A Dad Explains...




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 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, 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 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
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 needs 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 this 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 is WHY we are at war with Iraq.

When good men stand by and let evil happen is the greatest EVIL of all.

Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation,
must understand that this war is a war of humanity. WE must remove this
evil man from power so that we can continue to live in a free world
where we are not afraid to look out our window and see crimes on
humanity. So that my nine year old son won't grow up in a world
where he feels that if he just "closes" that 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...."



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