Mom of Slain Soldier Stages Bush Protest.

[Scribbler]

Don't forget the death threats, the gun shooting, the mowing down of the crosses and flags, and the forced move of Camp Casey. Those things also brought more attention to her.

Death threats? Dime a dozen these days. Everyone from Cindy Sheehan to the ROTC gets them. Hers are probably as real as her 'imminent arrest'.
Gun shooting? From the interview I watched with the shooter, he could care less about Cindy or her beliefs. He wa even sympathetic to her initially. His anger was directed at BOTH sets of protestors, and said so.
Driving over crosses and flags? sounds like the circus is getting out of hand. Are the actions of one man (who was arrested for his act) evidence of intimidation?
Forced move? She moved voluntarily. Remember to do your homework.

 

[Wolf Georges]

They were there. He was told to prove they were gone. He didn't, and was removed by the US and willing countries, enforcing the resolutions and cease fire agreement he was guilty of not conforming to.

Since he had WMD's, and didn't use them on us, then he moved them sometime between 1998 and 2002 when there were no inspectors. If he proves that they were destroyed like he was suppose to then there is no war. But he didn't, so nobody knows if they were moved or destroyed and he remains in violation of the UN Resolutions and the Cease fire of Gulf war 1.

What justifies war is not based on opinion, it is based on years of defiance of the US and International Laws levied against him. Saddam should not have been posturing when he was ordered to prove the WMD's were destroyed or war was imminent. That is not posturing time, that is put up or shut up time. He postured for 11 years.

So he didn't have WMDs at the point that the UN inspectors were installed back in Iraq...he didn't have WMDs when the inspectors started making statements after some time back in Iraq that the old WMDs had most likely been destroyed...he didn't have them when the Iraqis filed a report stating that that the WMDs had been destroyed...so in fact Iraq had no WMDs when we perpetrated an act of war on their country.

Again, we asserted that there were "a number of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction facilities" whose locations were known to us. We also claimed that the Iraqis were moving these facilities ahead of the reinstated inspectors. However, we never provided any intelligence to inspectors to find them nor did our armed forces discover any of these facilities once the war began. Two years later...nothing. Believe me if they had found the stockpiles....even little, tiny stockpiles....this would be a much different conversation. But we went to war based on bogus intelligence. The intention to possess WMDs that could possibly, at some time in the unforeseeable future be used against the US is not a reason to go to war. Tough talk about UN resolutions would be pertinent if we had actually found the evidence for the crime that we had charged. But there is no evidence, hence no justification. There are times when war is, unfortunately, inevitable. This, however, was not one of them.

Caustic rhetoric for pro-war mothers? Where are there pro-war mothers held up in ditches accusing anyone of anything? There are no hurtful words to Mrs. Sheehan that have to do with her son. Every person on here, and in the media has sympathized with on the death of her son. We just don't want the "Caustic Rhetoric" she is spewing shoved in our faces any longer.

Let her protest, turn the cameras off of her, and find one of the thousands of pro-war mothers who lost children in this war to interview.

I have listened to conservative talk show hosts call her a traitor and read the articles that have said worse. I have also seen numerous interviews on TV with mother's who have lost their children but support the war. If, God forbid, I was ever in the position I would most likely support the war, if only to feel that my child didn't die in vain. I loathe the way that both sides have presented this story and have covered the war in general. It's all about political gain for either Democrats or Republicans and very little about the actual issues or the young people who are giving their lives. It just seems strange to attack a woman for the views that her grief has shaped. It's a little short sighted to say, "Hey, we really feel for your loss BUT you're a pinko with who should be tarred, feathered and exported to France". I'm paraphrasing of course but I think I got the tone right.

 

[reverend B]

i have a friend here in nc that lost a son in this war. he is a vocal cheerleader for this war, but his eyes tell a very different story.

 

[nathanel]

Seems I remember someone claiming that as far as military families of soldiers killed are concerned that Cindy was "all alone for a reason..." I know, just an honest miscalculation. No harm done right???

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Source: US Newswire [/font][/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Tuesday 09 August 2005 [/font][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Gold Star and military families from across country on their way to Texas.[/font][/font]​

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Crawford, Texas - More members of Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP) and Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) are traveling to Texas to join the protest outside of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he is vacationing for the month of August. [/font][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Starting today, Gold Star families from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arkansas and other states whose loved ones have died as a result of the war in Iraq will be joining one of their members, Cindy Sheehan, at the protest. Ms. Sheehan, whose son Army Specialist Casey Sheehan was killed in Sadr City, Iraq on April 4, 2004, has been in Crawford since August 5th, demanding a meeting with the President. These families will be joined by military families with loved ones currently serving in Iraq or about to deploy or redeploy to Iraq. All of these families are coming to Crawford, Texas to share their stories about the personal costs of the war in Iraq and add their voices to the call for a meeting with President Bush. [/font][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] On August 3, 2005 President Bush, speaking about the dreadful loss of life in Iraq in early August, said "We have to honor the sacrifices of the fallen by completing the mission... The families of the fallen can be assured that they died for a noble cause." Gold Star and military families coming to Crawford know that the cause was not noble; that their loved ones died, or are currently in harm's way, serving in a war based on lies. [/font][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] In the first 8 days of August, 36 service members died in Iraq; countless Iraq children, women and men are dying each day. All of the families traveling to Crawford will carry the message to the vacationing President: Honor our fallen and honor our loved ones' service by ending the occupation, bringing the troops home now and taking care of them when they get here. [/font][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] President Bush has consistently tried to hide, and to hide from, the cost of the war in Iraq. This August, these costs are being brought right to his doorstep. [/font][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Members of Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak Out who are traveling to Crawford will be available for interview beginning on Tuesday afternoon August 9th. [/font][/font]



[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] For More Information:[/font][/font][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Military Families Speak Out: http://www.mfso.org.
Gold Star Families for Peace: http://www.gsfp.org. [/font][/font]

 

[nathanel]

Here's a picture from a candle light vigil held in support of Cindy tonight:

 

[honestjohn]

How can anything America has done be compared to 11 million deaths in the gas chambers and human experimentation?

Our foreign policy has killed millions. we might not be as blatant as the Nazis but we are no better

 

[Marklet12]

Our foreign policy has killed millions. we might not be as blatant as the Nazis but we are no better

Please, give it a rest. I know it sounds all edgy and contrarian to say America is just soooooooooo like the Nazis, but read a book or something.

 

[Billnew]

i have a friend here in nc that lost a son in this war. he is a vocal cheerleader for this war, but his eyes tell a very different story.

His eyeswill never be the same.
You can hate war but know that war must be faught.
The death, the misery, no sane person could be the same after going to war.
Or loosing a loved one.

 

[Scribbler]

Our foreign policy has killed millions. we might not be as blatant as the Nazis but we are no better

Please.

 

[Wolf Georges]

Our foreign policy has killed millions. we might not be as blatant as the Nazis but we are no better

These types of extreme statements are what make it hard for many people to support the anti-war efforts. It also makes it hard to have a rational debate between Republicans and Democrats. This country has many flaws and yes I agree at times our foreign policy has been a bit dicey but to compare the US to Nazi Germany is so far off base that it raises questions of the legitimacy of the opposition to the war in Iraq.

I might think that the President is doing a poor job, but do you really believe that he can be compared to Hitler? Have you ever had a conversation with a Holocaust survivor? I think there are enough facts in the Iraq debate for both sides to have a serious conversation without allowing things to deteriorate to the level of, "You guys are Nazis that are killing and torturing just for the heck of it" and "You guys are pinkos that should leave our country".

In the end, it's doubtful that either side is going to change their position, but there is a much better chance if you keep the tone genial and the conversation intelligent.

 

[murron]

closed for staff review.