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Antiwar activists, Bush backers join vigil near ranch - Counter-rallies prompted by anti-war group
Miami Herald ^
| August 14, 2005
| Herald Wire Services
Posted on 08/14/2005 1:24:47 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CRAWFORD, Texas - Cindy Sheehan's antiwar protest entered its second week, gaining momentum and spurring counterrallies, as hundreds of people with conflicting opinions about the war in Iraq descended on a road leading to President George Bush's ranch.
More than 350 antiwar demonstrators gathered at a park near downtown Saturday, then moved the rally several miles away to the peace vigil's makeshift campsite along the road to Bush's ranch.
''Who knew that the beginning of the end of the occupation in Iraq was going to start last Saturday in Crawford, Texas?'' said Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., who started the protest Aug. 6 in memory of her 24-year-old son Casey, killed in Iraq last year. ``We're here to change the world.''
In the meantime, President Bush defended staying with his schedule.
`PART OF THE JOB'
Before leaving for a two-hour bike ride with some of his staff and journalists, Bush said he is aware of Sheehan's antiwar sentiments and those others who have joined her protest near his ranch.
''But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there's somebody who has got something to say to the president, that's part of the job,'' Bush said. ``And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.''
Sheehan is seeking a justification for the war, as well as her son's death.
''I don't want comfort from him,'' she said Friday. ``I want answers. I want the truth.''
In addition to the bike ride, the president's schedule included an evening Little League Baseball playoff game, a lunch meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, some fishing and some reading. ''I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy,'' he said when asked about bike riding while Sheehan wanted to speak with him. ``And part of my being is to be outside exercising.''
''So I'm mindful of what goes on around me,'' Bush added. ``On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so.''
BUSH BACKERS
As about a dozen Bush supporters stood across the street holding signs, down from more than 250 who gathered there Saturday morning, one exchange became heated. A Bush supporter approached an antiwar veteran, and they stood chest to chest as deputies tried to separate them.
When the veteran shouted about his wartime experiences and yelled, ''I earned the right to be here!'' several of his fellow protesters subdued him, moving him away as he sobbed and his knees buckled.
Sheriff's deputies and Secret Service agents otherwise kept the groups on opposite sides of the road, and no one was arrested.
''I feel sorry for Cindy, but I think she went about this the wrong way,'' said Bill Garrett, a member of Protest Warrior, a group that holds counterprotests to antiwar rallies.
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: antiwar; cindysheeham; cindysheehan; iraq; wot
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To: kcvl
www.Aljazeera.com
Bush was speaking from his Texas ranch, where Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq last year, has been holding roadside protest.
Sheehan began her standoff on Saturday and is determined to stay outside Bush's ranch until she gets the chance to speak to him about his justification for the war. Dozens of war protesters have joined Sheehan's demonstration.
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=9544
41
posted on
08/14/2005 7:02:47 AM PDT
by
kcvl
To: Cincinatus' Wife
"We're never going to let him have another vacation in peace again," said Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq last year.
42
posted on
08/14/2005 7:04:21 AM PDT
by
kcvl
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Issues & Insights
Grief And Politics
Published on Monday, August 15, 2005
Protest: How much media attention does Cindy Sheehan deserve? Only as much as compassion requires, which at this point is none at all.
But of course, Sheehan is no ordinary grieving parent. She has stepped out of a private role that of the mother of a son killed in Iraq to very public (and willing) stardom in political theater. She's an actor now, and should be judged accordingly.
We say this not to minimize her grief. Every parent fears losing a child, and those who have been fortunate to avoid such tragedy can only imagine what Sheehan went through. At the same time, grief is something to be endured, not exploited.
Those who use it to push their agendas end up cheapening it. A mother's grief becomes just one more emotional lever to manipulate the media and the public. That's where compassion ends and cynicism properly starts.
At this writing, Sheehan was stationed outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch, vowing either to get a one-on-one with Bush, to stay until the end of August or to get dragged away by the police. A few Angry Left stalwarts have joined her, and the media have swarmed over this little encampment as if it were the 1960s all over again. The Bush-haters can hardly hide their glee at finding a sympathetic front-woman.
"She is the kind of unexpected leader I've been writing about for years," exults Arianna Huffington.
In short, Sheehan's story is no longer about grief. It's just another agitprop show. Sheehan herself has gone off the rails in her public comments, accusing Bush of starting the Iraq War "to make his buddies rich" and saying that the Internet and its bloggers are the only things preventing America from becoming a "a fascist state."
She and those around her have become what one might call "perimeter people." They tend to be on the perimeter of politics and are often found just outside the president's security zone. They hold extreme views and make it their mission to get on camera and in the president's face.
They've been around at least since the 1980s, when homeless advocates turned part of Lafayette Park across from the White House into a shantytown. Usually they get brief notice and little else.
But not this time. Cindy Sheehan is prime-time material, despite her fringe politics, and we doubt if authentic sympathy for a mother's plight is the reason. More likely, she's on camera because she serves the needs of a press establishment that dislikes the president and wants to see him as made uncomfortable as possible.
If sympathy were still the order of the day, the media would be leaving Sheehan alone to work through her sorrow. They would not be subjecting her to public exposure and embarrassment, even if she seeks it.
Related Resources:
43
posted on
08/14/2005 7:05:20 AM PDT
by
rang1995
(They will love us when we win)
To: rang1995
Cindy Sheehan: "I would say, 'What is the noble cause my son died for?' And
I would say if the cause is so noble has he encouraged his daughters to enlist? And I would be asking him to
quit using Casey's sacrifice to justify continued killing, and to use Casey's sacrifice to promote peace."
Dozens of people have joined her and others have sent flowers and food. Other "Camp Casey" demonstrations and vigils are springing up around the country, with signs calling on Bush to "Talk To Cindy." Activists in San Francisco rallied on her behalf Friday; others planned to gather Monday in New York's Union Square.
snip
As a child in Bellflower, about 20 miles south of Los Angeles, Sheehan was opinionated, but not outspoken, says her sister, Dede Miller.
"She was an earth mother, a very devoted mom," said Miller.
The stress of Casey's death prompted Sheehan and her husband to separate, she said.
snip
"My whole family would rather I was home more than gone," she said. "Some people have tried to discourage me from doing what I'm doing but I can't be discouraged, I can't be stopped because I know what I'm doing is so important. It's a matter of life or death."
44
posted on
08/14/2005 7:11:52 AM PDT
by
kcvl
To: Cincinatus' Wife
gaining momentum an
Only in the minds of the Hysteric Left and the Dinosaur Media. Surprised we haven't seen any "new media polling" that shows 128% of Americans want Bush to meet this wacko.
45
posted on
08/14/2005 7:14:16 AM PDT
by
MNJohnnie
( Brick by brick, stone by stone, the Revolution grows)
To: rang1995
Arianna Huffington is so wanting to be relevant. She grasps at the bottom of the barrel to get noticed.
To: kcvl
She so wants to be arrested.
She wants to be a martyr.
Sick, twisted woman.
To: Cincinatus' Wife
As about a dozen Bush supporters stood across the street holding signs, down from more than 250 who gathered there Saturday morning, That's because the rest were probably at CHURCH.
48
posted on
08/14/2005 7:39:03 AM PDT
by
Terriergal
(What is the meaning of life?? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever.)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Awesome commentary.
Thanks for posting the link.
To: Jet Jaguar
This is just about her now. (and the money she will make dishonoring her son Very succinct. Why didn't she have this much hate toward her son when he joined up?
50
posted on
08/14/2005 7:48:46 AM PDT
by
Terriergal
(What is the meaning of life?? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever.)
To: msrngtp2002
or was in the Air Force or Navy and never got close to combat yeah ... those NAVY swift boat sailors never got close to combat ...
51
posted on
08/14/2005 7:50:12 AM PDT
by
clamper1797
(Advertisments contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper)
To: kcvl
Great article.
Thanks for the link.
To: Cincinatus' Wife
I love the prez even more after reading his quotes above. Especially the "MY BEING" stuff( ``And part of my being is to be outside exercising.").. Ha! sounds like he has his own version of kumbyah that the liberal control freak feminazis don't know.
I think it starts off with: Talk to the hand Cindy- I am moving on and have a war to lead. This woman has asked far too much from a country that she has never supported,or even understood in the first place. He son fought and died for freedom and his own walking womb stalks the president and hails the terrorists who killed him. *sigh*
To: kcvl
54
posted on
08/14/2005 8:13:18 AM PDT
by
p23185
To: Diva Betsy Ross
I think we should all send emails to the white house to let the President know we stand by him and the our brave troops.
55
posted on
08/14/2005 8:15:35 AM PDT
by
Two-Bits
(Democrats believe women are the lowest denominator. Why else back the taliban & abortion?)
To: Jet Jaguar
She has stated she is no longer interested in meeting with the President I have noticed she has gone from looking maudlin and grieved to smiles and waves. I think she is getting into the celebrity aspect of it.
56
posted on
08/14/2005 8:19:03 AM PDT
by
riri
To: recoveringlurker
Pardon me, Mrs. Sheehan, but Lynne Stewart is a she, not a he. Goes to show how much she really knows about what's going on with radical Islam.
57
posted on
08/14/2005 8:27:06 AM PDT
by
KathyP
To: kcvl
58
posted on
08/14/2005 8:47:10 AM PDT
by
DJ MacWoW
(If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
To: KathyP
Pardon me, Mrs. Sheehan, but Lynne Stewart is a she, not a he.I noticed that also but figured it was just one more thing Mrs. Sheehaha was mistaken about as Stewart looks more like a he than a she.
59
posted on
08/14/2005 9:15:53 AM PDT
by
daybreakcoming
(May God bless those who enter the valley of the shadow of death so that we may see the light of day.)
To: fatrat
"Hey clueless, there a many Navy people intimately involved in combat"
Navy squadrons are most certainly taking part in the WOT.
60
posted on
08/14/2005 9:18:53 AM PDT
by
chgomac
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