Dad? Why Are We At War?

I received this in an email and thought it was just too powerful not
to publish. On this anniversary of 9/11 I thought this was a perfect
post.

People don't understand why we had to go to war in Iraq, well here is their answer.

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 is 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 HIM!!!!!"

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, 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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