Don't Close Your Blinds!"

IT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BETTER THAN THIS!

“Don’t Close Your Blinds!”

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 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 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 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…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 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 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 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” 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!!
BE PROUD OF OUR PRESIDENT
SUPPORT THEM!!!
SUPPORT AMERICA!!
SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS…”

False dichotomy - there are more than 2 options. :)

Looks like there are lots of countries the US should invade.

That’s the most Disneyfied pro-war rant I’ve seen so far.
Sickening…

Look in your OWN living room son…see the child with no food to eat. What do you do?

But Daddy, the mean man is beating up his wife across the street.

Grandma is in the bedroom…sick…and she can’t afford the things that she needs to get better. How 'bout it, son?

Blah…blah…blah…

There’s are lots of falsehoods in this simplistic view of the world. One big one is the comparison between the UN & the police. There comparison is wrong & so the whole argument is wrong. The reason to go to the UN is not to ask for permission to do anything, but to built a coalition. Building coalitions is a way to be stronger not weaker (as Kerry says). Having the world behind you makes the you easier. The world would have been behind us in Iraq if we had been correct but we were not.

But one thing right about this story is the 9-year older making the decisions. That’s basically what we have with Bush, i.e., he sees the world in overally simplified terms & is easily persuaded by others - just like a child.

Quote (still4given @ Oct. 21 2004,11:45)
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!!!!!"

Yo!!! FREEDOM!!! - Let's kick some terrorist ass!!

That brought a tear to my eye, and made me proud not to be an American.
Quote (teryeah @ Oct. 21 2004,14:03)
That's the most Disneyfied pro-war rant I've seen so far.
Sickening...

how about this one dumb ass...

Stop or I'll say stop again.

I guess we could have taken this approach to Iraq.
Quote (jhonan @ Oct. 21 2004,16:01)
Quote (still4given @ Oct. 21 2004,11:45)
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!!!!!"

Yo!!! FREEDOM!!! - Let's kick some terrorist ass!!

That brought a tear to my eye, and made me proud not to be an American.

Well, at least something close to 50% of us don't buy that stuff. :)

Do people really think this way in the States and believe this simplistic jingoistic cr*p? Is that why George Bush rushed into Iraq believing that the whole poulation would stand in the streets waving American flags and shouting " welcome yankee liberators?". I recently spent a night in a bar in Dubai with a bunch of U.S sailors and even they didn’t believe this nonsense.
Saddam was a vicious, genocidal maniac, but no-one knows how to replace him because basically Iraq is just a whole collection of tribal groups who don’t get on.
There is no easy way out and if you walk away now, another Saddam will appear!!

Quote (Guest @ Oct. 21 2004,17:56)
Quote (teryeah @ Oct. 21 2004,14:03)
That's the most Disneyfied pro-war rant I've seen so far.
Sickening...

how about this one dumb ass...

Stop or I'll say stop again.

I guess we could have taken this approach to Iraq.

Yeah, smartass, I must be one of the dumbest dumb-asses around because I even fail to see how the troops in Iraq is 'defending your country'.
Note that I'm not knocking your soldiers but the Wahsington decision making geniuses.
This is not about fair vs. unfair, or good vs. bad, this is all about power, money and greed (read: oil).

Not just oil, IMHO, teryeah - also all of the contracts that come with war spending, plus the ability to use the war to drive a larger “moral” agenda and a related agenda that puts money in the hands of the wealthy. Money out of the pockets of the working folks, with their general and enthusiastic consent. Anyone who wants to know exactly what the repubs are up to can just go read the stuff on the project for a new american century website - but you have to read it all to understand, and think about exactly what they are saying. :)

Doesn’t matter, Kerry’s gonna win big, just go look at the Zogby polls - and ignore the partisan or distorted ones, like Gallup/cnn/USA today…

OK Tom, the oil bit was over simplified :)
Power, money & greed still stand.

Quote (TomS @ Oct. 22 2004,07:06)
Doesn't matter, Kerry's gonna win big, just go look at the Zogby polls - and ignore the partisan or distorted ones, like Gallup/cnn/USA today....



"just go look at the Zogby polls" .... ???

Zogby 10/19 - 10/21

Bush - 47%
Kerry - 45%
Nader - 1%
Bush +2


Ali bin Gali :cool:








Still4Given,

I really hope you didn’t emotionally browbeat your child like that. Making your point in an extreme right-wing rant to a child is sickening.

Mike

PS…
It is a good thing that in God’s eyes you are still4given.

Mmmm…beeer…mmm…beer… :D

Quote (DrGuitar @ Oct. 22 2004,10:40)
Still4Given,

I really hope you didn't emotionally browbeat your child like that. Making your point in an extreme right-wing rant to a child is sickening.

Mike

PS...
It is a good thing that in God's eyes you are still4given.

I didn't write this. Someone sent it to me in an email.

I thought it would interesting to see how folks reacted to it.

I was right. :D

It is a good thing that in God's eyes you are still4given

Amen!
Quote (DrGuitar @ Oct. 22 2004,10:40)
PS...
It is a good thing that in God's eyes you are still4given.

True. It should also be noted that in God's eyes there are only two choices, RIGHT or WRONG. It is when we as human beings have problems distinguishing between right and wrong that problems arise

Thats all I got to say 'bout that..........

TG
Quote (teryeah @ Oct. 22 2004,04:42)
Quote (Guest @ Oct. 21 2004,17:56)
Quote (teryeah @ Oct. 21 2004,14:03)
That's the most Disneyfied pro-war rant I've seen so far.
Sickening...

how about this one dumb ass...

Stop or I'll say stop again.

I guess we could have taken this approach to Iraq.

Yeah, smartass, I must be one of the dumbest dumb-asses around because I even fail to see how the troops in Iraq is 'defending your country'.
Note that I'm not knocking your soldiers but the Wahsington decision making geniuses.
This is not about fair vs. unfair, or good vs. bad, this is all about power, money and greed (read: oil).

Let me break it down for you genuis...

Part of the reason the terrorists are striking out the way they are is because of the governments in their countries and the way the west (US and Europe) is seen to control them.

The peope in the middle east spend alot of time focused on religion and in some cases extreme (terrorist leaning) ways. They have developed hatred for the west and its support of tyrannical middle eastern governments and Israel. President Bush has started a new and arguably insightful way of dealing with this situation.

He picked the worst country in the region. One in which the UN has had many years of problems with. He then gave that country an ultimatum. He also gave his word that if that country would not comply that he would do something about it. He also got the UN to go along with that thinking. The UN was hoping that Iraq would comply and it would be able to forget about the serious consequences and let the status quo as it had developed over the last 10 years prevail. Bush on the other hand wasn't going for the status quo any more because of the terrorist threat that was getting worse. So doing what any good President should, he kept his word, stuck to his guns and did something about it.

Now, the thought is that if Iraq becomes a stable democractic country, the people there would spend more time thinking about how to pay credit card bills and buy worthless junk like us here in the west and less time on thinking of ways to kill us. This is how troops in Iraq is defending the rest of the world from terrorism.

So, you can argue that this is not a good plan. That is fair enough. But it is a different direction. If a better plan is hatched I'd listen to it a evaluate it based on its merits. I haven't heard a better plan, certainly not out of Kerry anyway.

Back to your argument about power, greed etc...

That is the american way and Europe seems to like as well. We all use oil (granted the US more than anyone) and our way of life would be drastically changed without it. I for one don't buy the argument that this war was created simply because the US wants to control the world oil supply. I believe the US just wants to make sure that the supply is available for us (and everyone else) to buy. I don't know about anyone else but I drive 11 miles to work. I would have to walk 22 miles everyday without oil (if I would even have a job). We will return control of the Iraqi government back to its people just as we did in Europe and South Korea.

Why in the #### should the US let anyone else have any contract in Iraq when they didn't participate in the war? How stupid do we have to be. We spent alot of money getting rid of the tyrant. Why should we spend more paying French and German companies to rebuild. We are paying companies from countries that helped. This is only fair. Granted, there has been some questions raised about Cheney and his former company and how it got a no bid contract. This has been explained and certainly should be watched closely. However, nothing has been proven that would implicate Cheney or the US government of any crime involving Haliburton. They found the most capable company and told them to get it done. Most governments are slow to react and the bigger concern was making sure the Iraqi people had water and electricity. The option would have been to play politics with the money at the expense of Iraq.

I hear alot of people blame the conservatives in the US government of being against the little guy. Consider that the Bush administration took down Ken Lay and Enron as well as uncovering alot of other corporate scandals.

Alot of allegations were made against Bill Clinton during his terms. Most were B.S. I'm sure he had no intention of turning the US over to the communists and the unions. He would never have let terrorists get away with blowing up buildings in this country and I don't believe Kerry would either. One has to use a little common sense when it comes to politics and quit believing all the political crap. Especially when the power of the US presidency is up for grabs. Bush has shown vision and done the best he can in a world with so many different countries with different agendas. He gave about a dozen reasons why Iraq should be attacked. Some weren't correct but most were. Bush deserves to be re-elected, period.