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{{short description|American antiwar activist}}
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| caption = Sheehan gives the peace sign in front of the White House in 2006.
{{current}}
| birth_name = Cindy Lee Miller
] in August ]]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|07|10}}
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| 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>
'''Cindy Sheehan''' (born c. ]) is an ] anti-] ] and a lifelong member of the ] who attracted international attention in ] for her extended demonstration outside ] ]'s ] ranch. She is sometimes referred to by the media as the '''Peace Mom.'''


==Background== ==Early life==
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 ].
], ] on ], ]. (Photo: Jeff Patterson)]]


==Casey Sheehan==
Sheehan is the mother of the late ] Casey Sheehan, who first joined the U.S. Army in May ]. He re-enlisted in August ], at the age of 24. Casey was killed in action on ], 2004, just five days after his arrival in ], ], during the ]. Casey had volunteered for a rescue mission in which he and several others were killed. Casey was posthumously awarded the ] and the ].
]
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.


===Military service===
The family was active in the ] church in ], and then in ], ] where Cindy Sheehan worked as a youth minister at St. Mary's Church.
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
]. <!-- citation overlinked --> (Sheehan had acted as an ] during the ] mass on the morning of his death).<ref>, '']'', February 22, 2005</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>
===Political activism===


===Burial===
Although a lifelong member of the ], Sheehan did not become politically active until her son's death.
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===
Sheehan and other grieving military families met with Bush in ] at ], near ], two months after her son's death. In a ], 2004, interview with the Vacaville ''Reporter'' published soon after the meeting, she expressed concerns about the president's justifications for war, as well as the way the war had been handled, but also told the reporter that she believed President Bush was sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqi people, and was sorry for the loss of her son.
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>


==Antiwar campaign==
On ], 2005 she gave an interview in which she described the meeting as "one of the most disgusting experiences I ever had, and it took me almost a year to even talk about it." She described President Bush as being "detached from humanity" and said that "his mouth kept moving, but there was nothing in his eyes or anything else about him that showed me he really cared or had any real compassion at all." She continued, "He didn’t even know our names," asking "Who we'all honorin' here today?" when he first entered the room, and then referring to her as "Ma" or "Mom".
] 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 />
Sheehan is also one of the nine founding members of ], an organization founded in ] that seeks to end the occupation of 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.


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>
Although she had spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, Sheehan gained national attention in early ] when she traveled to President Bush's ] just outside ], during his five-week summer vacation there. Demanding a second meeting with the President and an explanation of the "noble cause" for which her son died , she pitched a tent by the side of the road and announced her intention to stay, day and night, for the full five weeks or until such a meeting is granted. She has also promised that, if she is not granted a second meeting, she will return to Crawford each time Bush visits there in the future.


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.
Sheehan's actions have led supporters such as ], ] of the ], to describe her as "the ] of the ]."


===Rhetoric=== ===Camp Casey===
{{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 her speeches and writings, Sheehan is direct and often blunt, a characteristic that has been noted by observers on both the left and right, and which Sheehan herself does not deny.


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>
There is controversy over an e-mail that Sheehan sent to ABC's '']'' allegedly containing various comments about ]. A version of the email was posted to the "bullyard" Google group by "Tony" on ], 2005. which allegedly states Casey "was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel" and he "joined the Army to protect America, not Israel." Sheehan claims that the email was modified by James Morris to support his own personal agenda.
However, James Morris denies altering the email before sending it along to '']''. And two other individuals, Tony Tersch and Skeeter Gallagher, received a copy of Sheehan's email directly from her. It was Tersch who posted the email he received to the "bullyard" Google group. Sheehan gave a speech to the Veterans for Peace convention stating, "You get America out of Iraq, you get Israel out of Palestine".


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>
In a letter to author ], she stated, "And most importantly and devastatingly, this war is based on lies and betrayals. Not one American soldier, nor one Iraqi should have been killed. Common sense would dictate that not one more person should be killed for lies. One of the people, my son, was more than enough for me and my family. I will live in unbearable pain until I die. First of all, because my first born was killed violently, and second of all, because he was killed for a neo-con agenda that only benefits a very chosen few in this world. This agenda and their war machine will chew up and spit out as many of our children as they can unless we stop them now."


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>
In another editorial relating her experience on a ], 2005 '']'' show she described President Bush as having "moronic and callous foreign policies" and said Senator ] "fell in lockstep behind his Führer." She said, "this war is a catastrophe" and "we should bring the troops home and quit forcing the Iraqi people to pay for our government's hubris and quit forcing innocent children to suffer so we can allegedly fight terrorism somewhere besides America. How absolutely racist and immoral is it to take America's battles to another land and make an entire country pay for the crimes of others? To me, this is blatant genocide."


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>
In an ], ] interview on ]'s ], Sheehan told Matthews that she thought she wouldn't have responded differently to her son's death had he died in ] rather than in Iraq. Sheehan argued that the ] was "almost the same thing" as the Iraq war and that in both cases it was wrong to invade an entire country to fight an ideology that did not necessarily represent all of the people of that country. When Matthews pointed out that "...Afghanistan was harboring, the ] was harboring ] which is the group that attacked us on 9/11.", Sheehan replied, "Well then we should have gone after al-Qaida and maybe not after the country of Afghanistan." Sheehan also argued that American efforts in Afghanistan were not "having any success" and that "our troops should be brought home "


==Political activism==
In a speech given on ], 2005 at San Francisco State University, Sheehan is quoted as stating "We are not waging a war on terror in this country. We’re waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush." Similarly, Sheehan wrote that "Casey was killed in the Global War OF Terrorism waged on the world and its own citizens by the biggest terrorist outfit in the world: George and his destructive Neo-con cabal."
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>
==Reactions==
===The White House===
On ] ], Sheehan met with two high-level Bush administration officials, National Security Adviser ] and deputy ] ]. According to ''The New York Times'' (August 6, 2005) the meeting lasted 45 minutes. The ''Times'' also reported that Ms. Sheehan told the two officials she appreciated their meeting with her. After the interview she said, "I think they thought I'd be very impressed and intimidated that these two high-level officials came to talk to this little grieving mother, and that I'd leave."


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>
There had been reports that the police had threatened to arrest all protesters on site on Thursday, ], ] when Secretary of Defense ] and Secretary of State ] would be at the president's nearby ranch. However, no arrests in connection with the protest were made. President ] did speak to reporters at his ranch, saying:


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>
:"I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan. She feels strongly about her position, and she has every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She has a right to her position, and I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is: 'Get out of Iraq now.' And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so."


], May 2006.]]
Prior to going on a bicycle ride on his Texas ranch on ], 2005 Bush gave journalists and aides a defense of his not meeting with Sheehan stating, as reported by Ken Herman of ]:<!--NOT Fox News-->
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>


Sheehan and Gold Star Families for Peace were awarded the 'Domestic Human Rights Award' by ], an international human rights organization based in San Francisco.
:"I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life ... I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy. And part of my being is to be outside exercising. So I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so."


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.
Sheehan later issued a statement, which among other things outlined the purpose of the protest .


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.
===U.S. Congress===
At least sixteen ] congressmembers signed a letter on ], 2005, asking that Bush meet with Sheehan and the other relatives of fallen soldiers, as well as calling on Bush to ensure that no one will be arrested for having a peaceful demonstration.


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>
==Support==
Since beginning her vigil, a number of organizations and individuals have expressed and provided support to Sheehan. One of these is the national organization ], at whose convention Sheehan spoke just prior to beginning her vigil in Crawford. Members of the organization have also assisted at the "Camp Casey" site, installing and maintaining the ] display there.


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>
The website ] announced on ], 2005 that it was gathering comments via email to place in a two-page newspaper spread in a Sunday edition of the ''Waco Tribune'' newspaper in support of Sheehan and her efforts. MoveOn gathered more than 250,000 comments, many of which were included in the advertisement. Tom Matzzie of MoveOn said:


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
:"In her grief and bravery, Cindy has become a symbol for millions of Americans who demand better answers about the Iraq war. Though right-wing ]s have attacked her personally, her honesty is unimpeachable. Now more and more mothers (and fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, sons and daughters) are standing up with Cindy. Please join us, and together, we'll make sure that President Bush can't escape the ] of this war—even in Crawford, Texas."
"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>


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>
Supporters point out that the Crawford protest highlights the Bush administration's belief in selective violence and the claim that the President fails to take responsibility for the deaths of those he commands.


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.
On the week of ], 2005 several other groups were reported traveling to Texas to join the protest. Sherry Bohlen, field director of the ] (PDA), was one person traveling to Crawford, and says this of the protest:


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>
:"We'll be sleeping in a tent in the ditch along the roadside (the only place that the authorities will allow us to be). I spoke with Cindy by phone again yesterday. She said that local authorities have told her that if we're still there by Thursday we'll be arrested as "national security risks"... She could well be the ] of the movement against the ]. Just as Rosa refused to leave the bus, Cindy is refusing to leave the roadside. She's the spark that is igniting the anti-war movement."


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>
On August 9, 2005, Sheehan began writing a blog concerning (among other things) her experience at Camp Casey, her thoughts on the Iraq War, and her response to right-wing criticism of her. It has been featured on several websites, including The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and Michael Moore.com.


===Refusal to pay taxes===
She has spoken at the laissez-faire ], whose founder and president, the free-market capitalist ], regularly features Sheehan's columns on his website.
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==
===Parents of other troops killed in Iraq===
]
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>
On August 17, 2005, Jane and Jim Bright, parents of slain Army Sgt. Evan Ashcroft, attended a vigil in support of Sheehan, saying "their son's memory would not be lost in the anti-war movement." They also said their son, like Sheehan's son, "was a hero who died for what he believed in." Jim Bright went on to say "People are looking inside themselves and saying, is this war worth it?" .


==2012 vice-presidential candidacy==
Celeste Zappala, mother of slain Sgt. Sherwood Baker, the first Pennsylvania National Guardsman to die in Iraq, said, at a press conference at the Crawford site: "When we buried Sherwood, I knelt down beside his coffin and I vowed to him I will speak the truth for him. This war is a disaster. It is a betrayal of our military. And it's a betrayal of the democracy they seek to protect."
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>
"I think they have absolutely no idea what they're doing, I think we're getting to the point where normal, reasonable people are starting to see that. The war has to stop. We don't want anyone else killed. We're here to support the troops, to bring them home now, alive. ... My little piece in all this was to say, 'We've got to tell the truth.'"


==2014 California gubernatorial candidacy and campaign==
Minnesota State Senator Becky Lourey, a vocal critic of the Iraq War, and mother of fallen Army helicopter pilot Matthew Lourey, traveled to Crawford to protest Bush's refusal to meet with Sheehan. "There is an isolation here of President Bush from the people," said Lourey. "(and)it seems to me as I am looking around that it is wrong, that a person who makes life and death decisions is insulated from the people who suffer the consequences of those decisions". She also traveled to Crawford to grieve and support her fellow military parent, stating that she wanted to "put her arms around" Sheehan and offer her support.


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}}
Lynn Bradach, mother of Marine Cpl. Travis Bradach-Nall, who died from a land mine explosion in Iraq during the summer of 2004, travelled from Portland, Oregon to Crawford to join Sheehan in her vigil. "'I don’t want to be a center of anything,' said Bradach. 'But when you strongly believe something, at some point you have to stand up for it."


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>
Karen Meredith, whose son, Army Lt. Ken Ballard, was killed in Iraq in May 2004, , defended Sheehan, saying, "Some people are trying to paint her as one crazy woman against the war, and she’s not. A lot of people feel like her and want to know what the noble cause is."


==Political positions==
==Criticism==
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}}
Since embarking on her vigil in early August 2005, Sheehan has been criticized by various individuals.


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>
===Media pundits===
Some conservative media personalities have been critical of Sheehan.


==Personal life==
Early criticism of Sheehan was led by Internet news analyst and conservative talk radio host ], who on ], 2005, alleged that Sheehan had been inconsistent in her position on the Iraq war. He provided evidence that she had previously spoken highly of Bush by quoting part of a June 24, 2004, interview with Sheehan published in the Vacaville ''Reporter'' newspaper shortly after her meeting with the President. In it, Sheehan says of Bush: "I now know he's 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." This criticism was also repeated by other pundits including ]. A closer examination of the original interview shows that Drudge's story had involved selective editing; Sheehan is also quoted as saying "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."
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>


==Published works==
On ], '']'' television program host Bill O'Reilly spoke critically of Sheehan, stating:
* ''Dear President Bush''. San Francisco: ], 2006. {{ISBN|0872864545}}

* ''Peace Mom''. San Francisco: City Lights Publishers, 2006. {{ISBN|074329792X}}
:"I think she has been hijacked by some very, very far left elements...there is no question that she has thrown in with the most radical elements in this country... I think Mrs. Sheehan bears some responsibility for this and also for the responsibility of other American families who have lost sons and daughters in Iraq, who feel that this kind of behavior borders on treasonous."

O'Reilly went on to announce that Sheehan would appear on the next evening's episode of his program. The next day, however, O'Reilly stated that Sheehan had backed out of the interview because she believed that he had lied about her. That same day, Sheehan stated her reasons for cancelling her appearance to a blogger, via telephone.

On the ], 2005, episode of ''The ] Show'', host Limbaugh said:

:"I mean, Cindy Sheehan is just ]. Her story is nothing more than forged documents. There's nothing about it that's real, including the mainstream media's glomming onto it. It's not real. It's nothing more than an attempt. It's the latest effort made by the coordinated left.".

Limbaugh did not explain what about Sheehan's story he believed to be false, nor did he provide any evidence to support his claim. Later, on the ], 2005, episode of his show, Limbaugh claimed that his previous remarks had been taken out of context.

===Sheehan's sister-in-law===
On ] 2005 Matt Drudge made public an email he had received from Sheehan's sister-in-law (and Casey's paternal aunt), Cherie Quartarolo, in which she was quoted as saying:
:"We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect."

Quartarolo signs the email "Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.", but does not mention the individual names of these relatives.

During a series of interviews published on several websites, Sheehan responded to Quartarolo's statement:
:"My in-laws sent out a press conference disagreeing with me in strong terms; which is totally okay with me, because they barely knew Casey..."
:"We have always been on separate sides of the fence politically and I have not spoken to them since the elections when they supported the man who is responsible for Casey’s death."

Sheehan clarified that:
:"...my immediate family, Casey's dad and my three children and my sister, we're all on the same page. And I really think that some of my husband's siblings are with us too."

Sheehan's husband (Casey's father) filed for divorce from her on ], 2005, though he has not publicly stated his position on his wife's protest.

===Criticism of the critics===

The criticism of Sheehan by pro-Iraq war pundits and bloggers has in turn been widely criticized by anti-Iraq war pundits and bloggers. Joe Conason described the criticism as "baiting a bereaved mother as a traitor". .

Keith Olbermann attacked Rush Limbaugh for his coverage of the Sheehan story, describing him as the "World's Worst Person". Olbermann ridiculed Limbaugh for claiming that "There's nothing about that's real." and accused Limbaugh of hypocrisy, "He also referred to her supporters as dope-smoking FM types. I guess the painkillers wipe out your memory along with your ethics."

===Parents of other troops killed in Iraq===
Linda Ryan, mother of Corporal Marc T. Ryan, a Marine who was killed in ], says of Sheehan: "She's going about this not realizing how many people she's hurting. When she refers to anyone killed in Iraq, she's referring to my son. She doesn't have anything to say about what happened to my son,"

On August 15, 2005, Matt and Toni Matula, parents of Matthew Matula, a ] Marine killed in Iraq, requested that the white cross representing their dead son as a victim of the war in Iraq be removed, stating that they did not wish their son's name to be part of an anti-war demonstration. Mr. Matula said: "It's fine for people to grieve their own way. It aggravates me to see them using other people's names to further their cause."

Natalie Healy, mother of Dan Healy, a ] who was killed in the line of duty in Iraq, organized a rally on ], 2005 in ], ] in order to counteract Sheehan's message, stating: "We just want to let the fellas know that we’re supporting them and that we’re not going to wimp out on them."

Gary Qualls whose son, Marine Corporal Louis Wayne Qualls died in Iraq, started what was dubbed "Fort Qualls" in Crawford, Texas to counter the "Camp Casey" protests. Qualls states that he has to keep taking down the white cross bearing his son's name from the Arlington West display set up by "Camp Casey".

==Chronology==
===Casey Sheehan===
*], ]: Casey Sheehan born.
*]: Sheehan joins the United States Army.
*]: Sheehan re-enlists knowing that his unit would be sent to Iraq.
*]: Sheehan's division, the ], is sent to Iraq.
*], 2004: Sheehan's company, Charlie Battery, arrives at F.O.B. War Eagle in Sadr City.
*April 4, 2004: Sheehan killed in action.

===Activism===
*], 2004: ], Cindy Sheehan visits her son's cross at the "]" memorial in ]; while there she states, "I'm finished crying for Casey. I'm crying for all the other mothers."
*June 18, 2004: Cindy Sheehan talks with President ] at ] near ], ].
*], 2004: Cindy Sheehan responds to ] magazine's choice for "]".
*]: Gold Star Families for Peace is founded.
*], 2005: Cindy Sheehan speaks to three thousand people who had converged on ] to mark two years of war and occupation in Iraq.
*], 2005: Sheehan gives a speech at a pro-Lynn Stewart rally at San Francisco University where she states "The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush"
*], 2005: U.S. Congressman ] presides over a hearing or forum on the so-called ] in a basement room in the Capitol where Cindy Sheehan among others testifies.
*], 2005: Bush starts his five-week vacation.
*], 2005: Bush delivers a speech in ], in which he said that the sacrifices of U.S. troops were "made in a noble cause" and reiterated that he will not set a timetable for withdrawal.
*], 2005: In a speech given at the 20th annual convention of ] in ], Sheehan calls Bush a "lying bastard" and a "maniac," and states that she hopes he is tried for war crimes. She also claims that she ] for the year 2004 and states the "Israel out of Palestine" demand.

===Demonstration - Week 1===
*], 2005: Cindy Sheehan starts her demonstration. She makes a makeshift camp in a ditch by the side of the road about 3 miles from George W. Bush's ] near ] and announces her intention to stay (sleeping in a pup tent at nights) until she is granted a face-to-face meeting with the President.
*], 2005: National security adviser ] and deputy White House chief of staff ] meet briefly with Cindy Sheehan. Sheehan later calls the meeting "pointless."
*], 2005: Cindy Sheehan states that she has been informed that beginning Thursday, ] ] she and her companions will be considered a threat to national security and will be arrested. Later there was a retraction of the story by the Daily Kos. Sheehan's camp is first referred to in the media as "Camp Casey."
*], 2005: Democratic congressmen request that Bush meet with Sheehan and the other relatives of fallen soldiers. The congressmen call on Bush to ensure that no one will be arrested for having a peaceful demonstration.
*], 2005: Bush holds a press conference, during which he mentions Sheehan's right to her view.
*], 2005: Cindy Sheehan writes an open letter to President Bush in response to his press conference statement. In this open letter, she demands to know the "noble cause" behind the war in Iraq, as well as the reason why, if the cause is so noble, Bush's daughters are not volunteering in the war effort.
*], 2005: Gold Star Families for Peace releases a TV commercial featuring Cindy Sheehan, broadcast on Crawford and ] cable channels near Bush's ranch.
*], 2005: Camp Casey protest draws hundreds of supporters (including actor ]), with a constant presence of just over 100..
*], 2005: Southern California members of ] install ], a memorial consisting of nearly 1,000 white crosses (as well as stars and crescents), each bearing the name of a fallen U.S. soldier in Iraq, along the side of the road near Sheehan's camp.
*], 2005: Bush's motorcade passes within 100 feet of Sheehan's roadside encampment en route to a nearby ranch to attend a fundraising barbecue expected to raise US$2 million for the ]; Sheehan holds a sign reading "Why do you make time for donors and not for me?"
*], 2005: Patrick Sheehan files for divorce from Cindy Sheehan in a California court, citing "irreconcilable differences". Mr. Sheehan was the father of Casey Sheehan.

===Demonstration - Week 2===
*], 2005: Cindy Sheehan makes front page news in the ].
*], 2005: A morning ] is reported to bring over 250 people, who shout pro-Bush slogans for several hours. Sherry Bohlen, National Field Director for PDA, estimates that 1000 to 1500 people gathered at a park in Crawford for a peace demonstration, and that 500 cars ferried these people to Camp Casey. (Source: Email from Bohlen to PDA members)
*], 2005: Activists in Chico, California found "Camp Casey Chico," in solidarity with Cindy Sheehan and supporters in Crawford, Texas.
*], 2005: Larry Mattlage, who owns a cattle ranch across where Sheehan has set up her protest site, fed up with traffic near his home, fires a ] several times into the air. He later claims to have been practicing for ] hunting season but also hints to reporters that the shots may also have been meant to drive off the protesters.
*], 2005: U.S. Representative ], as well as a group of Iraqis living in Texas, visit Sheehan at Camp Casey.
*], 2005: News first breaks regarding Sheehan's husband's filing for divorce..
*], 2005: Late in the night, a pickup truck driven by Waco, Texas resident ] tears through the rows of white crosses stretching about two-tenths of a mile along the side of the road at the Crawford camp, each bearing the name of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq. Several hundred of the crosses are damaged but no one is injured. Northern is later arrested and charged with criminal mischief by police.
*], 2005: Sheehan announces plans to move 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 ], the rancher who had fired a shotgun on his property near the demonstration site several days earlier.
*], 2005: MoveOn.org announces a nationwide "Vigil for Cindy Sheehan" to take place Wednesday, August 17.
*], 2005: ] announces a "You Don't Speak For Me, Cindy" caravan ending in Crawford, on August 27.
*], 2005: More than 1,600 anti-war candlelight vigils in support of Sheehan are held around the United States, including one outside the White House.
*], 2005: Sheehan announces she is leaving Crawford to see her elderly mother, who had suffered a ], but vows to return if possible and as soon as she can.
*], 2005: A walk is made by the Gold Star Mothers for Peace towards President Bush's ranch in Crawford to deliver letters written by them to ], appealing to her as a mother for support towards their movement.

===Demonstration - Week 3===
*], 2005: President George W. Bush embarks on a five-day campaign to defend the Iraq war, speaking to veterans' and military groups around the United States.
*], 2005: Supporters of the Iraq war set up an opposing camp, named "Fort Qualls," also located near the President's ranch outside Crawford, Texas.


==See also== ==See also==
*] * ]
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==Reference== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*The Vacaville Reporter, June 24, 2005, , David Henson.


==External links== ==External links==
{{wikiquote}} {{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
===Video &amp; Audio===
*
*
* Former blogs at , and
*''Democracy Now'' interview - 19 August 2005
* - video report by '']''
*''Democracy Now'' interview - 12 August 2005
* . 18 May 2010.
*''Democracy Now'' interview - 21 March 2005
* - an article by Cindy Sheehan, 5 October 2010
*''Democracy Now'' interview - 21 January 2005
* - an article by Cindy Sheehan, 16 October 2010
* From Air America website: Ernest Hancock and Mari Connor report from Crawford, Texas.
* - an interview between Cindy Sheehan and The Daily Beast, Oct. 23rd 2017.

*{{C-SPAN|1014888}}
===Interviews===
*, Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University Special Collections
*
*

===News articles about Cindy Sheehan===
* - Newshounds.us
*
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* Michael A. Fletcher, '']'' 13 August 2005, Page A01
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*
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*

===Criticism and support===
* - ], ], ] ]
* ] ] articles : , , ,
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* Patrick Condon ''Associated Press'', Aug. 16, 2005
* Opinion ''Arizona Republic'', Aug. 17, 2005
* Gary Younge ''The Guardian'', Aug. 17, 2005
* Crawford Peace House Community
* James Lileks Newhouse News Service, Aug 17, 2005
* Christopher Hitchens, Slate Aug 19, 2005
*
*''Representative John Conyers, Jr.''

===Articles by Cindy Sheehan===
* by Cindy Sheehan posted to the ]
* of Cindy Sheehan's articles posted on LewRockwell.com
* by Cindy Sheehan, 4 November 2004
* by Cindy Sheehan - Whose Son Died in Iraq - Responds to Time Magazine's Choice for "Man of the Year", 22 December 2004
* by Cindy Sheehan - 24 January 2005
* - March 15, 2005
* Cindy Sheehan ''t r u t h o u t | Perspective'' 8 April 2005
* August 5, 2005


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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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