The Laughing Wolf

A Letter To My Godsons

The capture yesterday of Saddam Hussein is a cause for celebration, but I have wondered a bit if it was not confusing as well. Not being with you as much as I would like, I am not sure what you truly know about him and what is going on. Also, I remember how I was at your age, and the fact that many of the people and events in far away lands had very little direct impact on my life, and on my consciousness. Therefore, I wonder how much impact the War on Terror and the battles in Iraq have truly had upon you. While it is a very big deal for adults, it is blessedly less so for you.

There is a part of me that hopes that you never do fully understand what this man was and what he did. Could I keep you and your friends from ever having to truly know the evil that he is and represents, I would be tempted to do so, though doing so would be wrong. Protecting you that way, that fully, is not fair to you or to the world. Yet, I would spare you for now many of the details, for you can and will find them out as you get older.

I am fairly sure that you know he was a bad man. The term evil is not an exaggeration, for he did or ordered done many terrible things. He hurt people for no reason, and he killed them almost at random. He had very bad things done to these people, and often used what was done as a way to force their families to do what he wanted them to do. Sometimes, he would not tell the families what had happened to their loved ones, as a punishment.

Being homeschooled, you have never met a real bully on the playground. You and your friends play nicely, and my memories of watching you all at play are special ones to me for that reason. But, I am also sure you have heard of bullies, of kids who try to force people to do things, to hit them, push them down, and make them cry. Think of Saddam as this bully, and you are off to a good start. Think of him as a big, much older bully, who liked to push others to the ground, hurt them, and make them cry. Someone who wants everyone to do exactly what they say, when they say it, and play only their way.

Now think of this older, bigger bully having the power to do more than just control a park or playground. Imagine if some of your friends stood up to him, and refused to do what he said, when he said it. Instead of simply getting pushed to the ground, they are taken away. Some might never come back, and, worse, some might come back but so hurt and scared that they would never come out and play again. Think of their parents, and how their parents might feel.

This is what Saddam was in the world. He was that bully, and now he is gone. He will never terrorize the playground, or the world, ever again. In the end, he was a coward who did not follow the orders he gave to others. This is a good thing, though, because now other bullies will be less willing to do bad things, because their leader did not keep his promises.

No one in any position of authority, or with two synapses to rub together (do you remember how the brain works, or how signals travel through the nervous system?), believes or has said that all bad things will stop now. For they will not. All the other bullies are scared, so they are going to try and act as tough as they can to hide their fear, and to try to make others scared of them. Don’t fall for this, anytime you see it, for these actions are a sign of weakness, not of strength. What the bullies do now is done because they are scared of loosing their power over others, and of what may happen to them. Yet, though bad things will be done, this will allow us to find the bullies and stop them too.

Think of Iraq as a park, just like the one where you go for park day. For years, the children and their parents have been afraid to come out and play. For years, they have been denied the chance to learn, to school or to homeschool, in the way you are so used to doing. They have been lied to, so now they must start learning again. They will have to learn how to play together, and then how to play with other children around the world. This will not be an easy thing to do, but it can be done and many countries, such as the U.S., Great Britain, Spain, Australia, Poland, and many others are going to be like the adults at park day. They will try to keep bad things from happening, teach new games, show how to do new things, and try to help make up for all the years that the bully Saddam kept them from playing and learning.

The bullies in Iraq and elsewhere don’t like this, and are going to do all they can to keep it from happening. They hate learning, they hate education, and they hate homeschooling because ignorance is their only friend. If all the children and parents in their land know that things can be better, that there are different ways that can be followed, and that they have a choice in life, then they won’t follow the bullies. These people will no longer allow the bullies to push them around.

This is why one of the first things bullies do is to stop learning. They stop the schools or make them teach things they know to be wrong, to lie to the students and parents. They then take away all means to communicate, so that people cannot share knowledge and teach at home. The third thing they do is remove any way to fight back, by taking away guns and all weapons, and making it illegal to fight back in any form. Only they can use force, and they use that to create fear.

Yet, this is also why these bullies hate us so much. It is because here we share information, we love learning, and we know that things can be made better. Worse, from their point of view, we share with others and we share this dream and this vision. In America, you can still become almost anything you want to be, provided you will work hard. Bullies never like this idea, for they only want people to do what they tell them to do. In America, we still encourage people to think for themselves, and that is something I see instilled in you by your parents and your homeschooling. You learn to think for yourself, to work out problems, find the answers, and make things work. Bullies don’t want you to think for yourself, because if you do you will see them for the scared cowards that they are.

I could go on about this, but I will not for now. Right now, we have a cause for celebration. No matter what any adult may say, the capture of this bully, Saddam, is a good thing and a cause for celebration. In the playgrounds of Iraq, children can once again start to play. While there are many smaller bullies out there, their days are numbered because they are outnumbered. The children of Iraq can play and learn again, which means that the days of the smaller bullies are numbered.

Celebrate the fact that children can play and learn again. If you and your park day friends want to send some school supplies to them, I know just the person to help. For now, however, I want you to go and play, so that you and the children of Iraq can celebrate together, even though you are apart.

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