Cindy Sheehan’s Camp Casey in Crawford Texas
Casey joined the Army in 2000, never imagining he would see combat. Five days after he arrived in Iraq last year, the 24-year-old was killed in Sadr City.
Sheehan knows nothing can bring back her son, but she wants to talk to President Bush. The Vacaville, Calif., mother has been camping out along a road near his ranch since Saturday, vowing to remain until his Texas vacation ends later this month.
“Before my son was killed, I used to think that one person could not make a difference,” she said Wednesday under a tent where she has slept since arriving. “But one person that is surrounded and supported by millions of people can be heard.”
Speaking with reporters at his ranch Thursday, Bush expressed sympathy for Sheehan.
“She feels strongly about her position. And she has every right in the world to say what she believes,” Bush said.
“And I thought long and hard about her position,” he said. “I’ve heard her position from others, which is: Get out of Iraq now. And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so.”
“They are crying,” he said of the protesters. “I just strongly disagree,” the president said. “Pulling our troops out would send a terrible signal to the enemy.”
“One way to honor the fallen,” he said, “is to lay the foundation for peace.”
Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, and a deputy White House chief of staff talked to Sheehan on Saturday. She said the meeting, which she called “pointless,” lasted 20 minutes. The White House said it lasted 45 minutes.
By Thursday, about 50 people had joined her cause, pitching tents in muddy, shallow ditches and hanging anti-war banners; two dozen others have sent flowers. Her name was among the most popular search topics Wednesday on Internet blogs.
The soft-spoken Sheehan, 48, is surprised and touched at the overwhelming response — most of which is positive, she says.
But not everyone supports her. Kristinn Taylor, co-leader of the Washington, D.C., chapter of FreeRepublic.com, said Sheehan’s protest is misguided and is hurting troop morale.
“She has a political agenda that goes way beyond her son’s death in combat,” said Taylor, whose conservative group has held pro-troop rallies since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and counter-protests of anti-war demonstrations.
Sheehan, a Catholic youth minister for eight years, never wanted Casey to join the military. She said he did after being misled by his recruiter. Although he also opposed the war, he didn’t try to back out.
“I begged him not to go,” she said through tears. “I said, ‘I’ll take you to Canada’ … but he said, ‘Mom, I have to go. It’s my duty. My buddies are going.’”
Sheehan has spent the past several days in rainy weather talking to scores of reporters, hugging fellow protesters and taking brief breaks to eat sandwiches and fruit brought by supporters.
She and her husband are separated, affected by the stress of losing their son. But her three other children, ages 19 to 24, may join her in Crawford, she said.
Sheehan did meet with Bush in June 2004: She was among grieving military families who met with the president at Fort Lewis, Wash. She has said her feelings have shifted from shock to anger since then, in part because of various reports that have disputed some of the Bush administration’s justifications for the war.
Many supporters decided to go to Crawford Texas because of rumors that Sheehan would be arrested.
But no protesters will be arrested unless they trespass on private property or block the road, said Capt. Kenneth Vanek of the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office.
Trucker Craig Delaney, 53, was in Georgia on Monday when he heard numerous radio shows discussing Sheehan — some criticizing her. He altered his route to California, heading for Texas, and got to Sheehan’s site Wednesday morning.
“I felt compelled to come and tell her I support her,” said Delaney, a self-described hippie from Sly Park, Calif. “The way they were bad-mouthing a mother whose son was killed in the war is un-American.”
Nearly 40 Democratic members of Congress have asked Bush to talk to her. On Wednesday, a coalition of anti-war groups in Washington also called on Bush to speak with Sheehan, who they say has helped to unify the peace movement.
“Cindy Sheehan has become the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement,” said Rev. Lennox Yearwood, leader of the Hip Hop Caucus, an activist group. “She’s tired, fed up and she’s not going to take it anymore, and so now we stand with her.”
Earlier this year Sheehan formed Gold Star Families for Peace and has spoken to groups across the nation and overseas.
Judith Young, national president of the The American Gold Star Mothers of America Inc., said she is concerned the public will mistake her 76-year-old Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization with Sheehan’s group.
In Young’s group, commonly known as Gold Star Moms, mothers whose children died in the line of duty volunteer in veterans’ hospitals and programs. Members don’t do advocacy work, Young said.
I can’t imagine how much it hurts to lose a son, but I personally would never do what Cindy is doing. I also have a sneaky suspicion that someone has talked her into this to support the liberal agenda. This is exactly why liberals have ruined the Democratic party. I have been a loyal Dem up until they started taking over. Convseratism just makes more sense now…
So, her son used to tell his mom that he was in a “safe” area. I used to lie to my mother as well, in the few letters I wrote to her from Vietnam, when I served as advory team leader over there. When I got home and told her how many times I got very, very close to being killed, she chewed me out for quite a while.
None of our soldiers (to the best of my knowledge) told their next of kin the truth. My medic at Trung Lap, at the edge of the “Iron Triangle” refused a Purple Heart decoration from me, since he had told his wife he was in a very safe area.
All the same, if I had to choose, I would gladly return to Vietnam instead of fighting in Iraq. At least, except for the 68 Tet offensive, we could walk through any town without being shot, as long as we kept our M-16s handy, and ready to fire. I was against this war from it’s very beginning – I set up my antiwar web site before it started. Unfortunately for our men I underestimated the problems our men would be facing.
My prayers go out to Cindy Sheehan. If she embarrassed our president, so what!. Losing her son is even more traumatic.
All the people at Camp Casey I fel bad for. Cindy Sheehan just had nothing to lose and grief probably overcame her. Would be nice to see more of Crawford Texas embrace this.
I am the mother of a son currently serving in Iraq.
He was finished with his six year hitch; with the
National Guard; when he got orders for Iraq.
He went but not happily.
His orders say for “NOT LESS THAN 753 DAYS”! What?!
They added another TWO years onto his contract!!
Total BS! THAT is a ‘back door draft!’
I am trying to find a way to go to Crawford myself!
I also get e-mails from my son saying,
“Everything’s fine.Try Not to worry!”
Well, I also worry that he isn’t telling me the
whole truth of what exactly he is doing there.
I hope he’s telling me the truth….
But we need to get our soldier’s out of this
ILLEGAL WAR!!
It isn’t even a declared war!
And to have 1853 dead soldier’s ….for what??
A BUNCH OF LIES and a LIAR in the White House!
I’ll agree that enough is enough. All it seems we’re doing over there is puttin gout little scuffles of stupid suicide bombers.
Bring em home W!!
Leave it up the Iraq goverment to organize and police itself.
Update:
I’m leaving for Crawford, Texas…
to Camp Casey,
on Thursday morning.
Just thought I’d give you an update.
I know you don’t know me but maybe I’ll
be able to give you a first hand account
of what’s happening down there.
Still finalizing the plans!
Peace!
http://www.MFSO.org
http://www.BringThemHomeNow.org
Linda, I really appreciate that. It’s hard to be up here in Massachusetts and not know what to do to support the troops and people like yourself and Cindy Sheehan.
If you want to keep posting to this site I would be more than happy. I get a good ammount of traffic to this site and I can say for sure that almost 1200 people have already read this post so far in just a few days.
Maybe this will get more people to comment and get activate with the support to BRING OUR TROOPS HOME.
I live in San Antonio and have not been able to find an Anti war bracelet or Bring our Troops Home bracelet. Does anyone know of a site where these can be ordered?
Thanks, Pam
Yes Pamela, you can goto Bands on Hand
Linda you still out there?
It’s a shame, but wars are thought out years in advance by International Bankers. World War II, II and III were spoken about in 1897 at Basel Switzerland named, The Protocols Of Zion. Everyone should find a web site with info and read about these protocols. Every war the past 300 years had been financed by International Bankers. This means yes they financed The Revolutionary War Napoleanic and The Civil War.
9/11 was committed with government knowledge. Our government knew about the attacks in advance, but did nothing. Many people in the government made money by shorting stocks prior to 9/11. People are learning the truth about 9/11 and this means our government will have to do something to keep attention off of them and this means an economic collapse in the near future. I pity all those people who have huge mortgages they really can’t afford. 9/11 was committed by the Israeli Mossad.