Bush meets a steamroller in Texas; he's about to become pavement.

[understandinglife]

In less than 24 hours, a most remarkable tribute to Cindy Sheehan has begun to appear at the Huffington Post.

The power of a true leader is evidenced in what they have written.

How many American mothers and fathers and families are going through what Cindy Sheehan is experiencing? How many Iraqi families?

This war was a mistake. Our country needs to admit it and get our sons and daughters out of there -- out of harm's way. We need to do it now.

From What Is One Life Worth? by Dal LaMagna

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/dal-lamagna/what-is-one-life-worth_5459.html

I came to Crawford with Cindy Sheehan because we have a terrible common bond: I, too, have lost a child.

From My Terrible Common Bond With Cindy Sheehan by Jodie Evans

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/jodie-evans/my-terrible-common-bond-w_5462.html

Could it be that history and fate have followed Cindy Sheehan to a small crossroads in Crawford?

From Lexington. Selma. Crawford? by Steve Cobble

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/steve-cobble/lexington-selma-crawf_5479.html

Going to Crawford will be fun. It will also be effective. At this point, Bush's stubborness is influencing his stupidity. He doesn't think that he, the President!, should have to speak to anyone he doesn't feel like speaking to. This is a very bad PR move for him -– at least as long as Camp Casey continues to grow.

An arrest will be a disaster for Bush. A growing crowd through the month will be a disaster for Bush. His only way out -– given his refusal to meet with Cindy -– is to hope that people get tired and go away.

Don't let Bush off the hook. Join Cindy in Crawford. You'll love her and the people with her, and they will welcome you as family.

From Party or Die by David Swanson

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/david-swanson/party-or-die_5477.html

During my many years as a writer, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people. But talking with Cindy Sheehan this morning was unlike any conversation I’ve ever had. Even though we were talking via cell phone -- and had a crummy, staticky connection at that -- her authenticity and passion reached through the receiver and both touched my heart and punched me in the gut.

<clip>

The time has passed when we can stand around waiting for a knight on a white horse to ride to our rescue. We’ve got to look to ourselves -- to the leader in the mirror. Our elected officials have woefully failed to provide the leadership needed on this most vital issue of our time. And stepping into that void is Cindy Sheehan. Inspiring us. Touching our conscience. Calling forth our courage and our commitment. Focusing our outrage. And acting as a catalyst for the tens of millions of Americans who know that the war in Iraq is a disgrace.

From Cindy Sheehan Steps Into the Leadership Void by Arianna Huffington

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/arianna-huffington/cindy-sheehan-steps-into-_5480.html

What's he afraid Mom might say to him when he's not being carefully coached through a scripted, hush-hush meet 'n' greet with the parents of this country's fallen cannon fodder? What might happen if he's forced to look into Mom's eyes with his own beady peepers and see the unvarnished truth about this war and what America has become? There isn't a vacation long enough, a spin-zone warped enough, or a red state backroad twisted enough to keep Cindy Sheehan's story at bay, because thanks to W and friends, hers is the real American story.

From Moms Like Cindy Sheehan by Sarah Jones

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/sarah-jones/moms-like-cindy-sheehan_5481.html

And to the embarrassment of both Republican and Democratic establishments, she takes that office more seriously than they—the silent “leaders”—do theirs. When the last Marine leaves Iraq, dead or alive, she can claim more credit than them all. Because of the courage of one brave woman, she quite possible will have had more to do with finally bringing this great nation back to its senses... and to its principles.

Remember her name. It is Cindy Sheehan.

From A Voice Crying in the Wilderness by Gary Hart

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/gary-hart/a-voice-crying-in-the-wil_5482.html

If only we had a leader. If only he had a heart. The wounds that have killed, maimed and injured thousands of American soldiers in Iraq have been ripped open again deep in a heartless part of Texas. We grieve with Cindy Sheehan. We grieve over all the fallen heroes. As a medical doctor, I know that the process of grieving must reach closure. I can only hope that someone in this Administration comes to their senses and welcomes Cindy Sheehan in with open arms.

From An Open Wound by Rep. Jim McDermott

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/rep-jim-mcdermott/an-open-wound_5483.html

Casey Sheehan lives in his mother's being, and that's why Cindy Sheehan can't stop, won't stop.

From Cindy Sheehan Can't Stop Won't Stop by Tom Hayden

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/tom-hayden/cindy-sheehan-cant-stop-_5484.

Bush's War in Iraq, like the emperor's new clothes, is a naked fraud. If we didn't know that before, we certainly learned it on May 1, when the Sunday Times of London published the Downing Street Minutes. And each day's death toll is a fresh reminder of the fraud.

Nevertheless, Bush's courtiers insist that the War in Iraq is a "noble cause," and so Bush keeps pretending that it is.

Cindy Sheehan refuses to pretend. She demands to know "what noble cause?"

And her simple question exposes Bush as the utterly naked Emperor that he is.

From Cindy Exposes the Emperor's New Clothes by Bob Fertik

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/bob-fertik/cindy-exposes-the-emperor_5486.html

Cindy deserves her time with the President. She has earned it by her courage and determination. She is the voice for too many mothers who are voiceless. For too many sons never to come home. Americans gave the President our trust to wage war -- with consequences that leave many of us now questioning: why? Cindy paid a Mom's ultimate price. She deserves to be able to complete her mission, and ask her Commander in Chief, What is the plan to bring all of the other Mom's sons -- their Caseys -- home safely?

From Cindy Deserves Her Time with the President by Andy Stern

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/andy-stern/cindy-deserves-her-time-w_5490.html

An American mother loses her son in a war, travels to Crawford, Texas to park herself in proximity to her President and dead son’s Commander In Chief, seeking the opportunity to meet with him and share her feelings. What is the worst that can happen to him? He has the Secret Service and the FBI and local cops up the wazoo to be certain she’s “clean.” And if she came at him with no weapon, woman-a-mano, the man’s been tilling the soil, sawing logs, working out -- what’s one undernourished, grieving mother going to do to him?

From An American Mother Loses Her Son by Norman Lear

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/norman-lear/an-american-mother-loses-_5491.html

Her request seems so easy - just look me in the eye, talk to me, explain.

Again, it's simple. Explain the mission. Explain why a son died. Any mother deserves that much.

From Cindy Sheehan's Simple Request by Carolyn Strauss

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/carolyn-strauss/cindy-sheehans-simple-re_5489.html

At any rate, I think she has put bush into a terrible fix and I think that is great. She is demanding some answers that we all should demand.

From Mom and Apple Pie by Jim Baca

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/jim-baca/mom-and-apple-pie_5492.html

Let's see how loud we can make our protests -- if she can do it, why can't we all? We must all make our voices heard. She is a heroic inspiration to the silent majority and one big, jagged, terrifying thorn in Bush's side.

I wonder if Laura Bush would be camped out next to her if one of her daughters was killed in Iraq. At least I think she might be able to walk down her driveway and talk to Cindy. As a fellow mother, I hope she wouldn't be afraid-- I hope she'd understand.

From Cindy Sheehan Is My Hero by Christine Lahti

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/christine-lahti/cindy-sheehan-is-my-hero_5495.html

Camped outside in Crawford, Texas, Cindy Sheehan (as well as the other mothers who have joined her), has become part of a venerable American tradition of quixotic protestors who may well make a difference. That's so, in part, because the symbolism of her action is so resonant. Sheehan's protest points an arrow at the key, disturbing fact that the policy makers who have launched this war are personally insulated from its horrors and its consequences.

From Cindy Sheehan, American Patriot by Alex Keyssar

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/alex-keyssar/cindy-sheehan-american-p_5536.html

Jason Reed, Reuters

Cindy Sheehan – in case you’ve been living in a box or you only watch the mainstream media – is the mom of slain Iraq War veteran Casey Sheehan. She is protesting in front of George Bush’s Crawford ranch this month. This grieving mom has been characterized as a flip-flopper, accused of putting on a public circus, lambasted as a publicity seeking grandstander and criticized for not truly speaking for her family since an aunt and a godmother Matt Drudge found somewhere in the Sheehan family disagrees with her. The conservative attack machine is in high gear in the efforts to tear this woman down.

From What Fox News Channel Would Have Done to Rosa Parks by Cenk Uygur

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/cenk-uygur/what-fox-news-channel-wou_5514.html

Today's brave comments proved to the nation that all those rumors about the president's tangelo-sized cajones are true. So, so true. Has Halliburton engineered a special nut-sling made from the same material as the belly of space shuttle? Were I him, I wouldn't want Barney mistaking those boys for an armadilla'. Thanks for protecting the president's goodies, Halliburton.

It's staggering, the pluck and courage of this president. Look how geographically close he came to Cindy Sheehan today. The president risked his own safety by coming within -- what? Couple miles? That's my "Struggle President"! Risking his own safety to speak to dangerous people like Cindy Sheehan exemplifies the sort of fortitude -- the sort of raw grit that makes us all proud to be Americans.

From How Does He Manage Those Giant B**ls? by Bob Cesca

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/bob-cesca/how-does-he-manage-those-_5498.html

The tanks did not roll over him. That moment was the signal for all the changes that followed.

From Simple Actions That Can Change the World by Joan Juliet Buck

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/joan-juliet-buck/simple-actions-that-can-c_5497.html

That's what they should do...

If they do, I have a counter-gambit in my back pocket...

From What Little George should do about Cindy, tactially speaking. by Thomas de Zengotita

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/thomas-de-zengotita/what-little-george-should_5496.html

Just remember everyone.

One person made this happen.

Imagine what happens when 100s, 1000s, ...., decide to be 'the person to make it happen.'

Bye, bye georgie boy, neoconsters and significant others (aka Halliburton, Raytheon, Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia, ....


Peace.

[understandinglife]

1. 20 tributes, in less than 24 hours, to the power of one courageous enough

... to step forward and lead.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

34. SERIOUS REQUEST

Please read the following, post a comment to Admiral Kennedy at HuffPo and spread the word far and wide .... this is clearly a signal that all is not well ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4337284


Peace

[understandinglife]

39. Cindy Sheehan's enormous strength -- This is what will save America.

The first question of the morning pool came from a young soldier who had just returned from Iraq. He was polite, addressing her as Ms. Sheehan. Surrounded by cameras he told her he was sorry for her son's death -- he said he had lost many friends in the Iraq war also. "Death is a part of war and what we are doing is more important, bringing freedom to the world. Think of all the people who died for the freedom we enjoy. So your son's life is just a drop in the bucket."

Those of us standing behind the cameras gasped, but Cindy continued to listen to him calmly and openly. Caught short by the gasp, the soldier quickly added, "But I feel for your son." At this moment Cindy put her arm on his shoulder and, holding him to her side, walked with him out into the field. She asked the press to give them some privacy. They honored her in a way that I have never seen before. They were still shooting photos as the two walked away. Like a mother, Cindy drew the young man close, and they spoke for about five minutes -- during which the shift in his feeling was palpable. He stepped away and pulled out a book he had written about his experiences in Iraq and gave it to her. Then they hugged -- a long deep embrace. You could see the conversation continuing.

Cindy walked back toward s us and the press as the soldier left. Yet again, this woman had made me cry with her strength, her love and her courage. (Everyone else in the camp had tried to keep this young man from confronting her.)

As we walked back to our makeshift office in Casey's camper, she told me, "Do you know what that young man said as we were hugging? He said his mother agrees with me, and that if he had been killed in Iraq she would have done the same thing. And then he called me Mom."

From On Camp Casey... by Jodie Evans on August 13, 2005

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/jodie-evans/on-camp-casey_5603.html

Now, that is leadership ......


Peace.

[understandinglife]

2. Gold Star Families for Peace release video ad

Link to video ad: http://a124.g.akamai.net/f/124/15409/1d/huffington.download.akamai.com/15409/video/CindySheehan.mov

Peace.

[fooj]

6. Kick for Cindy! Kick for Peace! Kick for Truth!

Stay safe, Cindy!



Peace.

[Generic Other]

3. Thank you for compiling this!

What a wonderful tribute to Cindy!

[lala_rawraw]

4. kick

[Nothing Without Hope]

5. UL, you have shown us the wellspring of this powerful movement.

Cindy Sheehan's bone-deep honesty and genuine passion burns so bright, it cannot be mistaken. So bright that it ignites others.

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." –Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, and musician (1875-1965)

Cindy's impact is also obvious in the three following images, all of them favorites of mine. The first two are editorial cartoons (the first one is by DUer gatorboy!) and the third is a captioned photograph that accompanied a strongly supportive LA Times article about Cindy's vigil. I'll include links to the threads where they first appeared at DU.
THESE THREE IMAGES MAY TAKE A BIT OF TIME TO DOWNLOAD.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4323334
thread title: I put together a political cartoon of Cindy's fight in Crawford

http://img.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/v173/meekssandygirl/cindy2.jpg


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4312023
Thread title: New Oliphant comic: "bereaved mother camped down at the ranch gate"

http://us.news1.yimg.com.nyud.net:8090/us.yimg.com/p/uc/20050810/lpo050810.gif

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2000891
Thread title: LA Times:"Mother's Protest at Bush's Doorstep Raises the Stakes" GOOD!!!

Caption:
2 SONS LOST: Cindy Sheehan with Bill Mitchell at a Crawford, Texas, vigil. Both have lost sons in the fighting in Iraq.
(Jason Reed / Reuters)

http://www.latimes.com.nyud.net:8090/media/photo/2005-08/18916035.jpg

[SwimmerFilms]

7. I interviewed them both

...when I was there:

http://homepage.mac.com/godofkarma/swimmerfilms/iMovieTheater75.html

Swimmer

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. This is an incredible film. And you're so right about Bush not being a

true Texan: "A true Texan wouldn't see a grieving mother by the side of the road without stopping to help." I'm a proud native Texan myself, a fact unchanged by my living in Massachusetts, and I can vouch for that.

I just finished the entire film and and was very moved by it. It's almost like being there in Crawford. Have you posted it elsewhere at DU? If bandwidth might become a problem, maybe Crooks & Liars, Information Clearing House, or some other site might be able to post this video. I know that many people will want to see it.

Thank you so much for this, Swimmer. :hug:

edited to add: I see that your film has already been posted at DU and is linked to through the opening post of this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4331103
Thread title: Great film done by a DUer in Crawford. A Day in Crawford!!

I still think it should be posted again when that thread goes off the Greatest Page.

edited to add: If you don't have enough posts yet to start a thread, I'd be happy to post it for you when, where, and how you want it. And here's a hearty Texas-sized welcome to DU!!! :toast:

[understandinglife]

15. Superb video, Swimmer. Thank you and welcome to DU!

Peace.

[Nothing Without Hope]

24. Congratulations, Swimmer! The thread about your film is now at the

top of the DU home page!!! It will be seen by thousands of people there. (There are something like 7 million hits at the DU site per week.)
:applause:

[Doo_Revolution]

8. Would be stunningly hilarious.....

If it wasn't absolutely true. Then again for cartoons its hilarious either way.
:rofl:

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. Our laughing, our derision, is a potent weapon against the neocons

Editorial cartoons and photographs are powerful, portable, and immediately and universally understood. And we get to have fun using them! Maybe this is what Samuel Clemens meant when he wrote:

"Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense." –Mark Twain

[understandinglife]

16. "Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense." ...

.... one of my most favorite quotes! Thank you Hope, as always, for your insightful, information-rich posts.


Peace.

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Imagine what happens when 100s, 1000s, ....,

Imagine what happens when 100s, 1000s, ...., decide to be 'the person to make it happen.'


It's called the second coming. That's what this is the start of.

[mzmolly]

11. She's amazing. And, oddly enough the media is not ignoring her.

Go Cindy!!! :toast:

[Karenina]

29. They CAN'T

She speaks for too many WHO CARE!!! :bounce:

[Beam Me Up]

13. Well, here I go tearing up again.

Thanks understandinglife.

Everyday now I am touched to tears here at DU.

:cry:

THANK YOU TO ALL THE STRONG, POWERFUL, CLEAR SIGHTED WOMEN IN THE WORLD! And especially: Thank You Cindy!!

Maybe there really is hope for us after all.

[understandinglife]

14. We've updated the MNA site to be as supportive of Cindy as possible

www.missionnotaccomplished.us


Peace.

[understandinglife]

17. "Someone's" .... been lying ...

Coward In Chief Refuses to Meet with
the Mother of an American Hero

Written by: Ava

August 10, 2005

Casey Sheehan was 23 years old when he re-enlisted himself in the Army in August of 2003. He was a humvee mechanic, and he knew when re-enlisting that his unit would eventually be deployed to Iraq. On April 4, 2004, Casey Sheehan was killed in Sadr City, Iraq.

Cindy Sheehan is Casey’s mother. After Casey’s death, Cindy was angry that her son was sent to die in a war based on claims by the Bush Administration that have been proven to be false. In late 2004, Cindy joined other family members of soldiers who died in Iraq in speaking out against the war in Iraq and showing all Americans what the true cost of war is.


<clip>

Link to story:

http://www.peacetakescourage.com



Video - http://tinyurl.com/9jbwb

Peace.

[all.of.me]

18. 'the leadership void' - i love that

what truth! and cindy fills it well. too bad she is not up for re-election!

[bleever]

19. Kicking for Cindy and the difference one person can make.

Nice work, UL. Great thanks for highlighting the power of individuals in the face of monolithic and seemingly invincible forces.

:thumbsup:

[understandinglife]

20. Arianna's -- "It Takes a Village to Smear Cindy Sheehan"

It Takes a Village to Smear Cindy Sheehan

by Arianna Huffington

August 12, 2005

The right wing attacks on Cindy Sheehan -- desperate, pathetic, and grasping at straws -- expose much less about their target than about the attackers.

I mean, trying to slime a grieving Gold Star mom because she is inconveniently questioning the reasons her son was sent off to die in Iraq? Why that would be like trashing a much-decorated war hero or outing an undercover CIA agent…

Oh, right…

How much longer can the Bushies get away with mauling the very values they profess to stand for before their supporters start getting wise to the fact that the only value they really value is power?

<clip>

Go to the link for some really powerful truth telling:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/arianna-huffington/it-takes-a-village-to-sme_5557.html


Peace.

[understandinglife]

21. "The Cindy Sheehan Anthem" by Pluto, August 12, 2005

The Cindy Sheehan Anthem

(Sung to the movie lyrics to M.A.S.H)
___________
Through early morning fog I see
Visions of the things to be
The pain of war is real for me
I realize now and I can see, that...

:
Bush's war is aimless
His policy is heinous
Our troops are dying; help us if you can.
___________
I try to find a way to make
This mad and pointless war abate
Without that ever-present hate
But now it may just be too late, 'cause...


___________
The game of life is hard to play
We're gonna lose it anyway
The losing card we daily lay, as
Our troops lose their lives in the fray.


___________
The only way to win is cheat
To tell the truth before we're beat
And remove bad leader's from their seat
For that's the only worthwhile feat.


___________
The sword of time will pierce our skins
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger, watch it win, 'cause...


___________
A leader I once begged to see
To answer questions that are key
"Is war to be or not to be?"
And he replied "Oh why ask me?"

:
'Cause Bush's war is aimless
His policy is heinous
Our troops are dying; help us if you can

...and you can do the right thing if you choose.

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/arianna-huffington/it-takes-a-village-to-sme_5557.html

Posted by: Pluto at August 12, 2005 06:22 PM

With the following statement: "Arianna, great comments and links! I'm attaching the Cindy Sheehan Anthem, written today in a moment of creative political angst. Readers, feel free to pass this on."

I'm emailing "Pluto" the link to this post.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

22. Cobble, Moore, Rep Miller, Rep Sanders, Gutenson, Naftali, ....

Why so quiet and meek? You're always playing a tough guy in the movies, and George always talks about being "resolute"; but suddenly you're so shy, and he's in hiding...

Is Conan afraid to call Custer?

I mean, if a California Governor won't make a phone call to one of his pals on behalf of a California mother of a California soldier killed in Iraq, then where's the leadership?

Or does Cindy have to make a contribution first?

From Conan & Custer by Steve Cobble

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/steve-cobble/conan-custer_5559.html

Her courageous personal demonstration, however, is a source of shame: not directed at her, of course, but at the fact that the people elected to demand better from the White House are too busy, afraid or "loyal" to ask why one should stay a course that is not smart. This need not be an argument for immediate withdrawal, by the way. But what is needed is a better explanation for what we are doing in Iraq today besides making it easier for suicide bombers to kill the sons of other Cindy Sheehans.

From Cindy Sheehan and James Madison by Timothy Naftali

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/timothy-naftali/cindy-sheehan-and-james-m_5561.html

Analogies are never perfect, but let us consider the striking similarities. On the standards by which they care to measure wealth and power, the members of this administration have all that any one could reasonably want. But, as is often the case, there is that unquenchable lust for more. We now have reports that this president had reflected on how cool it would be to be a “war president” even before he was elected. By the accounts of several past members of the administration’s inner circle, many in the administration wanted to attack Iraq from the beginning. The events of 9/11 unified public opinion in support of responding to these unjustifiable attacks, and we now have a pretty clear picture of how various reports were, shall we say, “nuanced” in order to defend war against Iraq. We could go further into this “nuancing,” but let us set...

<clip>

One last point from the story of King David and Nathan, a point that I would love to see embodied in this president. After Nathan tells his story and identifies the King as the perpetrator of injustice, the King, to his credit, responds, “I have sinned against God.” I am not holding my breath; since this president can admit no errors at all, it is hard to see how he could ever admit that the thing he most uses to identify himself was mistaken. But, we can hope, and we can support the Cindy Sheehans of the world who will stand before the president and say by their actions, “You are the man!”

From You Are The Man! by Chuck Gutenson

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/chuck-gutenson/you-are-the-man_5562.html

The Republican majority in Congress has put party before country, refusing to ask any of the hard questions about the lead up to the invasion of Iraq, because those questions could damage the Bush Administration’s already weak credibility. By seeking answers to these questions, Cindy is simply doing the job that Congress should have already begun, but has failed to.

Our nation owes Cindy Sheehan a debt of gratitude for her efforts to uncover the truth.

From A Meeting is Not Too Much to Ask by Rep. George Miller

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/rep-george-miller/a-meeting-is-not-too-much_5551.html

We know now that the President intentionally distorted information in order to justify going to war and that he misled the American people by suggesting a connection between Iraq and 9/11. The President owes Ms. Sheehan and other families that lost loved ones in Iraq more than platitudes. He owes them and the American public an explanation about his plans for an exit strategy

From The President Owes Ms. Sheehan More than Platitudes by Rep. Bernie Sanders

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/rep-bernie-sanders/the-president-owes-ms-sh_5565.html

In every standoff there comes a time when the tide will turn in one direction. In our culture, these moments are palpable because a complicated question has been rendered into a simple confrontation between the just and the unjust, the big guy and the little guy, the powerful and the weak. And we all know who Americans choose in those kinds of fights. Cindy Sheehan, with her soft voice and steely determination, has given us a simple choice. We can stand with a mother who doesn't want other mothers to suffer the way she is suffering; or we can side with a president who offers us platitudes instead of exit strategies and unfounded optimism instead of honest logic. I'm on Cindy's side.

I choose to believe that Cindy Sheehan is proving to us again that America still functions as a democracy. Power and the presidency are still accountable to the Cindy Sheehan's of our country. She is helping a lot of otherwise disconnected people realize that this president has made a mistake with Iraq and his refusal to acknowledge that mistake is leading to more death. And I am certain that Casey is proud of his mother.

Every other American ought to be, too.

From Tiananmen Ranch by James Moore

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/jim-moore/tiananmen-ranch_5569.html

Momentum due to truth and the courage to speak it.


Peace.

[Nothing Without Hope]

23. From my favorites - a collection of quotations that resonate for Cindy

Sheehan's vigil -- I invite those of you who appreciate focussed, vivid quotations to savor each one. Each has a different feel, but I believe that each in its way can help expand understanding.

"The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose." -- Frederick Douglass

"You have to make more noise than anybody else, you have to make yourself more obtrusive than anybody else, you have to fill all the papers more than anybody else, in fact you have to be there all the time and see that they do not snow you under, if you are really going to get your reform realized." -- Emmeline Pankhurst

"There is one thing you have got to learn about our movement. Three people are better than no people." -- Fannie Lou Hamer

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell

"I am in earnest - I will not equivocate - I will not excuse - I will not retreat a single inch - and I will be heard." --William Lloyd Garrison

"You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time." -- Pat Schroeder

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. –Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, and musician (1875-1965)

"To those who have called me a coward I say that they are wrong, and that without knowing it, they are also right. They are wrong when they think that I left the war for fear of being killed. I admit that fear was there, but there was also the fear of killing innocent people, the fear of putting myself in a position where to survive means to kill, there was the fear of losing my soul in the process of saving my body, the fear of losing myself to my daughter, to the people who love me, to the man I used to be, the man I wanted to be. I was afraid of waking up one morning to realize my humanity had abandoned me." -- Sgt. Camilo Mejia, who served one year in prison for refusing to return to fight in Iraq. He was released from prison Feb. 15, 2005.

"Those who insist on the dignity of their office show they have not deserved it." --Baltasar Gracian, philosopher and writer (1601-1658)

"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." --Thomas Pynchon, writer (1937- )

"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the State." ?--Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." --President Theodore Roosevelt

"The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness." --Brother David Stendahl-Rast

"Nothing so completely baffles one who is full of trick and duplicity himself, than straightforward and simple integrity in another." -–Charles Caleb Colton, author and clergyman (1780-1832)

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." --Jose Narosky, writer

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead

"Either the world was not so huge and frightening a place as she'd once been led to believe, or else...she was not so small and helpless as she'd once been encouraged to imagine herself. If power was an illusion, wasn't weakness necessarily one also?" -–Lois McMaster Bujold (Civil Campaign, epilogue)

"There are no enlightened persons, just enlightened actions." --Suzuki Roshi

"Every civilizing step in history has been ridiculed as 'sentimental', 'impractical', or 'womanish', etc., by those whose fun, profit or convenience was at stake." --Joan Gilbert (1931- )

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee." -- Marian Wright Edelman

"When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat." -- Nelson Mandela

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching. It unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. The money powers prays upon the nation in times of peace and conspires against it in times of adversity. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. Corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed." --Abraham Lincoln (1864)(I'm not certain that this source is correct.)

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." --Edward Abbey

"You Must be the Change you Wish to see in the world" --Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

"You desire to know the art of living, my friend? It is contained in one phrase: make use of suffering." --Henri Frederic Amiel, philosopher and writer (1821-1881)

edited to add the Schweitzer quote - I've been using it a lot around DU lately, but I decided to include it because it truly does apply to what Cindy Sheehan is accomplishing.

[neonplaque]

25. kick and nominated. Thanks for that collection!

[understandinglife]

26. "This is not the place to expect a sighting of Viggo Mortensen, ...

... the star of "The Lord of the Rings." Or at least it wasn't when President Bush began his annual vacation here earlier this month.

But something has happened to Crawford over the last week. The sleepy summer air has been punctured by a blast of antiwar energy, with carloads of activists appearing every afternoon to join a vigil begun by the mother of a soldier who died in Iraq.

Flowers are delivered by the dozen at Camp Casey, as the muddy outpost established by the mother, Cindy Sheehan, near the Bush ranch is now called. White crosses have been hammered into the dirt, pink banners strewn across the trees, the police posted at bends in the road to wave gawkers along.

When Mr. Mortensen drove up the dusty lane unannounced on Thursday to huddle with Ms. Sheehan in a roadside trailer, it was just one more jarring sight in a small town accustomed to seeing mostly the reporters and buttoned-down administration officials it has come to know over the last five years.

No one has been more challenged by the round-the-clock campsite than Mr. Bush, ....

From Mother's Grief-Fueled Vigil Becomes Nexus for Antiwar Protesters

by ANNE E. KORNBLUT

August 13, 2005



LM Otero/Associated Press

More at the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/politics/13crawford.html?pagewanted=print

Like I said, part of the pavement ....


Peace.

[KyndCulture]

27. kick! amazing.

:kick:

[understandinglife]

28. "Corretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Barbara Lee and others have made ...

... statements of support. Cindy has awakened a movement in the country, one that George w. Bush can no longer ignore.

From t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand

By Scott Galindez

August 12, 2005

Link:

http://www.truthout.org/cindy.shtml

These women have a vast knowledge of the need for exactly what Cindy Sheehan is doing.

We have a great tradition of advancing good in this America of ours.

We need to bring the full force of that tradition to the task of countering the most evil internal malignancy the Republic has encountered since Jefferson Davis resigned from the Senate and led the secession.


Peace.

[ngGale]

30. Kick ...

for Cindy with our deepest gratitude and appreciation. The woman who has become the "wind beneath our wings." O8)

:kick:

[understandinglife]

31. "We'll know Iraq's worth fighting for once the Bush twins put on ...

... the uniform.

<clip>

In one last disgusting parting shot, Malkin declared that Casey Sheehan would be ashamed of what his mother was doing. Again, on my radio show, Mrs. Sheehan fired back: "I'm Casey's mother and I knew him better than anybody in the world ... And I know Casey is up there and saying 'You go, Mom.' ... I wonder how often Michelle Malkin has sobbed on Casey's grave."

Cindy Sheehan. She speaks from the heart. She lost her son in Iraq and doesn't want one more parent to feel the same sorrow. She is one brave, tough mom. President Bush is a chicken for refusing to meet with her.

Speaking of parents who support the war ... if Iraq is such a "noble cause," why can't President Bush persuade his own daughters to enlist? We'll know Iraq's worth fighting for once the Bush twins put on the uniform.

From Grieving mom disrupts Bush's extended vacation by Bill Press on August 12, 2005

Link:

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45739

Mr Press is up there in the cab with Cindy driving that steamroller.


Peace.

[Karenina]

33. Ray McGovern is there

covering Cindy's back. He knows ALL ABOUT the "noble cause."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3601654

[understandinglife]

35. Most excellent! Thank you.

Peace.

[ismnotwasm]

32. Awesome. Just incredible

I get to feel proud to be an American today. And not just me, and I know it's a "we" deal. Thank you guys for all your hard work. We might save this country yet.

[understandinglife]

36. Cindy Sheehan: "It's a matter of life or death."

"I can't be stopped because I know what I'm doing is so important. It's a matter of life or death."

From Normal Life Ended for Protesting Mother by MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer on August 13, 2005

Full article at Yahoo -- and this one is definitely being 'freepd':

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050813/ap_on_re_us/peace_mom;_ylt=AjLHDdF5CLlcpm2t0gGrhKqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-



AP Photo

Peace.

[sarahlee]

37. Wow!

Thanks for this compilation.

Picked up in a comment at the Huffington Post:

"Remember back in 2001 when News Max ran the (since discredited) article that Hillary Clinton had "snubbed" the Gold Star Mothers during their visit to Capital Hill:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blgoldstar.htm

Boy...did the Right Wingers get their shorts in a knot over that one...and that was FAKE."

I may have to get a new userID at Free Republic to remind them of that episode.

[understandinglife]

38. "I may have to get a new userID at Free Republic to remind them of ...

...that episode.

Good for you!!! :toast:


Peace.

[understandinglife]

40. Hayden & Goodrich: Cindy's expanding influence

Cindy Sheehan inhabits an alternative world of meaning that more Americans need to experience before this war can end. She represents the survivors' need to define a meaning in her son's death - and her life - that is counter to the meaning offered by President Bush. That is why she refuses any condolences, and why she continues to ask the President what was the "noble purpose" for which Casey Sheehan died.

All wars take on a new momentum when the survivors believe that those killed represent a "noble sacrifice" and hear repeated assurances from authority figures that they "shall not have died in vain." The momentum begins to reverse when the survivors question deeply the justification for all the suffering.

<clip>

From Cindy Sheehan's War by Tom Hayden on August 14, 2005

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/tom-hayden/cindy-sheehans-war_5633.html

I can barely see as I type this because I am extremely exhausted. Today was a phenomenal day at Camp Casey. The day started off with a rally near the Crawford Peace House in which members of Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans for Peace, and Iraq Veterans Against the War spoke. A crowd of approximately 1,000 attended, shouting and clapping wildly as the speakers took the stage and delivered their message.

After the morning rally, everybody regrouped outside Camp Casey. On their way in, they were greeted by Cindy Sheehan and members of the other groups. While we were greeting the newly arrived, we looked up the road and realized that the line of cars stretched farther than the eye could see and around the corner. It was as if we were looking at a "field of dreams". We later learned that the line stretched for miles. It was a beautiful sight to be seen and it brought tears to the eyes of many.

<clip>

From Writings from a New Kind of Base: An Update from Camp Casey by Tim Goodrich on August 13, 2005

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/tim-goodrich/writings-from-a-new-kind-_5638.html

Peace.