Casey Sheehan Was Not a Helpless Child(Mark Steyn Opines)

The Orange County Register ^ | August 26, 2005 | Mark Steyn

[kellynla]

Cindy Sheehan's son Casey died in Sadr City last year, and that fact is supposed to put her beyond reproach. For as The New York Times' Maureen Dowd informed us: "The moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute."

Really? Well, they're not children killed in Iraq; they're grown-ups who made their own decision to join the military. That seems to be difficult for the left to grasp.

Ever since America's all-adult, all-volunteer army went into Iraq, the anti-war crowd has made a sustained effort to characterize them as "children." If a 13-year old wants to have an abortion, that's her decision and her parents shouldn't get a look-in. If a 21-year old wants to drop to the broadloom in Bill Clinton's Oval Office, she's a grown woman and free to do what she wants. But, if a 22- or 25- or 37-year old is serving his country overseas, he's a wee "child" who isn't really old enough to know what he's doing.

I get many e-mails from soldiers in Iraq, and they sound a lot more grown-up than most Ivy League professors and certainly than Maureen Dowd, who writes like she's auditioning for a minor supporting role in "Sex And The City." The infantilization of the military promoted by the left is deeply insulting to America's warriors but it suits the anti-war crowd's purposes. It enables them to drone ceaselessly that "of course" they "support our troops," because they want to stop these poor confused moppets from being exploited by the Bush war machine.

[kellynla]

Mike Shelton, Orange County Register

[samadams2000]

If the Register went statewide they could shut down all the other newspapers in Kali overnight. THe Slimes, The Jerkyourknee news, The comical..Excremento Bee.... Often wondered why a conservative newspaper hasnt stepped into the void.

[parabellum]

i look at cindy sheehans eyes,and you can see her going off the deep end.the anti-war crowd is going to chew her up and spit her out.then she'll be left with nothing but her grief.anyone want to bet on her odds after that?my son just got out of the army.he was proud of his service in the 159th aviation battalion.like the man said,he's an adult.big boys get killed in combat.people don't join the army to go to college,although some do.they join to jump out of airplanes,shoot machine guns,and blow stuff up.si vis pacem,para bellum

[musicman]

kellynla, Great Cartoon !!

pookie18, one for 8/27/05 toons??

All...(for those who haven't seen post#2)..BTTT !!

[SaxxonWoods]

I support the war, but I don't support the troops.

Heh.

[sgtbono2002]

*****For as The New York Times' Maureen Dowd informed us: "The moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute."

---

If Maureen Dowd believes that, How come she denies the moral authority of the Hundreds of American Mothers who's sons have died,Who feel that their sons served their country and their CIC well, while settling on the moral authority of this nut.

[Nathan Zachary]

[dandiegirl]

I just heard on a local talk radio show here in Dallas that family members of Casey Sheehan said that he enlisted to get away from her(Mom Cindy) because she was extremely controlling and had a foul, abusive mouth. This was said by the woman that leads the "Cindy Sheehan doesn't speak for me" rally. She was reading it.

[sgtbono2002]

I kind of figured that might have something to do with it.

In a normal person the fact that the person more or less drove their son from the house would cause extreme mental anguish, But not with Cindy, she is using him now to pursue the same things that ran him off. Another reason Dad took off.

[onef]

ping

[Charlespg]

wonder what would happen if her family decided to call a press conference in Crawford and publicly condemned her

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Often wondered why a conservative newspaper hasnt stepped into the void.

I've wondered myself - and more than that, I have done some serious cogitating on the question. My conclusion is that

• it is very profitable for a journalist to be considered to be objective.

• the way to have the PR ability to establish a reputation for being objective is to go along and get along with other journalists who also want to be considered to be objective.

• staking a claim to a reputation for a virtue such as objectivity (or wisdom) has been recognized as arrogance ever since Socrates invented philosophy. And being unwilling to point out the flaws in other journalists' work amounts to cowardice.

• Deadlines are simply an entertainment imperative - equivalent to "the show must go on." Deadlines impose superficial constraints on what is chosen as a subject and how thoroughly the subject is researched.

• "If it bleeds it leads" does not describe what is important but what will sell newspapers. It really means that journalism is negative - negative towards the people and institutions which make society function. Negativity which boils down to institutionalized second guessing.

I think the bottom line is that "objective" journalism is inherently cynical and bullying - and that John O'Sullivan is correct. "O’Sullivan’s First Law" states that

"All organizations that are not actually right-wing will over time become left-wing."

For the simple reason that it takes courage and principle to motivate anyone to resist the bullying of "objective" journalism. And that the punishment "objective" journalism inflicts on courageous, principled opposition is to label it "right-wing."

Why Broadcast Journalism is
Unnecessary and Illegitimate

Cindy Sheehan, Rush Limbaugh, and CBS
August 22, 2005 | conservatism_IS_compassion

[Cecily]

Poor Casey, and poor remaining kids. Maybe the family will be better off if Axis Cindy relocates to SorosLand permanently.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>Maureen Dowd, who writes like she's auditioning for a minor supporting role in "Sex And The City.

That ought to leave a mark... :)

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I'd like to see that photo of Cindy's tearful face - captioned, "The Great Depression."

[goldstategop]

You have mother unable to come to terms with the reality her son died in the line of duty... defending our country. It was what he wanted. But she can't process her grief and she's still unable to move on with her life. The longer she makes her son's corpse a crutch for her leftist views, the longer it will take for her to accept the fact he lived and died on his own terms. Casey Sheehan was a patriot. Its too bad his own mother won't accept that his death had meaning.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[kellynla]

Cindy Sheehan was against the war before her son reenlisted.
And he DID REENLIST after the war started.

Cindy Sheehan is just a puppet of the Leftist MSM.(more of the antiwar crowd left over and descendants of the anti Viet Nam war crowd.LOL)
Notice that not one, not one 'Rat politician has come to her side. She is nuttier than a fruit cake!

[Terpfen]

The Washington Times, and The Wall Street Journal come to mind.

[beaversmom]

This is a good one if you haven't already read it. Mark Steyn ping.