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The Sorrow and the Pity (Cindy Sheehan appears to have gone insane)
8/15/05 | Taranto

Posted on 08/15/2005 1:25:00 PM PDT by pabianice

Best of the Web (WSJ Daily to subscribers)

Time magazine reports that Cindy Sheehan's family is "imploding":

Sheehan lost her job at Napa County [Calif.] Health and Human Services because of all her absences, she says. Husband Pat, 52, couldn't bear having [fallen son] Casey's things at home and put most of them in storage. "We grieved in totally different ways," Cindy says. "He wanted to grieve by distracting himself. I wanted to immerse myself." . . . The couple separated in June.

Daughter Carly, 24, wrote a poem that begins, "Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?" Surviving son Andy, 21, supports his mother in principle but recently sent her a long e-mail imploring her "to come home because you need to support us at home," he says.

The New York Times reports that Mrs. Sheehan's politics were the cause of her marital collapse:

She said she and her husband separated a few months ago as a result of the war, and of her activism. Although she and her estranged husband are both Democrats, she said she is more liberal than he is, and now, more radicalized.

The Times doesn't elaborate on Mrs. Sheehan's description of herself as "radicalized." Through her own words, unreported by either Time or the Times, she makes clear that she has embraced a grotesque ideology that goes far beyond garden-variety Angry Left paranoia--though it includes plenty of that, as National Review's Byron York reported last week:

"This is something that can't be ignored," Sheehan said during a conference call with bloggers representing sites like democrats.com, codepink4peace.org, and crooksandliars.com. "They can't ignore us, and they can't put us down. Thank God for the Internet, or we wouldn't know anything, and we would already be a fascist state."

"Our government is run by one party, every level," Sheehan continued, "and the mainstream media is a propaganda tool for the government." Sheehan also called the 2004 presidential election "the election, quote-unquote, that happened in November."

Sheehan spoke at an April San Francisco State University rally in support of Lynne Stewart, who was convicted in February of providing material aid to terrorists. Here's an excerpt:

I was raised in a country by a public school system that taught us that America was good, that America was just. America has been killing people . . . since we first stepped on this continent, we have been responsible for death and destruction. I passed on that bullshit to my son and my son enlisted. I'm going all over the country telling moms: "This country is not worth dying for." If we're attacked, we would all go out. We'd all take whatever we had. I'd take my rolling pin and I'd beat the attackers over the head with it. But we were not attacked by Iraq. We might not even have been attacked by Osama bin Laden if 9/11 was their Pearl Harbor to get their neo-con agenda through and, if I would have known that before my son was killed, I would have taken him to Canada. I would never have let him go and try and defend this morally repugnant system we have. The people are good, the system is morally repugnant. . . .

What they're saying, too, is like, it's okay for Israel to have nuclear weapons. But Iran or Syria better not get nuclear weapons. It's okay for the United States to have nuclear weapons. It's okay for the countries that we say it's okay for. We are waging a nuclear war in Iraq right now. That country is contaminated. It will be contaminated for practically eternity now. It's okay for them to have them, but Iran or Syria can't have them. It's okay for Israel to occupy Palestine, but it's--yeah--and it's okay for Iraq to occupy--I mean, for the United States to occupy Iraq, but it's not okay for Syria to be in Lebanon.

Earlier in April, at a speech before the United Methodist Church in Venice, Calif., Sheehan likened Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to "Hitler and Stalin" and was particularly lurid in describing her hatred of Rumsfeld's then-deputy:

As soft-spoken and sincere-sounding as Paul Wolfowitz is, is there yet any sane adult in this country whose skin does not crawl when this murderous liar opens his mouth and speaks?

She concluded: "In their secret hiding places, while celebrating newly won fortunes with their fellow brass, these men must surely congratulate themselves with orgies of carnal pleasure as they mock the multitudes who are yet so blind as to mistake them for God's devoted servants."

The mainstream media have largely ignored Sheehan's crackpot views, and not only--perhaps not even primarily--for ideological reasons. Members of the White House press corps find the annual sojourn to Crawford deathly dull. They need something to do; they want bylines--and "heartbroken everymom" makes for a much more compelling story than "extremist hatemonger."

The journalists will soon move on, and her political allies may do so as well. For them she is a mere instrument. The White House press corps will discard her as soon as they return to Washington where there's real news going on. Serious opponents of the war in Iraq will cast her aside if her foul statements make her an embarrassment. When that happens, we can only hope that someone still cares about Cindy Sheehan--not as a story or a symbol, but as a human being.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cindysheehan
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To: peacebaby

My heart goes out to the children and her soon-to-be ex-husband. She will be a burden to these children until she dies, as she feels children are property and can be used as she sees fit.


241 posted on 08/15/2005 5:48:25 PM PDT by mabelkitty (Lurk forever, but once you post, your newbness shines like a new pair of shoes.)
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To: mudblood

She jumped the shark yesterday with the Israel/Palestine comment. They never should have let her speak in public, but then again, the Left are amateurs at this nowadays.

By the end of the week, the only one writing about her will be Helen Thomas.


242 posted on 08/15/2005 5:53:12 PM PDT by mabelkitty (Lurk forever, but once you post, your newbness shines like a new pair of shoes.)
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To: Bob

I have to say I like the way the NeoCons are running things.
Here's to many more years of Jews running everything. Cheers!


243 posted on 08/15/2005 5:58:52 PM PDT by mabelkitty (Lurk forever, but once you post, your newbness shines like a new pair of shoes.)
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To: Nathan Zachary

Cindy Sheehan isn't nuts - she just isn't media savvy.
The Left started to recognize this as quickly as Friday and were blogging about how to reel her in.
No, she isn't crazy - she's sucking up the "love" and attention. When the media stops legitimizing her, she won't go away. Hell, we all thought Howard Dean was nuts, but he got promoted when his sacrificial run for President was over.


244 posted on 08/15/2005 6:22:01 PM PDT by mabelkitty (Lurk forever, but once you post, your newbness shines like a new pair of shoes.)
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To: Darksheare

It's a troll!


245 posted on 08/15/2005 6:23:58 PM PDT by OSHA (I've got a hole in my head too, but that's beside the point.)
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To: Darksheare

It's a troll!


246 posted on 08/15/2005 6:24:06 PM PDT by OSHA (I've got a hole in my head too, but that's beside the point.)
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To: pabianice
I was raised in a country by a public school system that taught us that America was good, that America was just. America has been killing people . . . since we first stepped on this continent, we have been responsible for death and destruction. I passed on that bullshit to my son and my son enlisted. I'm going all over the country telling moms: "This country is not worth dying for."

In almost any other country in the world this would get her imprisoned or killed. When is she leaving?

247 posted on 08/15/2005 6:29:46 PM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: OSHA

Most probable.


248 posted on 08/15/2005 6:29:56 PM PDT by Darksheare (This tagline escaped by using a nail file on the bars....)
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To: Txsleuth

I sat next to a very liberal woman (at a public event) with a Marine lanyard attached to her trousers. I gave her a thumbs up, and she told me her son was over there (In Iraq) and comes home in October. Then she started spewing all the same talking points (illegal war, blood for oil, children fighting the war, etc.,).

Seems this fine young man informed her via telephone he reupped for four more years. Gotta hand it to the libs - they raise fine young fearless soldiers. If only they would honor them as such by not calling them children and respect them their bravery.

And you just know this young man is receiving care packages, prayers, and greetings from people like us - the ones his mother wouldn't piss on if we were on fire.

What a world.


249 posted on 08/15/2005 6:30:59 PM PDT by mabelkitty (Lurk forever, but once you post, your newbness shines like a new pair of shoes.)
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To: Howlin
..."We might not even have been attacked by Osama bin Laden if 9/11 was their Pearl Harbor to get their neo-con agenda through."

I think she just indicted FDR as having setup Pearl Harbor to get the US into WWII. (No doubt to save all those terrorist provoking Jews). The Bush setting up 911 bizarro speak doesn't surprise me from the likes of her, but pointing a finger at FDR? I guess not even Lib icons are safe when one is highly delusional.
250 posted on 08/15/2005 6:41:12 PM PDT by Shqipo (Doing what I can to turn Maine back to Red.)
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To: pabianice
The journalists will soon move on, and her political allies may do so as well. For them she is a mere instrument. The White House press corps will discard her as soon as they return to Washington where there's real news going on. Serious opponents of the war in Iraq will cast her aside if her foul statements make her an embarrassment.

May these words come to fruition, amen.

251 posted on 08/15/2005 6:44:26 PM PDT by Victoria Delsoul
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To: Howlin; peacebaby
That is one amazing statement, isn't it?

Most leftists just sound like violently angry whackos who need to calm down and cut out the nonsense. This woman sounds totally full-time stark raving mad.

Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean fade to nothingness in the face of this kind of utter madness.

252 posted on 08/15/2005 6:48:51 PM PDT by JustaCowgirl
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To: Shqipo

I thought that may be where she was going, but honest to goodness, I couldn't wrap my mind around that concept.

I'm glad it's not just me.


253 posted on 08/15/2005 6:58:42 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

Oooh, great tagline!


254 posted on 08/15/2005 7:32:15 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("Even Tom Cruise would recommend that Cindy Sheehan take a Paxil." --PBRSTREETGANG)
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To: Dont Mention the War
"See how the Iraq War tore a family apart!"

Believe it or not, thats exactly what O'Rielly said tonite. That the war in Iraq is splitting up families.

255 posted on 08/15/2005 8:49:33 PM PDT by beckysueb (God bless America and President Bush.)
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To: pabianice
The journalists will soon move on, and her political allies may do so as well. For them she is a mere instrument. The White House press corps will discard her as soon as they return to Washington where there's real news going on.

Her son dead, her husband gone, her life in tatters, where will she turn? Her grief was so easy to exploit - and for what? A few lines in a paper? A smiggen of hate that feeds a few dems? Was it worth it to them? Was it worth it?

256 posted on 08/15/2005 9:03:22 PM PDT by GOPJ (A person who will lie for you, will lie against you.)
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To: liberty2004
Exactly. She is NOT being used. She is doing exactly what she is wanting to do. It is not because of grief of seeking answers. Evil has taken over her soul. It is she who is using the media to spread lies and distortions, putting our Brave Warriors at risk. I do NOT feel sorry for her in the least because of the added danger she places on our Warriors with her deranged rants.

I totally agree! Thank God someone has the guts to call it like it is.

257 posted on 08/15/2005 9:05:36 PM PDT by beckysueb (God bless America and President Bush.)
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To: Tax-chick

I noticed that too.


258 posted on 08/15/2005 9:55:14 PM PDT by Shortstop7
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To: NathanBookman

ROFL........quit doing that to me. Your posts crack me up.

A welcome dose back to reality.......yep, the broom was bad, huh? What about the flyswatter?


259 posted on 08/15/2005 9:59:35 PM PDT by Shortstop7
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To: Howlin

She didn't go see her son off to war. What a guilt trip that must be. Maybe her show at Crawford is trying to get rid of it.


260 posted on 08/15/2005 10:44:27 PM PDT by wildbill
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