impending buildup at the Crawford Ranch, protesters, that is

[Zlatko Waterman]

(Another daily post from my current super-heroine . . .)

Published on Saturday, August 13,2005 by HuffingtonPost.com



We Have the Power
By Cindy Sheehan

My day started way too early today. After 3 hours of sleep, I was being shaken awake by someone at 6:30 a.m. telling me that the Today show wanted me to be on. I had come into town to sleep in a trailer because my tent had been infested with fire ants.
We had a very interesting day. We had Bush drive by really, really fast twice. I caught a glimpse of Laura. I was hoping after she saw me that she would come down to Camp Casey with some brownies and lemonade. I waited for her, but she never came.

The Bushes were going to a barbeque/fundraiser down the road from us. I was very surprised that they let us stay so close to Bush. The families of the fallen loved ones held their son's crosses from Arlington West while Bush drove by. I bet it didn't even give him indigestion to see so many people protesting his murderous policies.

I am a continued thorn in the side of right-wing bloggers and right wing-nut "journalists." One man, Phil Hendry, called me an "ignorant cow." But you know what, the people who have come out from all over the country to give me a hug and support the cause of peace, overwhelms me so much, I don't have time to worry about the negativity and the hatred. The people who are slamming me have no idea about what it feels like to unjustly have a child killed in an insane war. Plus, they have no truth to fight truth with, so they fight truth with more lies and hate.

Three active duty soldiers from Ft. Hood came to visit me and tell me that they really appreciated what I was doing and that if they were killed in the war, their moms would be doing the same thing. That made me feel so good after all of the negativity I had been hearing from the righties. I also got to hold a couple of toddlers on my lap while their mom or dad took pictures of us. I am honored that people have resonated with the action that I took to make our mission of ending the war a reality.

We are here at the Crawford Peace House now. I came here so angry and I have been so encouraged and overwhelmed by the support from all over. I was thinking that there is no reason for us progressive liberals to be angry anymore. We have the power. One mom has shown that ordinary citizens can make a difference. We the people have to hold George Bush accountable. We have to make sure he answers to us. If he doesn't have to answer to Congress, or the media, we will force him to answer to us.

© 2005 Huffington Post

[stilltrucking]

the people who have come out from all over the country to give me a hug and support the cause of peace

I am going to Crawford. Going to take a bus. No idea how I will get to the ranch from the bus station. I will be sure to have a notepad and pen. I hope I can go and return on the same day.

The most interesting part of the trip might be when I walk into the bus station in San Anotnio and ask for a round trip ticket to Crawford Texas.

[Lightning Rod]

truck, I wish I could go with you

yes, keep your pen sharp, I wanna hear what it was like.

shake Cindy's hand for me.

This is Americana at it's finest, a regular citizen shaking the foundations of government.

I'll expect a full report.

[jimboloco]

yeah i had a friend in san antone with the VVAW, but signed off the VVAW national contact list as well as the national Vets for Peace contact list. Instead I am simply giving and getting the local chapter of Vets for Peace daily digests as well as occasional VVAW members emails, such as the upcoming art show in Philly in September. Art about a demonstration that took place over 35 years ago.

It is part of the September actions.

"Atit", I find your entries to be fulfilling. Yes I said that. Frustration and bewilderment are all readily accessable emotional states as part of any non-conformist perceptual reality, which is why so many folks like dogmatic "secure" reality structures. The "cure" for this is part finding connectiveness, like in the Santa Fe area, a blessed fortune, you must have some kind of good karma, also
keeping oneself centered by some kind of "practice", either meditation, a creative activity, whatever, and a wholistic approach, which for us modified bohemians can either mean inebration in moderation or natural high in moderation, etc.
I am "back and forth" as well on certain issues, like, am I gonna leave my wife on a Sunday morning and go to Zen sitting, or am I gonna stay at home and get some cozy sensual sweetness with her. I had stayed away from Zen group for a long while, finally have started going back and now as it seems that we are keeping her grandson, my step-grandkid, every other Saturday which always turns into the next Sunday, I enjoy his gracious sweet soul at those times and so while he is here on Sunday mornings, I can go to Zen sitting. Sometimes we go to a baseball game on Sunday afternoons. GO DEVIL RAYS!

It is just a process of working out what is right. There are some protests that I will go to, and others I will not. I am hoping for an opportunity to address the recruiting conundrum at some local high schools this fall, but do not want to do the weekly street protests at the downtown Baywalk Theatre on Saturday evenings, altho I have written the mayor in support of such activities, etc, have testified before the city council several times, gave them a booklet with the first 1,000 KIA's listed with photographs.

I also take my space. I need energy for work and constant fatigue leads to depression, so I take it easy a lot of the time. The culture is changing and to be a part of that is really good. The following column printed this Sunday morning in the St Pete Times addresses the national mindset as turning towards Cindy Sheehan: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/14/Colum ... n_be.shtml

Mr Tilles, it pleases me greatly that you would consider going up there.

[stilltrucking]

I think I will read the local paper when I get there

Crawford, Texas, paper backs Kerry

September 29, 2004


CRAWFORD, Texas -- A weekly newspaper that bills itself as President Bush's hometown paper endorsed John Kerry for president, saying the Massachusetts senator will restore American dignity.

The Lone Star Iconoclast, which has a circulation of 425, said in an editorial dated Sept. 29 that Texans should rate the candidates not by hometown or political party, but by where they intend to take the country.

''Four items trouble us the most about the Bush administration: his initiatives to disable the Social Security system, the deteriorating state of the American economy, a dangerous shift away from the basic freedoms established by our founding fathers, and his continuous mistakes regarding Iraq,'' the editorial said.

The Iconoclast, established in 2000, said it endorsed Bush that year. AP

[jimboloco]

Bush brushed by the roadside throng a couple of times, Cindy thought Laura might come over and bring her some cookies and lemonaide. Front page of the S Pete Times today all about the prez and his bike riding on the ranch.

If nothing else, ST yiou will catch the flavor of the counter culture.

The energy is there and is an experience in itself, like the Ft Benning protests every October, School of the Americas, real marvelous.

[stilltrucking]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/12/182426/409


Chickenhawks, Away!
by Hunter
Fri Aug 12th, 2005 at 15:24:26 PDT

I said I want the president to explain what was the noble cause that my son died in, because that's what he said the other day when those 14 marines were killed. He said their families can rest assured that their sons and daughters died for a noble cause. And I said, "What is that noble cause?"
-- Cindy Sheehan

Right-wing radio personality Mike Gallagher, who appears with regularity on FOX News to give his very important opinions on things, is very put out by the audacity of Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, who is sitting by the side of a country road waiting for some answers from her currently-vacationing president.
So Gallagher is having a counterprotest in Crawford, TX. against her, tonight. He's calling it the "Pro-America Bus Trip". Since, you know, Cindy Sheehan is presumably "Anti-America".
Mr. Gallagher has four sons, all of prime military age. None are serving, or plan to.
Mr. Gallagher himself has never served in the military.
However, here is a picture of him dressed in full military uniform, which he uses to promote "Gallager's Army"... a charity drive to "support the families of our men and women in uniform."
Perhaps someone else can fully digest all the various levels of creepiness here. But I can't even begin.

I was googling for bus schedules when I found this. Another wantabe warrior who don't want no war for himself, just your kids.
Check out the pictures of him in uniform.
http://www.gallaghersarmy.com/

[K&D]

good links

[stilltrucking]

I don't know what she expects to accomplish if she does meet Bush. I just hope he ruins his vacation.

[jimboloco]

<jhudson@gallaghersarmy.com>

you can email them to let them know how ridiculous you think they are, yet it is good, because it brings out the chickenhawks in full force, yes, how now brown cow.

http://www.gallaghersarmy.com/images/GA ... _GenMG.jpg

Here come the fascist clowns.
I sent one out to them. Christ.

[Zlatko Waterman]

( Interesting article from the SF Chronicle on Cindy Sheehan. I must disagree with Rev. Edgar, however. The criminal and murderous greed of the Bush Adminstration cannot be brushed aside.)


(paste)


A shot in the arm for protesters
Mother's vigil raises hope that anti-war sentiment will fuel a national momentum


Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, August 14, 2005





Crawford, Texas -- Asking whether she was "The New Face of Protest?" the liberal political magazine the Nation ran a photo in March of a middle-aged woman holding a picture of her 24-year-old son.

The answer from anti-war organizations as international media have spread the story of Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey died last year in Iraq, is a resounding Yes. The anti-war movement has eagerly grabbed the coattails of the 48-year-old Vacaville mom tented up in a drainage ditch along the one-lane road that leads to President Bush's vacation ranch.

United for Peace and Justice, the nation's largest umbrella organization of anti-war groups, is organizing supportive vigils across the country. Donors large and small have poured thousands of dollars into Sheehan's organization, Gold Star Families for Peace, and other groups that oppose the war.

Fenton Communications, a national public relations consulting firm in San Francisco that often works for liberal groups, arrived Wednesday to help coordinate Sheehan's media relations. And a TV ad aired in nearby Waco, Texas, on Saturday that featured Sheehan saying, "Mr. President, I want to tell you face to face how much this hurts. How many more of our loved ones need to die in this senseless war?"

Anti-war organizers hope Sheehan's story creates a tipping point in this country against the war. They have dubbed the triangular intersection of one-lane roads 5.5 miles into cattle country from Crawford's lone stoplight "Camp Casey."

But conservatives say Sheehan is a tool of the left that Middle America won't embrace. The national split over Sheehan's protest reaches into her own family: Her in-laws have released two statements saying they oppose her actions out of respect for her son's memory.

Coverage of Sheehan's spontaneous vigil is a godsend for the anti-war movement, which has been struggling to gain traction outside of liberal areas of the country. In Sheehan, organizers say they finally have a face that red-state America can relate to. They see in her a human reflection of sentiment expressed in this month's Associated Press/Ipsos poll, among others. Only 38 percent of respondents to that poll approve of Bush's handling of the war, a new low.

"We've had slogans like, 'No Blood for Oil,' and 'Bring the Troops Home Now,' but this is a real flesh-and-blood story," said Jodie Evans, a co-founder of Code Pink: Women for Peace, which has led many of the anti-war movement's guerrilla tactics and organized meetings of Iraqi and American citizens. "What works is that it is focused. It is one person's loss versus another person who caused that loss.

"Geez, she's a mom who's lost a child," said Evans, who teared up at Camp Casey this week as she recalled her own 2-year-old daughter dying 20 years ago. "Who can argue with that?"

The practical political question is whether the momentum gathering behind Sheehan will translate into political power in Washington. Members of Congress are circulating a letter asking Bush to meet with Sheehan, a request Sen. George Allen, R-Va., echoed in a CNN interview. But that effort won't go far unless more Americans -- particularly conservatives and those on the fence -- take up Sheehan's rallying call, "Meet with Cindy."

Glenn Smith, a veteran Texas political consultant who is organizing a counter-event to the evangelical-sponsored Justice Sunday II gathering in Nashville, said it's rare that a voice like Sheehan's emerges. "Probably the best thing the movement can do is get out of her way," said Smith, whose Nashville gathering of liberal faith leaders is called Freedom and Faith. "She doesn't need managing."

Smith has worked with Sheehan, a former Catholic youth minister, at other events involving left-leaning religious leaders and marvels that her voice "is so real. It didn't come out of a focus group or some kind of professional message guru. It's not a polished political message. It's more like Greek tragedy."

Whether Sheehan is the right person for the job of "the new face" is an open question. "I don't even realize it yet," she told The Chronicle this week. "I haven't been able to see any news or be on my computer or read e-mail because it's been full."

Some say that will depend on her maintaining a low-key tone.

But Bill Whalen, a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, a former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush's 1992 re-election campaign and a longtime GOP consultant, said she also must remain focused.

"Instead of asking, 'Why did my son die?' which Bush can answer, she should be asking, 'How much longer will other sons die?' " Whalen said. "It's all in the company she keeps. If she aligns herself with the Michael Moores of the world and others who see a Republican conspiracy around every corner, then she won't get too far (among conservatives)."

This generation of anti-war activists has so far produced few, if any, personalities that have connected with a majority of Americans. There are no Abbie Hoffmans or Tom Haydens, who emerged during the Vietnam War's protest movement. No Yippies. Not even a young John Kerry, who testified against that war before Congress wearing his Army uniform. Some anonymity is intentional. In the words of Bill Dobbs, an organizer with United for Peace and Justice, anti-war leaders have been reluctant to promote a personality over their message because "power corrupts."

"Don't get me wrong, we love Cindy and we think what she is doing is great and we support her," said Dobbs, noting that Sheehan has long participated in United for Peace and Justice events and plans to appear at a mass demonstration in September in Washington.

"But Cindy didn't just come out of nowhere. She has been saying the same thing for a while, and the road she is traveling down has been paved by hundreds of anti-war groups across the nation that have been working continuously for a long time."

Many Bush supporters say the president has little to gain politically by meeting with Sheehan. "I have no problem with what these people are doing here. This is America, and that's their right," said Elliott Mattlage, who owns the 300-acre cattle ranch next to the intersection where Camp Casey has taken shape.

Wearing a "Bush-Cheney 2004" shirt, the retired 67-year-old said he worked for defense contractors for nearly 40 years. "I sympathize with anyone who's lost a child. But nobody asked this guy (Sheehan) to join the service," Mattlage said.

Then he pointed over a rise in his 50-head ranch. "If we don't stop these terrorists over there, then they're going to be right there in that creek."

As Sheehan's notoriety has grown, scrutiny of her has ballooned. On Saturday, the Heart of Texas Chapter of Free Republic, a conservative organization, held a rally to support the troops and president in Crawford, at around the same time that a Sheehan support rally was scheduled. But postings on its Web site said, "This rally is NOT about Cindy Sheehan. Do not bring any signs that mention her at all."

Conservative talk show hosts have blasted Sheehan for the past few days, saying her motives are purely political, noting that she campaigned against Bush last year -- a charge she doesn't deny. Others call her a tool of the left, and she makes no secret of the fact that she spends three weeks out of the month traveling to various anti-war events and speaking appearances before liberal groups.

A note purporting to be from Casey's aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins appeared on the Drudge Report Web site Thursday.

"The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving," the note said in part. "We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation."

Sheehan said she has long disagreed with her Republican in-laws, some of whom she hasn't seen in a year. "My personal agenda is to make sure someone is held accountable for Casey's death," Sheehan said. "I'm the mother, he was my son, and Bush sent him into a war based on lies." Sheehan and her husband, Pat, are separated.

In a rare acknowledgement of demonstrators by a president who compares them to focus groups, Bush told reporters Thursday that he "sympathized" with Sheehan. And his aides released a list of 24 gatherings the president has had with 900 military family members -- including Sheehan and her husband a year ago. As of Saturday, Bush was standing firm on his decision not to meet with her saying, according to a news service, "I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say." And then added, "But I think it is also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life."

Sheehan, for her part, wants the message to go beyond the personal, by encouraging sympathizers to engage in "counter-recruitment." She said military recruiters misled her son, who she said joined the service because many of his friends did. A growing number of anti-war activists are contacting their local school districts to encourage teachers and administrators to inform students that they have the right to "opt out" of giving their name and contact information to military recruiters. Counter-recruitment may be a tough sell, however.

"I resent anyone thinking or saying that I abdicated my role as a parent because I allowed my son to volunteer for the service," said Deb Saunders, a Concord resident and member of Blue Star Moms, a troop support group of 140 military families from Livermore to Vacaville. "We sat down and had long discussions with (my son Joe) before he left. And besides, this is an all-volunteer army of people that choose to serve."

Joe Saunders son is due to return Sept. 2 from his four-year stint with the Marines. His mother said she feels bad knowing that Sheehan will never get to experience such a reunion with her son.

"My heart aches for Cindy -- we have a lot in common, really," Saunders said. "I hope she finds that peace that she seems to be looking for. But I don't think she's going to find it in Crawford, Texas. Can you just give her a hug from me?"

In Crawford Friday, Bob Edgar, National Council of Churches general secretary and a former member of Congress, predicted shortly before leading a prayer service that the stalemate will end soon.

"We believe that the president will meet with Cindy," Edgar told The Chronicle. "Because he's a good man and he knows that it's the right thing to do. He just hasn't realized it yet."

[jimboloco]

This is similar in tone to the St Pete Times. They appear to be trying to give balanced coverage, which is OK for the mainstream papers, would not expect them to say Bush is a con man.

But conservatives say Sheehan is a tool of the left that Middle America won't embrace. The national split over Sheehan's protest reaches into her own family: Her in-laws have released two statements saying they oppose her actions out of respect for her son's memory

The practical political question is whether the momentum gathering behind Sheehan will translate into political power in Washington. Members of Congress are circulating a letter asking Bush to meet with Sheehan, a request Sen. George Allen, R-Va., echoed in a CNN interview. But that effort won't go far unless more Americans -- particularly conservatives and those on the fence -- take up Sheehan's rallying call, "Meet with Cindy."

But Bill Whalen, a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution,a former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush's 1992 re-election campaign and a longtime GOP consultant, said she also must remain focused.

"Instead of asking, 'Why did my son die?' which Bush can answer, she should be asking, 'How much longer will other sons die?' " Whalen said. "It's all in the company she keeps. If she aligns herself with the Michael Moores of the world and others who see a Republican conspiracy around every corner, then she won't get too far (among conservatives)."

(Ah so, asshole)

This generation of anti-war activists has so far produced few, if any, personalities that have connected with a majority of Americans. There are no Abbie Hoffmans or Tom Haydens, who emerged during the Vietnam War's protest movement. No Yippies. Not even a young John Kerry, who testified against that war before Congress wearing his Army uniform. Some anonymity is intentional. In the words of Bill Dobbs, an organizer with United for Peace and Justice, anti-war leaders have been reluctant to promote a personality over their message because "power corrupts."

(not so, Iraq Vets against the War is real, not being called to testify before congress tho, kept away from circles of power, but they will be in Washington DC for the national anti-war demo in Sept.)

Many Bush supporters say the president has little to gain politically by meeting with Sheehan. "I have no problem with what these people are doing here. This is America, and that's their right," said Elliott Mattlage, who owns the 300-acre cattle ranch next to the intersection where Camp Casey has taken shape.

Wearing a "Bush-Cheney 2004" shirt, the retired 67-year-old said he worked for defense contractors for nearly 40 years. "I sympathize with anyone who's lost a child. But nobody asked this guy (Sheehan) to join the service," Mattlage said.

Then he pointed over a rise in his 50-head ranch. "If we don't stop these terrorists over there, then they're going to be right there in that creek."

"The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving," the note said in part. "We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation."

Sheehan said she has long disagreed with her Republican in-laws, some of whom she hasn't seen in a year. "My personal agenda is to make sure someone is held accountable for Casey's death," Sheehan said. "I'm the mother, he was my son, and Bush sent him into a war based on lies." Sheehan and her husband, Pat, are separated.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

In Crawford Friday, Bob Edgar, National Council of Churches general secretary and a former member of Congress, predicted shortly before leading a prayer service that the stalemate will end soon.

"We believe that the president will meet with Cindy," Edgar told The Chronicle. "Because he's a good man and he knows that it's the right thing to do. He just hasn't realized it yet."

He hasn't realized yet what a mess we are in
He knows he will retire with a wad of cash.

[gypsyjoker]

While about 60 in Sheehan's group held a religious service Sunday morning, a nearby landowner, Larry Mattlage, fired his shotgun twice into the air. Sheriff's deputies and Secret Service agents rushed to his house but did not arrest him.

"I ain't threatening nobody, and I ain't pointing a gun at nobody," Mattlage said. "This is Texas."

Bottom line jimbo, they are going to leave washington with the us treasury in their pockets, it ain't about nothing but greed, the hand is quicker than the eye, don't pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Take the money and run. This is the most corrupt administration in the history of the united states. Coincidence, oil men in the white house. gas three dollars a gallon things are bad, oil company profits up fifty percent. Coincidence nothing but coincidence.
Consumer confidence is high. Not to worry. Going to be two weeks before I can go to crawford, not sure if anyone will still be there. THere is a silent vigil in san antone. May have to settle for that.

j

[Zlatko Waterman]

After some local yokel drove over the 800 crosses erected as a shrine to the dead soldiers in Iraq, a relative of " shotgun" Mattlage offered his land to Cindy and her group. This parcel of land is right across from Bush's church.

They ( Cindy and retinue) may move Wednesday.

I apologize to those of you who watch television. You probably already know this.

Just a few details.

It ain't over, folks. It's just getting started.

Cops beat up old ladies and cracked the skulls of protestors during Vietnam. A friend of mine sustained a permanent brain injury from the TAC Squad and sued the city of Oakland. He won, but he's still in a wheelchair, 35 years later.

All sorts of weird things might happen. That's because, other realities aside, lots of folks still believe in "Government by the people", as Lincoln famously pronounced.

But, be encouraged.

I was educated by a bumper sticker I saw when I visited Arizona in 1986, on Hwy 2, from which one can turn off to El Paso, I think.

A car headed that way had a bumper sticker that said:

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS

Peace, Excelsior,


--Z

[Lightning Rod]

Z, thanks for being the point man on this issue
I don't think it's over by a long shot

You have to wonder what kind of idiots are running the show at BushCo
I thought they were supposed to be politically savvy
They could have made this whole thing go away a week ago if Gdub had just ridden his trail bike down for a visit with Cindy.
Now it's a festering sore.

I'm glad they are being so stupid because it throws light on the situation