A Lesson to My Son

I recently received an email from Irma Chambers and have included the body below. I have no doubt whatsoever about the veracity of the contents of the email and therefore have no hesitation in displaying the email and crediting the article to Irma Chambers.

Here is the except from the email mentioned above:

I would like you to make a correction on a piece you have on your site. I wrote "Dont close the blinds" Its original name is "A lesson to my son." you can go to my web site www.myspace.com-sauce1969 and also you can go to http://iwvpa.net and search under authors : Irma. S. Chambers and read that I am the author to this piece. I have had a hard time getting it copyright because it has been circulating on the net for three years and people remove my name and add their name instead. Thank you.

dom
3 Apr 06

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 needs
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
its 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 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..."

This should be printed in every newspaper and posted in every school in
America Of course that won't happen so we'll use the internet. If your
blinds are closed do nothing with this email. If they are open I do not
need to tell you what to do.

GOD BLESS!!!!!!!!!!
<REMOVED>, CMSgt
<REMOVED> Management
Flight Balad Air Base, Iraq