Some Rise, Some Fall, Some Climb To Get To Terrapin
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 that in one of these houses, we have very odd neighbors. They don't dress like us, they don't act like us, they don't share our same customs or religious beliefs, and they act so strange. And worse off, they have a well in their back yard with delicious, clean water, but refuse to give you some for free, they demand you pay for it. What do you do?"
>
> "Dad?"
>
> "What do you do son?"
>
> "I'd try to figure out a way to get to their well myself."
>
> "OK. Pretend that while you are trying to figure out a way to do that the police, or United States, makes it known that trespassing into other people's lawns without their permission is not allowed."
>
> "Dad.......... but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to
> whine.
>
> "They don't want to son, they claim that since the well is on their land, it is by rights theirs, and you are forced to pay for that water." my
> husband says.
>
> "But Dad...That's not fair!! We should be able to get that water!" my son exclaims. "I know, now pretend that while you are coveting their water, you begin to suspect that the father of the household, Saddam, has explosives in his house, explosives that may be used against our very own house."
>
> "Daddy...he would use them against us?"
>
> "Well, we don't know that for sure, but they are so queer that we can't put anything past the bastards. What do you do, son?"
>
> "Well, I'd notify the police of these explosives." our son says.
>
> "Son, the police agree to search the house, but they don't find anything. But, how do we know that they haven't figured out tricky ways of fooling the police, they are foreigners, you know."my
> husband says.
>
> "Well, I guess there would be nothing more I could do."
>
> "BUT THEY STILL HAVE THE PRECIOUS WATER, SON!" Our son starts to cry. "Then I'd disregard what the UN said and force my way into their house, getting my brothers to help me.
>
> "That's more like it, but what if many of your brothers don't support you?"
>
> "What Daddy?"
>
> "Lets say you have many brothers, but a lot of them tell you that there is not enough evidence of their being explosives in his house. But you know, son, you know that there really are explosives, what do you do?"
>
> "Daddy..."
>
> "WHAT DO YOU DO?"
>
> Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd just leave them alone, they can have the water."
>
> My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him..."Why?"
>
>
> "Because Daddy, its not our right to take other people's things. The well is theirs, so the water is theirs. And, the police already investigated, and a lot of my brothers don't think there are explosives."
>
> 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."
>
> "That is no way to govern a country, our smart and able President, Mr. Bush, would never give up so easily. First, you would have to start telling your brothers that Saddam beats his entire family, and is a sinner and commits vile acts, so that they might change their minds. Then, when some of your other brothers oppose you, you must them that they are disrespectful to the household, ie unpatriotic, and that they themselves don't know whats right, only 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: "But Dad, they are my brothers, they are our family, why would I ask them to help me attack our neighbors house when I have not enough reason?!"
>
> I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his
> chest and hugs him tight, and says... "But you do have enough reason, even though you don't have much evidence. So, you get all of your brothers that are behind you and tell them that the only thing we can do is invade their land, their house, and tear it apart to look for these explosives that might do harm to our house, our family. When we get there, we are met with opposition, and they fight back, and many die, but you have more brothers than they do, and you are finally able to overcome them. You go inside and tear the house apart looking for these explosives, leaving everything in a mess. Then, you go down to the basement to look for them, and in the heat of the search you and your brothers break the supports to the house, and it starts to fall. You get your brothers to hold it up themselves, and tell them you have a plan to fix the house. Then, the time is right, and you go outside to the well and pull up a delicious pale full of well water. It is so good that you take ownership of the house and well, force the inhabitants to do as you say, and leave your brothers to support the house, and make sure it does not collapse. Then, only then, can you safely take the well water and give the water to your friends, who begin selling it." my husband whispers. THAT scenario I
> just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. Though we have found no weapons, our war is still completely justified, well.... because we said so.
> 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 that in one of these houses, we have very odd neighbors. They don't dress like us, they don't act like us, they don't share our same customs or religious beliefs, and they act so strange. And worse off, they have a well in their back yard with delicious, clean water, but refuse to give you some for free, they demand you pay for it. What do you do?"
>
> "Dad?"
>
> "What do you do son?"
>
> "I'd try to figure out a way to get to their well myself."
>
> "OK. Pretend that while you are trying to figure out a way to do that the police, or United States, makes it known that trespassing into other people's lawns without their permission is not allowed."
>
> "Dad.......... but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to
> whine.
>
> "They don't want to son, they claim that since the well is on their land, it is by rights theirs, and you are forced to pay for that water." my
> husband says.
>
> "But Dad...That's not fair!! We should be able to get that water!" my son exclaims. "I know, now pretend that while you are coveting their water, you begin to suspect that the father of the household, Saddam, has explosives in his house, explosives that may be used against our very own house."
>
> "Daddy...he would use them against us?"
>
> "Well, we don't know that for sure, but they are so queer that we can't put anything past the bastards. What do you do, son?"
>
> "Well, I'd notify the police of these explosives." our son says.
>
> "Son, the police agree to search the house, but they don't find anything. But, how do we know that they haven't figured out tricky ways of fooling the police, they are foreigners, you know."my
> husband says.
>
> "Well, I guess there would be nothing more I could do."
>
> "BUT THEY STILL HAVE THE PRECIOUS WATER, SON!" Our son starts to cry. "Then I'd disregard what the UN said and force my way into their house, getting my brothers to help me.
>
> "That's more like it, but what if many of your brothers don't support you?"
>
> "What Daddy?"
>
> "Lets say you have many brothers, but a lot of them tell you that there is not enough evidence of their being explosives in his house. But you know, son, you know that there really are explosives, what do you do?"
>
> "Daddy..."
>
> "WHAT DO YOU DO?"
>
> Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd just leave them alone, they can have the water."
>
> My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him..."Why?"
>
>
> "Because Daddy, its not our right to take other people's things. The well is theirs, so the water is theirs. And, the police already investigated, and a lot of my brothers don't think there are explosives."
>
> 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."
>
> "That is no way to govern a country, our smart and able President, Mr. Bush, would never give up so easily. First, you would have to start telling your brothers that Saddam beats his entire family, and is a sinner and commits vile acts, so that they might change their minds. Then, when some of your other brothers oppose you, you must them that they are disrespectful to the household, ie unpatriotic, and that they themselves don't know whats right, only 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: "But Dad, they are my brothers, they are our family, why would I ask them to help me attack our neighbors house when I have not enough reason?!"
>
> I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his
> chest and hugs him tight, and says... "But you do have enough reason, even though you don't have much evidence. So, you get all of your brothers that are behind you and tell them that the only thing we can do is invade their land, their house, and tear it apart to look for these explosives that might do harm to our house, our family. When we get there, we are met with opposition, and they fight back, and many die, but you have more brothers than they do, and you are finally able to overcome them. You go inside and tear the house apart looking for these explosives, leaving everything in a mess. Then, you go down to the basement to look for them, and in the heat of the search you and your brothers break the supports to the house, and it starts to fall. You get your brothers to hold it up themselves, and tell them you have a plan to fix the house. Then, the time is right, and you go outside to the well and pull up a delicious pale full of well water. It is so good that you take ownership of the house and well, force the inhabitants to do as you say, and leave your brothers to support the house, and make sure it does not collapse. Then, only then, can you safely take the well water and give the water to your friends, who begin selling it." my husband whispers. THAT scenario I
> just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. Though we have found no weapons, our war is still completely justified, well.... because we said so.