I got a great email today from my dad. This is one of the best reasons I've ever heard explained of why America is fighting against the terrorist factions abroad and at home. (this is not written in first or third person, someone else whom I would like to meet some day wrote this)
This will make you cry (upset you, agitate you, might even wake you up if you
are not awake). If you are a teacher I hope that you teach the children and tell
this story to them.
This is a powerful story and hard to read, but it says it better than any other
explanation that I've seen. It "brings it home" in a way people
here, safe in our homes, can understand. I hope you read it and pass it along.
This is by far the best explanation I have ever seen, even though I know we are
doing the right thing....
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 l iving room window. He told him: "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 see that man
come out of his house with his wife and 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, and then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are
afraid to stop him, they are crying, they are watching this but do nothing
because they are kids and afraid of their father. You see all of this
son....what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your
call, 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 son 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 ladies' 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 he 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 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
it....and they won't help....You always say that 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 husbands questions and he tells
him...."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, 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 HIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs my son to his chest and
hugs him tight, and cries..."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. 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 (and on the
homefront). When good men stand by and let evil happen, that, is the greatest
EVIL of all. Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must
understand that this war is (being fought because of the assaults by criminals,
selfish Dictators and criminally and morally corrupt activist want all humans to
be as they are... or be under their control... or be dead... it is) a war on
humanity. WE must remove evil men from power so that we can to live in a free
world where we are not afraid to look out our window... So that my nine year
old son won't grow up in a world where he feels that if he just "closes" the
blinds the atrocities in the world won't affect him.
"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 PRESIDENT!
BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!!
SUPPORT THEM!!!
SUPPORT AMERICA!!
SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS...."
"The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift
to humanity." -- George W. Bush