The Laughing Wolf

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.

-30-

His Mom is a good teacher and an outstanding homeschooler. Once the tooth was taken care of, at least in the immediate sense, she explained to him that he could loose a quart of blood before needing a transfusion. She then did a wonderful demonstration by getting a quart of water and putting red colouring in it. They then went in the backyard and poured out one eighth a cup of it on the picnic table. Lot of “blood,” and the light clicked with Chance who realized that it did not take a lot to look like a lot. They then poured out the full quart and compared. Not only was he much reassured, he now knows that blood/bleeding does not equal dying, he has had the basic lessons in the cardiovascular system reinforced, as well as basic biology. The lessons are continuing, and expanding a bit. Chance probably also now knows more than he ever wanted to know about emergency dentistry. His mom is in the same boat.

Chance is doing well, though not completely happy at soft food for a week. The tooth is in and while there are no guarantees, things are positive. Only time will tell if the tooth will re-root and be healthy. Mommy (and Daddy, though he won’t admit it) may come down from the ceiling sometime soon. Uncle Laughing Wolf never made the ceiling, but is just glad his eldest Godson is doing okay.

-30-