What Noble Cause by Cindy Sheehan It has been one month, one week, and 4 days since I sat in a ditch in Crawford, Tx. My request was very simple: I wanted to speak to the man who has sent over a million of our young people over to fight, kill, and die in a country that was absolutely no threat to the United States of America. I wanted to ask him: "What is the Noble Cause that you keep talking about?"
Well, we all know now that George Bush never came down the road to talk to me. Thank God! Many people have been saying that I am the "spark," "catalyst," "face of the anti-war movement" etc. I beg to differ. George Bush and his arrogant advisers are the spark that lit the prairie fire of peace activism that has swept over America and the entire world. If he had met with me that fateful day in August it would not have been good for him (because I knew he was going to lie and I would have advertised that fact) but it would have had less of an impact on the peace movement if he had.
Upon reflection on the events of this past August, I have come up with two reasons why George could not meet with me: He is a coward and there is no Noble Cause. If George had as much courage and integrity in his entire body as Casey had in his pinky, he would have met with me. But, ironically, if George had that much courage and integrity he never would have preemptively invaded a practically defenseless country. His syncophantic cabinet and hangers-on are also incontrovertible evidence that he is a coward. No one better dare disagree with him. How dare a mom from Vacaville, Ca. have the nerve to contradict the emperor of Prairie Chapel Road!!??
All of the "Noble Cause" reasons that George has variously given for the invasion and continued illegal occupation of a sovereign nation are also patently false and ridiculous. He has been claiming recently (since he admitted a long time ago that Iraq had no WMDs or links to 9/11) that this occupation of Iraq is spreading "freedom and democracy" in the Middle East. Really? Does he have any idea that the constitution that the Iraqi governing body is working on is based on Sharia and that it undermines the freedoms of women? Does he realize that for over 50 years women had equal rights with men in Iraq? Does George realize (of course he does) that the puppet government the US put in place in Iraq is comprised ofthe very same people who encouraged the invasion to line their own pockets? What kind of freedom and democracy is this? If George is so hell bent on freedom and democracy for Iraq, then why doesn't he practice it here in America? Up to 62 percent of Americans believe that what George has done in Iraq is a mistake and we should begin to bring our troops home. Well, George, 62 percent is a clear majority and you should begin to listen to the people who pay your salary.
He has also claimed that what we are doing in Iraq is "making America safer." Another statement that is easier to disprove than the "freedom and democracy" baloney. To disprove this little bit of deception, all we have to do is look at the Gulf States. Ask the people of New Orleans, especially, if they feel safer. By misappropriating all of our personnel, equipment and pouring billions of dollars into the sands of Iraq, George has made our country more vulnerable to attack by outside forces. Also, from the cold and callous statements of people like Michael Chertoff and George's own mama, the people of New Orleans seem to be "acceptable" collateral damage to the ruling elite of this country. It is my humble opinion that the only thing that will make America safer is to get George and his unfeeling and dangerously incompetent supporters out of our White House.
We all now know the reason that we are in Iraq. George told us so from a break he was taking from Crawford in San Diego on the same day that Katrina was hitting the Gulf States: it is for oil. It is so George, Dick, and their evil buddies can rape more profits from our children's flesh and blood. This is not a Noble Cause, as a matter of fact, it is the most ignoble cause for a war that has ever been waged. We as Americans knew either in the front of our brains, or in the back of our consciousness, that this war was to feed the corporations. 15 brave young Americans have been killed so far this month while our attention has been focused, and rightfully so, on the Gulf States. Over 200 innocent and unfortunate Iraqis have been killed in this week alone. How much more blood are we as Americans going to allow George, Congress, and the corporations to spill before we demand an end to this war and an accounting for the lives that have been needlessly ruined?
It is also time to stop hemorrhaging money in Iraq. I witnessed the abject poverty and sense of abandoment the less fortunate people of New Orleans were living in even before the levees broke. It is time to start pumping hope back into our own communities. It is time to start taking care of Americans. How many millions of our tax dollars are we going to allow George, Congress and the corporations to misuse and waste in Iraq?
Not one more drop of blood. Not one more life. Not one more penny for killing.
If you love our country and want to see a change for the better, come to DC on the 24 th of this month and stand up and be counted for peace. The entire world is counting on you.
***************************************************************** Bus Tour Update with a Detour to New Orleans Camp Casey to DCWith a Detour to New Orleans
Cindy Sheehan
The Camp Casey to DC tour is going so well. We have the three RV's that are going from city to city and we are speaking in front of rallies that have hundreds, and sometimes thousands of people attending. We are receiving positive response from all over America. We have had amazingly little opposition to what we are doing. Today in Raleigh, NC at the University, there were some Young Republicans who support the President and support the war. I tried to get one of the many recruiters who were on campus to go over and sign them up for the service, but they wouldn't even look at me. I think the recruiters missed a golden opportunity to swell the ranks. I have a feeling that the Young killing supporters wouldn't be willing to go over and put their money where their mouths are. One of the fine young American baby chicken hawks told one of the members of our tour whose brother was killed in Iraq that: "someone has to stay in school and employ people." Sounds like the "Dick Cheney" alternative to serving your country to me.
The people who are on the three RV's are true Americans serving their country without reservation. Most of the patriots on the tour have given up their entire months of August to be at Camp Casey in Crawford and now they are giving up their Septembers to be on the bus tour or at Camp Casey III in Covington. If everyone who believes that our country can change from a paradigm of war to one of peace did even did a small fraction of our what our Camp Casey loyalists did, this war would be over tomorrow, the troops would be home, and America would be a safe and sane place to live. I honor everyone who works for peace, but especially the people who dropped everything to take backour country and make it a better place to live and raise children.`
In Columbia, SC, yesterday, the Southern Leg of the Bus Tour spoke to a few hundred supporters and 2 counter protestors. One of the counter protestors had a sign that said: "Support the Mission." I invited her to talk to me after the rally to explain to me what this every changing and ephemeral mission is now. She didn't. We all know on August 29th, George said that "we need to stay in Iraq to keep the oil fields from falling into the hands of terrorists." Is that the mission? Are we supporting our troops dying and innocent Iraqi people being killed for oil and greed? This doesn't sound like anything I want to support.
While we are at it, let's talk about the people who held a "We support the troops" rally at the capitol in Raleigh today while we were holding our "We really support the troops" rally in Moore Square. I wonder if the people who say they support the troops by wanting to support more of them being killed realize how ironic they are being. They don't think that it's hypocritical that our troops still don't have the body armor, proper training, equipment, food, water, competent leadership, support when they return from the battle field, etc? They thinks "Supporting the Troops" is sending them to a mistaken war based on lies to occupy a country that was absolutely no threat to the United States of America. These people equate supporting an evil mission with supporting the troops. I believe that the people on the peace side are the ones who authentically support the troops by wanting them to come home alive. But like the sign said to today: The Peace Symbol is the footprint of the American Chicken. Do they find it ironic that they are protesting a group of people who have served our country in war (Iraq included), families who have loved ones serving, and families whose brave children have been killed for the deceptions of this criminal administration? Do they find it in the least bit ironic that the people who are sending our lifeblood off to kill and die NEVER served their country in the military and don't have children in the military? They also say "Cindy doesn't speak for me." Phew...I wouldn't even presume to have such a narrow world view and speak for them.
Another thing these pro-war people don't realize is that just like them, we have the right to say what we are saying, we give them their space to do so, we would like the same space from them. Besides, if they think they are going to make us go away by protesting us, they are wrong. The number of pro-war, pro-Bush (sorry for being redundant) people are dwindling in numbers and in intensity. Maybe the crimes that are happening in Iraq have softened their venom? It is one thing for the criminal negligence of George and company to kill innocent Iraqis, but also killing innocent Americans in America? Maybe that's where they draw the line. I hope the line is drawn quickly before George is allowed to harm more of us.
The "Winter Soldiers" who stayed in Crawford to guard the memorial to Casey, Camp Casey, and all of our fallen heroes, have had two very disturbing events happen. In the first incident, the Mc Clennan County Board of Supervisors have banned parking on County roads up to the Bush ranch. But we all remember that the supervisors told us it was "private property" so I don't think they have any authority up Prairie Chapel Road. When we take Camp Casey back from George's home away from his vacations: DC, we were planning on taking Camp Casey there. I hope they don't try to stop us from parking there. If they do, maybe Fred will let us use his land to park, also. Another thing that happened was that some "Patriot" stole the memorial. They took everything that honored our children. They stole Casey's boots. What will these people stop at? They are shameless and they have no sense of moral values. They have tried to stop us before by shooting rifles at us, mowing down the crosses, calling us names: but you know what? Nothing will stop us. Check the Lone Star Iconoclast's web site for more info on the vandalism and suppression of our rights going on still in Crawford.
But even with the minor counter-protests, our spirits are high and we are overwhelmed and grateful for all of the support we are getting from the true Americans who come out to help us bring the troops home now!
I received the email below from a Doctor whom I met in Louisiana. I told him I would pass it along:
Dear Cindy,
My name is Stuart Leeds - I'm the family practice MD that you met at the storage facility shortly before we all caravanned to Algiers today.
It was a great honor and delight to meet you! I'm also pleased and somewhat relieved to have the opportunity to give you a brief report on the state of affairs visa vi the medical relief effort in the afflicted areas.
In short strokes: people are not getting the help they need, because our government, through the agency of FEMA, has totally politicized the relief effort. I'm sure you've already gotten wind of the reports that the Bush Administration is handing out huge contracts to favored vendors, much as they have done in Iraq. But what is not widely known is - and I can verify this personally -- that FEMA is preventing certain groups and individuals from participating in the relief efforts. Here's a quick synopsis of the experience I and my companions (my wife, and two respiratory therapists) had today, in our attempts to offer our services to the Red Cross operation in Covington, LA.
- We got a call from an official at the Red Cross that the Vets for Peace were being invited to send doctors to Abita Springs, a nearby community.
- When we got there around 9 AM, some of director Dr Rachel Murphy's assistants welcomed us, and started making lists of materials we would need
- Suddenly, a man wearing a Homeland Security shirt came over and rudely asked us to leave. He brought a local cop with him, and their body language was pretty threatening. We explained that we were coming at the request of both Dr. Murphy and the mayor of Covington, Candace Watkins. He (whose name was Rodney Hart) would hear none of it from us; he forced us to leave immediately.
- We went to Mayor Watkins, who called Dr. Murphy and arranged for us to be allowed into the Red Cross center. We decided that only my wife and I would go - realizing that the other gentlemen, who were wearing VFP T-shirts, would be less than welcome at the center.
- We met Dr. Murphy a little after noon, and she was very friendly. She told us she would find a place for us to work - I as a physician, and my wife as an organizational specialist. However, midway through our tour of the facility, she stepped into the office of Mr. Hart, the Homeland security rep, and there were some tense words exchanged between them. She repeatedly exclaimed that we were not representing VFP, and finally there was a long period of silence. Mr. Hart apparently made some gestures we couldn't see. She sighed, and turned to us, and abruptly suggested we get some lunch in the basement. As we ate, she started talking about how the Red Cross was pulling out of her parish within a week, how there were already an excess of docs, and that our services wouldn't be needed.
- She also explained that the reason that VFP was not welcome with the Red Cross (or indeed, within the entire parish) was because of a series of allegations that we had already heard from others in the center. We had heard several conflicting versions of these stories: that someone with VFP had stolen $15,000 worth of medical supplies, and that he turned out to be a child molester; that the Vets for Peace had come to one center and were taking over, and bringing cameras into clinics; that VFP was illegally collecting Red Cross donations on the Internet.
Clearly, FEMA and/or Homeland Security is trying to keep "political undesirables" from lending a hand during this catastrophe. Perhaps they are marching to orders from Bush's political hacks to preventing peace groups from upstaging the administration in the relief effort - which would hardly be difficult to do, on anything like a level playing field.
It is so sad to think that the Bush machine would put politics in front of the safety and security of human beings, even in a the wake of a natural disaster of Katrina's magnitude. But in the eyes of this physician, I believe that is exactly what is happening. And it will continue, as long as the responsible government agencies can get away with it..
We must hold them accountable. But more importantly, we must let people know this is happening, and thus bring such pressure to bear on these obstructionist agencies that they can no longer keep VFP, or indeed any group of caring citizens from pitching in.
Thanks, Cindy. And keep up the great work.
F.Stuart (Skip) Leeds, MS, MD
I am ready to keep fighting for humanity. I thank you all for joining me in the struggle: the fight of our lives.
From Jason:
Today I went back to Jefferson Parish. I was so moved by what I saw there yesterday I knew I had to go back today.
We went to one house where there were about 10 kids. The oldest was 13. He told me about his experience and I was simply appalled. This 13 year old had to swim his way out of the 9th Ward to get to his family in Jefferson Parish. He was in the 9th Ward because he was with his grandma during the storm. He was able to get out but his grandmother drowned.
We brought a guitar with us today and Dennis played it and sung songs for all of the kids in the neighborhood. It was great to put a smile on these kids' faces if just for a few moments.
I met a black gentlemen from Jefferson Parish who was very angry about everything. He had been beaten by the police a week ago because he was out of his after 4PM!!! That was the curfew time back then (now it is 8PM). The cops dislocated his jaw all for being out after 4PM. The gentleman explained to me how there is actually only dirt protecting the levee in the 9th Ward. They have huge cement walls to do that in Jefferson Parish. He felt that they let the 9th Ward flood to save the French Quarter. He was disgusted by the fact that the French Quarter is in such good shape and the 9th Ward is under water. He lost his house and has nothing.
Just then, a soldier came up with his gun in a relaxed/ready position and his finger on the trigger. I asked him why he was carrying his gun in such a threatening position and he didn't really have an answer for that just that he was prepared for anything to happen. This seems totally crazy to me because we're in a ghost town. What does he think is going to happen? Will garbage blow aggressively by in the wind and need to be taken out?
We left camp this morning in a three car convoy all full of food and goods. After we unloaded all of that we went to a food center in Algiers and re-loaded the cars. We then went back out and unloaded all of that.
Then we went down to a local firehouse in the parish where they have doctors and other army personnel. They were checking people out, giving them food and goods. We asked the fire chief if we could take some of the food and water and distribute it around the community. We explained to him that many of the people in the area do not have the means to get down to the fire house so we could bring some food to them. We were met with a big no. I'll paraphrase but basically the fire chief told us that they wanted all of the people to come to him at the fire house. He would not give us food to give to the community because he wanted them to come and get the food themselves. He told us if we want them to get food and water then bring people to him.
This encounter made me so sick.
New Orleans has been becoming more active everyday I go in. There are more and more cars on the road. What boggles my mind is how much trash is still there. Sometimes the odor that you smell in and around these peoples homes just makes you sick. It is so un-sanitary.
More To Come...
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Philadelphia City Council Passes Resolution Against The War
On the urging of members and friends of the Bring Them Home Now Bus Tour, the Philadelphia City Council voted today 16 to 1 for a Resolution calling on the federal government to "rapidly withdraw US troops from Iraq expeditiously." Following a Thursday morning caucus session in which Gold Star Families for Peace co-founder Celeste Zappala and other Bring Them Home Now Bus Tour members were introduced to councilmembers, the Resolution was introduced by Councilwomen Blondell Reynolds-Brown and was co-sponsored by 12 other council persons, two of them Republicans. Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown will read the resolution at the Rally scheduled for Friday 9/16 from 5 to 7 PM at Independence Mall, 5th & Market Sts. Click here for a copy of the resolution in PDF format.
The Philadelphia resolution follows by one day a similar resolution by the Chicago City Council calling for an "immediate and orderly" withdrawal from Iraq.
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Bring Them Home Now Tour Asks Military Mom to Speak Out
September 15th, 2005
I am a mother of a 19 year old 3/25 Lima Co. Marine serving in Iraq. One third of his Unit has been kia or injured. In early August after losing 22 Marines in less than a week, fearing for my son’s life and driven by conviction, I began my journey to change the direction our country has been going.
click here to read more
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SCOREBOARD Have Met and Answered
4 Congress
2 Senate
Meeting Pending
17 Congress
6 Senate
Awaiting Response
416 Congress
92 Senate
2 HAVE REFUSED TO MEET Meet With the Mothers : Index *******************************************************************
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