In Case Anyone Wondered Why!

This Story was printed in magazine article that I read and I thought that I should share it with you.


In case anyone wondered why...

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 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 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 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'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 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 husband's questions and 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 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 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, and 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 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" 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 TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS..."


Don Cardi

Who, IYO, are these 'evil men?' -Pat

DC - That really brought a tear to my eye

Pat - You are kidding, right? Go to Iraq and help them dig up the mass graves where they've found 1000s of murdered women and children, and then ask that question again.

Pat, you miss the whole idea of the story. Please Open up your mind a little and put your political beliefs on the backburner every once in a while. If you start to see things more with an open mind, and digest the issue at hand every now and then before speaking, it will make you grow into a well rounded person as you get older.


Don Cardi

Don C.

Wow! I have to pass this on. This is exactly what I meant in that other thread. Please give me a tissue

don cardi that is a very good way of explaining it to your son, i hope he understands things much better now.

Thanks for the compliment my friend. But actually, if you read the very top of my post, I cannot take credit for telling this story, As I said, I read it in a magazine and just thought that I would share it with you all. However I did make my chidren read it and they were lie "WOW!"


Don Cardi

oh sorry,didnt read the very top bit

I know, seriously... Can Don C's posts please come with a complimentary tissue? (My personal preference is Kleenex )

Nice one, Don Cardi.

Seriously brought a tear to my eye. I'm definitely going to pass it on.

Thanks for the touching story, Don Cardi!

Or, if your neighbors were named Canada, France, Germany, or Russia, they'd tell you to open the window and throw your sister Israel out. :p :rolleyes:

I know one thing. JOHN KERRY could tell that story a whole lot better! Just ask him.

Mr. Kerry, what do you plan on doing about this guy down the street?

Kerry: I know one thing, I am going to do it a whole lot better then BUSH!

Great story! It's nice to hear people acknowledge decisions as right or wrong, instead of Democrat or Republican.

What a surprise.

Anyway...GREAT story, Don Cardi...definitely one to pass along!!

Apple

I asked a fair question. I want to know who these other leaders are, IYO, that we should go after and in which countries should be done. It was a reference in that story that I was replying too. Stop ignoring it. JG--What about the piles of people in Sudan? Guess those 70,000 people don't count...-Pat

:rolleyes:

I'm waiting. There's nothing wrong with my question. I read that story and thought that it was very touching, but I want to know, IYO, what other countries we should help. I want to know. -Pat

Hey, Pat...what Don C said !!!

Think about it.

Try, real hard. Here...I'll help you.



Apple

Ugh. Just answer my question and stop procrastinating your opinion so you can take cheap shots. -Pat

The same leaders who John Kerry claimed that he met with and who told him that they supported him and did not suport The Bush Administration. The same leaders who when asked if and when they met with John Kerry, all said that they NEVER met with him.

Why haven't you talked about that story that came out today? How come you have not provided a link to that one?


Don Cardi

I'm going to ask 1 more time. What leaders and which countries have these evil men we (USA) should get rid of? -Pat

"Daddy, why was Uncle Donald giving whips and chains to this bad neighbor, knowing that those chains were used to beat the bad man's first Iranian wife and his second Kurdish wife?"

Funny...I don't remember any Iraqi's at my front door. They must have skipped by and gone to this guy's house.

Doc

Thank you Don Advisor. With all due respect I echo that as a question too. Kurdish wife was killed, in the worst case in the city of Halabja on March 16, 1988. Saddam Hussein's forces launched a chemical attack on Halabja, killing 5000 Kurdish men, women and children. That was 16 years ago. The Iranians were attacked on September 22, 1980. The US sold weapons to both sides and that war lasted 8 years. So many young people were sent to their death and that was about 24 years ago. Please don't use us to justify another war. That really disturbs me to remember what we went through and of course how UN, US, France or anybody else didn't care about us back then.

So the little Iraqi child who lives next door to Saddam says to his Mommy, "Mommy why did that really rich family who live in that huge house at the top of the street set fire to our house?" and the mother says "Because Saddam next door is a very bad man" and the son says "But Mommy didn't those guys in the big house used to deliver groceries to Saddam?" and the Mommy says "Yes that paid for their swimming pool but they saw Saddam putting hand grenades out with the trash and thought he was going to throw them at their house" and the boy says "but Mommy we know that those were lemons that had gone bad. Besides, how come Saddam is still alive and we have no home, no money, no school and Daddy and my two sisters are lying in the back garden with their arms and legs blown off..." and the Mommy says "That is for the greater good of everyone on the street" and the boy says "When is Daddy going to get better??" and he begins to cry. "Mommy can you pass me a Kleenex" and the mother says "We have no Kleenex, here is a dirty rag and some polluted water"

And the Mommy reminisces about the neighborhood. About how good it used to be. Before Saddam moved in. Then all the pets on the block started being poisoned, and killed. Their owners who faced the new neighbor were beaten up, and they started living in fear. They were too afraid to go to the police. And the Mommy says, "Oh, how I wish we DID go to the cops, but we didn't. But fret not, my son, things will get better now .... Saddam is in jail, and he won't be back".

That's great Mommy but why did they kill my Daddy??

An older neighbor passes by the ruins of the little boys backyard and hears the conversation of the little boy and his mother. She says which cops are you talking about? Don't you remember they helped the guy to move in?

The Iraqi monarchy was overthrown back in the 50s. The general became president and everything was okay for a while. It was the cold war however. He withdrew from diplomatic agreements with the west. Then he started buying weapons from the Soviets. The USA, fearing another nation would be lost to communism, decided the Iraqi president needed to be assassinated. The CIA funded and supported a thug who was also working for the Egyptian intelligence agency named 'Saddam' to do the job. It was botched up horribly. However the Ba'ath party did eventually assassinate him with full support of the United States and that's how Saddam came to power.

Whom should have we gone to, what cops are you talking about?? We are puppets dancing on the strings my boy ...

Please tell us about the reign of the Shah of Iran.
How were times then?

[/qb][/QUOTE]Funny...I don't remember any Iraqi's at my front door. They must have skipped by and gone to this guy's house.

Doc [/QB][/QUOTE]

If that story is supposed to make people on both sides cry, then this should make people on both sides laugh. Anyway, I dont know if that story is supposed to be a true story or not, but what kind of father is ashamed at his 9 year old son for closing the blinds instead of going outside and trying to kill Saddam Hussein?

Yes, but did you have any political people at your door?

Just as bad.

This is off-topic but mainly the same thing happened in Iran. The US removed an Iranian prime minister (Mossadegh) who was the hero of the oil nationalization movement and decided to bring democracy to Iran by overthrowing the monarchy. CIA iron-fisted reign of the Shah by arresting Mossadegh on August 19, 1953 and giving power to military forces. Shah, a despicable dictator who had escaped at that time, returned to Tehran and his kingdom lasted another 26 years. I guess it was all because Mossadegh had the support of the communist party and they feared we go communist too.

So the US did this, with no help from anyone in Iran or did the US just help and support one group over another?

I actually remember hearing about this briefly. We overthrew a democratic government and put in Shah, who was a dictator. I think it was mentioned in Bowling for Columbine. -Pat

Some heads of the military forces were extremely loyal to Shah. US used their help to control the situation and to arrest protesters. Their commander was General Zahedi. Mossadegh was very popular. He even invested all his property to make economic situation easier in the time that UN blocked our oil due to the reason that Iran wanted the control over her own oil fields which was controlled by the UK at that time.

Just wondering, DC......What magazine?

Just wondering, DC......What magazine? [/b][/quote]Schmaltzy Sentimentalist Claptrap Monthly

A co-worker of mine photo copied this story and brought it into work for me and several others to read. I read your post today in work so I asked him what magazine he actually got it from. He told me that it was froma letters page in a magazine called "Armchair General Magazine." I personally have never heard of or read the actual magazine, but according to him, and obviously by the name of it, it is a military magazine.

When I origianlly posted this story, I posted it with the intention of sharing it with everyone. I felt that it was pretty strong and an interesting way of looking at the situation that America and it's allies are in. I never intended for it to turn into a controversial issue. But then again, these days..... oh well.


Don Cardi

Hell, there is only another week to go.
Then another week of I told you so and the boards will be back to normal.

This story is a load of crap. Period. It makes it appear as if Saddam was trying to attack us. How lame. The only thing those right-winged writers did was create this "tear-jerker" to plant a little patriotic flag on everyone's heart and confuse us as to what we are doing in Iraq.

My question is, where's Osama's house? Because Osama drove his car into my house on purpose and killed some members of my family. Why am I not more concerned with him? Oh, could it be because Saddam's house has a swimming pool filled with oil?

Doctor Ferro

OH MY GOD! You may be right! . Another right wing publication! Oh Jeez!!!


Don Cardi

Oh man, the oil argument, I love it.

Pretty soon you're going to tell me Saddam was a diplomatic Santa Claus. :rolleyes:

Great Rebuttles guys. :rolleyes:

My point stands firm.

Doctor Ferro

Why should we bother posting a re-buttle? If you READ my previous posts, you would see as to why I actually posted the topic in the first place. Geez, just a couple of posts above I explained that I originally posted the story to share it with the other members here and not to create a controversy! If you bothered to read the previous posts you would have seen my reasons. Look, no matter what I post in a re-buttle, your mind is obviously made up and you will re-butt my re-buttle and so on and so on. It is getting old. The accusations that you come up with are the same and are getting old. Your against what the President is trying to acheive, I support what the President is trying to acheive. That's it! Know what, 7 days left and then all of our opinions will count when we place our votes. As I said I originally posted this story to share with the others on this board, not to create a political arguement. End of story!


Don Cardi

I post about meeting Michael Moore, not about who he is or what he believes, just that I saw him and everyone had something political to say about it. You post this ignorant piece of garbage here and expect everyone to shed a tear and salute the president. That was your goal and I voiced my opinion. If you don't want to start a political discussion, and you post this kind of thing here, then you are clearly using poor judgement. I read your post before I posted myself. It was part of the reason I wrote what I did in the first place. To show you if you post this here, you need to expect another point of view. Now, why don't we drop this and let this piece of propaganda die.

Doctor Ferro

You post that you met Michael Moore. I for one NEVER replied to your meeting Michael Moore, as I wasn't really interested in your meeting him. I am glad for you that you met him.

You call my post a an ignorant piece of garbage, and by saying that then you are saying that I am ignorant! I take offense to that! I have NOT called you any names or labeled you or your posts in any way. Yet you continually berate this post that I made. Know what, It seems to me that you must be somehow threatened by the contents of this post as you have become so enraged that I nade this post about this subject! I did not tell you that you had to salute the President, those are your words and your interpretation, not mine. I made absolutely no political references outside the story itself when I made the original post. Why are you sooo bothered that some people here do support what the President has done? I am not bothered that you met Michael Moore. I am not troubled that you have your beliefs. But you are obviously bothered by mine! The proof that you are enraged about what I have posted is in the content of your last reply, the labeling and the attempt to belittle me and my post are proof that you have nothing of substance to say.

Ok, I agree to let this die now.


Don Cardi

You post that you met Michael Moore. I for one NEVER replied to your meeting Michael Moore, as I wasn't really interested in your meeting him. I am glad for you that you met him.

You call my post a an ignorant piece of garbage, and by saying that then you are saying that I am ignorant! I take offense to that! I have NOT called you any names or labeled you or your posts in any way. Yet you continually berate this post that I made. Know what, It seems to me that you must be somehow threatened by the contents of this post as you have become so enraged that I nade this post about this subject! I did not tell you that you had to salute the President, those are your words and your interpretation, not mine. I made absolutely no political references outside the story itself when I made the original post. Why are you sooo bothered that some people here do support what the President has done? I am not bothered that you met Michael Moore. I am not troubled that you have your beliefs. But you are obviously bothered by mine! The proof that you are enraged about what I have posted is in the content of your last reply, the labeling and the attempt to belittle me and my post are proof that you have nothing of substance to say.

Ok, I agree to let this die now.


Don Cardi [/b][/quote]I didn't call you ignorant. Instead of quoting my post, read it.
As for having nothing of substance to say, read it.
Read it.

Doc
:rolleyes:

As far as I am concerned, this discussion between us is now over.

I will gladly continue discussions with you in some of the other threads, be it about movies, gangsters, scarface, godfather, etc., but as for this thread, it is over for me.


Don Cardi