Can't get much more American than that: brand new John Deere ballcap, brand new Marine T-shirt and brand new blue jeans. Whoo! Now, there's a real American patriot! /sarc
Posted on 08/25/2005 1:01:05 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CRAWFORD - With singing and tears, protest mom Cindy Sheehan returned to her vigil near President Bush's ranch Wednesday, less than a week after leaving to care for her ailing mother.
Alighting with an armful of flowers from a van that brought her from the airport, Sheehan's first act on returning was to find the cross with her son's name on it amid dozens set in the ground at her new campsite.
"Does anybody know where Casey's cross is?" Sheehan said.
She placed the flowers, then joined other mothers of fallen service members for a group hug.
Rick Burnley, a New Mexico poet with bare feet and long, salt-and-pepper hair, played a Jethro Tull song on a soprano recorder while a small clutch of women sobbed and hugged Sheehan.
"This is the center of the world," Burnley said.
Asked later how it felt to be back at "Camp Casey," Sheehan gave two thumbs up. Her supporters, who have dwindled significantly in numbers during her absence, are hoping that Sheehan's return will rejuvenate their anti-war effort by bringing more attention back to Crawford.
Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, is demanding a meeting with Bush so he can explain his statements that the war is a noble cause. She is vowing to remain at her encampment near the Western White House until he meets with her or returns to Washington.
In downtown Crawford, meanwhile, another grieving parent is gaining attention.
Gary Qualls, a Temple man whose son, Louis, was killed in Iraq, came to Crawford as a protest to Sheehan's protest. A soft-spoken veteran and Bush supporter, Qualls is presiding over an orderly series of tents dubbed "Fort Qualls" behind the Yellow Rose gift shop.
"I am here to bring back and keep respect for fallen heroes and for President Bush," Qualls said.
Opposition on the way
Of his counterparts at Camp Casey, Qualls said, "It's more than apparent they have come here to wage war against decent people."
This weekend, a caravan of demonstrators opposed to Sheehan's vigil are due to arrive in Crawford from San Diego. The "You Don't Speak for Us, Cindy" tour is expected to bring at least 10,000 more demonstrators to this tiny ranching community.
Gregg Garvey, whose son, Justin, was killed in Iraq, drove up to Crawford from Florida and pulled into town on Tuesday. He and Qualls have both retrieved from Sheehan's camp the memorial crosses bearing their sons' names.
"It didn't make me feel good that my son's cross was sitting in a ditch," Garvey said.
The two crosses joined those of several others whose parents also objected to Sheehan's memorial, in a small patch of dirt in front of the Fort Qualls tent.
Dueling protests
The two dueling protests have grown intensely hostile, with each side sharply criticizing how the other has chosen to grieve. Much of the back-and-forth has centered on the hundreds of small white crosses that Sheehan's camp built as part of their anti-war protest.
Qualls, who has challenged Sheehan to a debate, grows teary and emotional when describing his shock on learning his son, a Marine, was killed in Fallujah.
"The people on this side are righteous," Qualls said of his supporters and those in town to show support for Bush and the troops. "I have to stand up for what's right."
Barry Crimmins, a writer for the liberal radio network Air America, has been covering the Sheehan vigil and said he believes her efforts are serving as a "flashpoint" for a growing, national anti-war effort.
"They've turned Bush's vacation home into Baghdad airport," Crimmins said.
julie.mason@chron.com
This whole strange trip reminds me of the episode of King of the Hill when Hank embarrasingly and forelornly says to Bobby:
"No, Bobby...they're...er...hippies."
MY EARS! MY EARS! You should have posted a warning on that! That, my friend, should be listed in the audio dictionary as the definition for 'caterwauling'. I heard the first few lines and had to turn it off. Was that Joan Baez? If it was, she has lost any voice she ever had.
Rick Burnley, a New Mexico poet with bare feet and long, salt-and-pepper hair, played a Jethro Tull song on a soprano recorder while a small clutch of women sobbed and hugged Sheehan............
Someone needs to tell Mr. Burnley the 60's and 70's are in the past. The 21st century has arrived.
LOL! I love that show. All of life can be explained by watching "King of the Hill"!
I stand at attention, with my right hand over my heart, facing the American flag, with respect, admiration and gratitude to the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives of our brave service men and women who proudly fight for and defend the United States of America.
God bless you all. God bless President Bush. God bless America.
-Riptides
She looks like a she-male
10000 coming in for the anti-Cindy rally? That's awesome! Anyone know how many idiots are shacked up in Camp Casey?
One of the best shows on t.v. :)
I don't know if it's you or not, but I found the article to be fair and objective.
I especially like that the article, without taking sides, makes note that Sheehan et al are using the names of fallen troops against their families' wishes.
Thanks for the "stolen valor" type research.
Please, put a perversion alert on the link.
good catch, I didn't pay much attentio to her demeanor, I'm sick of her too much to pay that much attention to her photos.
... and anyone can buy and wear a t-shirt.
Screw the liars.
Andy--(USMC 69-75)
The deluded think they're the center of the world - sheesh.
Most are bought and paid for. Does anyone think Sheehan is paying her own expenses or airfare? The same is true of many of the others. At lots of protest like this the players fly in, hop in rented vans, and then go protest "big oil" or something similar. They get enough publicity to attrack local sympathizers but it is all arranged elsewhere.
Last week there was a picture of a different man messaging her her poor, tired feet.
I'm glad someone else caught that too.
They are begging for money again, I think this is just a big fund raising opportunity for them:
"According to Johnny Wolf, founder of The Peace House, most of the donations have been small. "But there have been so very, very many, we have been able to provide the tent, supplies to provide the meals, the kitchen facilities at Camp II, the supplies for both camps and The Peace House. We have used as many volunteers as possible to stretch the donations as far as we can. If new donations don't come in, by the time Cindy leaves, we expect to be almost bankrupt again."
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