Posted on 08/20/2005 4:27:02 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
A patriotic camp with a "God Bless Our President!" banner sprung up downtown Saturday, countering the anti-war demonstration started by a fallen soldier's mother two weeks ago near President Bush's ranch.
The camp is named "Fort Qualls" in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, killed in Fallujah, Iraq, last fall. His father, Gary Qualls of Temple, said his 16-year-old son also wants to enlist, and he supports that decision.
"If I have to sacrifice my whole family for the sake of our country and world, other countries that want freedom, I'll do that," said Qualls, a friend of the local business owner who started the pro-Bush camp, Bill Johnson.
Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., started the war protest Aug. 6 off the road leading to Bush's ranch. It has grown to about 100 core participants, and hundreds more from across the nation have visited, many staying a few days.
Sheehan remained Saturday in Los Angeles, where she flew Thursday after her 74-year-old mother had a stroke. Her mother has some paralysis on her right side but is in good spirits, and if she improves Sheehan may return to Texas in a few days, some demonstrators said.
In her absence, the rest of the group will keep camping out for the unlikely chance to question the president about the war that has claimed the lives of about 1,850 U.S. soldiers. Sheehan's 24-year-old son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, died last year just five days after arriving in Iraq.
Sheehan had refused to leave until Bush talked to her or until the end of his monthlong vacation, scheduled for Sept. 3. Bush has said he sympathizes with Sheehan but won't change his schedule to meet with her. She and other families met with Bush about two months after Casey died, before she became a vocal opponent of the war.
Large counter-protests were held in a ditch near Sheehan's site a week after she arrived, and since then a few Bush supporters have stood in the sun holding signs for several hours each day.
But Johnson, who owns the town's biggest gift and souvenir store Yellow Rose, said he created "Fort Qualls" as a larger, more convenient place for Bush supporters. The tent and a trailer on a vacant lot beside his store will be staffed each day, but people will probably not sleep there.
"A lot of people saw a problem (with the war protest) and said there needs to be relief," Johnson said Saturday afternoon, as patriotic music played at the tent containing a life-size cardboard cutout of Bush.
Qualls gained attention last week when he went to Sheehan's camp, which has hundreds of crosses as a tribute to troops killed, and removed one bearing his son's name. But he said protesters keep replacing it; he has yanked two more crosses, saying the protesters' views are disrespectful to soldiers.
Johnson and others at "Fort Qualls" have asked for a debate with those at the Crawford Peace House, which is helping Sheehan.
It's unclear if that will happen. But a member of Gold Star Families for Peace, co-founded by Sheehan and comprised of relatives of fallen soldiers, said her group would not participate.
"We're asking for a meeting with the president, period," said Michelle DeFord, whose 37-year-old son, Sgt. David W. Johnson, was in the Army National Guard from Oregon when he was killed in Iraq last fall. "We don't want to debate with people who don't understand our point of view."
I would love to see something like that happen. How dare they use these names without permission of the families.
I heard on Rush's show the other day that when the family went to remove the cross these idiots started shouting that their son was a murderer. So I wondered, why would they set up a memorial to a bunch of 'murderers'?
Ought to get a small group, perhaps 3 family members and file a class action law suit.
Name Sheehan, Move On, et al.
Did anyone see this: "Soldiers Against Cindy Sheehan"
http://soldiersagainstcindysheehan.blogspot.com/2005/08/there-has-been-much-in-news-lately-on.html
I just emailed the link to my local TV news room. They will probably ignore it but at least they will know about it.
Very well said.
"We don't want to debate with people who don't understand our point of view."
Kind of sums up the whole liberal viewpoint, doesn't it?
One of them might as well say:
"We don't want to fight those who don't believe in freedom".
I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen. These people need to be stopped lawfully and in a way that will completely discredit them.
I wonder if having one's name copyrighted before they left for Iraq, (just in case the worst were to happen) would stop these ghouls from using one's name?
At least if they did, maybe the families could take them to court for copyright infringement. And stop them from using other people's children to further their misguided agendas.
So this is one of the "kids," "children," "boys and girls" being ripped from their mothers and forced to serve and die in the military?
Qualls gained attention last week when he went to Sheehan's camp, ... and removed one bearing his son's name. But he said protesters keep replacing it;
This is the most despicable action by these communist tools yet. They do not care about their dead family member. They only care about their politics and their desired defeat of PRESIDENT and the USA.
There needs to be a lawyer down there to file cease and desist orders, or whatever, on behalf of these families.
You can't fake this level of idiocy.
LOL!!! Yeah, kinda hard to speak to people that know the Truth and will fight you with the facts. How do you respond? The best you can come up with is screaming Freedom of Speech! and calling them Nazi's in rebuttal.
Qualls gained attention last week when he went to Sheehan's camp, which has hundreds of crosses as a tribute to troops killed, and removed one bearing his son's name. But he said protesters keep replacing it; he has yanked two more crosses, saying the protesters' views are disrespectful to soldiers.
Why don't they just replace the cross with the name of the guy that lost the race in Ohio? Put Kerry's name down there too. Sure, they are alive, but at least they won't haunt you from the grave for sullying their good name by using it in an anti war demonstration.
"If I have to sacrifice my whole family for the sake of our country and world, other countries that want freedom, I'll do that," said Qualls, a friend of the local business owner who started the pro-Bush camp, Bill Johnson.
Bless Him and his Family.
pinger ;)
FR's own Congressman Billybob has made quite an offer, which can be found in post #5 and is as follows:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1463880/posts
Letter to John Armor. Esq.:
We understand that the name of our son [NAME] is being used by Cindy Sheehan and others as part of an anti-war demonstration in Crawford, Texas. We deny any right of Ms. Sheehan to use the name of our son, and his death in Iraq, for any such purpose.
Therefore, we authorize John Armor, Esq., as our attorney in this matter, and authorize him to go to the site of this demonstration, go onto public property like any other citizen, and either remove the cross bearing the name of our son, or to obliterate his name on that cross, so his name is not associated in any way with that demonstration.
Enclosed is $1 to confirm that Mr. Armor is our legal representative in this matter, with full authority to speak and act in our behalf to protect the good name of our son, and of the nation for which we fought.
Signed, [PARENT] [PARENT]
Once I get at least 20 such letters in hand, I will go to Crawford to carry out those instructions. I will ask some of the larger and better-trained counter demonstrators to accompany me on this effort, as it is logical to expect that the Sheehan people will attempt violence to prevent me from carrying out these instructions.
I will also undertake this project on behalf of FreeRepublic, as well.
Eagles up.
Congressman Billybob
Excellent. Thanks for the link.
How DARE he remove their props?
Are the crosses still beside the road? Or did the whackadoodles move them to the ranch they are now invading.
It just goes to show you that their real agenda has nothing whatsoever to do with Casey.
Another lie: today on Fox News Fred Barnes and Juan Williams were discussing Cindy Sheehan et. al, and Juan said that, according to Cindy, her son, Casey, was having doubts about the mission to Iraq and was becoming disillusioned. I'd like to have proof! And no forged documents, please.
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.