitation he says, "I DEFEND MY FAMILY
DAD!!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! I'M GONNA
FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and
he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says.... "It's too
late to fight him, he's too strong, and he's already at YOUR front door,
son... you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his
children, and the old lady across the way. You have to do what's right,
even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late," my husband
whispers. "THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq.
When good men stand by and let evil happen, son, THAT is the greatest
mistake, believing that the atrocities in the world won't affect them.
"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT
ALONE! BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT
THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER
HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS..."
This should be printed in every newspaper and
posted in every school in America. Of course, that won't happen, so we'll
use the Internet. If your blinds are closed, do nothing with this email.
If they are open I do not need to tell you what to do.
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