This is long, but well worth reading!
Don’t Close Your Blinds
The other day, our 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 our son to go stand
in front of our living room window. He told him: “Son, stand there and
tell me what you see?” “I see trees and cars and our neighbor’s 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 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 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 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 now…”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 our 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. 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 evil men from power
so that we can continue 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!”
Remember Adolph Hitler? He almost enslaved Europe before anyone would
stand up to him!
