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In the Summer of 2005, BushCo and its wars were still maintaining slight popularity in polling (done by corporate sources), but there were millions of people in this nation and probably billions on the planet, that were against the wars and BushCo. Camp Casey captured the imagination and excitement of 15,000 who traveled to Crawford that August to be with us and tens of thousands throughout the world that held vigils in support of us and started their own Camp Caseys in solidarity with Camp Casey in Crawford.
Right after Camp Casey, we had many people travel to New Orleans to help with the hurricane relief and a Veterans for Peace bus took 5 tons of left over supplies after we closed Camp in August of 2005. We held a march and rally in DC on September 23rd that had over 500,000 participants. Still, everywhere I do travel people tell me that after my example, they became active in political, antiwar, or social justice movements.
So why are we still in too many wars?
Too often still, I receive emails from those on the so-called right that email me and call me a “hypocrite,” “Democratic shill,” “Obama tool,” or other names indicating that they are under the false impression that I have retired since Obama became president, but nothing could be farther from the truth—I have NEVER stopped and I don’t care who is the Corporatist in Chief—I never will until the wars are over and this nation has a saner foreign policy and a more humane domestic one.
The reason we still have wars is that, what I call the Robber Class, perpetuate Myths that keep us tied to them in very sick and harmful ways and the “antiwar” energy turned out to mostly be anti-Bush energy. Bush is gone, but his crimes remain.
Not only is the 6th of August the fifth anniversary of the beginning of Camp Casey, but it will also be the 65th anniversary of the first time the USA used an atomic weapon. I didn’t plan on marching on Crawford the first time on Hiroshima Day, but I think it’s fitting and a perfect example of the insanity of Empire.
To me, everyday is exactly like a nightmare that I can't wake up from. The powers that be lied to the world about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction and lied about some kind of connection between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and then admitted to lying--and the entire world yawned and the killing continued and continues. The kicker in all this is that I have to live each and every day for the rest of my life knowing that my son died for these lies and that the people who have perpetrated these mass crimes against humanity walk among us freely and, as a matter of fact, are doing quite well for themselves. It's totally mind blowing to me and I get accused of being "angry." The thing about Casey dying in a war based on lies is because his recruiter lied to him. Our entire Imperial structure is constructed on lies and functions off of heartache.
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Camp Casey was a miracle to me and I will never forget that summer and the high we were on thinking that we were going to finally make a difference but the Empire knows how to neutralize those movements and we were distressed that the energy was inappropriately used to elect Democrats. But five years later, I am older and wiser and the proud grandmother of three grandbabies two years and under that have given me more love and joy than I thought was still possible in my life. The babies have also given me a renewed sense of urgency and commitment to making this planet a better place for all the babies.
http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-reflections-on-5th-anniversary-of.html
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