My Thoughts on Cindy Sheehan (Vanity Post)

Self | 8/18/005 | conservativeharleyguy

[conservativeharleyguy]

First, let me say that as a parent, my heart goes out to Cindy Sheehan. No parent wants to outlive a child, for any reason, period. I’m truly as sorry for her loss as I am for those of any parent in similar circumstances, from this war and all others before it. I knew families whose sons didn’t return from Vietnam (my brother did, fortunately, and he’s a fine man for it) and my parents both knew many folks who never returned from Battaan, Normandy, and Inchon. Hell, I served 15 years in the “Peacetime Army”, and I lost friends. Frankly, the military is a hazardous occupation, but it is composed of volunteers. I say a prayer for every young man and woman of this new generation who are willing to put their own self-interests aside and serve something larger than themselves and their immediate needs. Bless them all.

Her adult son made the decision to join the military. From all accounts, he willingly went to Iraq to support something in which he believed, he accepted the potential consequences as part of that higher service, and was a good soldier. Bless him. Pray for him too.

Well, the sad truth is that he’s gone now, and she has to put that anger somewhere. I believe that she is now subconsciously trying to punish her son for his defiance of her (emphasis on her) values. In light of what has been revealed as her long-established leftist political perspective and activism, his decision to embrace a warrior culture was very likely an extremely unpopular one with his mother. In short, she was probably very angry with him.

Now, all she has left to focus that anger on is his memory. Anger is a secondary emotion that, among other origins, often grows out of fear and frustration. I’m sure she was scared for him, in the same manner as are all mothers left behind by warrior sons. And I’m sure that, upon his death, her frustration at her inability to tell him how hurt she was (by both his decision and his death) melded and festered into pure, white-hot anger. As is typical in our no-accountability society, it was easier to displace her anger at him, and at herself, than it was to face it and move forward. What better target for a classic American leftist than President Bush?

As long as she is unwilling to move forward, she will remain pathologically angry, and it will eventually consume her as certainly as any cancer. Anger and hate will kill her from the inside, far sooner than it will harm the object of her hatred. In the meantime, Casey Sheehan’s memory as a warrior is besmirched by her words and actions, the world of his comrades-in-arms is weakened by her words and actions, and his remaining family is apparently rent apart by her words and actions.

Unfortunately, she is being rewarded on some level by all of the current attention. I believe it’s as simple as vanity. In spite of her assertions to the contrary, she certainly appears to be basking in the attention. The fact that she is being exploited by others with far more sinister goals is beyond tragic, it’s reprehensible. Gleefully exploiting any mother’s grief for politics merely illustrates the lengths to which the left will go to discredit the President (as if that’s a surprise). Allowing them to do so over her son’s legacy for the sake of rubbing elbows with fame illustrates how morally bankrupt she truly has become.

[conservativeharleyguy]

Just some thoughts on this topic. I originally posted it on another thread, but decided to post it on its own.

Thanks!!

[Howlin]

As long as she is unwilling to move forward, she will remain pathologically angry, and it will eventually consume her as certainly as any cancer. Anger and hate will kill her from the inside, far sooner than it will harm the object of her hatred.

So true.

In the meantime, Casey Sheehan’s memory as a warrior is besmirched by her words and actions, the world of his comrades-in-arms is weakened by her words and actions, and his remaining family is apparently rent apart by her words and actions.

I don't believe that really. I think her actions do make it far easier to understand why he enlisted in the first place. Imagine that, she's living with the knowledge that he enlisted IN SPITE of her; and even after the war started, and again in spite of her vocal views, he reenlisted.

She's going to live with that a long time after the camera lights are turned off.

[Jaysun]

The fact that she is being exploited by others with far more sinister goals is beyond tragic, it’s reprehensible.

She isn't being exploited. She's chief among them.

[Williams]

My main thought on Cindy Sheehan is why would I think about Cindy Sheehan? She is one person, a kooky leftist one at that. She doesn't speak for most of her son's family much less all war widows. Why would anyone consider letting her guide the policy of this nation? The left is very good at "personalizing" the people it uses, and very good at dehumanizing the people it hurts.

I don't care, for purposes of policy, about her loss. She is "demanding" an immoral policy that would kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who stood with us for freedom, toss the sacrifice of our soldiers in the garbage, and would turn Iraq into a worse Al Queda camp than Afghanistan was. And she should be allowed to do this because her son CHOSE to fight in the war? I think not.

[recoveringlurker]

Very good post! Spot on!

[My2Cents]

I appreciate your comments. Here are my thoughts on the latest media fad known as Cindy Sheehan:

We live in a period of history in which one of our major political parties is no longer motivated by a coherent ideology, but is energized by political nihilism. The Democrat Party, and the left in general, is in possession of an ideology that went bankrupt in the late 1960s with the end of the New Deal, big-government paradigm. They coasted for another 20 years or so on "feel-good" rhetoric, but with the Clintons, what emerged as the "unifying vision" within the Democrat Party wasn't a new ideology at all, but political nihilism -- cynicism, hatred, politics-of-personal destruction, moral ambivalence, anti-religion, anti-Americanism (i.e., being against everything that is good in America). Today's Democrat Party is identified more by what it is against than by what it is for, making it a reactionary party. About 20% of the electorat are hard-core political nihilists. Another 20% simply vote Democrat out of habit (union families, blacks, public employees). Another 8 or 9% are among the swing voters who simply vote Democrat for God-knows-why (probably ignorance). Cindy Sheehan is the poster child of the left's political nihilism.

The other thing which has given Cindy Sheehan noterity is that we now live in "Jerry Springerland." Personal loss in war is an intensely personal thing, where the personal agony used to be shared, if at all, within intimate circle of friends and family, where solace was received in places like one's church. Now, people tend to share their personal problems and conflicts in front of the entire world, via a voyeuristic media. It's unseemly, and horribly inappropriate to stick a camera in the face of a grieving mother and broadcast her personal anguish to the entire world. It's even more tacky and dysfunction to be a grieving mother who actually seeks that kind of attention. At that point, she becomes not a grieving mother tortured by unspeakable personal grief, but a media celebrity, or worse, a tool in someone's cynical political agenda. When she crosses the line to becomes a celebrity, normal, healthy people tend to start seeing her public display of "grief" as simply a publicity stunt. And what's even more despicable is that such a person is willing to be used as a shill by the political nihilists of our society.

Mrs. Sheehan, whose marriage is on the rocks, and who has ignored the pleas of her surviving children to come back to them and start living a normal life, has done huge damage to herself. She's probably more in need of psychological counseling than another meeting with the President. Once the media and the political nihilists on the left are done with her, she'll be discarded like yesterday's news. Nihilism is not a postive philosophy, but a corrosive mindset that dehumanizes those who entertain its viewpoint. Mrs. Sheehan is a case study in the destructive effects of the nihilistic mindset. She's sad and pathetic, and I say that with empathy and sympathy. The real villians in this sad tragedy are neither President Bush nor Mrs. Sheehan, but the news media and their patrons in the political left which are willing to use anyone to further their agenda, only to throw them aside when their political or public relations value has been spent.

[demkicker]

I think her actions do make it far easier to understand why he enlisted in the first place. Imagine that, she's living with the knowledge that he enlisted IN SPITE of her; and even after the war started, and again in spite of her vocal views, he reenlisted.

She's going to live with that a long time after the camera lights are turned off.

She's fortunate he didn't take his own life before he got to get away from her and escape to the military. Okay, that was probably too harsh & mean, but I've really had it with this woman!

[stuartcr]

I don't think his memory is besmirched. He did what he believed in, and she is doing what she believes in. It has not effect on what he did, or why he did it.

[digger48]

I suspect Cindy will be spending several months, in the near future, rocking and staring at the wall in an empty room. Hate will consume a person, absolutely.

Not necessarily with the door locked from the outside, quite possibly locked from the inside.

[Williams]

As a further parting shot at the Cindy Sheehan insanity, I heard Paul Begala going on about her "pristine moral authority" because she "gave up her son to be killed." Last time I looked the armed forces are an all volunteer group of adults. Her son made a patriotic choice and God bless him for it. She rather obviously had nothing to do with it.

[Mister_Diddy_Wa_Diddy]

I think Sheehan is a self absorbed narcissist who isn't thinking about her son, but is greedy for all the limelight and attention she can get.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

As long as she is unwilling to move forward, she will remain pathologically angry

As long as she's a liberal, she will remain pathological.

[Bahbah]

decided to post it on its own.

I'm glad you did, as you know my opinion of this. I wish I had thought to suggest it.

[Howlin]

One of her relative said she was a control freak and he enlisted to get away from her.

I am curious as to why none of the media has contacted the people he served with to get THEIR impression of what he thought about the war and his military service; so far, all we've heard is words she has put in his mouth.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Anyone who thinks Hanoi Kerry isn't behind the anti war crowd needs to get a clue.

There is no need to impeach Hanoi Kerry from the US Senate

He is there illegally!

WAKEUP AMERICA!

For those who "forgot" what Hanoi Kerry
did in the past read on and learn the truth.

Hanoi Kerry was still a USNR officer while he:
gave false hearsay testimony to Congress
negotiated with the enemy
helped the US lose a war
abetted in the deaths of millions
created a hostile environment for all servicemen

Why is Kerry still in the US Senate?
This is in violation of
U.S. Constitution Amendment 14 Sec 3
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxiv.html

And the FBI has proof of his treason.

Hanoi Kerry Timeline of a traitor
includes FBI files

May 1970
Kerry and Julia traveled to Paris, France and met with Madame Nguyen Thi Binh, the Foreign Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Vietnam (PRG), the political wing of the Vietcong, and other Viet Cong and Communist Vietnamese representatives to the Paris peace talks, a trip he now calls a "fact-finding" mission.

(U.S. code 18 U.S.C. 953, declares it illegal for a U.S. citizen to go abroad and negotiate with a foreign power.)

http://www.archive-news.net/Kerry/JK_timeline.html

a) A person charged with absence without leave or missing movement in time of war,
or with any offense punishable by death,
may be tried at any time without limitation.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm#*%20843.%20ART.%2043.%20STATUTE%20OF%20LIMITATIONS

Distribute these url's!

Links to Anti Kerry sites
212 LINKS
News reports,
Viper's Vietnam Veterans Page

http://members.aol.com/ga1449ga/links/links.html


EXPOSE HANOI KERRY!

MUST SEE WEBSITE!!!!

http://www.kerrystreason.com/index.html

Full details on these url's!

http://stophanoikerry.150m.com

There is a backup site
if the 1st url is unavailable.

http://tonkin.spymac.net/hanoikerry1.html

Did you see this...?
(The 'Kerry's Promise Counter')
http://polipundit.com/index.php?p=6628
Polipundit even tells you how to install it on your own page!

[demkicker]

Wow, you win! Your post is profound. And besides that, you taught me a new word, nihilism. When I looked it up on Dictionary.com my jaw dropped. I didn't know there was such a word that encapsulates the Democrat party so well. Thanks...

[My2Cents]

I think her actions do make it far easier to understand why he enlisted in the first place. Imagine that, she's living with the knowledge that he enlisted IN SPITE of her

Having been treated to the sights and sounds of the Grieving Mother for the past couple of weeks, I'm inclined to believe that her son enlisted not simply in spite of her, but also because of her, in order to get away from her. That would be a huge burden to carry, and for that, I genuinely feel sorry for her. I hope she gets the psychological and spiritual help she desparately needs.

[Cyber Liberty]

I think she's going to snap, and it's not going to be a pretty sight.

[CometBaby]

Cindy Sheehan initially had the moral authority. She was a mother who had lost a child and America could sympathize with that.

The more she opened her big mouth, it become clear that she has an extremist agenda and is willing to USE her son's death, for political purposes. She is not being USED by the left .. she is out there saying this stuff willingly. Her husband is divorcing her and her extended family has asked her to stop. All that initial sympathy is turning to DISGUST.

This is just another low class publicity stunt by the left. Everything they try these days backfires on them, and this will too. That is precisely why you won’t see many top level Democrats coming out in support of her. When the bottom falls out, Cindy Sheehan will not have much left .. not her son, not her husband, and not her extended family .. and you can bet that the Democrats who have exploited this, will DROP HER LIKE A DIRTY SHIRT!

[demkicker]

I am curious as to why none of the media has contacted the people he served with to get THEIR impression of what he thought about the war and his military service;

Now Howlin, you know the media isn't interested in the truth although its nice to pretend they are.