Camp Casy on Thursday

The Lone Star Iconoclast Online

UPDATES ON CINDY SHEEHAN VISIT TO CRAWFORD
Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005
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Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005

Earlier today, Viggo Mortensen, who starred in Lord of the Rings as King Aragon, showed support to Cindy with a visit to Camp Casey.

Interviews with supporters of Cindy are coming soon this evening.

NEW REPORT: PHOTOS

3:38 p.m.

YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE are at Camp Casey in support of Cindy Sheehan’s protest of the war in Iraq. It appears that people have come prepared to stay for the duration, bringing tents, chairs, and food.
—Iconoclast Photo By Deborah Mathews

 

THIS VAN IS BEING USED to transport supporters from the Peace House in Crawford to Camp Casey, where Cindy Sheehan continues her protest of the war in Iraq.
—Iconoclast Photo By Deborah Mathews

CROSSES TO HONOR THE FALLEN are being placed at Camp Casey in Crawford. Veterans For Peace (Los Angeles) donated 1,000 crosses to Cindy Sheehan and her protest against the war in Iraq in support.
—Iconoclast Photo By Deborah Mathews

RIGHT OF WAY DISCUSSION — Texas Civil Rights Project Director Jim Harrington (from left) met with Sgt. John Kolinek of the McLennan County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday to discuss parking concerns at Camp Casey. Harrington was the lead lawyer in the Crawford 5 case last year.
— Iconoclast Photo By Nathan Diebenow

WHO OWNS WHAT LAND? — This map showing who owns the land around Camp Casey is displayed on a “No Trespassing” sign on a triangular piece of land there.
— Iconoclast Photo By Nathan Diebenow

 

12:05 p.m.
Nathan Diebenow reporting for the Iconoclast:

CAMP CASEY -Basically, this morning started off like they have four days in a row - with a local resident around 6 a.m. driving his car to work from end of the camp to the other, honking his horn all the way down. Members of the camp have videotaped it.

There is a big media presence again today. About 200 crosses, 12-inches tall, from Veterans For Peace in California have installed them on Camp Casey on the side of the road where Cindy has been sleeping the last five nights.

Many more people are arriving here to show support.

I talked with Jim Harrington, Cindy's lawyer from Texas, who informed me of the legal situation here. He said that the Sheriff's Department is kind of in a bind because the people technically have the right of way on the road to walk on it, but not on the shoulders, the 8 ft. easement, so they are letting the people around here stay on the side of the road. There apparently is no easement statute in this county. There have been no First Amendment quarrels out here before.

He also said that, legally, there shouldn't be any problem with the President driving through here and having the protestors here, since, basically, she's just a mother wanting to talk to him. He pointed out that there are alternatives instead of moving the campers. Like in previous instances, the Secret Service could patrol with their dogs to make sure there are no crazies. There are alternatives to just kicking people out.

The weather is now, at the noon hour, getting hotter. It was nice and breezy this morning, so much so that one of the pavilion tents blew over earlier. With the rains earlier in the week, there's still some mud and a lot of crickets out here just trying to grab as much moisture as they can. One of the landowners on the encampment side talked to Ann Wright about a big tire track that pulled up a lot of mud. Ann said to him that they would correct that big mud cut, since he mows it.

In all out here there are over a hundred people in the general area. A lot were forced to park along a dead-end road, probably a mile and a half away.

Right now, Getty wire service is completing an interview with Cindy. She's scheduled for 10 more interviews today, but had at least a hundred requests. As of yesterday, she had done 200 interviews. She's doing 15-20 a day.

There are a variety of crosses. There are Christian crosses and also Stars of David.

For instance, here's a Star of David with a biography that reads: Coast Guard Petty Officer Nathan Bruckenthal, 24, was killed april 25, 2005, while conducting maritime intercept operations off of Iraq.

Here's on with a crescent moon that symbolizes Islam, but no name is on it. According to a spokesman, it represents the Islam faith. The goal is to try to represent every major religion.

I hear a cheer and some applause. What's that? Okay, the porta-potty has just arrived.

I understand that Bush is at his ranch right now awaiting his 2 p.m. meeting with Rice and Rumsfeld.

Since there is such a demand by the media for interviews, military families are also being interviewed and expect to be doing that all day.

More later.