Posted on 08/30/2005 11:33:27 AM PDT by Choose Ye This Day
Rush transcript of NPR's Neil Conan, speaking by phone with Cindy Sheehan:
NC: Very nice of you to be with us today.
CS: [cheerfully] Oh, thank youuu!
NC: I know that you were, uh, out in California last week because your mother was ill. How’s she doing?
CS: Um, she’s doing better. They’re trying to keep her from having another stroke. And if she doesn’t have another stroke, she should be able to recover.
NC: That’s good news. Now, tell us, a little bit about your son, Casey.
CS: My son Casey was an amazing human being. He was gentle, loving, peaceful, sweet. He always just wanted to help people. He was an Eagle Scout and an altar boy for ten years. He had been in college for three years before he was recruited. He was just, uh, an almost perfect son and a really good big brother to his two sisters and his other brother.
NC: Why did he decide to join the Army?
CS: Well, he got lied to by his recruiter. His recruiter made him five promises that he broke all the promises to Casey. Casey was a very trusting and trustworthy person. So, he felt everyone else was trustworthy. Especially somebody who represents the government.
NC: Mmm hmmm. But, so, did he say afterwards, “I was duped?”
CS: Um, he, he, when we’d ask him about all these things that your recruiter promised you, he’s just say, “Well, Mom, you know, it’s the Army. They didn’t tell us they didn’t have to fulfill their promises. We were the only ones who had to fulfill our promises.”
NC: Mmm hmm. And did he write you letters about what he was doing in Iraq?
CS: Well, he was only there five days before he was killed. He started one letter that he never finished, and we got it back with his things.
NC: What did it say?
CS: Um…well, I’ll give you the general thing, but it was kind of personal. Y’know, he said that, um…it should be a pretty smooth year, that they were looking forward to a smooth year. And he was killed four days later. And he said that he wished he could be home for his sister’s graduation. And some other personal things.
NC: Um, and of course, I don’t want to get too personal, but…I wonder: When he was deciding to join the Army, did you try to talk him out of it?
CS: We didn’t have a chance because he joined before he talked to us.
NC: Before he talked. So, he made a choice of his own.
CS: [pause] Right.
NC: Um, now, you were…
CS: [not so cheerfully] But does that have to do with him being sent to a war that’s illegal and immoral to kill people and get killed for, um, a country that was no threat or harm to the United States of America?
NC: Uhhh…no. But, he wasn’t drafted. He made a choice of free will.
CS: Yeah, and if we give our children to the government to serve their country, we should make sure that they’re only used if it’s absolutely necessary to defend the United States of America.
NC: I wonder, now, you got a chance to meet with President Bush with a group of other families for a brief time. What happened in that meeting?
CS: Ummm…I’ve talked about this a lot. Do we have to talk about this? Do you have any questions about what’s going on right now or what we’re gonna do in the future?
NC: I’m just curious; I’ve not heard your answer to this.
CS: Um, excuse me?
NC: I’ve not heard your answer, if you wouldn’t mind.
CS: [someone speaking in background] I have two minutes.
NC: [amazed] You have two minutes.
CS: I have two minutes so…he was—George Bush acted like we were at a tea party, he was rude to us, and we felt worse than we did after we met with him.
NC: Mm hmm. Um, I didn’t realize you just had two minutes. We thought we had more time with you today, but, uh…I did want to ask. I know you’re planning to, when President Bush comes back to Washington, you’re planning to continue the protest here in Washington D.C.
CS: Yeah, we’re taking the bus tour to Washington D.C. and we’re all meeting there on September 24 for the big United for Peace and Justice…um, war protest.
NC: And you did get a chance to meet with some of his senior advisors a couple of weeks ago. Did you get a chance—did they listen to you, or did they talk to you?
CS: He-hello?
NC: Did they listen to you? Or did they talk to you?
CS: Hello?
NC: Yes. Hi?
CS: [clear as a bell] I didn’t hear your question, I’m sorry. We have a really bad connection.
NC: I apologize for that. It’s the cell—
CS: That’s not your fault. I’m in the middle of Crawford, so, you know, it’s very spotty cell phone service out here.
NC: I understand. I was asking about your meeting with some of the President’s chief advisors, including the National Security Advisor. In that meeting, did they, did they listen to you?
CS: Um, they listened to me and they talked to me. They tried to tell me things that I knew weren’t true, and so finally I said, “Just because I’m a grieving mother doesn’t mean that I am stupid.” And I said, “I don’t believe you guys are stupid either.” So we ended the meeting and they said they would pass on my concerns to the president, and then…they left.
NC: So you felt like you were being dismissed.
CS: I felt like I was being patronized.
NC: Patronized.
CS: And I felt that they thought that they were gonna be able to intimidate me into leaving, and, or impress me by the high level of officials that they sent.
NC: What would you say to President Bush if you had another chance to meet him?
CS: I’d say, what was the noble cause he sent my son to die for? And, why are soldiers still fighting over there when we know this war is based on lies, and to tell him to quit using my son’s name to justify the continued killing.
NC: As you know, there are parents of other men and women who died in Iraq who say you’re using their sons’ and daughters’ names in your cause.
CS: To stop the killing? You know, just because my son’s killed, why should I want any other children to be killed? Why would I want any other families to be going through this and this seems to be the President’s reason for continuing the war because he’s killed so many American soldiers already he has to kill more. And I believe that’s the most insane and the most immoral reason for continuing the war.
NC: I understand what you’re saying, but, they say you don’t speak for them.
CS: I never said I spoke for them. I never said I spoke for 100% of the military families. I never claimed to. I know they have their opinions and I believe that’s their right to their opinions.
NC: Fair enough. Do you st—You’ve come out…A lot of statements have been attributed to you as this…Camp Casey has grown, as this movement has grown, and uh…
CS: I gotta, I have to go now. Thank youuuu. [click]
NC: [dumbfounded] Cindy Sheehan. Leaving us there in Crawford, Texas. We apologize for that. We had arranged with people there to speak with Cindy Sheehan for the remainder of this segment and take some phone calls as well. Uh, evidently, plans changed at the last minute and we apologize for that.
"I love how Crazy Cindy continues to refer to HERSELF as a grieving mother in interviews."
Yes, that's very weird and dissociative. This woman needs psychiatric care, it's quite obvious. She's completely abandoned her three other children in this bizarre quest. It's almost like she only loved Casey, and now that he's gone her life is ruined. Very sick stuff, but people have gone insane before over smaller things.
I was very angry with her at first, and in a way, of course, I still am. But I feel sorry for her too now, and very sorry for the rest of her family.
Joining us now is Gary Qualls. He's the father of Marine Reservist Louis Qualls who died in Fallujah, Iraq, in November of 2004. He lives in Temple, Texas, and he's set up a counterencampment.
And, Mr. Qualls, nice of you to join us today.
Mr. GARY QUALLS (Louis Qualls' Father): How are you doing today, sir?
CONAN: I'm very well. Tell us a little bit about your son.
Mr. QUALLS: Louis was raised in a Christian environment. I've been--most of my time I've been a single parent raising two boys what best I can, and I lost my son in the battle for! Fallujah, and he's followed through a military background. That's al l I've ever done is worked with the federal government and the military. I did 28 years. And he, too, wanted to serve, and he looked at me as his hero, and this man and all the other who serve, they're my heroes. They've stood forth and they've gone to fight terrorism, which was brought to this country, and we can't afford to sit around and wait to have another 3,000 or another 3,000. We have to fight this and follow this course through.
CONAN: When you say another 3,000, you're referring to the deaths on September the 11th?
Mr. QUALLS: Yes, sir. And even one of the 9/11 survivors are out here supporting the movement that's here--and not on Cindy Sheehan's side.
CONAN: No, I understand. What prompted you to speak out like this?
Mr. QUALLS: Say again?
CONAN: What prompted you to decide to speak out like this?
Mr. QUALLS: Well, my first phone call on--you know, I had listened to the news and I had heard about Cindy Sheehan being out here protesting which, you know, she had all that right--and then I found out that she represented a site that was called Gold Star Families for Peace. Well, I had went on her Web site and I had found her cell phone number and I had called her up, and through--you know, I had introduced myself and through a casual conversation I then asked her if she could--you know, if I could ask her a question, and she said, " yes". I asked her to explain her motives and what she was trying to gain by protesting at President Bush's ranch, and all of a sudden there was a hostile voice that came back on and she started tapping on the phone voice emitter and she started saying, "Hello, hello. We have a communication problem here. Hello, hello?" And then she hung up on me. And immediately right afterward I called back up, she never would answer her phone. So I left her a voicemail message, and I gave her...you know, told her how rude she was and inconsiderate. That was impolite and very un-American.
CONAN: I can testify; We just had an experience a few minutes ago. Cell phone service in Crawford is not terrific.
Mr. QUALLS: Right. Well, when you're way out there in the middle, there's one thing about it--and she did try to say that she lost a signal with me, which I know that wasn't true because she said she was en route to Dallas.
I think the expiration date on this idiot's usefulness is coming up real soon.
What do you suppose she'll do when she's been dumped by her new-best-friends?
I think the limelight has blinded her.
Moot point since he also reenlisted. This lady really stutters unless she reads statements.
Here she had the king of the softball league...tossing mostly easy questions. NPR was prepared to help really show more of her case. But the commentator started to shift gears on her...and she wasn't capable enough to grasp that. What you saw was someone who probably has smoked a bit of weed in her life...I've seen educated people like this...not able to fully use verbage or grasp conversational changes. She couldn't move onto to sub-topics. There were things that she simply wasn't going to talk about and had no real verbage to avoid that. Even the NPR host grasped the limited abilities of Cindy. I think the obvious question to pose to Cindy next time is "just how much weed have you smoked in your life", and watch for a quick topic change.
CINDY SHEEHAN: "My son told me not to worry. He signed up for the other army, the one with the condos and the weekend excursions to exotic places.”
"He signed up for the other army, the one with the condos and the weekend excursions to exotic places.”
Isn't that the Navy?
PS: maybe there are just a lot of unresolved issues between Cindy and her son. I read his answers to her as rather evasive. Maybe this is why she's so nutzo about his death. Because, you know, I can see how that would be a killer. Her neediness and rage are truly frightening to see.
I don't know how to ping this to everyone who posted here, but they should listen to the part of the interview just before Cindy says, "I have two minutes" with their speakers loud.
She says very clearly, "This guy's a dick". Another freeper found it, and if you listen for it, it's quite clear.
How can you stretch the truth when everything is written down. My son READ and then signed his papers. He also negotiated certain things into the contract.
I just heard this. Amazing.
I sent it on to Rush, but it might be too blue to play on air.
Oh my word no! A recruiter wouldn't lie!
Let me guess, his commander lied when he re-upped too, right Cindy?
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