Posted on 08/19/2005 1:28:39 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
'No one is so senseless as to choose of his own will war rather than peace, since in peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons."
So spoke Croesus, king of Lydia, to Cyrus, king of the Persians in 550 B.C., as told by the Greek historian Herodotus. It should be noted that Croesus, having just been defeated in battle at the hands of Cyrus, was pleading for his life, so his eloquence may have been somewhat self-serving. But the point is that it's especially tragic for parents to see their children die prematurely, from any means.
Cindy Sheehan is the woman camped out at George W. Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch, demanding a private meeting to harangue the president about what she calls his "murderous" war in Iraq. Sheehan's son, U.S. Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in action in Sadr City, Iraq, in April 2004. All Americans of goodwill sympathize with her loss. Her grief is understandable. Thousands of other parents have suffered similar losses since 9/11, and millions before that, throughout our nation's history.
But Sheehan's grief doesn't lend any special credibility to her political beliefs. While she's free to speak her mind, those who disagree with her are every bit as free to criticize her views and tactics.
She's the one picking a fight. Sheehan isn't just a critic; she's a hysterical Bush-hater. Speaking on Aug. 8, she fired up a crowd of sympathetic activists calling Bush a "lying bastard" and "filth-spewer," among other things. And when she gets to Crawford, she raved, "I'm gonna tell them, 'You get that evil maniac out here . . .' 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, bull----. '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 that my son died to spread the cancer of Pax Americana, imperialism in the Middle East. You get America out of Iraq; you get Israel out of Palestine.' " I doubt if even Bill Clinton could have charmed this woman.
Listen, there may be wing nuts like Michael Moore who believe this kind of enraged, simplistic drivel but none who deserve to be taken seriously. Imagine John Kerry talking like this during the presidential campaign.
Casey Sheehan's sacrifice for his country doesn't oblige the rest of us to suffer, in silence, his mother's ranting. Other mothers who have lost sons and daughters in this war and who continue to believe in the cause and support the president have used their standing to appropriately criticize Sheehan.
Sheehan, a self-described liberal Democrat who opposed the Iraq war long before her son died, is co-founder of an activist group called Gold Star Families for Peace. On its Web site is the familiar trident "peace symbol," dating back to the "Ban the Bomb" movement in England during the 1950s, the standard insignia of leftist anti-war activists ever since.
Gold Star Families for Peace is not to be confused with American Gold Star Mothers, an organization created in 1929, inspired by President Woodrow Wilson's authorization in, 1918, of the display of gold stars on the service flags and armbands of family members to honor soldiers who died during World War I. On its Web site, American Gold Star Mothers has posted this disclaimer: "Cindy Sheehan is currently in the news. She and her organization have no connection whatever with American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. We . . . do not engage in political activities. We do support our troops. After all, they are our children."
Casey Sheehan joined the Army of his own volition. Then he re-enlisted to serve in Iraq. His mother might have preferred that he join the American Friends Service Committee, a pacifist Quaker organization opposed to this and all other wars. He didn't.
Before he went to Iraq, Cindy Sheehan says she offered to take him to Canada, to desert the Army. As if a 23-year-old soldier, an adult, needs to be taken by his mother's hand to run away from his duty, his responsibilities and his country. Casey rejected her offer. The gesture, if it really happened as she claims, speaks volumes about Cindy Sheehan's ideology and state of mind. Her grief has metastasized into bitterness and rage as she turns her son's coffin into her own soapbox. Is that what Casey would have wanted? Or is this all about her?
Mike Rosen's radio show airs daily from 9 a.m. to noon on 850 KOA.
I have not yet weighed in on Cindy Sheehan on FR. However I think what is going on is quite sad. What we are all witnessing is a woman melting down in front of the national media. And people who have no scruples like Michael Moore are taking advantage of Sheehan's meltdown, for their own political gain. The statements from Sheehan herself are becoming more and more deranged. Like the idea that a neighbor of President Bush was firing his shot gun to intimidate the protesters. I think this guy was firing his shot gun, because like most folks he was tired of having a rabble camped outside of his property.
Spot on! Look at any of the recent Democrat campaigns and you see fear and victimhood. Their campaigns are designed to scare people into voting Democrat. "If the Republicans win, such and such will happen to you". It is never about hope with a vision to the future and how the Democrats can help to create that future. The Party creates victim groups, women, gays, blacks, other minorities, the elderly and even subgroups within those, and then tailors its message of fear to that group.
"Casey Sheehan's sacrifice for his country doesn't oblige the rest of us to suffer, in silence, his mother's ranting"
Nails it.
If you observe this spectacle truly a train wreck of a Family and the debasement of their Son's death. Cindy's Divorce from a Liberal Democrat Husband her other Son pleading for her to come home. You cannot but be energized with the understanding that this is the mindset of the "Progressives" in the Democratic Party. They will exploit anyone,tell any lie, commit any crime, even treason to get back into power. Their allies in the Media will also tell any lie to support the party line. They are unfit to govern again. More of us who are Democrats have broken ranks with our party and voted Republican.
As our party gave us no other option. And are acting more and more unhinged, insane,angry, and incapable of rational thought. It is all about them. Their feelings their wants the country be damned. This is good news for the Republicans. Sadly they cannot see this our even fathom it.
The more they engage in this type of deception the more they dig their own grave.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.