Posted on 08/16/2005 12:57:52 PM PDT by areafiftyone
New York, August 16, 2005 – The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches is urging President Bush to join with Gold Star families and religious leaders in an interfaith prayer service outside the Bush ranch at noon (CDT) Friday,
The prayer service has been called by Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan “as an opportunity for Americans and others across the world to pray for our soldiers in Iraq, their families and in particular the mothers of our fallen.”
Sheehan, along with United Methodist laywoman Celeste Zappala and other Gold Star mothers, has been waiting outside the Bush compound to meet with the President since his five-week vacation began.
“I urge the President and the First Lady to join this brief and simple service,” said the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, NCC General Secretary. Edgar visited the Gold Star mothers and their families outside the presidential ranch and conducted a worship service on August 12. The visit was at the invitation of his fellow United Methodist, Celeste Zappala, whose son Sherwood was killed in Iraq.
“This war, like any war, has generated terrible losses, immense pain and sharp divisions in our country,” Edgar said. “Each day we see the pain in the faces of the Gold Star mothers and their families. It’s evident that President Bush, who has faced agonizing decisions in this war, feels the pain as well.”
“Whether or not we agree with Mr. Bush’s decisions,” Edgar said, “and whether or not he agrees with us, we can agree that we’re all feeling a heavy burden of grief. Let’s suspend the rhetoric for a few minutes on Friday and join together – commander-in-chief and families of the fallen – to seek strength from the God who sustains us all.”
In an open letter to religious leaders August 15, Sheehan urged those who cannot attend to host a prayer vigil in their cities. “We ask you to join us in a simultaneous moment of silent prayer to honor all who have been affected by this war.”
The service will take place at “Camp Casey,” an impromptu encampment outside the Bush compound named for Sheehan’s son, Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Baghdad on April 4, 2004. Camp Casey, which displays white crosses named for those who have been killed in Iraq, has become a gathering place for Gold Star families and their supporters.
The full text of the Sheehan August 15 letter to religious letters follows:
Dear Religious Leader:
Family members of fallen soldiers, who have joined me in Crawford, and I invite you to attend a moment of silent prayer at 12:00 noon (Central Daylight Time) this Friday, August 19th at Camp Casey just outside the Presidents’ Ranch. We’re holding this moment of prayer as an opportunity for Americans and others across the world to pray for our soldiers in Iraq, their families and in particular the mothers of our fallen. We have also invited President Bush and the first lady to join us in praying for the troops.
Several family members of fallen soldiers have joined with me in Crawford and will take part in the moment of silent prayer. Outside the President’s ranch we have set up a temporary camp named “Camp Casey” and a memorial of crosses with names of fallen soldiers has been erected, which is where the prayer service will take place.
If you cannot attend our service in Crawford, Texas please consider hosting a prayer vigil in your city. We ask you to join us in a simultaneous moment of silent prayer to honor all who have been affected by this war. You are welcome to contact your local media and inform them of your vigil.
My son, Casey Sheehan, 24, of Vacaville, Calif., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 4, 2004, when his unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. When President Bush began his 5 week vacation, I decided to camp outside his ranch in hopes of meeting with him to ask some unanswered questions about the war and the needless loss of lives of so many. Thus far the President has refused to meet, but my resolve is strong and I will remain in Crawford until the meeting takes place or his vacation ends.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and support of this interfaith prayer service.
Respectfully,
Cindy Sheehan
Mother of Casey Sheehan
Picture courtesy of Lone Star Iconoclast.
If you plan to go to Crawford, travel logistics provided by the Sheehan support team can be found here
Contact: NCC News, Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2252,
Again, you're twisting what I said to fit your emotional state. I said, some posts above, that he'd charm people who disagreed with him. And believe me, when he was trying to get New Deal legislation passed--and trying to pack the supreme Court--he had plenty of trouble with people. (And didn't always win in the end--he never changed the make up of the Supreme Court.)
If you want to meet a idiot, you should have the pleasure of meeting the department head where I got my PhD, which is not where I teach, thank god. What a nutcase.
Whatever. Fact is, next week I go back to happily teaching college history (which I'm finding I enjoy a lot) and you will still be...whatever it is, it's making you unhappy.
uh...so, Cindy, you are inviting a man that you have called a bastard, a killer, a murderer, a terrorist, and whose cabinet members you have compared to Hitler and Stalin to come and have a prayer meeting with you...to, sort of, answer some simple questions.
Your letter sounds so...well, sincere (NOT!)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
You nailed it right there!
Here are some more quotes from the "Blessed Mother Sheehan", woman of prayer:
Then we have this lying bastard, George Bush, taking a 5-week vacation in a time of war. You know what? I'm never going to get to enjoy another vacation, because of him.
...
So anyway that filth-spewer and warmonger, George Bush was speaking after the tragedy of the marines in Ohio, he said a couple things that outraged me.
...
And I'm gonna say, "And you tell me, what the noble cause is that my son died for." And if he even starts to say freedom and democracy' I'm gonna say, bullshit.
You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich. You tell me my son died to spread the cancer of Pax Americana, imperialism in the Middle East. You tell me that, you don't tell me my son died for freedom and democracy.'
Cuz, we're not freer. You're taking away our freedoms. The Iraqi people aren't freer, they're much worse off than before you meddled in their country.
You get America out of Iraq, you get Israel out of Palestine
(massive round of applause)
And if you think I won't say bullshit to the President, I say move on, cuz I'll say what's on my mind.
...
Another thing that I'm doing is - - my son was killed in 2004, so I'm not paying my taxes for 2004. If I get a letter from the IRS, I'm gonna say, you know what, this war is illegal; this is why this war is illegal. This war is immoral; this is why this war is immoral. You killed my son for this. I don't owe you anything. And if I live to be a million, I won't owe you a penny.
And I want them to come after me, because unlike what you've been doing with the war resistance, I want to put this frickin' war on trial. And I want to say, "You give me my son, and I'll pay your taxes."
...
I got an email the other day and it said, "Cindy, if you didn't use so much profanity there's people on the fence' that get offended"
And you know what I said? "You know what? You know what, god-damn-it? How, in the world is anybody still sitting on that fence'?"
"If you fall on the side that is pro-George, and pro-war, you get your ass over to Iraq, and take the place of somebody who wants to come home. And if you fall on the side that is against this war and against George Bush, stand up and speak out."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
All quotes from her speech to the Veterans for Peace Conference Aug 2005
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/convention05/sheehan_transcript.htm
I'm not sure why, but she didn't end this speech with "In God's Holy and precious name, Amen"
Your ignorance is showing. I know full well a "real" professor would never allow a student to make an argument without backing it up with fact. A "real" history prof would have enough info at their disposal that they could site chapter and verse, thus proving their point without resorting to idiotic name-calling.
You are a fraud.
That, and illegal immigration, amongst other things. It wouldn't hurt GWB to show up. Ms. Sheehan has gone off the deep end after her son's death, imo, but ignoring her isn't making her go away...it's making him look bad. It's unfortunate, but that's the way the media is spinning it. And people wanting quick, bloodless war are not going to be quietly patient in the way that is needed. We're in it for the long haul, and getting out now would be disastrous, imo. Joe Schmoe and Suzy Creamcheese who only watch CNN aren't going to understand that, though, and that's who Cindy Sheehan resonates with. *shrug*
And you both get together for a beer after wasting this time typing into your computer, right? You have real lives, and are buddies?
Ah...obviously not.
They haven't leaked any pictures to strategic outlets and I, as you, can't help but think the WH MUST have a number of photos that would put further down the lies this narcissistic dimwit has been telling.
Nice try. You still havent answered the question:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1464570/posts?page=232#232
And BTW...I have a job in something called the REAL WORLD, working for an IT dept in a fortune 500 company. It's much better than a phony PHD....
Yup, people can't stand it when someone disagrees with them!
And I lost my dog last year to cancer...she was 19...very sad, but she had a hell of a life.
I'm not twisting anything you said - see your post #24 to which we calmly pointed out that FDR met with NO dissidents during WWII - try again.
For someone who can't spell the word, you rely on cliches quite a bit, but that's no substitute for critical thinking and backing up your points. That a "professor" doesn't know this is peculiar.
Feel better that you've revealed yourself as someone who can't back up one single thing he's posted, so he engages in the paranoid "YOU all are victims of groupthink, while I am not!" pose? (Where, exactly, did I ever, ever write that W is wonderful? Where, exactly, did I write that he, alone, is making all the best decisions coming out of the White House? And where do you even get that bizarre "best decisions out of the WH" construction?) No, I don't feel better, because you're merely engaging in more distraction in an attempt to dodge questions--which is precisely what you've accused Bush of doing.
You have plenty of time for these silly cliches, between your other computer duties, yet not one minute to work up an argument or post facts to back up your assertions.
You may be used to lecturing before a captive, unquestioning audience, and then whining "You're just a Bushbot!" whenever someone asks you to put up or shut up, but your silly "Because I SAY so, and I have a degree, THAT'S WHY!" pose doesn't work outside the classroom. Your strawman "OK, I'll agree with you, W is great" lameness doesn't distract from your inability to simply stick to the subject and respond when someone DARES ask "So where do you get that idea?"
When your enemy is making an idiot of himself, move out of the way and let him do it. The more Sheehan talks the worse off she is. If the President is perceived as doing anything "to shut her up" he'll look like a bully mistreating a looney toon.
I tease people who mistake typing on a computer screen for real life.
None of us know each other, few will ever meet each other, and to get emotional about it all is silly.
Well there is no doubt that FDR was a man of immense charm. In that he was like our beloved president.
I tell my students to "look it up." I tell Freepers to do the same, but they'd rather flamewar on a computer.
Someone who's posted as much on this thread as you do has a lot of cojones questioning if OTHER people have lives, sparky. LOL!
Sorry, one's enough for today.
BTW, I live in a Democratic city and see well over 200 patients a week, and nobody has EVER mentioned this woman, she is a non-story.
And quit with the credentials pissing contest, trust me, you'll LOSE.
But her lies and her agenda are catching up with thr and I have faith that the American people will see her not only for the anit-American, American hater that she is...but also for the absolute sham and despicable disgrace she is as a mother to her loyal American son.
< That rancher in Crawford should put on an asymetrical counter protest of his own where he takes his JOhn Deere tractor and piles up the largest, freshest, smeeliest, pile of cow and horse manure he can make about 100 yards upwind of Cindy's camp. That would be a fitting memorial and adifice to what she is doing in my opinion.
Someone should get ahold of that rancher and tell him that this is this native Texan's home spun idea on how to deal with the squatters.
Agreed - unfortunately, now even if the IRS legitimately looks into Ms. Sheehan not paying her taxes, it will be seen as a bully tactic - I think GWB is handling her just fine for now.
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