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{{short description|American antiwar activist}}
{{Current-related|article|date=April 2007}}
{{Infobox person
{{POV-check}}
| name = Cindy Sheehan
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| birth_name = Cindy Lee Miller
-->
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|07|10}}
]
| birth_place = ], U.S.
'''Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan''' (born ], ]) is an ] anti-] activist, whose son, ], was killed during his service in ]. She attracted international attention in August 2005 for her extended ] at a ] outside ] ]'s ] garnering her both support and criticism. {{see|Support and criticism of Cindy Sheehan}}.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = ]<br>]
| occupation = Activist
| party = ] (before 2007)<br />] (2007–2010)<br />] (2010–present)
| spouse =
| children = 4
| imagesize = 200px
}}
'''Cindy Lee Sheehan''' ({{nee}} Miller; born July 10, 1957) is an American anti-war activist,<ref name=Geraghty>Geraghty, Jim (2011-05-02). ''National Review''. Retrieved May 2, 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/09/cindy-sheehan-truther/181881/|title=Cindy Sheehan, Truther|website=]|date=28 September 2010}}</ref> whose son, ] ] Casey Sheehan, was ] during the ]. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended antiwar protest at a ] outside President ]'s ]—a stand that drew both passionate support and criticism. Sheehan ran unsuccessfully for ] in 2008. She was a vocal critic of President ]'s ]. Her memoir, ''Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey Through Heartache to Activism'', was published in 2006. In an interview with '']'' in 2017, Sheehan continued to hold her critical views towards George W. Bush, while also criticizing the militarism of ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Matt |title=Cindy Sheehan: 'Bush Was No Better' Than Donald Trump |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/cindy-sheehan-bush-was-no-better-than-donald-trump |access-date=8 January 2019 |work=The Daily Beast |date=24 October 2017 |language=en}}</ref>


Sheehan was the ] of the ],<ref name="trending">{{cite news | url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/05/america-one-step-closer-to-president-roseanne/ | title=TRENDING: America one step closer to President Roseanne | publisher=CNN | date=August 5, 2012 | access-date=August 5, 2012 | author=Yoon, Robert | archive-date=November 15, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115200358/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/05/america-one-step-closer-to-president-roseanne/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> and received 1.2% of the statewide vote in the ].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-cindy-sheehan-jerry-brown-governor-20130827,0,6554578.story | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Anthony | last=York | date=2013-08-27 | title=Cindy Sheehan announces run for California governor}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Sheehan's campaign against the Iraq war==
Cindy Sheehan was born '''Cindy Lee Miller''' in ], in 1957. Her father worked at the ] while her mother raised her family. Sheehan graduated with honors from ] and studied history at ]. She worked as a ] at St. Mary's Catholic Church in ] for eight years, and also coordinated an after-school program for at-risk ] children for the City of ].


==Casey Sheehan==
Sheehan states she has "always been a ],"<ref>{{cite web
]
| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8972147/
Casey Austin Sheehan (May 29, 1979 – April 4, 2004) was a ] in the ] who was killed during combat action while serving in the Iraq War.
| first=
| last=
| publisher=MSNBC
| work = Hardball with Chris Matthews
| title=Sheehan plays 'Hardball' with Matthews
| date=2005-08-16
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref> and that she had initially questioned the urgency of the ], but did not become active in the anti-war effort until after her son's death.<ref name=buzzflash410>{{cite web
| url=http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/10/int04050.html
| first=
| last=
| publisher=BuzzFlash
| work = BuzzFlash Interviews
| title=Cindy Sheehan Is Working To Bring Our Troops Home: "Mr. President. You have daughters. How would you feel if one of them was killed?"
| date=2004-10-07
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref>


===Military service===
Sheehan and other military families met with ] in June of 2004 at ], near ], nearly three months after her son's death. In a ], ] interview with the Vacaville ''Reporter'' published soon after the meeting, she stated, "We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled. The President has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached." She also stated that President Bush was ". . .sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis … I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."<ref>{{cite web
In May 2000, Casey Sheehan enlisted in the ] as a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic, ]. It has been reported that he may have considered enlisting as a chaplain assistant
| url=http://www.thereporter.com/search/ci_2923921
]. <!-- citation overlinked --> (Sheehan had acted as an ] during the ] mass on the morning of his death).<ref>, '']'', February 22, 2005</ref>
| first=David
| last=Henson
| publisher=TheReporter.com
| work =
| title=From our archive: Bush, Sheehans share moments
| date=2004-06-24
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref>


Near the end of his active service, the ] began. Sheehan reenlisted, knowing that his unit would be sent there.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307193953/http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=1860 |date=2017-03-07 }}, ''American Chronicle''</ref> Sheehan's division, the ], was sent to Iraq. On March 19, 2004, Sheehan's Battery C, 1st Battalion, ], arrived at ] ] in ]. On April 4, 2004, Sheehan was killed in action after volunteering to be part of a ] to rescue American troops in the "Black Sunday" incident that began the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/inside-ambush-black-sunday/story?id=50962302|title=Inside the ambush known as Black Sunday|website=ABC News}}</ref>
Sheehan gave another interview on ], ], stating that she did not understand the reasons for the Iraq invasion and never thought that ] posed an imminent threat to the United States. She further stated that her son's death had compelled her to speak out against the war. <ref name=buzzflash410 />


===Burial===
] on ], ].]]
Casey Sheehan is buried in Vacaville-Elmira Cemetery in ]. In May 2006, the tombstone that Casey's family had been designing and commissioned was finally ready and placed at Casey's grave. Cindy Sheehan paid for the tombstone herself, which is normally the case, stating, "It is important for the rest of Casey's family to have one.... I guess the pain of seeing it etched in marble that he is dead is another pain I will have to deal with." Cindy Sheehan maintains that the U.S. government "should have paid for it because of its responsibility for his death." The Sheehan family did not want the furnished monument that the government provides because it didn't reflect Casey's entire life or personality.


===Legacy===
During the Presidential Inauguration in January 2005, Sheehan traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak at the opening of "]", a traveling exhibition created by the ] that displays pairs of combat boots to represent every U.S. military casualty. There she met others who lost family members in Iraq, and together they planned to create an organization for similar families. Sheehan wrote about the experience in a commentary article.<ref>{{cite web
Casey Sheehan was awarded the ] and ] with V for Valor posthumously for his actions April 4, 2004.<ref name="Black5">, ''] blog''</ref> The chapel at ] started a new ] chapter that was named the Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan Council.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519215203/http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/081305B.shtml |date=May 19, 2008 }}, '']'', August 13, 2005</ref>
| url=http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/02/con05067.html
| first=Cindy
| last=Sheehan
| publisher=BuzzFlash
| work = BuzzFlash Reader Contribution
| title=1492 Empty Pairs of Boots
| date=2005-02-28
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref> She was also a featured speaker when the exhibition opened in San Diego in March, 2005<ref>http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2107</ref> and traveled with the exhibition to other locations. "Behind these boots is one broken-hearted family," she stated as she donated her son Casey's boots to travel with Eyes Wide Open when it stopped in San Francisco later that month.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8972147/
| first=Joe
| last=Garofoli
| publisher=Sfgate.com
| work =
| title= Empty boots are silent testament to war's toll
Each pair in exhibit represents soldier who died in Iraq
| date=2005-03-26
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref>


==Antiwar campaign==
Sheehan is one of the nine founding members of ], an organization created in January 2005 that seeks to end the U.S. presence in Iraq and provide support for families of fallen soldiers. As of August 2005, at least 63 other relatives of fallen soldiers are listed as members.
] on October 2, 2004.]]


Sheehan has said she initially questioned the urgency of the invasion of Iraq but did not become active in the antiwar effort until after her son's death.<ref name=buzzflash410>{{cite web| url=http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/10/int04050.html| publisher=BuzzFlash| work=BuzzFlash Interviews| title=Cindy Sheehan Is Working To Bring Our Troops Home: "Mr. President. You have daughters. How would you feel if one of them was killed?"| date=2004-10-07| access-date=2007-04-08| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423184537/http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/10/int04050.html| archive-date=2007-04-23| url-status=dead}}</ref> Sheehan and other military families met with President ] in June 2004 at ], near ], about three months after her son's death. In a June 24, 2004, interview with the ], published soon after the meeting, she stated, "We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled. The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached." She also stated that President Bush was "sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. I know feels pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of God."<ref>{{Cite news| last = Henson | first = David | title = Bush, Sheehans share moments | newspaper = ] | location = Vacaville, CA | date = 2004-06-24 }}</ref> Sheehan gave another interview on October 4, 2004, stating that she did not understand the reasons for the Iraq invasion and never thought that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States. She further stated that her son's death had compelled her to speak out against the war.<ref name=buzzflash410 />
Although she had spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, and even pledged not to pay her 2004 taxes<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8972147/
| first=
| last=
| publisher=World Net Daily
| work =
| title=Cindy Sheehan: I won't pay tax
Mother of slain soldier labels Bush 'maniac,' calls for impeachment, Israel out of Palestine
| date=2005-08-14
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref>, Sheehan attracted international attention only in early August of 2005. At that time, she traveled to Bush's ] just outside ]. Demanding a second meeting with the President and an explanation of the cause for which her son died<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080600679.html
| first=
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| publisher=Washinton Post
| work =
| title= '''this link is not working'''
| date=
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.veteransforpeace.org/convention05/sheehan_transcript.htm
| first=
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| publisher=
| work =
| title= '''this link is not working'''
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</ref>, she created a ] called ] by pitching a tent by the side of the road and announced her intention to stay for the full five weeks or until such a meeting was granted. She also promised that, were she not granted a second meeting, she would return to Crawford each time Bush visits there in the future.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/16/politics/main780687_page2.shtml
| first=
| last=
| publisher=CBS News/AP
| work =
| title=Sheehan Edges Closer To Bush Ranch:
Anti-War Protesters Move To Site Provided By Texas Sympathizer
| date=2005-08-17
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref> Several cabinet members went out to talk to Sheehan, but she refused stating that she would only talk to the President himself. Toward the end of her ], she said she was "very, very, very grateful" Bush did not grant her that meeting because it would have ended the momentum the ] gained from the popularity of her demonstrations.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/1708361.html
| first=
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| publisher=Kwtx.com
| work =
| title=Sheehan Leaves Central Texas Wednesday
| date=
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref>


For the ], Sheehan traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak at the opening of "Eyes Wide Open: the Human Cost of War," a traveling exhibition created by the ] that displays pairs of combat boots to represent U.S. military casualties.<ref name="Buzzflash02-05">{{cite web| url=http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/02/con05067.html| first=Cindy| last=Sheehan| publisher=BuzzFlash| work=BuzzFlash Reader Contribution| title=1492 Empty Pairs of Boots| date=2005-02-28| access-date=2007-04-08| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070329131333/http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/02/con05067.html| archive-date=2007-03-29| url-status=dead}}</ref> She also traveled with the exhibition to other locations and donated her son Casey's boots, stating, "Behind these boots is one broken-hearted family."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2107 |title=Anti-war memorial stirring passions among parents |publisher=Catholicpeacefellowship.org |date=2005-03-10 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/26/BAGTBBV26U1.DTL| first=Joe| last=Garofoli| publisher=San Francisco Chronicle| title = Empty boots are silent testament to war's toll| date=2005-03-26| access-date=2007-04-08}}</ref> Sheehan was one of the nine founding members of ], an organization she created in January 2005 with other families she met at the inauguration. It seeks to end ], and provides support for families of soldiers killed in Iraq.<ref name="Buzzflash02-05"/><ref>Michael A. Fletcher, , ], August 13, 2005.</ref>
Sheehan's actions have led supporters such as ], ] of the ], to describe her as "the ] of the ]."<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.bloggernews.net/showstory.asp?page=blognews/stories/UP0000471.txt
| first=
| last=
| publisher=
| work =
| title= '''this link is not working'''
| date=
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref> Later during the demonstration, Sheehan also gained the label of "Peace Mom" from the mainstream media.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/24312/
| first= Will
| last= Durst
| publisher=AlterNet.
| work =
| title=FAQ: Cindy Sheehan, 'Peace Mom'
| date=2005-08-18
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/18/crawford.protest/
| first=Bash, Dana
| last=Meucci, Jason
| publisher=CNN
| work =
| title=Sheehan leaves antiwar camp
| date=2005-08-19
| accessdate=2007-04-08
}}
</ref><ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/22/politics/main789375.shtml</ref><ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-08-24-peacemom-returns_x.htm?csp=34</ref>


Sheehan gained international attention in early August 2005, when she traveled to President Bush's ], just outside ], demanding a second meeting with the President.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080601337.html| newspaper=The Washington Post |title= Mother of Fallen Soldier Protests at Bush Ranch| date=2005-08-07| access-date=2011-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.veteransforpeace.org/convention05/sheehan_transcript.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061101054305/http://www.veteransforpeace.org/convention05/sheehan_transcript.htm| archive-date=2006-11-01| title= Cindy Sheehan Address Veterans For Peace Convention, August 5, 2005| access-date=August 22, 2011}}</ref> She told members of ], "I'm gonna say, 'And you tell me, what the noble cause is that my son died for.' And if he even starts to say freedom and democracy, I'm gonna say, bullshit. You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich.... You tell me that, you don't tell me my son died for freedom and democracy." She also vowed not to pay her federal income tax for 2004 because that was the year her son was killed.
Some of her statements have caused controversy. One such comment she wrote on the ] on ] ], accusing the media of excessive media coverage of ]:


===Camp Casey===
{{cquote| am watching <nowiki>]<nowiki>]</nowiki> and it is 100 percent ita... even though it is a little wind and a little rain... it is bad, but there are other things going on in this country today... and in the world!!!!<ref>http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2005/9/24/85619/4714/25?mode=alone;showrate=1#25</ref>}}
{{Main|Camp Casey, Crawford, Texas}}
On August 6, 2005, Sheehan arrived at the ] on a bus full of combat veterans, including Desert Storm Veteran Dennis Kyne and ]. They marched along a dirt road in the direction of The Bush Ranch. Stalled by law enforcement from walking all the way to the front door because the group refused to march as ordered in the Barr ditch, she created a makeshift camp that would be remembered as the "ditch". Three miles (5&nbsp;km) from President Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas, Sheehan announced her intention to stay (sleeping in a ] at night) until she was granted a face-to-face meeting with the president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=7708|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624205253/http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=7708|url-status=dead|title=Mom of soldier killed in Iraq stages protest near Bush's ranch|archive-date=June 24, 2007}}</ref> Sheehan started her protest the day the president started a planned five-week vacation. The encampment was publicized widely on behalf of Gold Star Families for Peace and ]. A few days later, the media began referring to Sheehan's camp as "]."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou050808_gj_outwornwelcome.54eae939.html |title=Grieving mom may have worn out welcome outside Bush's ranch |access-date=2010-04-10 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080324012123/http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou050808_gj_outwornwelcome.54eae939.html |archive-date = March 24, 2008}}</ref> ]


Sheehan spent most of the next four weeks in Crawford, drawing global media coverage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Engler |first=Mark |last2=Engler |first2=Paul |date=2024-08-19 |title=How to Make Sure Your Disruptive Protest Helps Your Cause |url=https://commonslibrary.org/how-to-make-sure-your-disruptive-protest-helps-your-cause/ |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref> On some days as many as 1,500 supporters visited Camp Casey,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050813/APN/508130949&cachetime=3&template=dateline |title=Tuscaloosa News |publisher=Tuscaloosa News |access-date=2010-04-10 |archive-date=2009-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611100909/http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050813/APN/508130949&cachetime=3&template=dateline |url-status=dead }}</ref> including members of the ], as well as several notable actors, singers, and ] activists.
In March 2005, James Morris sent an e-mail to ]'s '']'' that allegedly included the statements that Casey Sheehan "was killed for lies and for a ] ] agenda to benefit ]" and that he had "joined the Army to protect America, not Israel." Sheehan denies the allegations, "I've never said that. . . Those aren't even words that I would say. I do believe that the ] issue<ref>http://representativepress.blogspot.com/2005/08/gorilla-in-room-is-us-support-for.html</ref> is a hot issue that needs to be solved, and it needs to be more fair and equitable, but I never said my son died for Israel." She claims that Morris modified the email to support his own personal agenda. Morris denies altering the email before sending it along to ''Nightline''<ref>http://representativepress.blogspot.com/2005/08/cindy-sheehan-mother-of-spc-casey.html</ref> on Sheehan's behalf (per her request for him to do so). Two other individuals, Tony Tersch and Skeeter Gallagher, received a copy of Sheehan's email directly from her; both claim that the e-mail they received is consistent with Morris' story, rather than Sheehan's. Tersch posted the email<ref></ref> he received to the "bullyard" Google group.


Gold Star Families for Peace, of which Sheehan is a founding member, released a TV commercial featuring Sheehan, broadcast on Crawford and ] cable channels near Bush's ranch.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/archive/2005/08/gold-star-families-for-pe_5552.html |title=Gold Star Families For Peace Launches New Ad Supporting Cindy Sheehan |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2005-08-12 |access-date=2010-04-10 |first=Alex |last=MacCallum}}</ref> The group conducted a walk to a police station just outside Bush's ranch and delivered a bundle of oversized letters written by them to First Lady ], appealing to her as a mother to support their movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=060000&biid=2005082014748 |title=Please Convince the President, First Lady Laura Bush |publisher=English.donga.com |date=2005-08-20 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref>
Cindy Sheehan on ], ] published a letter titled "Oh no, Canada".<ref>http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=646</ref> In the letter, she wrote that the ] ] was "wildly unpopular from coast to coast up north and there is a growing sense of unease about his emulation of a very unpopular person in the USA but even more in Canada: George Bush." However, two days prior to the letter's publication SES Research released the results of a poll<ref>http://www.sesresearch.com/library/polls/POLNAT-S06-T7.pdf</ref> indicating approval for the Prime Minister in every part of the country.


On August 16, Sheehan moved her camp closer to the Bush ranch after being offered the use of a piece of land owned by a supporter, Fred Mattlage.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brown |first=Angela |title=Neighbor Allows War Protesters to Camp on his Land |work=Common Dreams.org / AP |date=2005-08-17 |url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0817-06.htm |access-date=2011-10-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617011936/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0817-06.htm |archive-date=2013-06-17 }}</ref>
She has plans to build a therapy center across from President Bush's ranch for returning war victims. {{Fact|date=April 2007}}


In late August, Sheehan stated that she would continue to campaign against the Iraq war even if granted a meeting with Bush. She also announced the ], to depart on September 1 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on September 24 for three days of demonstrations. The tour, which covered 42 cities in 26 states, was publicized by the Mintwood Media Collective, and garnered international media coverage. On the third day, Sheehan and about 370 other antiwar activists were arrested for demonstrating on the White House sidewalk.<ref>, Washington Post, September 27, 2005</ref>
==Crawford Peace House==
Sheehan is a director of the ], which came under scrutiny in ] of 2007 after not only failing to submit paperwork since ] of 2006 to retain their corporate charter, but also after having several hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations unaccounted for. If the Peace House forfeits its corporate charter, Sheehan could be held accountable for its debts, a Texas Comptroller spokesperson said.<ref>, NBC 6 News, KCEN-TV</ref>


Sheehan's actions led supporters such as ], CEO of the ], to describe her as "the ] of the antiwar movement."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bloggernews.net/showstory.asp?page=blognews/stories/UP0000471.txt| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509222713/http://www.bloggernews.net/showstory.asp?page=blognews%2Fstories%2FUP0000471.txt| archive-date=2006-05-09| title=Cindy Sheehan's Iraq War Protest: A Woman Scorned| access-date=2011-08-22| url-status=usurped}}</ref> Sheehan also gained the label of "Peace Mom" from the mainstream media.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/18/crawford.protest/| first=Bash, Dana| last=Meucci, Jason| publisher=CNN| title=Sheehan leaves antiwar camp| date=2005-08-19| access-date=2007-04-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Sean Alfano |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joan-baez-joins-peace-moms-cause/ |title=Joan Baez Joins Peace Mom's Cause |publisher=Cbsnews.com |date=2005-08-22 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-08-24-peacemom-returns_x.htm?csp=34 |title='Peace Mom' returns to Texas to continue anti-war protest |publisher=Usatoday.com |date=2005-08-24 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref>
==Chronology of activism==
===Camp Casey===
{{Main|Camp Casey, Crawford, Texas}}
On ], ], Sheehan created a makeshift camp in a ditch by the side of the road about three miles from George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas and announced her intention to stay (sleeping in a pup tent at night) until she is granted a face-to-face meeting with the President.<ref>http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=7708</ref> Sheehan started her protest the day the President started a planned five-week vacation.
A few days later, the media began referring to Sheehan's camp as "]."<ref>http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou050808_gj_outwornwelcome.54eae939.html</ref>


==Political activism==
She spent the next four weeks in Crawford (except for 5 days spent in California to see her elderly mother, who had suffered a stroke.<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aRyVaRrITyEs&refer=us]</ref>) On some days as many as 1500 supporters visited Camp Casey<ref>http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050813/APN/508130949&cachetime=3&template=dateline</ref>, including members of Congress, as well as several notable actors, singers, and civil rights activists.
In September 2005, Sheehan moved into the ], home of ] and Virginia Pearcy,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?archiveDate=10-18-05&storyID=22543|title=Cindy Sheehan Moves to Berkeley, Joins Call for National Guard Return By RICHARD BRENNEMAN. Category: Features from The Berkeley Daily Planet|first=Berkeley Daily Planet, Berkeley|last=California}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/19/INGEQHOQAA1.DTL&type=printable|title=THE DEFIANT WAR / When it began three years ago, few people could have anticipated that the combat in Iraq would last so long or that the enemy would become a stubborn and resilient insurgency / Cindy Sheehan's year of living famously|newspaper=Sfgate |date=19 March 2006 |last1=Haddock |first1=Vicki }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.law.com/jsp/llf/PubArticleLLF.jsp?id=1188982955198|title=Law.com|accessdate=25 February 2024}}</ref> where she lived for just over a year, during which time she wrote two books. Also that month, Sheehan met with Senator ], and later called him a "warmonger."<ref>{{Cite news | last = House | first = Billy | title = 'Peace Mom' Assails McCain | newspaper = Arizona Republic | url = http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0928mccain-sheehan.html | access-date = 2011-08-22}}</ref> Between 2005 and 2007, Sheehan attended several antiwar events in ] organized by the Pearcys.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=234393 |title=SN&R > Local Stories > The Cindy Sheehan show > 11.02.06 |date=November 2006 |publisher=Newsreview.com |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=semp |url=http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2005/10/15/17748051.php |title=Anti War Pics from Sacramento 10 15 05 |publisher=Indybay |date=2005-10-15 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Pearcy |first=Stephen |url=http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/01/15/18347484.php |title=Cindy Sheehan to attend two BIG events Friday in Sacramento |publisher=Indybay |date=2007-01-15 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=271454 |title=SN&R > Columns > Bites > The party's over > 01.25.07 |date=24 January 2007 |publisher=Newsreview.com |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Pearcy |first=Stephen |url=http://sfbay.indymedia.org/newsitems/2007/05/06/18410720.php |title=Sheehan and Others Converge Upon Matsui's Home : Indybay |publisher=Sfbay.indymedia.org |date=2007-05-06 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Pearcy |first=Stephen |url=http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/30/18324976.php |title=Democratic Congressional Candidate's Wife Asks Sheehan Not To Protest Iraq War |publisher=Indybay |date=2006-10-30 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref> Also in September 2005, the Bring Them Home Now Tour was organized by Gold Star Families for Peace, ], Military Families Speak Out, and ]. Inspired by Sheehan and frequently including Sheehan as a speaker, it was a rolling antiwar protest against the Iraq War, beginning in ], traveling three routes across the country (with rallies along the way) and culminating in a rally in Washington, D.C., later in September 2005.


On October 24, 2005, Sheehan said that she planned to speak at the White House and then tie herself to the fence.<ref>{{cite news |author=Kristen Lombardi |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0543,lombardiqa,69280,2.html |title=Mother of All Protesters |publisher=Villagevoice.com |date=2005-10-18 |access-date=2010-04-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829185044/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0543%2Clombardiqa%2C69280%2C2.html |archive-date=2008-08-29 }}</ref> She and 28 others were arrested in a sit-in at the White House on October 26.<ref>Henri E. Cauvin, , ], November 18, 2005.</ref>
Gold Star Families for Peace, of which Sheehan is a founding member, released a TV commercial featuring Sheehan, broadcast on Crawford and ] cable channels near Bush's ranch.<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/archive/2005/08/gold-star-families-for-pe_5552.html</ref> The group conducted a walk to a police station just outside Bush's Crawford ranch and delivered a bundle of oversized letters written by them to First Lady ], appealing to her as a mother for support towards their movement.<ref>http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=060000&biid=2005082014748</ref>


Sheehan visited London in early December 2005 and was interviewed by ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2005_49_fri_05.shtml?wkp |title=On her son's death and meeting Mr Bush |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=2010-04-10 |archive-date=2011-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629055445/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2005_49_fri_05.shtml?wkp |url-status=dead }}</ref> and by '']''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Duncan Campbell |url=https://www.theguardian.com/antiwar/story/0,,1663388,00.html |title='I feel I'm carrying the world on my shoulders' |publisher=Guardian |date= 2005-12-09|access-date=2010-04-10 | location=London}}</ref> On December 10, Sheehan addressed the ], organized by the ]. Later in the evening, she attended the London Premiere of '']'', a play written by ] about her,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dariofo.it/files/peace%20mom%20FoRame%20(English).pdf |title=PDF |access-date=2010-04-10 |archive-date=2009-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928174107/http://www.dariofo.it/files/peace%20mom%20FoRame%20(English).pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> in which the role of Sheehan was played by ]. On December 13, Sheehan traveled to Ireland, where she met Irish Foreign Affairs Minister ]. She voiced her objection to U.S. aircraft refueling at ], stating, "Your government, even though they didn't send troops to Iraq, are complicit in the crimes by allowing the planes to land and refuel."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=672721 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220131638/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=672721 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-02-20 |title=Belfast Telegraph |publisher=Belfast Telegraph |access-date=2010-04-10 }}</ref>
On August 16, Sheehan moved her camp closer to the Bush ranch after being offered the use of a piece of land owned by a supporter, ], who also happens to be a third cousin of Larry Mattlage, a rancher who had fired a shotgun on his property near the demonstration site several days earlier.<ref>http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001014533</ref><ref>http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=7774</ref>


On January 31, 2006, Sheehan wore a T-shirt reading "2,245 Dead. How many more?" to Bush's ] address and was removed and arrested by Capitol Police.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/31/sheehan.arrest/index.html |title=Activist Sheehan arrested in House gallery |publisher=Cnn.com |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref>
In late August, Sheehan stated that she would continue to campaign against the Iraq war even if granted a meeting with the President. She also announced the ], to depart on September 1 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on September 24 for three days of demonstrations. On the third day, Sheehan and about 370 other anti-war activists were arrested for demonstrating on the White House sidewalk.<ref>, Washington Post, September 27, 2005</ref>


], May 2006.]]
===September - December 2005===
On March 7, 2006, Sheehan was arrested in New York "after blocking the door to the U.S. Mission to the ] offices" during a protest with Iraqi women against the war.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11706772 |title=Cindy Sheehan arrested during NYC protest |work=NBC News |date=2006-03-07 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref>
{{Main|Bring Them Home Now Tour}}
]
In September, the Bring Them Home Now Tour was organized by ], ], ], and ]. It was a rolling anti-war protest against the Iraq War, beginning in ], traveling three routes across the country (with rallies along the way) and culminating in a rally in Washington, DC in September 2005. It was inspired by and featured Cindy Sheehan as a speaker at many rallies.


Sheehan and Gold Star Families for Peace were awarded the 'Domestic Human Rights Award' by ], an international human rights organization based in San Francisco.
Sheehan's activism continued into the winter of 2005/2006. She met with Senator ] and, after considering the meeting a disappointment, called him a "warmonger".<ref>http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0927az-sheehan-mccain27-ON.html</ref> She later protested ]'s stance on the war, stating that Clinton must either speak out against the war or risk losing her job<ref>http://www.muslimwakeup.com/main/archives/2005/10/cindy_sheehan_r.php</ref><ref>http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Oct05/Frank1003.htm</ref>, and urged Governor ] to withdraw the Arizona National Guard from Iraq at a rally in ].<ref>http://www.kpho.com/Global/story.asp?S=3928602&nav=23Ku</ref><ref>http://www.oregonlive.com/enter/index.ssf?/newsflash/regional/index.ssf%3f/base/news-12/1128372541192571.xml&storylist=</ref> After a short trip back home to California, Sheehan said on October 24 during a media interview<ref>http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0543,lombardiqa,69280,2.html</ref> that she planned to speak at the ] and then tie herself to the fence, promising to return to the fence as soon as possible if arrested. She did not follow through on this statement.


Several organizations planned a ] to begin on July 4, 2006;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://troopshomefast.org |title=troopshomefast.org |publisher=troopshomefast.org |date=2006-07-04 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref> Sheehan stated she would participate. On July 5, Sheehan appeared on ]'s '']'' to discuss the war and her upcoming hunger strike. On the show, she called Bush "the biggest ] in the world" and "worse than ]," and conceded that she would rather live under ]'s ] than Bush.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13735484 |title='Hardball with Chris Matthews' for July 5 |work=NBC News |date=2006-07-06 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref> Later that month, Sheehan purchased {{convert|5|acre|m2}} of land in Crawford, Texas, near Bush's private residence.
Around ], Sheehan returned to Texas to protest Bush's vacation without bringing the soldiers home. Bush planned to stay in Crawford through ], ].<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1345370</ref> In early December, Sheehan traveled to ] to attend the annual ] banquet. The theme of the banquet was "Make 2006 a turning point year in the fight for peace and justice."<ref>http://colorado.indymedia.org/newswire/display/12117/index.php</ref>


On May 26 and May 28, 2007, Sheehan posted two messages to '']'' announcing that she was leaving the ] after the Democratic-controlled Congress passed a bill authorizing the continued funding of the war in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/26/10135/7518 |title=Dear Democratic Congress |author=Cindy Sheehan |publisher=] |date=May 26, 2007}}</ref> She also submitted her resignation as the "face" of the American antiwar movement, stating that she wanted to go home and be a mother to her surviving children. However, on July 3, 2007, in response to President Bush's ] of ]'s sentence, she announced her return to activism.<ref>U.S. Conflicts in the 21st Century: Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror : Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror, Spencer C. Tucker, ABC-CLIO, 2015, </ref> She focused on her ] in 2008.
===Europe and South America===
<!-- Unsourced image removed: ]]] -->
Sheehan went to ] in early December. She was interviewed by ]<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2005_49_fri_05.shtml?wkp</ref> and by '']''.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/antiwar/story/0,,1663388,00.html</ref> On December 10, Sheehan addressed the ], organized by the ] and held at ]. Sheehan was received enthusiastically by the British anti-war movement. Later in the evening, she attended the London Premiere of ], a play written by ] (Literature Nobel laureate) about her<ref>http://www.dariofo.it/files/peace%20mom%20FoRame%20(English).pdf</ref>, in which the role of Sheehan was played by ]. On December 13, Sheehan traveled to ], where she met Irish Foreign Affairs minister ]. She voiced her objection to U.S. aircraft refueling at ], stating, "Your Government, even though they didn't send troops to Iraq, are complicit in the crimes by allowing the planes to land and refuel".<ref>http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=672721</ref>


In August 2009, Sheehan protested at ] during President ]'s stay there. According to ]: "Sheehan invoked Senator ]'s passing as part of her message, noting that he was firmly antiwar and how he said his proudest vote as a senator was his 2002 vote against the Iraq war."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/08/cindy-sheehan-brings-antiwar-antiobama-message-to-marthas-vineyard.html |title=Cindy Sheehan Brings Anti-War, Anti-Obama Message to Martha's Vineyard - Political Punch |publisher=Blogs.abcnews.com |date=2009-08-27 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref> On October 5, 2009, Sheehan was arrested with 60 others at the White House protesting President Obama's continuation of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She told ]: "I think the mood of the country and the mood of our movement is getting a little bit more desperate, and this will be the time to be able to translate our tireless activism and work for peace."<ref>, ], October 5, 2009.</ref> On December 10, 2009, Sheehan protested on the streets of ], Norway, as President Barack Obama ] the ].<ref>, ], December 11, 2009.</ref> In 2009, she was awarded the US Peace Prize by the US Peace Memorial Foundation for “extraordinary and innovative antiwar activism."<ref>{{cite web |title=Cindy Sheehan awarded 2009 US Peace Prize |url=https://www.uspeaceprize.org/ |publisher=US Peace Memorial Foundation |access-date=22 November 2019}}</ref>
On ], ], Sheehan took a trip to ], sponsored by that nation's foreign ministry. Joining more than 10,000 ] activists in Venezuela for the ] ] with Venezuela's President ]<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060124/en_afp/venezuelasocial_060124235441</ref>, she stated "I admire President Chávez for his strength to resist the United States" while saying she agreed with ]'s statement that President Bush is "the greatest ] in the world."


On March 20, 2010, Sheehan was again arrested in front of the White House, along with seven others, after they refused to listen to orders by officers of the ] to clear the sidewalk on ].<ref name="march2010">{{cite news|url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/03/ap_iraq_war_protests_032010/|title=Thousands rally on anniversary of Iraq invasion|last=Barakat|first=Matthew|date=21 March 2010|agency=Associated Press|publisher=]|access-date=22 March 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714034338/http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/03/ap_iraq_war_protests_032010/|archive-date=14 July 2011}}</ref> On July 12, Sheehan and four other activists were on trial in the Superior Court of the ] stemming from the arrests. The government decided not to try three others arrested that day, and had their cases dismissed. Sheehan and two others were acquitted of crossing a police line, while the other two were found guilty.<ref name="20 July 2010">{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/celebrities/sheehan-cleared-in-dc-protest.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010201516/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/celebrities/sheehan-cleared-in-dc-protest.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 10, 2012|title=Sheehan cleared in D.C. protest case|date=13 July 2010|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
===2006 activism===
On January 31, Sheehan wore a T-shirt reading "2,245 Dead. How many more?" to Bush's ] address and was removed and arrested by Capitol Police.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/31/sheehan.arrest/index.html</ref> Additionally, Beverly Young, the wife of Representative ] (]., ].), was told to leave because she was wearing a T-shirt that read "Support the Troops: Defending Our Freedom." As a matter of policy, visitors to Congress are not allowed to wear shirts containing type of any kind. Sheehan later over-dramatically described the event:<ref>http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0201-01.htm</ref>
<blockquote>
I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things... I would have, and written about the suppression of my ] later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct."
<p>
After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a nice Sergeant came in and looked at my shirt and said, "2245, huh? I just got back from there."
<p>
I told him that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my ] rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain.
</blockquote>


On May 2, 2011, Sheehan released a statement indicating that she considers the ] to be a ], stating: "If you believe the newest death of OBL, you're stupid."<ref name=Geraghty/> She referred to America as a
]]]
"lying, murderous empire" and told Americans, whom she called "brainwashed," to "put flags away."<ref name=Geraghty /><ref name="IBT">{{cite news |title=Osama photo decision fuels conspiracy theories |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/141402/20110504/osama-photo-decision-fuels-conspiracy-theories.htm |newspaper=] |date=May 4, 2011 |access-date=May 5, 2011}}</ref>
On March 7, Sheehan was arrested in ] "after blocking the door to the U.S. Mission to the ] offices" during a protest with Iraqi women against the war.<ref>http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11706772/</ref>


In October 2011, Sheehan was arrested in Sacramento as part of an ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/anti-war-activist-cindy-sheehan-18-other-wall-street-protesters-arrested-in-sacramento/2011/10/16/gIQAkm1KpL_story.html|title=Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, 18 other Wall Street protesters arrested in Sacramento|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=20 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209122812/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/anti-war-activist-cindy-sheehan-18-other-wall-street-protesters-arrested-in-sacramento/2011/10/16/gIQAkm1KpL_story.html|archive-date=9 December 2018|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Sheehan took part in the "United For Peace and Justice" March in New York to protest the war on ].


Although Sheehan agreed to run as the vice presidential nominee of the ] for the 2012 elections, the party's national convention voted on October 15, 2011, to block her candidacy, on the official grounds that she was not a member of the party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://socialist-tea.com/2011/10/19/how-the-spusa-2012-ticket-came-to-be|title=How the SPUSA 2012 Ticket came to be|publisher=www.socialist-tea.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308150628/http://www.socialist-tea.com/2011/10/19/how-the-spusa-2012-ticket-came-to-be|archive-date=March 8, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The nomination went to ], of Texas.
Sheehan has accused the United States of planning to attack ] in an effort to halt that nation's development of ]s. In two articles on '']'', she called the passage of the ] was merely a stepping stone to war, and called on Congress to reject similar measures in the future.<ref name="buzzflash1">Sheehan, Cindy. . April 30, 2006</ref><ref name="buzzflash2">Sheehan, Cindy. . April 11, 2006.</ref>


In 2017, when the U.S. President ] was expected to announce the sending of thousands of additional troops, Sheehan feared that more opposition to the war would be only because of who occupies the presidency, stating, "If Trump announces that there will be a continued U.S. military presence or an increased presence, I am afraid any opposition from the 'left' will only be anti-Trump, because, of course, Obama escalated in Afghanistan and maintained that illegal war for the entire eight years of his presidency with not a peep from those same pro-DNC forces." Additionally, she believes "nothing but total withdrawal to give the people of Afghanistan autonomy over their own country will be acceptable" but said that she's concerned about the sincerity of possible protests.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/antiwar-activists-seek-boost-from-trumps-afghanistan-announcement|title=Antiwar activists seek boost from Trump's Afghanistan announcement|date=21 August 2017|website=Washington Examiner}}</ref>
On ], Sheehan joined ] at a ] organized protest in ], across the street from the White House. Sheehan told the crowd that Mother's Day without her son was "very emotional" for her.<ref>http://baltimorechronicle.com/2006/051506Hughes.shtml</ref>
On May 26, Sheehan spoke at a rally in ], ]. The rally was held in front of the offices of the Victorian ], and it was in support of the release of ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Free David Hicks | author= | publisher=Civil Rights Defense | url=http://www.civilrightsdefence.org/?cat=1 | accessdate=6 June | accessyear=2006}}</ref>


Sheehan hosts a weekly radio show which began in 2009. She has interviewed activists and world leaders, including ], ], ], and ]. Sheehan maintains a blog, "Cindy's Soapbox."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/|title=Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox|website=cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com|accessdate=25 February 2024}}</ref>
Several organizations are planning a ] for July 4 <ref>http:///troopshomefast.org</ref> in which Sheehan has stated she will participate, although she will not be fasting indefinitely as some others have pledged to do. "Some of us like ] and Diane Wilson will be fasting until the troops come home from Iraq, and some, like me, will be fasting for a specified time. My fast will begin on 7/04 and end on the last day of Camp Casey: 09/02."<ref>http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/print.php?id=669</ref> Hers was a fast from solid foods, but allowing liquids such as blended juice drinks and smoothies.<ref>http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/3794/1/198/</ref>{{pov-statement}}


===Refusal to pay taxes===
On July 5, Sheehan appeared on ]'s '']'' to discuss the war and her upcoming hunger strike. On the show, she called Bush "the biggest terrorist in the world" and "worse than ]," and conceded that she would rather live under Venezuela's Chávez than Bush.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13735484/</ref>
In 2012, Sheehan was sued by the federal government for failure to pay back taxes. "I feel like I gave my son to this country in an illegal and immoral war. I'll never get him back," Sheehan said. "And, so, if they can give me my son back, then I'll pay my taxes. And that's not going to happen."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/22/us/california-sheehan-taxes/index.html |title=Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan won't pay back taxes |date= 2012-02-22|access-date=2012-02-22 |work=CNN}}</ref> Sheehan appeared in court on April 19, 2012, and in IRS offices on May 9, 2012, refusing to provide information on the basis of the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment.<ref>{{cite web | author = National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee |year = 2012| title = Sheehan Case Update | url = https://nwtrcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/mtap0812.pdf |access-date= 2022-11-03 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = Sheehan, Cindy |year = 2012| title = Conscience and the Constitution: They Fought on their own Battlefield | url = https://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2012/05/conscience-and-constitution-they-fought.html |access-date= 2022-11-03 }}</ref> The government dropped its case against her in February 2013.<ref>{{cite web | author = National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee |year = 2013| title = Congratulations, Cindy Sheehan | url = https://nwtrcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/mtap0413.pdf |access-date= 2022-11-03 }}</ref>


==Congressional election campaign==
In July, Sheehan purchased five acres of land in Crawford, Texas, near Bush's private residence. In a written statement, Sheehan wrote that she "decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or ], which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world." She also stated that she "can't think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace", and that she is sure that Casey would have approved.<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/27/D8J4FIGG0.html</ref> In an interview on '']'', Sheehan said that once her need for the land is over, she intends to donate the land to Crawford for the purpose of converting it into The Casey Sheehan Memorial Peace Park.<ref>http://www.stephaniemiller.com/bits/2006_0728_sheehan.mp3</ref>
]
In July 2007, Sheehan announced that she would run against ] ] for ] of California's ], based on Pelosi's failure to attempt impeachment of Bush.<ref>{{cite news| title = Sheehan arrested while calling for Bush, Cheney impeachment | agency =Associated Press | publisher = CNN | date = July 23, 2007 | url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/sheehan.impeachment.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch| access-date=January 9, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080323114931/http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/sheehan.impeachment.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch |archive-date = March 23, 2008}}</ref> Up until her run for the U.S. Congress, Sheehan lived outside Pelosi's district, in ]; however, she moved to San Francisco's ] after declaring her candidacy.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19665569 |title=Sheehan weighs run against Pelosi |work=] |date=July 8, 2007}}</ref> Earlier, in 2006, she had spoken of ambitions to challenge ] for her seat in the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-01-28-sheehan-senate_x.htm |title=Sheehan considers challenging Sen. Feinstein |work=] |date=January 28, 2006}}</ref>


Sheehan ran on a platform of ], media reform, overturning all ] agreements, repealing the ], ], nationalizing oil and electricity, ending the ], legalizing ], ensuring all talks in the Middle East are fair to all parties, ending torture, closing ], overseas commitment to cleaning up ] sites, ending ], ending ], and legalizing ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cindyforcongress.org/article.php?list=type&type=13 |title=Cindy Sheehan For Congress |publisher=Cindyforcongress.org |access-date=2010-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223180949/http://www.cindyforcongress.org/article.php?list=type&type=13 |archive-date=2009-02-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sheehan lost the 2008 election to the ] Pelosi. In a seven-way race, Sheehan came in second with 46,118 votes (16.14%) to Pelosi's 71.56%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=1793 |title=SFGOV |publisher=SFGOV |access-date=2010-10-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704024244/http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=1793 |archive-date=2013-07-04 }}</ref>
In September, Sheehan released her memoir, entitled ''Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey Through Heartache to Activism''. The book recounts her experience of losing her son, along with ] of ] and revenge against Bush, and her transformation into an anti-war activist. Also included in the book are criticisms several other politicians, including: Senator John McCain, whom she accuses of lying to the media about his private statements to her; ], whom she says she regrets voting for; and Hillary Clinton, whom she calls a "powermonger."<ref>http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2006/09/cindy-sheehan-confessions-of-a-dangerous-mom.php</ref>


==2012 vice-presidential candidacy==
On December 10, Sheehan participated in a pro-impeachment forum at ] alongside ], mother of ], the first commissioned Army officer to refuse to go to Iraq.
In the summer of 2012, television personality ] named Sheehan as her ] for the presidential nomination of the ] in the ]. Barr and Sheehan were nominated by that party as its ] on August 4, 2012.<ref name="trending"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/08/roseanne-finally-won-a-presidential-nomination.html | title=Roseanne Barr Finally Won a Presidential Nomination | work=] | date=August 5, 2012 | access-date=August 5, 2012 | author=Bankoff, Caroline}}</ref>


==2014 California gubernatorial candidacy and campaign==
===2007 activism===
On ] ] she traveled to ] and called for the closure of the U.S. military prison in ], ].<ref></ref> She also visited the ] (ELAM) where she declared: "I am impressed by the school, the quality of the students. I have never seen anything like it in the world; it doesn’t matter what part of the world we come from, or the fact that our governments don’t get along, we have the same hearts and they are filled with love."<ref></ref> Sheehan refused to meet with Cuban dissidents regarding Cuba's holding of ]s.<ref></ref>


On March 12, 2013 ], state chair of California's ], made the announcement that the central committee of the party had unanimously endorsed Cindy Sheehan for ] in the ], should Sheehan choose to run. Sheehan formally announced her campaign for Governor of California at a news conference Tuesday, August 27, 2013, at the State Capitol in ].{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
In ], on ], ], Sheehan gave a speech at the Unitarian Universalists Church about impeaching Bush and ending the war. <ref> recording of Sheehan's speech</ref>


Sheehan said she planned to unseat incumbent Gov. ], and to bring California "peace, economic equality and environmental sustainability," and reforms through an EPIC (End Poverty in California) program. Her EPIC campaign harkened to the ] campaign of the ] ]. Sinclair garnered 879,537 votes in that race.<ref>{{cite web|title=California Democratic Primary, 1934|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=103765|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>
Cindy Sheehan planned on visiting ], on ], ], to give a speech on President Bush and the war in Iraq. <ref></ref> This visit caused controversy locally and Purdue University enacted security measures not normally used around a guest speaker, such as banning signs or banners from the speech location. Purdue students let their opinion be known as Sheehan had a hard time speaking over the chorus of boos from those in attendance. At several points of the speech she became very hostile and confrontational calling several students "warmongers."<ref></ref>


==Political positions==
Cindy Sheehan was invited by the May 4th Task Force as part of a yearly event remembering the ]. After ringing the Kent State bell 32 times to honor the recent ], Cindy Sheehan spoke to a crowded gathering of students, activists and adults from all over the region.<ref></ref>
Sheehan has, through her own blog, described herself as a ].<ref>{{cite web|title=A Socialist's Response to The Greatest American Scoundrel Show (Debate)|date=4 October 2012|url=http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-socialists-resonse-to-greatest.html|publisher=Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> She has also criticized ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurasiareview.com/19022020-cindy-sheehan-socialism-for-the-ill-informed-oped/|title=Cindy Sheehan: Socialism For The Ill-Informed – OpEd|date=February 12, 2020|access-date=December 21, 2020|work=Eurasia Review}}</ref> In 2010, Sheehan changed her voter registration in California and became a member of the ].<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210043609/http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/home/component/content/article/12-general/752-cindy-sheehan-joins-peace-and-freedom |date=2017-02-10 }}. Peace and Freedom Party.</ref> Sheehan has expressed opposition to COVID-19 restrictions, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2021/03/01/cindy-sheehan-open-the-schools/|title=Cindy Sheehan: Open the schools|date=March 1, 2021|access-date=November 3, 2022|work=Times-Herald}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thereporter.com/2020/08/02/cindy-sheehan-youth-deserve-better/|title=Cindy Sheehan: Youth deserve better |date=August 2, 2020|access-date=November 3, 2022|work=The Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cindysheehan.substack.com/p/un-jabbed-black-dc-teens-denied-schooling|title=DC Mayor Says No Digital Learning, Giving Unvaccinated Black Teens Zero Alternative Option|date=August 25, 2022|access-date=November 3, 2022}}</ref> She published a paper about former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's nursing home controversy.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}


In 2024, Sheehan signed an open letter in support of a ] activist who was excluded from a ] action for opposing trans rights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://oc-drl.site/Menasche%20open%20letter.html|title=OC/DRL|accessdate=25 February 2024}}</ref>
==Quotes==

{{wikiquote}}
==Personal life==
*“Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not afraid of anything,”<ref>{{cite news|title=Sheehan, in Cuba, protests Guantanamo prison|publisher=]|date=]|accessdate=2007-05-20|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16504209/}}</ref>
In 1977, she married Patrick Sheehan, a sales representative, in ]; they had four children, including Casey Sheehan (born in 1979), who was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2004. Patrick Sheehan filed for divorce on August 12, 2005, citing irreconcilable differences.<ref name="SmokingGun1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0815051sheehan2.html |title=The Smoking Gun |publisher=The Smoking Gun |access-date=2010-04-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003105359/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0815051sheehan2.html |archive-date=2009-10-03 }}</ref><ref name="SFGate1">{{cite book|first1=Peter|last1=Fimrite|title=Activist mother sued for divorce / Vigil for dead son outside Bush ranch|url=https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/2005-08-16/news/17385299_1_patrick-sheehan-cindy-sheehan-president-bush-s-texas-ranch|access-date=May 6, 2010|date=August 16, 2005|newspaper=]|publisher=Hearst Communications|location=San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.|isbn=9781416541059|issn=1932-8672|oclc=33123981|quote=Her husband, Patrick Sheehan, filed for divorce Friday in Solano County District Court, and he apparently wants to keep their house.}}</ref>
*“We can't depend on the Democrats ... They got there and betrayed the grass roots that put them there”<ref>{{cite news|title=Bush critic Sheehan blasts US Democrats|publisher=] (published on )|url=http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070406213651.amoh9jep&show_article=1|accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref>

*" the biggest terrorist in the world and worse than ], I would rather live under Venezuela's Chávez than Bush.”<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13735484/|title='Hardball with Chris Matthews' for July 5|date=]|accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref>
==Published works==
* ''Dear President Bush''. San Francisco: ], 2006. {{ISBN|0872864545}}
* ''Peace Mom''. San Francisco: City Lights Publishers, 2006. {{ISBN|074329792X}}


==See also== ==See also==
*] * ]
* ]
*], anti-war activist
*] * ]
* ]
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==External links==
*


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
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<references />
==External links==
</div>
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
*
* Former blogs at , and
* - video report by '']''
* . 18 May 2010.
* - an article by Cindy Sheehan, 5 October 2010
* - an article by Cindy Sheehan, 16 October 2010
* - an interview between Cindy Sheehan and The Daily Beast, Oct. 23rd 2017.
*{{C-SPAN|1014888}}
*, Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University Special Collections


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Latest revision as of 23:16, 20 December 2024

American antiwar activist
Cindy Sheehan
Sheehan gives the peace sign in front of the White House in 2006.
BornCindy Lee Miller
(1957-07-10) July 10, 1957 (age 67)
Inglewood, California, U.S.
Alma materCerritos College
University of California, Los Angeles
OccupationActivist
Political partyDemocratic (before 2007)
Independent (2007–2010)
Peace and Freedom (2010–present)
Children4

Cindy Lee Sheehan (née Miller; born July 10, 1957) is an American anti-war activist, whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended antiwar protest at a makeshift camp outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch—a stand that drew both passionate support and criticism. Sheehan ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008. She was a vocal critic of President Barack Obama's foreign policy. Her memoir, Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey Through Heartache to Activism, was published in 2006. In an interview with The Daily Beast in 2017, Sheehan continued to hold her critical views towards George W. Bush, while also criticizing the militarism of Donald Trump.

Sheehan was the 2012 vice-presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party, and received 1.2% of the statewide vote in the 2014 California gubernatorial election.

Early life

Cindy Sheehan was born Cindy Lee Miller in Inglewood, California, in 1957. Her father worked at the Lockheed Corporation while her mother raised her family. Sheehan graduated with honors from Cerritos College and studied history at UCLA. She worked as a youth minister at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Vacaville, California for eight years, and also coordinated an after-school program for at-risk middle school children for the City of Vacaville.

Casey Sheehan

Casey Sheehan

Casey Austin Sheehan (May 29, 1979 – April 4, 2004) was a specialist in the United States Army who was killed during combat action while serving in the Iraq War.

Military service

In May 2000, Casey Sheehan enlisted in the United States Army as a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic, MOS 63B. It has been reported that he may have considered enlisting as a chaplain assistant MOS 56M. (Sheehan had acted as an altar server during the Palm Sunday mass on the morning of his death).

Near the end of his active service, the 2003 invasion of Iraq began. Sheehan reenlisted, knowing that his unit would be sent there. Sheehan's division, the First Cavalry Division, was sent to Iraq. On March 19, 2004, Sheehan's Battery C, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, arrived at FOB Camp War Eagle in Sadr City. On April 4, 2004, Sheehan was killed in action after volunteering to be part of a Quick Reaction Force to rescue American troops in the "Black Sunday" incident that began the Siege of Sadr City.

Burial

Casey Sheehan is buried in Vacaville-Elmira Cemetery in Vacaville, California. In May 2006, the tombstone that Casey's family had been designing and commissioned was finally ready and placed at Casey's grave. Cindy Sheehan paid for the tombstone herself, which is normally the case, stating, "It is important for the rest of Casey's family to have one.... I guess the pain of seeing it etched in marble that he is dead is another pain I will have to deal with." Cindy Sheehan maintains that the U.S. government "should have paid for it because of its responsibility for his death." The Sheehan family did not want the furnished monument that the government provides because it didn't reflect Casey's entire life or personality.

Legacy

Casey Sheehan was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with V for Valor posthumously for his actions April 4, 2004. The chapel at Fort Cavazos started a new Knights of Columbus chapter that was named the Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan Council.

Antiwar campaign

Friends and family of Cindy Sheehan hold a photo of Casey Sheehan at an anti-war demonstration in Arlington, Virginia on October 2, 2004.

Sheehan has said she initially questioned the urgency of the invasion of Iraq but did not become active in the antiwar effort until after her son's death. Sheehan and other military families met with President George W. Bush in June 2004 at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, about three months after her son's death. In a June 24, 2004, interview with the Vacaville Reporter, published soon after the meeting, she stated, "We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled. The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached." She also stated that President Bush was "sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. I know feels pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of God." Sheehan gave another interview on October 4, 2004, stating that she did not understand the reasons for the Iraq invasion and never thought that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States. She further stated that her son's death had compelled her to speak out against the war.

For the presidential inauguration in January 2005, Sheehan traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak at the opening of "Eyes Wide Open: the Human Cost of War," a traveling exhibition created by the American Friends Service Committee that displays pairs of combat boots to represent U.S. military casualties. She also traveled with the exhibition to other locations and donated her son Casey's boots, stating, "Behind these boots is one broken-hearted family." Sheehan was one of the nine founding members of Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization she created in January 2005 with other families she met at the inauguration. It seeks to end U.S. presence in Iraq, and provides support for families of soldiers killed in Iraq.

Sheehan gained international attention in early August 2005, when she traveled to President Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch, just outside Crawford, Texas, demanding a second meeting with the President. She told members of Veterans for Peace, "I'm gonna say, 'And you tell me, what the noble cause is that my son died for.' And if he even starts to say freedom and democracy, I'm gonna say, bullshit. You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich.... You tell me that, you don't tell me my son died for freedom and democracy." She also vowed not to pay her federal income tax for 2004 because that was the year her son was killed.

Camp Casey

Main article: Camp Casey, Crawford, Texas

On August 6, 2005, Sheehan arrived at the Crawford Peace House on a bus full of combat veterans, including Desert Storm Veteran Dennis Kyne and Camilo Mejía. They marched along a dirt road in the direction of The Bush Ranch. Stalled by law enforcement from walking all the way to the front door because the group refused to march as ordered in the Barr ditch, she created a makeshift camp that would be remembered as the "ditch". Three miles (5 km) from President Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas, Sheehan announced her intention to stay (sleeping in a pup tent at night) until she was granted a face-to-face meeting with the president. Sheehan started her protest the day the president started a planned five-week vacation. The encampment was publicized widely on behalf of Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak Out. A few days later, the media began referring to Sheehan's camp as "Camp Casey."

Members of White House vigil on August 17, 2005, in support of Cindy Sheehan's protest at President Bush's Crawford ranch

Sheehan spent most of the next four weeks in Crawford, drawing global media coverage. On some days as many as 1,500 supporters visited Camp Casey, including members of the U.S. Congress, as well as several notable actors, singers, and civil rights activists.

Gold Star Families for Peace, of which Sheehan is a founding member, released a TV commercial featuring Sheehan, broadcast on Crawford and Waco cable channels near Bush's ranch. The group conducted a walk to a police station just outside Bush's ranch and delivered a bundle of oversized letters written by them to First Lady Laura Bush, appealing to her as a mother to support their movement.

On August 16, Sheehan moved her camp closer to the Bush ranch after being offered the use of a piece of land owned by a supporter, Fred Mattlage.

In late August, Sheehan stated that she would continue to campaign against the Iraq war even if granted a meeting with Bush. She also announced the Bring Them Home Now Tour, to depart on September 1 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on September 24 for three days of demonstrations. The tour, which covered 42 cities in 26 states, was publicized by the Mintwood Media Collective, and garnered international media coverage. On the third day, Sheehan and about 370 other antiwar activists were arrested for demonstrating on the White House sidewalk.

Sheehan's actions led supporters such as Rev. Lennox Yearwood, CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, to describe her as "the Rosa Parks of the antiwar movement." Sheehan also gained the label of "Peace Mom" from the mainstream media.

Political activism

In September 2005, Sheehan moved into the Berkeley, California, home of Stephen Pearcy and Virginia Pearcy, where she lived for just over a year, during which time she wrote two books. Also that month, Sheehan met with Senator John McCain, and later called him a "warmonger." Between 2005 and 2007, Sheehan attended several antiwar events in Sacramento organized by the Pearcys. Also in September 2005, the Bring Them Home Now Tour was organized by Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Veterans For Peace. Inspired by Sheehan and frequently including Sheehan as a speaker, it was a rolling antiwar protest against the Iraq War, beginning in Crawford, Texas, traveling three routes across the country (with rallies along the way) and culminating in a rally in Washington, D.C., later in September 2005.

On October 24, 2005, Sheehan said that she planned to speak at the White House and then tie herself to the fence. She and 28 others were arrested in a sit-in at the White House on October 26.

Sheehan visited London in early December 2005 and was interviewed by BBC Radio 4 and by The Guardian. On December 10, Sheehan addressed the International Peace Conference, organized by the Stop the War Coalition. Later in the evening, she attended the London Premiere of Peace Mom, a play written by Dario Fo about her, in which the role of Sheehan was played by Frances de la Tour. On December 13, Sheehan traveled to Ireland, where she met Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern. She voiced her objection to U.S. aircraft refueling at Shannon Airport, stating, "Your government, even though they didn't send troops to Iraq, are complicit in the crimes by allowing the planes to land and refuel."

On January 31, 2006, Sheehan wore a T-shirt reading "2,245 Dead. How many more?" to Bush's State of the Union address and was removed and arrested by Capitol Police.

Sheehan in Melbourne speaking in support of David Hicks, May 2006.

On March 7, 2006, Sheehan was arrested in New York "after blocking the door to the U.S. Mission to the U.N. offices" during a protest with Iraqi women against the war.

Sheehan and Gold Star Families for Peace were awarded the 'Domestic Human Rights Award' by Global Exchange, an international human rights organization based in San Francisco.

Several organizations planned a hunger strike to begin on July 4, 2006; Sheehan stated she would participate. On July 5, Sheehan appeared on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews to discuss the war and her upcoming hunger strike. On the show, she called Bush "the biggest terrorist in the world" and "worse than Osama bin Laden," and conceded that she would rather live under Venezuela's Hugo Chávez than Bush. Later that month, Sheehan purchased 5 acres (20,000 m) of land in Crawford, Texas, near Bush's private residence.

On May 26 and May 28, 2007, Sheehan posted two messages to Daily Kos announcing that she was leaving the Democratic Party after the Democratic-controlled Congress passed a bill authorizing the continued funding of the war in Iraq. She also submitted her resignation as the "face" of the American antiwar movement, stating that she wanted to go home and be a mother to her surviving children. However, on July 3, 2007, in response to President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence, she announced her return to activism. She focused on her congressional campaign in 2008.

In August 2009, Sheehan protested at Martha's Vineyard during President Barack Obama's stay there. According to ABC News: "Sheehan invoked Senator Ted Kennedy's passing as part of her message, noting that he was firmly antiwar and how he said his proudest vote as a senator was his 2002 vote against the Iraq war." On October 5, 2009, Sheehan was arrested with 60 others at the White House protesting President Obama's continuation of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She told CNN: "I think the mood of the country and the mood of our movement is getting a little bit more desperate, and this will be the time to be able to translate our tireless activism and work for peace." On December 10, 2009, Sheehan protested on the streets of Oslo, Norway, as President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2009, she was awarded the US Peace Prize by the US Peace Memorial Foundation for “extraordinary and innovative antiwar activism."

On March 20, 2010, Sheehan was again arrested in front of the White House, along with seven others, after they refused to listen to orders by officers of the United States Park Police to clear the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue. On July 12, Sheehan and four other activists were on trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia stemming from the arrests. The government decided not to try three others arrested that day, and had their cases dismissed. Sheehan and two others were acquitted of crossing a police line, while the other two were found guilty.

On May 2, 2011, Sheehan released a statement indicating that she considers the death of Osama bin Laden to be a hoax, stating: "If you believe the newest death of OBL, you're stupid." She referred to America as a "lying, murderous empire" and told Americans, whom she called "brainwashed," to "put flags away."

In October 2011, Sheehan was arrested in Sacramento as part of an anti–Wall Street movement.

Although Sheehan agreed to run as the vice presidential nominee of the Socialist Party USA for the 2012 elections, the party's national convention voted on October 15, 2011, to block her candidacy, on the official grounds that she was not a member of the party. The nomination went to Alejandro Mendoza, of Texas.

In 2017, when the U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce the sending of thousands of additional troops, Sheehan feared that more opposition to the war would be only because of who occupies the presidency, stating, "If Trump announces that there will be a continued U.S. military presence or an increased presence, I am afraid any opposition from the 'left' will only be anti-Trump, because, of course, Obama escalated in Afghanistan and maintained that illegal war for the entire eight years of his presidency with not a peep from those same pro-DNC forces." Additionally, she believes "nothing but total withdrawal to give the people of Afghanistan autonomy over their own country will be acceptable" but said that she's concerned about the sincerity of possible protests.

Sheehan hosts a weekly radio show which began in 2009. She has interviewed activists and world leaders, including Howard Zinn, Ray McGovern, Ann Wright, and Hugo Chávez. Sheehan maintains a blog, "Cindy's Soapbox."

Refusal to pay taxes

In 2012, Sheehan was sued by the federal government for failure to pay back taxes. "I feel like I gave my son to this country in an illegal and immoral war. I'll never get him back," Sheehan said. "And, so, if they can give me my son back, then I'll pay my taxes. And that's not going to happen." Sheehan appeared in court on April 19, 2012, and in IRS offices on May 9, 2012, refusing to provide information on the basis of the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment. The government dropped its case against her in February 2013.

Congressional election campaign

Cindy Sheehan campaigns at an End the War Now! rally in San Francisco, October 2007

In July 2007, Sheehan announced that she would run against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for representative of California's 8th District, based on Pelosi's failure to attempt impeachment of Bush. Up until her run for the U.S. Congress, Sheehan lived outside Pelosi's district, in Dixon, California; however, she moved to San Francisco's Mission District after declaring her candidacy. Earlier, in 2006, she had spoken of ambitions to challenge Dianne Feinstein for her seat in the United States Senate.

Sheehan ran on a platform of single-payer health care, media reform, overturning all free trade agreements, repealing the Patriot Act, renewable energy, nationalizing oil and electricity, ending the War on Drugs, legalizing cannabis, ensuring all talks in the Middle East are fair to all parties, ending torture, closing Guantanamo Bay detention camp, overseas commitment to cleaning up Superfund sites, ending deregulation, ending No Child Left Behind, and legalizing same-sex marriage. Sheehan lost the 2008 election to the incumbent Pelosi. In a seven-way race, Sheehan came in second with 46,118 votes (16.14%) to Pelosi's 71.56%.

2012 vice-presidential candidacy

In the summer of 2012, television personality Roseanne Barr named Sheehan as her running mate for the presidential nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party in the 2012 presidential election. Barr and Sheehan were nominated by that party as its presidential ticket on August 4, 2012.

2014 California gubernatorial candidacy and campaign

On March 12, 2013 Marsha Feinland, state chair of California's Peace and Freedom Party, made the announcement that the central committee of the party had unanimously endorsed Cindy Sheehan for Governor of California in the 2014 election, should Sheehan choose to run. Sheehan formally announced her campaign for Governor of California at a news conference Tuesday, August 27, 2013, at the State Capitol in Sacramento.

Sheehan said she planned to unseat incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown, and to bring California "peace, economic equality and environmental sustainability," and reforms through an EPIC (End Poverty in California) program. Her EPIC campaign harkened to the End Poverty in California movement campaign of the 1934 California gubernatorial candidate Upton Sinclair. Sinclair garnered 879,537 votes in that race.

Political positions

Sheehan has, through her own blog, described herself as a socialist. She has also criticized capitalism. In 2010, Sheehan changed her voter registration in California and became a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. Sheehan has expressed opposition to COVID-19 restrictions, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates. She published a paper about former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's nursing home controversy.

In 2024, Sheehan signed an open letter in support of a trans-exclusionary activist who was excluded from a Jewish Voice for Peace action for opposing trans rights.

Personal life

In 1977, she married Patrick Sheehan, a sales representative, in Norwalk, California; they had four children, including Casey Sheehan (born in 1979), who was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2004. Patrick Sheehan filed for divorce on August 12, 2005, citing irreconcilable differences.

Published works

See also

References

  1. ^ Geraghty, Jim (2011-05-02). Cindy Sheehan: ‘If you believe the newest death of OBL, you’re stupid.’ National Review. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  2. "Cindy Sheehan, Truther". The Atlantic. 28 September 2010.
  3. Lewis, Matt (24 October 2017). "Cindy Sheehan: 'Bush Was No Better' Than Donald Trump". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  4. ^ Yoon, Robert (August 5, 2012). "TRENDING: America one step closer to President Roseanne". CNN. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  5. York, Anthony (2013-08-27). "Cindy Sheehan announces run for California governor". Los Angeles Times.
  6. For Some, a Loss in Iraq Turns Into Antiwar Activism: Gold Star Families Band Together to 'Make People Care', The Washington Post, February 22, 2005
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