Heroes Of 9/11 Pull Plug On Mother Sheehan

Sweetness & Light ^ | September 19, 2005 | N/A

[Sam Hill]

The latest news for parrots about Cindy from the sidewalk give-away Village Voice:

Al Zappala and Mother Sheehan, breaking the law in New York City

NYPD Unplugs Cindy Sheehan
City’s Finest pulls move even Bush wouldn’t have tried by Sarah Ferguson
September 19th, 2005 5:54 PM

Cindy Sheehan may be the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement. But that didn't stop members of the New York Police Department from marching into the crowd of about 150 people gathered in Union Square Monday to hear her speak and yanking away the microphone.

The NYPD pulled the plug just as Sheehan was calling on the audience not to lose heart in the fight to end the war in Iraq.

"We get up every morning, and every morning we see this enormous mountain in front of us," said Sheehan, speaking on behalf of the other parents and family members of fallen soldiers who have taken up the crusade to bring the troops home.

"We can't go through it, we can't go under it, so we have to go over it," she continued, just as the cops rushed the makeshift podium.

Police dragged away Paul Zulkowitz, a.k.a. Zool, an organizer with “Camp Casey New York,” the small encampment that he and other activists helped set up a month ago in Union Square in solidarity with Sheehan’s vigil outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. The New York branch existed much to the ire of the city’s Parks Department. Today, Zulkowitz was arrested for failing to obtain a sound permit—a charge that normally warrants no more than a summons.

Moments earlier, Zulkowitz had been chastising Parks officials for refusing to grant a permit to the encampment, and accusing the police of trying to harass the antiwar protest away. Contrasting the liberal Big Apple with the hostile environs Sheehan faced in Crawford, Zulkowitz told the crowd: "You would think that here in New York City, at Union Square—our Hyde Park—you would think that we would little difficulty having a 24-hour vigil to oppose the war. In fact, we've had two arrests and eight summonses and endless harassment from the police for doing what we do."

As the activists hustled away Sheehan and the other family members on the Bring Them Home Now Tour, an enraged crowd of about 50 people stormed after the police, chanting, "Shame! Shame!" Meanwhile Iraq war veteran and now peace activist [Cindy's constant escort and attack dog, gay Marine] Jeff Key played "God Bless America" on his trumpet.

"Since when can't you talk out here in Union Square?" demanded an Upper West Side social worker who identified herself as Quha, who said she'd taken her lunch break to hear Sheehan because she has a 19-year-old son who is considering enlisting. "I've seen everyone and their mother come out and speak nonsense out here in this park, and for them to shut down Cindy Sheehan is just not right."

"They came in like gangbusters. It was really ridiculous," said Margaret Rapp, a retired teacher from Inwood who added that she planned to file a complaint after an officer forcibly shoved her in the chest. A mother of a 19-year-old, she said she'd come to hear Sheehan because she lost her fiancee during the Vietnam War. "This is very close to home. There is a chord that Cindy hits among people that have lost people in this war and other wars, or who have draft age children like me. We're scared to death.”

Inspector Michael McEnroy, commander of the 13th Precinct, insisted the shutdown order had nothing to do with the content of Sheehan’s speech, but was instead about the "provocation" caused by Zulkowitz. “This has been going on for much longer than today,” McEnroy said, adding of Sheehan, “I don’t even know the woman.” That last part prompted one pissed-off onlooker to shoot back: “Haven’t you watched the news or read a paper in the last three months? ”

Sheehan has been touring the country for the last month with members of Gold Star Families for Peace, Military Families Speak out, and Iraq Veterans Against the War. They will be speaking tonight at 6:30 at St. John the Divine (Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street), part of the lead up to Saturday’s big anti-war march in Washington, D.C.

As noted by the police in the article, this is not "Zool's" first run-in with New York's finest. From the police blotter of another sidewalk giveaway sheet, The Villager:

Camp Casey Bust

According to a police spokesperson, Paul Zulkowitz, 49, was arrested at Union Square’s south plaza on Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m. after he was observed erecting a shack and refused to desist. Zulkowitz was charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and one more charge the spokesperson did not identify.

Zulkowitz, who goes by the name zool and said he lives at the East New York Green Tea House, an artists and activists’ collective in Brooklyn, said he had had a discussion with the commanding officer of the 13th Precinct, who was at the scene with undercover officers; then, Zulkowitz said, he sat down on a small pup tent and was arrested. Zulkowitz said his group has a Parks Department permit to camp out for 19 hours a day, with the exception of from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., when the park is closed.

They are camping out in solidarity with Cindy Sheehan, who is vigiling outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Tex., asking to meet with Bush and calling for an end to the Iraq war. Zulkowitz said angrily, “Cindy Sheehan is holding her vigil outside George Bush’s ranch in Texas, and here in supposedly the most liberal city in the United States, we cannot exercise our First Amendment rights.” Zulkowitz said he was also charged with erecting a shack. He said the permit allows them to have a table, and that they have a table, a gazebo, a display, a banner and two tents.

But as we all know by now, rules are for little people. Not for Mother Sheehan and her glory-seeking glorious comrades.

[Sam Hill]

I really don't feel like being sidetracked by this now, or sidetracking this thread, but it is a well-known fact.

Even the liberal-run Wikipeadia touch on it:

"The NAACP had additionally considered but rejected some earlier protesters deemed unable or unsuitable to withstand the pressure of a legal challenge to segregation laws (see Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith). The selection of Parks for a test case supported by the NAACP has been speculated to be in part because she was employed by the NAACP."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks

[cwb]

She's certainly becoming history with some Democrats. Just listening to Mary Ann Marsh on O'Reilly's show, reveals a complete 180 on her previous views of Sheehan. While she still thinks Bush should've met with Cindy, she now concedes (after is Hillary is attacked) that Sheehan is getting ridiculous. Of course, she doesn't think Hillary should meet with Sheehan.

[Skywarner]

"Looks like Sheehan GOT THE ZOT

Ping to that!!

[skr]

Vigil, yet another noun turned into a verb.

[BookmanTheJanitor]

....demanded an Upper West Side social worker who identified herself as Quha, who said she'd taken her lunch break to hear Sheehan because she has a 19-year-old son who is considering enlisting

Sure. It's amazing how many of these peace activists have children who enlisted or are considering enlisting in the miltary.

[nopardons]

Hooooooooooooooray for the NYPD! :-)

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

sindee! hanoi jane and I are so proud
of you and fat boy!
you are good lil commies!

[Guenevere]

I just heard a Dem talking head (on Bill O'Reilly)...distance herself.....really distance herself from mothersheehan too!

Cindy!...Your 15 minutes are up!

[wtc911]

Rush said it three minutes after I posted it on another thread (verifiable)....I hate it when he reads my mail

[johniegrad]

"I want you in me"

Sorry, I don't think there's room for anyone else in there.

From when she actually was a fox.

[Cate]

Gee, if they all jobs, there wouldn't have been any idjits out speaking today. Hmm... doing something to contribute POSITIVELY to society or stand outside illegally and yammer on.....

[Sam Hill]

I think they believe "vigiling" sounds better than "stalking."

[silverleaf]

Isn't Zool a minion of Gozer?

[Grizzled Bear]

Since a white man tried to kick Rosa Parks out of a seat in the "colored" section I still have some difficulty seeing this as a planned protest.

I never knew she worked for the NAACP. Thanks for the info!

Also; Comparing Cindy Sheehan to Rosa Parks as a true protester for doing right is like comparing Michael Moore to Mel Gibson as a director.

[AlaskaErik]

Cindy Sheehan may be the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement.

Rosa Parks had a legitimate protest of a true injustice. Cindy Sheehan is nothing more than a media whore. To equate her with Rosa Parks is like comparing Adolph Hitler with George Washington.

[since1868]

Thanks for the ping.

[jonrick46]

In one of the liberal of all cities, the police do know their liberals: give them an inch and they will take a mile. New York's finest will have their hands full with these yahoos if New York City is hit with a disaster like New Orleans.

[MikefromOhio]

no problem..

how do the aint's and the Jints look tonight?

[Sam Hill]

I think we're talking across each other here. I've sent you a PM via Freepmail.

[since1868]

just got home from work if u don't know jints up 14- 7
the aint's look prety good.