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No, because she believes, somehow, she's more deserving of attention than the other thousands of KIA war moms.
No one is forcing these relatives to come forward, and just because they may have already met with W once while still deep in the grieving process doesn't mean that that person has automatically negated their right to want to meet with the President again at a later time.No more so than the political grandstanding the anti-Bush faction has stooped to by encouraging protests from the relatives of those killed serving our Country. The pinnacle of exploitation!
The anti-war movement needs these relatives as much as the relatives need those in the anti-war movement. If Cindy Sheehan was standing out on a field in Crawford alone demanding to talk to W this would be a non-story, and the corporate media could go on blindly ignoring the growing public impatience with the progress of the terror wars. However, as Rosa Parks showed during the Civil Rights struggle, culture wars are first fought with symbolic losses, victories, and battles, but once they catch on, watch out!
As I posted at the beginning of this thread - I think W made a mistake by ignoring Ms. Sheehan’s request for so long. I think back about recent American presidents and how they would have handled similar situations and except for maybe Nixon, I can't think of another President in the last century at least that wouldn't have just invited a Ms. Sheehan in for a personal conversation and some tea. These are definitely strange times.
No, because she believes, somehow, she's more deserving of attention than the other thousands of KIA war moms.
Yeah, this thread will be on my mind then...
Critics have started calling her a pawn of the left-wing. Some conservative organizations, talk show hosts and even some of her own extended family accuse her of shifting her position and say she is lowering troop morale.
She got a Web site, a public relations assistant (financed by an anti-war group), an entourage of peace activists and a speaking tour.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050813/...ltBHNlYwM3MTY-
So? Doesn't seem like she's doing anything she doesn't want to. It's not like Bush is going to have to speak with her, so relax. Plenty more folks are going to die, no worries there. We won't be out of there for years.
Day 7: Camp Casey
The Crawford area has turned into a circus of peaceniks and bush-supporters. A pro-bush march with about 50 people heading to Camp Casey has been stopped by the Crawford Police who are awaiting the arrival of the McLennan County Sheriff's Department.
Here is some video of the Crawford Area
AWESOME! Controversy sells.
I am sure all the little tools marching around protesting Bush will make a world of difference.
I am sure that the more they march the faster Bush is kicked out of office.
Right.
That is how it works.
Deal. With. It.
Bush is the man.
Upbeat DefianceYesterday, Camp Casey was on high-alert. They were aware that the counter protesters were expected to arrive yesterday afternoon, so everyone was being hyper vigilant. Of key importance to everyone involved with the organization of Camp Casey was the idea that our vigil sitters remain calm and peaceful.
As everyone was going about their business, waiting for the counter protesters to arrive, a man drove up in a huge diesel pickup truck. You know the kind, with the big doolie wheels and such. He parked right in the center of the triangle – right in the space no one from Camp is supposed to be. He parked in such a way that the front end of his truck was facing directly towards the tents where Cindy and the other military families sleep – and where all the crosses of fallen soldiers have been erected.
The man sat in his truck for quite some time while our people looked on and waited to see what he intended. After a while, one of the vets from Camp Casey walked up to the man’s truck and informed him that no one was allowed to park in the triangle. The gentleman identified himself as the father of a fallen soldier. Anne Wright walked up to this man’s truck and began speaking with him through his rolled down window. He told her that he did not support what Cindy and the others are doing at Camp Casey, but he wanted to come and see if his son’s name was on one of the crosses. Anne invited him to come walk the crosses with her. The man got out of his truck and went with Anne to move up and down the rows of crosses, looking together for his son’s name. When they found it, they sat down in front of it, wrapped their arms around each other and cried together.
The entire Camp was affected by this event. I suspect that there were few dry eyes in our little corner of Crawford yesterday afternoon. I know that even as Annie related this story to me, I was choking up and having a very difficult time typing as she spoke, her voice cracking as she related the tale. Much has been said on both sides of this issue about what is “right” and what is “good” and what is “honorable.” If you ask me, the interaction between Anne and “The Man In The Truck” is the perfect representation of what we are trying to accomplish – Peaceful coexistence among people of different beliefs, politics and ideologies. I don’t know who “the man in the truck” is, but should he ever read this, I want him to know how much his story touched me. I want him to know that I honor him, and I honor his child, and I honor the sacrifice his family has made in pursuit of their ideals. To you, Sir, I bow my head in respect."
Michael Moore.comSaturday, August 13th, 2005
We Don't Have to be Angry Anymore; The Peaceful Occupation of Crawford (Day 7)
-- a message from Cindy Sheehan, Crawford, TX
My day started way too early today. After 3 hours of sleep, I was being shaken awake by someone at 6:30am telling me that the Today Show wanted me to be on their show. I had come into town to sleep in a trailer because my tent had been infested with fire ants. I turned the today show down for 7:15am, so we did it at 9:00am.
We had a very interesting day. We had Bush drive by really, really fast twice. I caught a glimpse of Laura. I was hoping after she saw me that she would come down to Camp Casey with some brownies and lemonade. I waited for her, but she never came.
The Bush's were going to a bar-be-que/fundraiser down the road from us. I was very surprised that they let us stay so close to Bush. The families of the fallen loved ones held their son's cross from Arlington West while Bush drove by. I bet it didn't even give him indigestion to see so many people protesting his murderous policies.
I am a continued thorn in the side to the right-wing bloggers and right wing-nut "journalists." One man, Phil Hendry called me an "ignorant cow." But you know what, the people who have come out from all over the country to give me a hug and take a picture with me and to support the cause of peace, overwhelms me so much, I don't have time to worry about the negativity and the hatred. The people who are slamming me have no idea about what it feels like to unjustly have a child killed in an insane war. Plus, they have no truth to fight truth with, so they fight truth with more lies and hate.
Three active duty soldiers from Ft. Hood came to visit me and tell me that they really appreciated what I was doing and that if they were killed in the war, their moms would be doing the same thing. That made me feel so good after all of the negativity I had been hearing from the righties. I also got to hold a couple of toddlers on my lap while their mom or dad took pictures of us. I am honored that people have resonated with the action that I took to make our mission of ending the war a reality.
We are here at the Crawford Peace House now and there are dozens and dozens of people here. We are giving each other hugs and kisses and we are all feeling great, full of energy and so filled with hope that this is something that is really going to change the world. I came here so angry and I have been so encouraged and overwhelmed by the support from all over. I was thinking that there is no reason for us progressive liberals to be angry anymore. We have the power. One mom has shown that we can be the change in our government. We deserve to hold George Bush accountable, no one else does. We have to make sure he answers to us. If he doesn't have to answer to Congress, or the media, we will FORCE him to answer to us. The absolute hubris of him that won't!!!
yes hugs and kisses will win the war......
She should just shake her fist at the sky....
Reality : President Bush's car went by twice (left and came back) at a normal pace. My mindset paralells the lunatic left so even though I bash the President and his policies I thought the first lady would want to be my hostess...she didn't.Cindy Sheehan : "We had Bush drive by really, really fast twice. I caught a glimpse of Laura. I was hoping after she saw me that she would come down to Camp Casey with some brownies and lemonade. I waited for her, but she never came".
Reality : Because I'm being totally propped up by the lunatic left I'm going to make an asinine, maniacal, untrue and unproveable statement that the President could care less about the soldiers that have given their lives for their country.Cindy Sheehan : "the Bush's were going to a bar-be-que/fundraiser down the road from us. I was very surprised that they let us stay so close to Bush. The families of the fallen loved ones held their son's cross from Arlington West while Bush drove by. I bet it didn't even give him indigestion to see so many people protesting his murderous policies"
Reality : "I'm being a tushhole and I hate those that have morals. It's amazing, considering the way I'm making such a fool of myself, that there would still be people that come out to see me, guess I'm not the only lunatic, eh? I want people to listen and understand me but I'm not going to listen to anything they have to say because I'm ignorant. I'm the only one to ever have lost a loved one and I, and only I, have cornered the market on what it truly feels like to lose a child. There are so many people telling me what to think and what to say, I'm just so confused...really, I am..."Cindy Sheehan : "I am a continued thorn in the side to the right-wing bloggers and right wing-nut "journalists." One man, Phil Hendry called me an "ignorant cow." But you know what, the people who have come out from all over the country to give me a hug and take a picture with me and to support the cause of peace, overwhelms me so much, I don't have time to worry about the negativity and the hatred. The people who are slamming me have no idea about what it feels like to unjustly have a child killed in an insane war. Plus, they have no truth to fight truth with, so they fight truth with more lies and hate.
scoffed.
A Ft Hood soldiers letter to Cindy Sheehan...
Daily KosFort Hood, Texas
12 August 2005
Dear Mrs. Sheehan:
I am a Soldier stationed at Fort Hood who is scheduled for deployment to Iraq (soon). Like you, I do not support the war because I believe it represents a horrible waste of lives and lucre that is bankrupting our nation. However, I am sworn to obey my orders and I will serve to the utmost of my ability when called upon.
Your actions in Crawford have served to galvanize the American people and to remind them of the sacrifices being made by its Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines during what seem to be prosperous and lazy times here at home. It is too easy for the average American to forget that the seemingly low casualty figures seeping in from Southwest Asia are represented by human faces - like the face of your son. While the nation dozes, ones and twos turn into hundreds and thousands of young lives forever squelched - 1,846 thus far, to say nothing of those whose lives have also been forever changed by being wounded and maimed in the conflict.
Whatever the rationale for the war in Iraq was and is, I cannot tolerate the sight of the huge quantum of vehicles I see on the highways with yellow "Support our Troops" magnets on them. Citizens who support us in the military don't need to buy a magnet. They can contribute to causes benefiting soldiers and their families. They can inform themselves about the conflict in the Middle East and ask themselves what role, if any, the United States needs to play there. Most importantly, they can drive less, and drive smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. That would reduce our dependency on foreign oil by which, ultimately, the desert wastes of Arabia and Mesopotamia are transformed into "vital United States interests."
Lately you have attracted the attention of the right-wing smear machine, wielded by those who use the people's innate sense of patriotism and loyalty to serve its own selfish interests. This is a sign that you are awakening the sensibilities of decent Americans everywhere to the bloody-minded folly of the war in Iraq. Now more than ever, you must find your strength, a strength which you must have given young Casey in spades, and I am equally sure that today his strength of his spirit is animating and reawakening yours.
As a soldier, I am asking you to stand fast, and to stick to what you know is right and true. For me, those are the principal duties every civilian citizen owes to his or her nation. For my part, I am not allowed to participate directly in the political process. But I wrote this letter to you today to let you know that on Fort Hood, and on military installations across the United States and around the world, there are simple servicemen and servicewomen like myself who are praying for you, and who wish you well.
The duties of a soldier are a little bit different than those of civilians. Mostly they center around living the Army Values. Those values are:
LOYALTY
DUTY
RESPECT
SELFLESS SERVICE
HONOR
INTEGRITY
PERSONAL COURAGE
I have no doubts that your son Casey lived those values to the fullest measure. I will remember him as I begin my own trial by fire in Iraq. Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss and my prayers for you and all of your entire family circle. Also, please accept my thanks for awakening the conscience of our nation.
In deepest sympathy,
OREGON GUY
(RANK), USA
Bet ya won't catch Hookdem passing this letter.
W just can't manage to say the right things about this whole affair...
Daily Dayton NewsCRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush, noting that lots of people want to talk to the president and “it’s also important for me to go on with my life,” on Saturday defended his decision not to meet with the grieving mom of a soldier killed in Iraq.
Bush said he is aware of the anti-war sentiments of Cindy Sheehan and others who have joined her protest near the Bush ranch.
“But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there’s somebody who has got something to say to the president, that’s part of the job,” Bush said on the ranch. “And I think it’s important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say.”
“But,” he added, “I think it’s also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.”
What's funny is that an article in USA Today makes no mention of this quote by W, but does have an cute antidotal story about his bike ride with reporters
c.
war is what has got the u.s. where we are today. w/o we'd all be speaking german...
Or Sioux, or Hopi, or maybe Comanche. , maybe even Spanish.
You couldn't leave well enough alone could you?A Ft Hood soldiers letter to Cindy Sheehan...
Daily Kos
Bet ya won't catch Hookdem passing this letter.
The loss of this lady's son is tragic. When he signed up did he think there would never be any risk? I think not! Did he have a problem taking the pay? I think not! The mere fact that this lady is politicalizing her sons death is tragic for this country and a disgrace.
Yeah, peace is so boring. Why would anyone want peace?
What year was it her son was drafted ?
When asked to meet with her AGAIN George responded
Day 8: Camp Casey
-- a message from Cindy Sheehan, Crawford, TX
It is not often that Cindy Sheehan is at a loss for words. I will try and describe today, though. It was the most incredible, fantastic, fabulous, amazing, powerful, miraculous event I have ever been a part of. I was so humbled and honored at the outpouring of love and support that arrived in Camp Casey today.
It was a busy morning of interviews and problem solving. I had interviews with some network shows and a photo shoot for the Vanity Fair article. Almost all of the reporters ask me if I have accomplished anything at Camp Casey and I think we really have. We have brought the war onto the front pages of the newspapers and the top stories of the mainstream media. It is really incredible that we are doing so well in the media because I keep telling all of the reporters that I am doing their jobs. I am asking the tough questions of the President that they don’t ask.
We are also gathering people together in this country who believe that this war is a mistake and our troops should come home. I know people have been frustrated, either sitting on the fence or apathetically sitting on the sidelines. I know before Casey was killed, I didn’t think that one person could make a difference in the world. Now I know that isn’t true. Not only can one person make a difference, but one person, with millions behind her can make history. I really believe that this movement that began in Crawford, Texas (does the irony escape anyone) is going to grow and grow and transform the world. Like I said last night in my blog: hope is blossoming in Crawford, because WE have the power.
The CBS reporter whom I met last Saturday when I began this Holy War against the War of Terrorism that George Bush is waging on the world told me that he has interviewed me 4 times this week already. He told me that he has never, ever interviewed anyone 4 times, let alone four times in one week. I was joking with the reporters that were here last week that they should have brought me flowers on our one week anniversary.
The most fantabulistic (I needed a new word, none of the old ones fit) thing happened in Crawford today. There was a very insignificant counter-protest across the way. At first the Sheriffs let them stand in the street, until we politely pointed out to the Sheriffs that we had to stay in the ditch last week. So they made them move into the ditch. Since we are supposedly in Bush country, the counter protest was so small and weak. They had signs that said “Stay the Course.” I appreciated that. I really believe they were telling me to stay the course. I will.
We also met a man whose son was KIA in Iraq in November of 2004. He still loves George Bush and thinks we are doing great things in Iraq. By the end of the day we were drinking beer together and telling each other “I love you.” I am telling you miracles are happening here in Crawford.
Anyway, back to the fantabulistic thing that happened today. We had a rally downtown in Crawford. Then the people caravanned up to Camp Casey. I was told to come down to the point of the triangle to greet them. While I was walking down to the point, I had a great view of Prairie Chapel Road. There was car, after car, after car!!! I started sobbing and I felt like collapsing. The cars kept on coming. It took almost a full hour for them to all get to Camp Casey, it was a miraculous sight to see. It was identical to Field of Dreams.
People came from all over the country to be here. We are building a movement and they are coming.
We don’t have a full count of all the people who were there, but I would say hundreds. It was amazing and awesome. I felt the spirits of all of our needlessly killed loved ones in the presence of Camp Casey. I felt their strength and the wisdom of the ages with me in that wonderful place.
Today was George Bush’s accountability moment, and he lost. Two young ladies from San Diego drove all night to get to the rally and they had to leave tonight to get back home. One of them said: “Wow, we can drive all the way from San Diego just to meet you and he can’t even come down to the end of his driveway to meet with you.”
George Bush: you work for me. I pay your salary. Come out and talk to me. Anyway, I have a feeling you are about to be fired!!!
It's nice that they can all tune in, turn on, and drop out, having a good old party...while our boys are fighting for their lives over in Iraq. Those ing hippies disgust me...Stoned people should not be getting involved in politics.
I'm glad the two little valley girls enjoyed their trip...but some of us have to work for a living.
Cindy's Victory
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Monday 15 August 2005
- Gen. Barry McCaffrey, after returning from an inspection of Iraq, 08/12/2005.This thing, the wheels are coming off it.
William River Pitts, TruthoutThey are sunburned and storm-lashed. They sleep in tents that sit along the muddy earth of drainage ditches by the side of the road. They have been heckled by "counter-demonstrators" who chanted "We don't care!" during a rendition of "God Bless America." They have been attacked by fire ants and hassled by local health inspectors. On Thursday morning, at about 5:30am, they were blasted awake by a fourteen-car convoy of Secret Service SUVs which roared through the camp at high speed while leaning on their horns the whole time.
They have been jolted with fear when a local resident fired his weapon into the air several times to make them go away. When the shooter, one Larry Mattlage, was asked why he was firing his gun, he said, "We're going to start doing our war and it's going to be underneath the law. We're going to do whatever it takes." It is safe to say, therefore, that their lives have been threatened.
The thing is, they've already won.
Cindy Sheehan and her ever-growing band of supporters intend to stay in those ditches outside Bush's Crawford "ranch" until he comes out to talk or until August 31st, whichever comes first. If he does not come out by the end of the month, she intends to follow him to Washington and camp out in front of the White House. She and the others have been there for more than a week now, garnering more and more attention from the national and international press. Yes, they are tired. Yes, they are uncomfortable. Yes, they have already won.
The nearly 2,000 crosses, crescents and Stars of David that make up the Arlington West cemetery, erected by the demonstrators a few days ago to represent all the fallen American soldiers in Iraq, stretch almost a mile down the country road. Bush had to drive past that on Friday when he went to his fundraising shindig at the Broken Spoke Ranch. 54 crosses have been added to the cemetery since he first showed up for his vacation at the beginning of August. It takes a while to drive past them all. This man, who cannot abide hearing or seeing anything in the way of dissent or disagreement, saw those crosses whistle past his window. That is a victory.
For three years now, both before the invasion of Iraq began and then after it was unleashed, millions of people have marched and screamed and stomped in order to try to put a stop to this disaster. The Bush administration was not pushed off its tracks even an inch in all this time. Discussions and debates on why we are there and whether or not we should leave have been bunted aside.
Half a dozen reasons for the invasion and occupation have been put forth - weapons of mass destruction, ties to al Qaeda terrorism, the building of a democracy, Hussein was a bad man - but in the end, the debate is halted by the kind of brainless thinking that left us in Vietnam for far too long: "We are there, so we have to stay." This was the accepted wisdom.
Not anymore.
All the protests, all the articles, all the books, all the whistleblowers, all the criticism combined have not packed the kind of punch that one mother in a ditch has delivered to this administration's carefully crafted fantasy vision of what is happening in Iraq. Suddenly, Bush has been forced to go before cameras and try to explain why staying in Iraq is the only option available. Suddenly, the accepted wisdom isn't so accepted anymore. A majority of Americans, according to every available poll, agree with the lady in the ditch and not with the president.
Bush isn't doing a very good job of explaining his side of things, and his people seem unable to keep their stories straight. After the fourteen Marines from Ohio were killed in Iraq, Bush got up and stated that it would be unreasonable for him to lay down a timetable for withdrawal. Yet at the same time, his generals were bent over maps and logistics notebooks, trying to do exactly that.
The Los Angeles Times on Saturday took a look at the mixed messages coming from the war party. "Are the president and the Pentagon on the same page over the war in Iraq?" asked the Times. "That question is percolating in Washington after President Bush twice in the last 10 days tried to clarify a message sent by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and military leaders. After Rumsfeld and other Pentagon officials indicated their desire to shift away from discussing the struggle against terrorism as a 'war' - saying it placed too much emphasis on military solutions to terrorism - Bush repeatedly used the word 'war' in an Aug. 3 speech to conservative state legislators."
"Then," continued the Times article, "on Thursday, Bush dismissed as 'rumors' and 'speculation' reports that U.S. commanders were contemplating significant withdrawals of American troops from Iraq next year. His comments came after Army Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, and Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, the top ground commander, had publicly raised exactly that possibility."
Hmm.
On Sunday, out of nowhere, the Washington Post published a page-one story led "US Lowers Sights on What Can Be Achieved in Iraq." The story stated, "The Bush administration is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved in Iraq, recognizing that the United States will have to settle for far less progress than originally envisioned during the transition due to end in four months. The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges."
The article goes on to describe how any "democracy" will have to bend itself around the laws of Islam, a fact that chucks the secular-government talking points into the round file. Iraqi women, should not get their hopes up about being granted significant rights of any kind. The kicker came in the third paragraph, which quotes an unnamed US official saying, "What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground. We are in a process of absorbing the factors of the situation we're in and shedding the unreality that dominated at the beginning."
In other words, the whole thing was a Charlie Foxtrot from soup to nuts. There are no weapons of mass destruction, the terrorists connected to 9/11 were not there (though there are plenty there now learning how best to kill Americans with bombs), and democracy is not to be found anywhere on the menu. The hearts and flowers we were promised have not come, and are not coming. Sure, Hussein is still a bad man, but that rationale for this war is an outright laugher when compared to the cost of getting rid of him. Though Bush clings desperately to his canned lines to defend his actions, the facts speak for themselves. This whole bloody enterprise has been a colossal, expensive, murderous failure.
The funny part is that Bush almost certainly could have maintained the public fantasy with one simple act. He could have jumped into his pickup truck last Saturday, when Cindy Sheehan was alone except for her sister in that ditch, and driven down to see her. He could have invited her into the shotgun seat and driven her around the neighborhood for a few minutes. He could have then gone back up to the "ranch" and told the press corps that he met with her, and that they had looked into each other's hearts. That would have been the end of it.
He did not do that. Now, his generals are at loggerheads with the public line coming from the White House about getting out of Iraq. Unnamed officials are going on the record to state that the whole plan was hare-brained from the word "go," and that the entire deal sits now in the ashes of its own utterly ruined failure. Bush has to keep explaining why we have to stay, why rearranging the deck chairs on this anic is a noble and worthwhile process. Meanwhile, the whole world mocks him for hiding from one woman and her broken heart.
Cindy Sheehan has done this with one act of conscience. She has managed to do what no other protest or action or statement has been able to do. She has knocked the wheels right off this absurd applecart. She has called the man to account. She can hang her own "Mission Accomplished" banner above her tent in that ditch. She has already won.
Her son would be very, very proud.
Last edited by Nbadan; 08-15-2005 at 02:53 AM.
Thank You.This just in...US military service is voluntary.
IF you are not willing to die for your country...then don't join the military.
IF you do not want your son or daughter to die in service to their country...then don't let them join the military.
If you join the military...there is always a very strong chance that you will be called into service and sent into a war.
It's not just something you sign up for to do a lot of exersize and wear silly looking clothes.
Why do you post propaganda Dan?
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