Help me respond to this vicious anti-Sheehan letter in my local paper...

[carrowsboy]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15293389&BRD=2271&PAG=461&dept_id=462943&rfi=6

"Cindy Sheehan's facade

To the editor:

Tough life..........camping outside Bush's ranch!!!

What is most interesting is that the press gives this little bunch of people who are protesting with Cindy Sheehan so much air time without discussing Cindy's background. This is a case of mere press bias.
It's been pointed out on just a couple of media outlets that Cindy divorced her first husband and left her son with him to be raised while she became a political activist for the Democratic Party. She had very little to do with her son in his growing years.

She remarried. The 1st husband remarried. The original father raised the son with his new wife. They miss their son and morn the loss of his life. They have stated that they are proud of their son and that they agree with the stance of America in Iraq and on terror. They said that their son was eager to serve and to go fight the terrorists in Iraq.

He volunteered. How many news stations carried their interview? Not many.
So the son dies in Iraq and then Cindy shows up to make a stink. She gets an audience with Bush. That was not enough. She goes to Crawford and demands another audience. How many news stations carry the ongoing saga of Cindy? Practically all of them. Cindy didn't care about her son. She let another woman raise him. Cindy doesn't care about the other soldiers in Iraq. Cindy cares about her liberal, feminist agenda and about using the death of her son to lobby against Republicans and Bush. And the press is helping her. Why?

Then a few days ago, Cindy's 2nd husband filed for a divorce from Cindy. Cindy sounds like a feminist opportunist who did not have the sense of responsibility to even raise her son. It looks like her second husband is fed up with Cindy also. We should be fed up with the press. They manipulate us into their "group think" and into the responses that they want on their polls.

Robert L. Weir, USA Ret.
Independent
Petersburg"

[Another Bill C.]

1. Already refuted on Snopes.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/sheehan.asp

[grannylib]

2. good link, thanks for the clarification. Just more reThug lies.

[Another Bill C.]

5. You might point out, too,

that this letter was probably plagiarized from a circulating e-mail.

[QC]

8. Definitely let the newspaper know they were astroturfed. n/t

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

3. Mr. Weir is either...

...unable or unwilling to articulate a compelling argument to counter Cindy Sheehan's very well reasoned opposition to this illegal war, so he does what Republifascists always do when faced with the impossible task of defending the indefensible---he lauches a personal attack against the individual. I'll be pleased to counter Mr. Weir's argument in support of our illegal occupation of Iraq at such time as he sees fit to produce one.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

4. I'd ask

why the writer feels it so important to defame a Gold Star Mother?

I'd ask why someone who spent his career in the military, presumably upholding American values and serving as an example of those values everywhere he was stationed in what I am certain was a long and honorable career, would now use two of our most precious freedoms - free speech and a free press - to take the personal life of a Gold Star Mother, when, in fact, all she is doing is exercising that very same freedom of speech, freedom of assembly.

I'd ask him what about a grieving woman who is working for peace and what she believes is right makes him write in such a dishonorable and insulting manner.

I would want to know why he decided that this one woman, who is simply acting as any good American must, if we are to be a nation of laws, a nation of people who are not afraid to stand up and say when we think our government has taken a wrong turn, is reason for him to behave like a cad who never heard the word "chivalry."

I would want to know why, if Cindy Sheehan has not attacked the personal life of anyone, why he feels free to do that with someone he does not know personally.

I would remind him that our nation was founded on dissent, and that we owe it to our Founding Fathers to protest an unjust invasion and occupation of a country, all of which was based on lies told by our government.

Finally, I would tell him that he has dishonored the uniform he once proudly, no doubt, wore, and that he has sullied the memories of all good patriots who served before him.

How's that for a start?

Feel free to copy anything you want. I get paid to do this. My gift to you.

[mntleo2]

6. Mr Weir Needs To do His Math

Mr Weir has not done his homework very well and should get an "F" for not being able to count. If Cindy Sheehan and her husband were married for 28 years as of this last June and if their son Casey died at age 20 years 2 years ago, who was Casey's father? Do the math, and then let's all answer this equation with a big, "DUH!"

The bottom line is that it does not matter when Cindy Sheehan was married anyway. Whether or not a mother raises her child or not, she will never see his face again, and this is tragedy enough. This is just an attempt to create smoke and mirrors because Americans like Mr Weir are terrified to ask the real questions. It has to do with betrayal and this is the bottom line. This administration themselves have admitted they misled us all about why her son and over 2000 others from around the world and thousands of innocent Iraqis have died.

The bottom line has little or nothing to do with whether or not a woman raised her own child, or whether or not she was married, when, or to whom. It has to do with the betrayal of trust she and the rest of us have endured that has resulted in nothing but tragedy and danger for the world and for America. It demands answers as to why we were led into the Iraqi war and why we were deceived. I suspect we will not like the truth. It demands that the buck stops at the president and all his people to tell us the truth. Period.

Cat In Seattle

P.S. This letter has about 273 words and most papers want 300 words or less. Use it or change it if you like - Cat

[tsuki]

7. How do you write these people? I could not figure out their site. And

btw, what is a USA Ret? Is he leaving?

[The Icon Painter]

9. USA Ret?

In this case, I suggest it stands for Unusually Stupid And Retarded.

[No Exit]

10. Dear Mr. Weir: You figured it out. It was all a cheap political ploy

to make The Prethident look bad. Twenty-something years ago, this evil, conniving, FEMINIST democrat woman DELIBERATELY caused a male child to be conceived, then carefully "abandoned" him, cleverly causing him to enlist when he grew older, causing him to be killed for NOTHING, all so that she could embarrass the greatest Prethident in history.

With your formidable intellect, Mr. Weir, it is only a matter of time before you figure out how this evil Sheehan woman also deliberately caused Barbara Bush's baby to grow into a confused, corporate-owned liar who considers young people like the now-deceased Casey to be nothing more than assets which can be expended in order to increase oil and other corporate profits.

[Bridget Burke]

11. Not only does Snopes point out that this is filled with lies...

It also shows that Mr Weir has plagiarized his "letter"--word for word.

Some newspapers now use search engines to ensure they don't print Astroturf. You might suggest that your local paper institute this practice so they don't get fooled again.