AN EMAIL FROM MY YAHOO GROUP:

From: *************

Date: Wed Apr 2, 2003 7:20 pm

Subject: A LESSON TO MY SON

A LESSON TO MY SON by A PROUD AMERICAN Irma S. Chambers

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

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 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 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 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. Today the second day of "WAR on IRAQ" I felt

compelled to write this and pass it along. Hopefully, you will

understand the lesson my husband tried to teach our son.

"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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