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Aug. 19, 2005
Is Cindy Sheehan's vigil an effective form of protest?
For the past two weeks, bloggers and pundits have been vigorously debating the Crawford, Texas, protest by California Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan. Sheehan's son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in April 2004 at age 24, and since August 7th she had been camping out outside of President Bush's Texas ranch in a request to meet with the President, but left the vigil after her mother suffered a stroke. Antiwar commentators have hailed the protest as akin to Rosa Parks' jumpstarting the civil rights movement, saying it represents a major salvo in a growing movement to end the Iraq war. Opponents have noted that Sheehan doesn't speak for many families of Iraq veterans, and that she already met with President Bush in June 2004, after which Sheehan expressed satisfaction only to later turn against the President. What do you think? How important is Cindy Sheehan's protest? Do you feel the President should meet with her?
 Send us your thoughts  When I turned 19, I made one of the most important decisions as an adult up to that period in time in my life: I chose to join the military voluntarily. Six months into my service I was sent to the deserts of Saudi Arabia to await a war that would surely take place. I had just gotten married and had all my life ahead of me, but even at that early age I understood politics and how they moved the world. I wasn't a naive young man, I understood the sacrifices and the implications of joining the service. I wrote to my mother constantly, preparing her for what could be my possible death in combat, and I asked her to be brave and to look at the whole picture. If this woman had been my mother, it would have shamed me and my sacrifices and would have diminished the purpose and courage it took to lose my life in service of my country. I am glad my mother was strong for me. Rodolfo Arredondo Puyallup, Wash.
Bless Cindy for her courage. The right wingers are predictable—no discussion is acceptable. They forget Bush is Cindy's president also, and her opinions and concerns are as valid and perhaps moreso than most. Intelligent people have done their homework and know we were lied to about Iraq, and this means these young men and women serving and dying in Irag were also lied to. So I think we all have a right to protest, to disagree and to dissent. That's freedom.
While I back antiwar protests and sympathize with her pain, Cindy Sheehan has taken this to the level of a ransom demand. The President cannot honor a request made in this way without opening a floodgate. And I'm someone who disagrees with Bush and agrees with Sheehan. Sadly, I don't believe the tactic is painting a positive glow on the antiwar movement.
Although each loss of life in Iraq is one death too many, we must not forget the lessons of 9/11. I respect the rights of Ms. Sheehan, and others, to oppose the war. However if they feel that we will stop American deaths by pulling out of Iraq, they are very disillusioned. Terrorists have already shown America that if we don't bring the fight to them, they will bring it to us. The terrorists claim that if we leave their soil, they will stop fighting. Come on people, do you really believe that?
I just don't get it. Her son died last year, so what took her so long to get upset about it? What does she expect the President to do, bring him back to life? She just needs to get over it, because frankly, I am tired of hearing about her.
Those of you who still think the Iraq war is just, put your life were your mouth is and see your local recruiter, and don't forget to take your family with you! I know it hurts to admit you were misled and lied to, but face it, folks: we were lied to and are still being lied to. Stop consulting media like Fox News which doesn't have the marbles to tell us the truth!
Sheehan's son rests in peace with God. She should respect her son's wishes to die defending his country and the freedom he believed in. Its time for her to give it a break and also rest in peace.
In many cases, someone has to do something drastic and out of the ordinary to get others to perk up and listen. I think that yes, Cindy Sheehan's vigil is effective. If not to get the attention of President Bush, it will get the attention of the world, and the world has more clout and power than any one man. I totally support her.
When Sheehan partnered with the most severe left-wing anti-American terrorist sympahtizers in the country, she forfeited her role as grieving mother and instead became a political pawn and poster child for the left-wing wackos. The only Sheehan grieving now is her son, who, from his place in heaven, must look down onto a treasonous mother who has made his sacrifice a media event and a backdrop for her circus performance.
I notice that most of the people answering "no" to this question have little to say besides name-calling and implying Cindy is imbalanced somehow. How fortunate for them that their children were not murdered for a lie told for no other reason but to make money and create an empire. This is so typical of the right-wing strategy, and I think America is finally waking up to see how these chickenhawk hatemongers operate when they will go so low as to disparage a grieving mother. When one of these "patriots" drives over a memorial to our fallen soldiers, it becomes obvious how hollow all the yellow magnetic "Support Our Troops" ribbons on their gas-guzzling SUVs really are. This administration is a miserable failure and is destroying everything that was once great about America. Cindy Sheehan is a hero for speaking truth to power and reclaiming this dialogue for "we the people".
Ms. Sheehan would better honor the memory of her son by volunteering for the U.S.O. at the airport welcoming those military men and women who do make it home. Whether or not we agree with the war, now is not the time to cut and run. Nor is it time to begin a movement that will conceivably give aid and comfort to the enemy.
This lady's actions are a disgrace to her son and all who have served and died in the military. Let's hear more from those mothers who support the war and who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan.
No. Her son fought and died for what he believed. How would he feel about this protest? (From a Marine Mom)
Having grown up in a military family, been a military spouse and the mother of a child who carried an M-16 for several years, I concur with Ms. Sheehan. I am in agreement with her thoughts and I hold her in my heart. Personally if they had recalled my daughter (who would have gone happily), George [Bush] and I would have had to sit down and have one heckuva talk. Why hasnt he encouraged either of his daughters in joining the ranks of this war he so desperately believes in? He seems to feel that the loss of human life from this country is worth the battle, so why are his children not a part of the soultion as opposed to the problem?
Media coverage of anti-war messages simply didn't exist prior to Cindy Sheehan's vigil. A quick perusal of the front pages of the nation's newspapers should be enough to convince anyone that Cindy Sheehan has provoked a debate that just wasn't happening until she raised her voice.
She is a disgrace to her son, who died while fighting for freedom from terrorists in the country she lives in. The left is using her grief, as is the media, to continue their anti-Bush actions. The enemies of America love this, and Sheehan and the media are placing our military and country in severe harm's way.
No. Ms. Sheehan will not change the President's mind, or really change anybody's opionion who supports the war. She is acting illogically. Just because her son died in Iraq doesn't mean that the Iraq war is wrong. She should be proud of his sacrifice for his country, not using it for a political agenda.
In Zimbabwe, if you disagree with President Mugabe, you are dubbed a traitor and enemy. I am saddened when some Americans on the right who believe anyone who disagrees with them or with the President is somwhow un-American or not patriotic. The freedom and the right to disagree and protest is what makes America, America!
I simply disagree with Ms. Sheehan's protest. She is mad at the wrong person. George W. Bush did not send her son to his death—"her son went willingly" to serve a bigger cause than her "little" war! She cannot be mad at her son, so she has chosen to be mad at the Commander-in-Chief.
Her protests are an insult to her son's life and the profession that he chose. We are an all-volunteer force who is doing the work of our country. If you cannot support it, leave. The biggest problem we have is with people who talk too much about something they know nothing about: that is worse than the war in Iraq.
Yes, yes, yes! My son has been in Iraq for over two months now and I am angry because, to begin with, we have no business there. I am absolutely furious to learn that my only son is there without electricity, which means not even an electric fan to provide him with an opportunity to rest after many hours on duty; because, of course, he has very limited use of e-mail; because in the middle of temperatures above 110F he has to carry equipment weighing over 80 pounds; because what was issued to him before deployment was mainly garbage, which meant that he had to invest over $2,000 of his own money to improve his safety. Because I grieve for those who did not have enough money to have their families near them to say good-bye, or to afford equipment which would keep them safer.
Yes. I feel that the President persists in being protected from any opposing views. His approval ratings are trending down and are below 50%. He has no real "excuse" for not giving Ms. Sheehan some of his vacation time. She has paid the price of admission, and the fact that he met her once before doesn't matter. I imagine there are campaign donors who have had more than one visit...
No! My President has given his support and condolences. He cannot do any more: he is not God. My advice to [Sheehan] would be to seek help because her grief is causing her more problems and she really needs counseling. I stand behind my President and pray for this woman and her family for their loss.
It is effective. But I am not watching her protest so much for her and her allies but to gauge the reaction from the bloggers of the far right and the Republican party machine. The nastier they get, the greater the level of their ad hominem attacks is the true measure of her efficacy. And thus far, they have delivered a feast of an almost 1950's-style xenophobia and intolerance for any form of dissent. My general question is this: When are we going to stop listening to these fanatics who are driving our nation into economic and social ruin, who cannot see the long-term consequences of the bitter crop they sow?
To be quite frank, Ms. Sheehan's fifteen minutes of fame are long expired. Her "protest" is a way for her to express her anger and loss for her son, who died last year. This is not a merit-worthy grieving voice she is sounding off. Rather than stating a point, she has successfully spewed her ignorance to a voluntary enlistment. Let us not forget, Casey was an adult who made a descion, one that he believed in. Had he not been made aware of the risks of war, then maybe Ms. Sheehan would make some sense with her ridiculous rantings.
I think it is very effective. Bush is in his only little world and has no idea what to do about the war that he and his ilk created. I hope many more people decide to join her protest in Texas at the "ranch".
While I feel for Mrs. Sheehan's loss of her son, I do not approve of what she is saying about our country and our President. She is free to picket all she wants, and if that helps with her loss, fine. However it appears with the passing of each day that Mrs. Sheehan is using the the tragic loss of her son to push her agenda. She has been against the war from the start, and please remember her son enlisted to fight for his country. She should honor her son's decision. I will pray for her and her son. God bless them both, and may God bless the United States of America and our President and all the men and women who have given their lives and for those who continue to stand up for freedom and against the terrorists.
Cindy Sheehan is proving that the voice of one can have the power to make a difference. Like her or not, she has given this country something it desperately needed: a dialogue on the Iraq War. This is a government for the people, by the people. The people deserve to be heard. Like it or not.
Yes, Cindy makes Bush look like the coward he is. She focuses the issue because of her loss, our loss. This war was based on lies. With that as the foundation and Rumsfeld's poor job in fighting this quagmire, we all deserve some answers. That Bush is too cowardly to provide them has become abundantly clear.
It's ridiculous. This poor woman clearly needs some help. While I cannot imagine the devastation of losing one's child, this is doing nothing but making her look ridiculous. Someone close to her should insist that she receives the help she needs.
Cindy Sheehan has brought to light how blinded some US citizens are in not realizing they are choosing sides when there is no side to choose. Cindy is honoring our country by peacefully protesting what she believes to be an unjust war and at the same time honoring our soldiers. Thank goodness she is helping to remove the blinds from some of our fellow Americans. There are no effective talking points for a mother's grief.
Her vigil has been very effective. She's on the news every night and countless articles have been written about it. Her presence has forced Americans to think about the realities of what we are doing in Iraq. Too bad the President prefers to insulate himself from reality in between bike rides.
No. Although I believe she has a right to express her viewpoints, she is associated with radical Michael Moore, an individual who clearly has an anti-war/anti-USA agenda. This fact was not included in your recent article about Ms. Sheehan. She has a right to her views, but we the American people have a right to know who she's associated with.
There is much too little protesting of this outrageous war. Her agenda certainly is sincere but getting skewed with debris from the media.
Cindy Sheehan should stick to what she knows: the grief of a mother who has lost a child. Anyone can respect that grief and the sacrifice that her son made for his country. Where Cindy Sheehan has gone wrong is in becoming a parrot for some of the more radical out-of-mainstream positions of the antiwar left. She runs the risk of becoming universally viewed as a radical who is using the death of her son as a convenient way to increase visibility for her political beliefs, rather than just another poor woman whose son, by his own free will, chose to fight for his country and make the ultimate sacrifice. The public statements by her extended family and the recent divorce filing by her husband (the father of the son she lost) show how out of touch she is even with her own family on this.
Although it has gotten a great deal of publicity, she has stepped out of the role of grieving mother and become a political activist. I think she was more powerful as a grieving mother.
The mere fact you are asking the question about her answers how effective her protest has been. How many protesters, out protesting whatever flavor of the week protest, make it into TIME?
No. She is using her son's ultimate sacrifice to spew her incoherent political views. She says that terrorism will stop if Israel gets out of Palestine and we pull out of Iraq? Come on. She is obviously delusional. President Bush should definitely NOT meet with her for the 2nd time. (He did meet with her once already in 2004). She is a disgrace.
God bless Cindy Sheehan. George Bush is a gelding and just does not get it. When he leaves office, his positive rating will be around 28. I am terribly ashamed and embarrassed he is my President.
What started out to be a meeting with the President, when denied, has evolved into a protest of principle. If you are going to condemn someone for the way that this "protest" has progressed, the larger portion of the blame should rest on President Bush's shoulders for allowing people to misinterpret a mother's grief.
No. I think we all sympathize with Ms. Sheehan, but I wonder, would her son even agree with what she is doing?
I am so very proud of her. She represents what America used to be about, integrity, honesty and authenticity. It is wonderful to have hope in my heart again and she put it there.
Cindy Sheehan is a traitor to her own son's voluntary service and ultimate sacrifice. Her husband and other children are not part of this sad, grief-blinded nonsense. She is to be pitied, not held up as a role model. |
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Dec. 25, 2006
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