Pro-troop group blasts anti-war mom

The Tribune-Democrat, PA ^ | September 25, 2005 | PATRICK BUCHNOWSKI pbuchnowski@tribdem.com

[Cincinatus' Wife]

As a U.S. Navy veteran, Joseph Williams knows what it means to serve his country. As a Vietnam veteran he knows about war.

He also knows what it’s like to lose a son on the battlefields of Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Williams was 31 when his company was ambushed near Nasiriyah in the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He and 13 others died.

His father isn’t bitter.

“I was happy for him when he joined,” Williams said. “I’m tired of hearing Cindy Sheehan trashing America.”

As Sheehan, an anti-war activist whose son died in Iraq, continues to gain media attention since camping outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, the nonprofit group Move America Forward is staging support-the-troop rallies around the country.

Williams, of Vacaville, Calif., was one of a dozen members of Move America Forward who brought their message of support to Shanksville on Saturday.

They paid homage to Flight 93 victims, offered words of support, sang patriotic songs and laid flowers and scattered seeds at the foot of an angel erected by Jennerstown artist Lei Hennessy Owen.

The group has been traveling since Monday with other military families.

They are bound for a war rally with other conservative groups today in Washington, where Sheehan and thousands of anti-war protesters are expected.

Sheehan makes them bristle.

“Nobody is saying Cindy Sheehan doesn’t have the right to her freedom of speech,” said Deborah Johns, whose son, William, is a Marine returning to Iraq for his third tour of duty. “But she needs to be mindful that her hurtful, hateful, anti-military, anti-American comments cause the insurgency and terrorists to fight another day.”

Her words brought sporadic applause Saturday from more than 75 onlookers, some waving flags.

Against the backdrop of the Flight 93 temporary memorial, Johns said the troops are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq so this nation will not have another event such as the Sept. 11 attacks.

She lashed out at what she called Sheehan’s anti-American rhetoric. Johns said Sheehan has called the terrorists in Iraq “freedom fighters” and has accused military mothers of being “brainwashed.”

“My son is a hero, and I’m angry when Cindy Sheehan refers to our military as the ultimate terrorists,” Johns said, her voice choked with emotion. “She needs to visit this memorial or she needs to pack her bags and go home.”

Many visitors in Shanksville supported Johns, a resident of Roseville, Calif.

“I agree with what she said,” said Mary Ann Mapes of Johnstown. “I have a son in the Army National Guard.”

Carol Cieslo of Johnstown said she wants more positive coverage of the war in Iraq.

“You never hear the positive side of what’s going on,” she said. “It’s negative and its not needed.”

[Cincinatus' Wife]

ANTI-AMERICANS

Sheehan Calls bin Laden ALLEGED Terrorist

(Jason Reed/Reuters)

Jesse Jackson and Fidel Castro.

U.S. civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson (L) and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez attend a news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela August 29, 2005. Jackson on Sunday rejected U.S government claims that Chavez is a threat to regional stability and called on both governments to curb escalating rhetoric to resolve their differences. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Chávez rips Bush, U.N. in speech (wined and dined by the city's glitterati)***...Chávez's speech on Thursday said the U.S. invasion of Iraq showed a lack of respect for U.N. resolutions. ........***

Oil aids Venezuela's influence (Chavez urges Cuban-style "socialism" as alternative to capitalism)***............Jawahar said Chavez also is trying to build regional support for his friend and ally, Cuban President Fidel Castro. The United States routinely backs resolutions condemning Cuba's human rights record in the United Nations. In recent years, votes on the resolutions have been close.

At a signing ceremony for the oil deals in Jamaica on Tuesday, Chavez urged Caribbean governments to consider Cuba-style socialism as an alternative to capitalism.

"Fidel, I think you were always right: It's socialism or death," he said.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

***....Several dozen counter-protesters stood behind large banners and crowd-control fencing near the end of the march route. Helmeted U.S. Park Police kept the two sides apart.

Nina Burke of Fredericksburg, Va., came with other military families to make her opposition to the antiwar protest clear. Two of her cousins are career officers -- one in the Army, the other in the Navy.

"I don't want either one of them to turn on their TV and all they see is anti-war protesters," said Burke, 46. "I want them to see people who support them."....*** Source

American Legion's tips for supporting troops Veterans group produces guide to counter anti-war movement

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Anti-war protestors greeted by equal number of pro-troop supporters

By: North County Times wire services

SAN DIEGO - Activists opposed to the war in Iraq faced off in Balboa Park Saturday against supporters of America's troops, but the demonstrations were peaceful, authorities said.

The San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice sponsored the antiwar rally and march this afternoon that began in downtown San Diego.

Demonstrators carrying signs saying "Bring the troops home," "Bush Lied," and "Illegal War" demanded the immediate return of U.S. troops from Iraq.


A makeshift memorial with painted crosses symbolized the more than 1,900 members of the U.S. military who have been killed in Iraq.

Supporters of the war who stood along the march route waved American flags and carried signs supporting President Bush and the troops.

The counter-protest was organized by Protest Warrior, a Texas-based group "dedicated to fighting the left," according to its Web site.

One counter-demonstrator told KFMB-TV her group didn't have an agenda; they just wanted to thank the troops.

A crowd estimate was not immediately available, but television reports said about 1,000 people attended both rallies.

There were no reports of any arrests, police said.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/09/25/news/sandiego/20_12_149_24_05.txt

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Guest Opinion: Battle on the homefront brings mother to tears

TROY MATTERN
letters@tucsoncitizen.com

And so they made her cry ...

Outside the Armed Services recruiting office on Speedway Boulevard comes a regular group of protesters to discourage potential enlistees and express their general dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq.

A smaller group recently started appearing, trying to offer a different view and demonstrate their support for the troops and those who choose to serve.

Sept. 14, the atmosphere between the two groups changed. Whereas in the past they had at least respected each other's space, if not their views, one anti-war protester felt the need to take matters to another level.

Video camera in hand, she approached the pro-troops crowd and, filming inches from their faces, began to verbally assault them. She accused one of raising her two sons, both Marines, to be baby killers, asking if she was proud that they were involved in killing innocent children in Iraq.

Did she know how many people died in mines to produce the diamonds in her earrings? When told the earrings were not real diamonds, the inquisitor snidely commented that they were fake, just like the pro-troop supporter.

As she continued her tirade, the intimidated pro-troops group called police. It was not the first time the woman with the camera had been seen. She had been spotted at another rally, sans camera but accusing a pregnant woman of being "Bush's whore."

Soon a police officer arrived but told the pro-troop crowd there was nothing he could do because it was public property. Interestingly, before he said he could do nothing, he was hugged by three of the anti-war protesters. I know because the woman recently accosted was my mother, which I suppose makes me one of the "baby killers."

My mother, her friend Jen and the other troop supporters remained until the other crowd left. But when Jen and my mother got home, each recalled the personal attacks they had endured and, in the privacy of their homes, broke down and cried.

The vileness of it all is only understood when one considers who was attacked. These are not warmongers or dyed-in-the-wool political activists marching to the beat of any administration.

They are people who have dedicated themselves to causes more important than themselves.

Jen's son received a Purple Heart in Iraq for the injuries he sustained. He still believes in the mission - that what is being attempted for the Iraqis is worthwhile and ultimately benefits this country as well. He now is preparing to go to Iraq for his second tour.

My mother has made sacrifices her entire life, raising three of us on her own. She never took the easy way. She has always been committed to doing the right thing, no matter how difficult.

She has dedicated much time toward efforts such as a Teen Pregnancy Crisis organization when we lived in Kingman and the "Single Parent Project" in Tucson, which she founded.

In both, she dedicated herself to improving the lives of others. She has seen me and my younger brother go off to war, and she has seen the emotional scars left on my brother. Still she believes that what is being done is the right thing, as do my brother and I.

I wonder about the woman with the camera. Is she proud to have brought to tears a 59-year-old single mother who has dedicated her life to others?

I wonder if she is proud that she brought to tears a woman who just wanted to let her son, injured once in Iraq and on his way back, know that she loves and supports him as he goes on a mission he believes in.

I wonder what that woman with the camera has done to help others or if she ever considered for a moment how my mother, Jen or any others she attacked that day have helped others.

I have spent more than 16 years in the Marine Corps, been to war, seen the faces of Kuwaiti

children elated to have their country back, helped build roads and schools in some of the poorest parts of the world and helped distribute medical and school supplies.

Thus far, I can confidently say, I have not killed any children, though I am quite sure a few are having at least slightly better lives as a result of the efforts of this "baby killer," the values my mother taught me and those like me.

While I disagree wholeheartedly with the anti-war crowd's position, I would not, could not, attack my fellow Americans in such a personal, vile way.

For while I believe they are wrong, I don't doubt their basic goodness. I only wish more on the other side shared that perspective.

For those who don't condone the actions of the woman with the camera, I ask, stop this when you see it happening. I promise: I won't send your mother home crying, and I would stop any such action. So don't allow it to happen to mine.

We can disagree passionately; we can fight for our respective beliefs, and we don't have to personally attack each other. In the end, you are still our neighbors, our colleagues, members of our churches and, most important, fellow Americans.

Troy Mattern is a 16-year Marine veteran and a graduate of Catalina High School and the University of Arizona. He is stationed in Maryland.


http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=opinion&story_id=092305b5_guestcry&toolbar=print_story

[Madame Dufarge]

Wonderful article.

[stm]

I read the title and got my hopes up, maybe they blasted her with a 12 gauge rifled slug!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Yes. They're standing up to anti-American extremists (like the people pictured below) who want to tear down our country.

Googled source: "Slate" anti-war slide show

[borisbob69]

...I don't doubt their basic goodness...

This is where we differ! I think the hard-core anti-war/anti-American types are in fact EVIL and as such they rationlize their own behavior as acceptable.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Extremist groups have to coordinate to give the appearance of having large numbers.

Americans who support our troops (millions upon millions)are busy raising their families and working to support their families.

People who want to tear America down aren't interested in building strong pro-American families. They want us to be like Europe! Imagine! Like Europe!

[sgtbono2002]

I think most all of us have gotten a bellyfull of Cindy Sheehan, but as long as the media has their love affair with her and as long as anti-Americans and Communists supply her with money she will be around.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

...I think the hard-core anti-war/anti-American types are in fact EVIL and as such they rationlize their own behavior as acceptable.

I agree. But most who follow that leadership are ignorant - brainwashed in public schools and institutions of higher learning.

Professors take on role as high priests of activism***As they gathered downtown earlier this week to protest the war in Iraq, a motley group of students and activists busily readied the tricks of their trade. A couple of men gingerly laid on the sidewalk two cardboard "caskets" topped with plastic flowers and the bloodied heads and body parts of baby dolls. A man wearing a white Cheshire cat mask hung a severed fake head of Vice President Dick Cheney, with a "666" scribbled on its forehead and plastic sword speared into the top. A young woman expertly dabbed white and black makeup on a young man's face to evoke an image of a ghoulish skeleton.

But the leader of the pack simply donned his professor's gown.***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

...as long as the media has their love affair with her and as long as anti-Americans and Communists supply her with money she will be around.

And HER love affair with the spotlight.

Sept. 24, 2005, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

[stm]

Here's a photo from the DU at one of their little anti-war rallies. These people look like clueless college dopers and burned out hippies from the 60's. And we want to give people like this a say in the future of our country????????

[GloriaJane]

I borrowed the stuck on stupid saying. It just seems to fit so well when one's talking about the media, their little darling, and the idiots who follow her!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

They think they're a "happening" when in fact, they're brain-dead useful fools for our enemies.

God bless our troops who protect us all.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You are so right.

This IS a msm propelled story.

[Madame Dufarge]

Yes, they are evil.

I'm sure a good number of their useful-idiot acolytes think they're basically good, though.

The colleges are doing an excellent job breeding the brains out, regurgitating human Irish Setters.

[chgomac]

Troy and Jen's son did more to help their fellow man in one day of their tours of duty than these anti-war creatures will do in their entire lifetimes.

The two son's rescued people from the terror of Saddam's torture, gave them a chance to be a truly free society, helped build schools and hospitals and protected civilians while they voted in their first election and exercised that most precious symbol of freedom.

....and what do the "anti's" do?

Dismiss the torture and terror that Saddam heaped upon his own people and his neighbors.....none of our business, they say. People who are being raped and murdered and terrorized don't want rescue if it's going to be the Americans doing the rescuing!! Those people don't want freedom....oh, and by the way, it's time to forget and forgive what happened to us on 9/11.

Sorry Troy, I do doubt their basic goodness....they hate my country and everything it stands for.

[GloriaJane]

There wouldn't be a story if the media hadn't kept pushing it.

And that makes me wonder, if one were somehow able to count up all the free press this American hater has been given by the media, just how much in actual dollars of face time have they've given her?

Too bad the IRS can't call it all a gift and tax her butt for it!! LOL!!

[libs_kma]

Thats why all the Dimwits left town. They've seen polls of what Sheehan and her ilk can do to public opinion and they can't afford to get stuck with being a part of it.

It doesn't matter for Je$$e so much because he just needs media whore time. His influence is shrinking too. It used to be that Je$$e showing up opened doors and checkbooks because people and organizations were afraid to get tagged as racist. More people now are figuring out that paying a racist to not get tagged as racist is a pretty stupid idea. Je$$e and AL are one trick ponies and they don't know how to shakedown any other way.

If Je$$e or Al are at an event, it is either as a shakedown artist or a media whore, plain and simple.