Cindy Sheehan After Action Batavia,IL

I spent this morning helping prepare the Aurora Christian Center for approx. 200 Katrina refugees. The already aged hot water boiler had not been used in over 18 months and needed to be replaced, I helped with the installation. I also worked fixing leaky pipes with a fireman that had volunteered to go to Baghdad (to help train the Iraqi fire dept.), he could not begin to describe the depth of the conditions for women and children in Iraq, he said that we are doing great work there that is not being reported. I hope that in some small way my efforts will contribute to people being able to take the first hot shower they may have had since the hurricane landed.

This afternoon (on my way home) I stopped by the counter Cindy Sheehan demonstration outside Dennis Hastert’s office in Batavia. It makes me sad and a bit angry that the Sheehan parade is going around this country disgracing our men and women in uniform, who choose to put their lives on the line in defense of our freedom only to be trashed by one of their own parents. It’s right up there with burning the flag in my book. I respect their freedom of speech but I strongly disagree with the way they are using it to unravel the fabric of this great nation. The insult to the injury is the way their story is endlessly parroted by the MSM.

I am not sure what came over me but the WWII veterans in the pro-Bush crowd reminded me of the great sacrifice our nation has made in the past and it seems that the Sheehan crowd is advocating that we through it away and bow to the whim of the likes of Saddam. Perhaps the thought of those voices now silenced, that these people claim to speak for, compelled me to shout in their name. I found myself yelling almost screaming “What about my freedom of speech?”. I didn’t feel that my freedom of speech had been impinged, I must have been thinking about the thousands of men killed on the beaches of Normandy in the first moments of the landing. I think that’s what they would have yelled.

Of the other things I can remember:

They had someone trying to sing a peace song that was answered by a rousing God Bless America rendition from our group. It started out and finished strong but we got a bit weak around the “white with foam” part.

Some guy in a uniform claiming to be non-partisan got up to complain about the lack of up armored humvees in Iraq and insufficient appropriations for the VA. Afterward some one in our group asked him several times “What are you running for?” I saw a small smile crack. It came out that he has run for an office. I didn’t hear which one through the noise but he will probably be running again and I can guess his platform is not so non-partisan.

One of our group noticed a NOW sign and shouted “What in God’s name does this have to do with abortion” the guy with the sign then did his best to hide it. We told him that he was at the wrong rally and the NOW rally was tomorrow. Our crowd then began chanting “abortionists for peace”.

After the rally I spoke with a couple that had emigrated from Poland. We talked about how Americans take freedom for granted, they don’t fault us for it (some of us having grown up with it our entire lives) they feel it’s their duty to open our eyes to the reality of socialism and communism. The gentleman mentioned that if this was Poland every one who spoke negatively against the president would be jailed for at least 72 hours. The lady asked me what would cause people to risk their lives to leave communism and others to risk their lives to enter America. You will probably see her on Fox news tonight, She spoke quite eloquently and passionately into the camera. I was too hoarse from shouting and a bit shy when it comes to the bright lights to interview.

I think it was an overall success because the (though smaller) pro-Bush crowd was so energized compared to the somewhat lethargic Sheehan group. They started out strong clapping and cheering but I think we really took the wind out of their sails.

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