Cindy Sheehan: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 18:09, 6 January 2007 editHabap (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users5,731 edits She used the three exclamation points and I think it is instructive to include them← Previous edit		Revision as of 01:55, 7 January 2007 edit undoSmithap1 (talk \| contribs)4 edits I corrected a mistake, Iraq is an independant country and not under occupation.Next edit →
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	During the Presidential Inauguration in January of 2005, Mrs. Sheehan traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak at the opening of "]", a traveling exhibition created by the ] that displays pairs of combat boots to represent every U.S. military casualty. There she met others who lost loved ones in Iraq, and together they discussed the need to create an organization for similar families. Sheehan wrote about the experience in a commentary article.<ref>http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/02/con05067.html</ref> She was also a featured speaker when the exhibition opened in San Diego in March, 2005<ref>http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2107</ref> and traveled with the exhibition to other locations. "Behind these boots is one broken-hearted family," she stated as she donated her son Casey's boots to travel with Eyes Wide Open when it stopped in San Francisco later that month.<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/26/BAGTBBV26U1.DTL</ref>		During the Presidential Inauguration in January of 2005, Mrs. Sheehan traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak at the opening of "]", a traveling exhibition created by the ] that displays pairs of combat boots to represent every U.S. military casualty. There she met others who lost loved ones in Iraq, and together they discussed the need to create an organization for similar families. Sheehan wrote about the experience in a commentary article.<ref>http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/02/con05067.html</ref> She was also a featured speaker when the exhibition opened in San Diego in March, 2005<ref>http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2107</ref> and traveled with the exhibition to other locations. "Behind these boots is one broken-hearted family," she stated as she donated her son Casey's boots to travel with Eyes Wide Open when it stopped in San Francisco later that month.<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/26/BAGTBBV26U1.DTL</ref>

	Sheehan is one of the nine founding members of ], an organization created in January of 2005 that seeks to ~~end~~ the ~~occupation~~ of ~~Iraq~~ and provide support for families of fallen soldiers. As of August 2005, at least 63 other relatives of fallen soldiers are listed as members.		Sheehan is one of the nine founding members of ], an organization created in January of 2005 that seeks to abandon the Iraqi people to the terrorists and provide support for families of fallen soldiers. As of August 2005, at least 63 other relatives of fallen soldiers are listed as members.

	Although she had spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, and even pledged not to pay her 2004 taxes<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45762</ref>, Sheehan attracted international attention only in early August of 2005. At that time, she traveled to President Bush's ] just outside ] during his five-week vacation retreat there. Demanding a second meeting with the President and an explanation of the "noble cause" for which her son died<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080600679.html</ref><ref>http://www.veteransforpeace.org/convention05/sheehan_transcript.htm</ref>, she created a ] called ] by pitching a tent by the side of the road and announced her intention to stay, day and night, for the full five weeks or until such a meeting was granted. She also promised that, were she not granted a second meeting, she would return to Crawford each time Bush visits there in the future.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/16/politics/main780687_page2.shtml</ref> Toward the end of her ], she said she was "very, very, very grateful" Bush did not grant her that meeting because it would have ended the momentum the ] gained from the popularity of her demonstrations.<ref>http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/1708361.html</ref>		Although she had spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, and even pledged not to pay her 2004 taxes<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45762</ref>, Sheehan attracted international attention only in early August of 2005. At that time, she traveled to President Bush's ] just outside ] during his five-week vacation retreat there. Demanding a second meeting with the President and an explanation of the "noble cause" for which her son died<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080600679.html</ref><ref>http://www.veteransforpeace.org/convention05/sheehan_transcript.htm</ref>, she created a ] called ] by pitching a tent by the side of the road and announced her intention to stay, day and night, for the full five weeks or until such a meeting was granted. She also promised that, were she not granted a second meeting, she would return to Crawford each time Bush visits there in the future.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/16/politics/main780687_page2.shtml</ref> Toward the end of her ], she said she was "very, very, very grateful" Bush did not grant her that meeting because it would have ended the momentum the ] gained from the popularity of her demonstrations.<ref>http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/1708361.html</ref>

Revision as of 01:55, 7 January 2007

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Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan (born July 10, 1957) is a American anti-Iraq War activist, whose son, Casey Sheehan, was killed during his service in Iraq. She attracted international attention in August 2005 for her extended demonstration at a peace camp outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch.

Sheehan's campaign against the Iraq war

This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed.

Sheehan has "always been a Democrat." She had initially questioned the urgency of the invasion of Iraq, but did not become active in the anti-war effort until after her son's death.

Sheehan and other military families met with President George W. Bush in June of 2004 at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, nearly three months after her son's death. In a June 24, 2004 interview with the Vacaville Reporter published soon after the meeting, she stated, "We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled. The President has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached." She also stated that President Bush was ". . .sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. . . I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."

Sheehan gave another interview on October 4, 2004, stating that she did not understand the reasons for the Iraq invasion and never thought that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States. She further stated that her son's death had compelled her to speak out against what she feels to be an unjust war in order to help to bring the troops home and hold politicians accountable. Ironically, her son volunteered for service, and Sheehan used money from the government for her actions.

During the Presidential Inauguration in January of 2005, Mrs. Sheehan traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak at the opening of "Eyes Wide Open: the Human Cost of War", a traveling exhibition created by the American Friends Service Committee that displays pairs of combat boots to represent every U.S. military casualty. There she met others who lost loved ones in Iraq, and together they discussed the need to create an organization for similar families. Sheehan wrote about the experience in a commentary article. She was also a featured speaker when the exhibition opened in San Diego in March, 2005 and traveled with the exhibition to other locations. "Behind these boots is one broken-hearted family," she stated as she donated her son Casey's boots to travel with Eyes Wide Open when it stopped in San Francisco later that month.

Sheehan is one of the nine founding members of Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization created in January of 2005 that seeks to abandon the Iraqi people to the terrorists and provide support for families of fallen soldiers. As of August 2005, at least 63 other relatives of fallen soldiers are listed as members.

Although she had spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, and even pledged not to pay her 2004 taxes, Sheehan attracted international attention only in early August of 2005. At that time, she traveled to President Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch just outside Crawford, Texas during his five-week vacation retreat there. Demanding a second meeting with the President and an explanation of the "noble cause" for which her son died, she created a peace camp called Camp Casey by pitching a tent by the side of the road and announced her intention to stay, day and night, for the full five weeks or until such a meeting was granted. She also promised that, were she not granted a second meeting, she would return to Crawford each time Bush visits there in the future. Toward the end of her vigil, she said she was "very, very, very grateful" Bush did not grant her that meeting because it would have ended the momentum the peace movement gained from the popularity of her demonstrations.

Sheehan's actions have led supporters such as Rev. Lennox Yearwood, CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, to describe her as "the Rosa Parks of the antiwar movement." Later during the demonstration, Sheehan also gained the label of "Peace Mom" from the mainstream media. Some critics have likened her dissent to an act of treason.

In her anti-war speeches and writings, Sheehan is blunt and often vitriolic, a characteristic that has been noted by observers on both the left and right, and which Sheehan herself does not deny. Some of her statements have caused controversy. One such comment she wrote on the Daily Kos Sheehan blog on September 24 2005, complaining about what she perceived to be an excessive media coverage of Hurricane Rita. The hurricane caused 120 deaths and was the fourth most-intense storm in history:

I am watching CNN and it is 100 percent Rita . . . even though it is a little wind and a little rain. . . it is bad, but there are other things going on in this country today. . . and in the world!!!!

Of greatest controversy is an incident about which Sheehan's detractors claim she has lied. In March, 2005, James Morris sent an e-mail to ABC's Nightline that allegedly included the statements that Casey "was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel" and that he had "joined the Army to protect America, not Israel." Sheehan denies the allegations, "I've never said that. . . Those aren't even words that I would say. I do believe that the Palestinian issue is a hot issue that needs to be solved, and it needs to be more fair and equitable, but I never said my son died for Israel." She claims that the email was modified by James Morris to support his own personal agenda. However, James Morris denies altering the email before sending it along to Nightline on Sheehan's behalf (per her request for him to do so). Two other individuals, Tony Tersch and Skeeter Gallagher, received a copy of Sheehan's email directly from her; both claim that the e-mail they received is consistent with Morris's story, rather than Sheehan's. Tersch posted the email he received to the "bullyard" Google group.

Rumors began spreading towards the end of 2005 that Sheehan would challenge Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) for her seat in 2006, which Sheehan publicly considered in January 2006. Sheehan, however, backed Green Party candidate Todd Chretien in that election.

Cindy Sheehan on May 12, 2006 published a letter titled "Oh no, Canada". In the letter, Cindy stated that the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was "wildly unpopular from coast to coast up north and there is a growing sense of unease about his emulation of a very unpopular person in the USA but even more in Canada: George Bush." However, two days prior to the letter's publication SES Research released the results of a poll indicating approval for the Prime Minister in every part of the country. During her visit to Canada, Cindy lent her support to the War Resister Support group, a Canadian activist organization that is currently petitioning the Canadian government to allow deserters from the US Military to be given sanctuary in Canada.

Support and criticism of Cindy Sheehan

Main article: Support and criticism of Cindy Sheehan

Chronology of activism

Camp Casey

Main article: Camp Casey, Crawford, Texas

On 6 August, 2005, Sheehan created a makeshift camp in a ditch by the side of the road about 3 miles from George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas and announced her intention to stay (sleeping in a pup tent at night) until she is granted a second face-to-face meeting with the President. Sheehan started her protest the day the President started a planned five-week vacation. A few days later, the media began referring to Sheehan's camp as "Camp Casey."

She spent the next four weeks in Crawford (except for 5 days spent in California to see her elderly mother, who had suffered a stroke.) On some days as many as 1500 supporters visited Camp Casey, including members of Congress, as well as several notable actors, singers, and civil rights activists.

Gold Star Families for Peace, of which Sheehan is a founding member, released a TV commercial featuring Sheehan, broadcast on Crawford and Waco cable channels near Bush's ranch. The group conducted a walk to a police station just outside President Bush's Crawford ranch and delivered a bundle of oversized letters written by them to First Lady Laura Bush, appealing to her as a mother for support towards their movement.

On 16 August, Sheehan moved her camp closer to the Bush ranch after being offered the use of a piece of land owned by a supporter, Ron Bennington, who also happens to be a third cousin of Larry Mattlage, a rancher who had fired a shotgun on his property near the demonstration site several days earlier.

In late August, Sheehan stated that she would continue to campaign against the Iraq war even if granted a meeting with the President. She also announced the Bring Them Home Now Tour, to depart on September 1 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on September 24 for three days of demonstrations.

Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 storm, made landfall in southeastern Louisiana on 29 August, 2005. The following day, President Bush ended his five-week vacation early to focus on relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

September - December 2005

Main article: Bring Them Home Now Tour

In September, the Bring Them Home Now Tour was organized by Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Veterans For Peace. It was a rolling anti-war protest against the Iraq War, beginning in Crawford, Texas, traveling three routes across the country (with rallies along the way) and culminating in a rally in Washington, DC in September 2005. It was inspired by and featured Cindy Sheehan as a speaker at many rallies.

Sheehan's activism continued into the winter of 2005/2006. She met with Senator John McCain (a Vietnam veteran) and, after considering the meeting a disappointment, called him a warmonger. She later protested Hillary Clinton's stance on the war, stating that Clinton must either speak out against the war or risk losing her job, and urged Governor Janet Napolitano to withdraw the Arizona National Guard from Iraq at a rally in Phoenix. After a short trip back home to California, Sheehan said on October 24 during a media interview that she planned to speak at the White House and then tie herself to the fence, promising to return to the fence as soon as possible if arrested.

Around Thanksgiving, Sheehan returned to Texas to protest Bush's vacation without bringing the soldiers home. Bush planned to stay in Crawford through November 28, 2005. In early December, Sheehan traveled to Chicago to attend the annual People's Weekly World banquet. The theme of the banquet was "Make 2006 a turning point year in the fight for peace and justice."

Europe and South America

File:Sheehanchavez.jpg

Sheehan with Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez

Sheehan went to London in early December. She was interviewed by BBC Radio 4 and by The Guardian. On December 10, Sheehan addressed the International Peace Conference, organized by the Stop the War Coalition and held at The Royal Horticultural Halls. Sheehan was received enthusiastically by the British anti-war movement. Later in the evening, she attended the London Premiere of Peace Mom, a play written by Dario Fo (Literature Nobel laureate) about her, in which the role of Sheehan was played by Frances de la Tour. On December 13, Sheehan traveled to Ireland, where she met Irish Foreign Affairs minister Dermot Ahern. She voiced her objection to U.S. aircraft refueling at Shannon Airport, stating, "Your Government, even though they didn't send troops to Iraq, are complicit in the crimes by allowing the planes to land and refuel".

On January 24, 2006, Sheehan took a trip to Venezuela, sponsored by that nation's foreign ministry. Joining more than 10,000 anti-globalization activists in Venezuela for the Caracas World Social Forum with Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez, she stated "I admire President Chávez for his strength to resist the United States" while saying she agreed with Harry Belafonte's statement that President Bush is "the greatest terrorist in the world."

2006 activism

On January 31, 2006 Sheehan wore a T-shirt reading "2,245 Dead. How many more?" to President Bush's State of the Union address and was removed and arrested by Capitol Police. Sheehan describes the event:

I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct."

After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a nice Sergeant came in and looked at my shirt and said, "2245, huh? I just got back from there."
I told him that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain.

On March 7, 2006 Sheehan was arrested in New York "after blocking the door to the U.S. Mission to the U.N. offices" during a protest with Iraqi women against the war in Iraq.

Sheehan took part in the "United For Peace and Justice" March in New York to protest the war on 2006-04-29.

Sheehan has accused the United States of planning to attack Iran in an effort to halt that nation's development of nuclear weapons. Sheehan has editorialized against any such move. In two articles on BuzzFlash, she said that the passage of the Iran Freedom and Support Act was merely a stepping stone to war, and called on Congress to reject similar measures in the future.

On Mother's Day, Sheehan joined Susan Sarandon at a Code Pink organized protest in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Sheehan told the crowd that Mother's Day without her son, Casey, was "very emotional" for her.

On 26 May 2006, Sheehan spoke at a rally in Melbourne, Australia. The rally was held in front of the offices of the Victorian Liberal Party, and it was in support of the release of David Hicks.

Several organizations are planning a hunger strike for 4 July in which Sheehan has stated she will participate, although she will not be fasting indefinitely as some others have pledged to do. "Some of us like Dick Gregory and Diane Wilson will be fasting until the troops come home from Iraq, and some, like me, will be fasting for a specified time. My fast will begin on 7/04 and end on the last day of Camp Casey: 09/02." Hers was a fast from solid foods, but allowing liquids such as blended juice drinks and smoothies.

On July 5, Sheehan appeared on MSNBC's Hardball to discuss the war and her upcoming hunger strike. She affirmed her view of George W. Bush, calling him "the biggest terrorist in the world" and "worse than Osama Bin Laden," and conceded that she would rather live under Venezuela's Hugo Chávez than President Bush.

In July 2006, Sheehan purchased five acres of land in Crawford, Texas, near George W. Bush's private residence. In a written statement, Sheehan wrote that she "decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world." She also stated that she "can't think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace", and that she is sure that Casey would have approved. In an interview on The Stephanie Miller Show, Sheehan stated that once her need for the land is over, she intends to donate the land to Crawford for the purpose of converting it into The Casey Sheehan Memorial Peace Park.

In September 2006, Sheehan released her memoir, entitled Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey Through Heartache to Activism. The book recounts her experience of losing her son, along with fantasies of suicide and revenge against President Bush, and her transformation into an anti-war activist. Also included in the book is a criticism of Senator John McCain for allegedly lying to the media about his private statements to her, along with criticisms of John Kerry, whom she says she regrets voting for, and Hillary Clinton, whom she calls a "powermonger."

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