NYT: Protester Vows to Continue Her Vigil Near Bush Ranch

[Pirate Smile]

CRAWFORD, Tex., Aug. 16 - Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who has set up a vigil near President Bush's ranch, said Tuesday that she was "very disturbed" that a local resident had mowed down hundreds of small crosses bearing the names of other dead American soldiers, and that her now 10-day protest was "only the beginning" of what she described as a growing national movement to bring all American men and women home from the war.


At a demonstration near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Tex., Kathy Nikeef carried crosses memorializing Americans killed in Iraq.


Ms. Sheehan also said she would soon be moving her increasingly crowded roadside encampment, named Camp Casey after her son, to a large tract even closer to the president's ranch. "A kind gentleman from down the road offered us the use of his property," Ms. Sheehan told reporters on Tuesday night. Ms. Sheehan identified the man as Fred Mattlage, whom she described as a distant cousin of Larry Mattlage, a local resident who fired a shotgun across the road from the encampment on Sunday afternoon.

-snip-
On Monday night, the police arrested a local resident who had used a truck to mow down about half of the 500 small wooden crosses hammered into the roadside dirt. The crosses were put back in place by Ms. Sheehan's supporters on Tuesday morning.

"What happened last night is very disturbing to all of us, and it should be really disturbing to America," Ms. Sheehan said on Tuesday morning. "Because no matter what you think about the war, we should all honor the sacrifice of the ones who have fallen. And to me it's so ironic that I'm accused of dishonoring my son's memory, by doing what I'm doing, by the other side, and then somebody comes and does this."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/17/national/17sheehan.html

[saigon68]

1. Here we go, its only a matter of time before some Religious nut job

Kills one of the anti-war protesters.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

2. "it should be really disturbing to America"...

There have been a LOT of things since George Bush took office that "should have been really disturbing to America"...

I've said this before, but one of the MAJOR victories in this whole "Camp Casey" phenomenon...whether Cindy meets with Bush or packs up the camp for Washington D.C. at the end of August...lies in the HUGE spotlight that's been focused on Bush, his behavior, and his "loyal, blind followers."



:patriot:

[rodeodance]

3. go glad the nytimes-and others -are keeping this story alive.

[bettyellen]

4. .....

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Don't they have , ummm... *laws*... in Texas?

Is it legal for this Mattlage to drive his truck on the "roadside", presumably where there are pedestrians nearby?

And what's this about " firing a shotgun across the road from the encampment"?

What about the war on terra, Dept of Homeland Security etc.? Isn't this something they should be interested in? Wasn't the president nearby? Is the SS ok with shotguns "firing" in the proximity of their charge?

Haven't any laws been broken? Has anyone been arrested? Is anyone being held for questioning?

[FtWayneBlue]

6. The local law is totally on top of it.

The cross-mowing-down pickup truck driver was arrested.
The shotgun-firing man was talked to about firearm safety and the law. What he did, discharging a firearm on his own property with the projectiles all landing on his own property, was within the law. Although not within the boundaries of reasonable behavior. His references to further actions were threatening.

[GoldenOldie]

7. What do they consider "local," in Texas?

I thought this man was a realtor from Waco?

[DawnneOBTS]

8. The CNN interview...

...with that asshole who was in charge of the county (who said that he was going to have the CNN truck towed away) said that the pickup driver was a war veteran, and wounded, and he stuck up for the fucking bastard. What a great place Texas must be when people like this are in charge. I hope Ann Richards moved.

[Pirate Smile]

9. I saw that this morning and posted about it.

"Well, the County guy was a total asshole and looked like it.
He started bitching about CNN's truck not being far enough off the road and how they would tow it. Miles said "can we at least wait until the interview is over?" The jerk was like "I'm lettin you know right now".

He sounded like a pissed off RW'er - he was sympathetic to the guy that mowed over the crosses. I think we know where he stands and he wouldn't say that when Camp Casey moves it would be OK. He wants to get rid of them.

He was a prick."