Cindy Sheehan - Misplaced Pages

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Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan (born July 10, 1957) is an American anti-Iraq War activist, whose son, Casey Sheehan, was killed during his service in Iraq. She attracted international attention in August 2005 for her extended demonstration at a peace camp outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch garnering her both support and criticism.

Further information: Support and criticism of Cindy Sheehan

Sheehan's campaign against the Iraq war

Sheehan states she has "always been a Democrat," and that she had initially questioned the urgency of the invasion of Iraq, but did not become active in the anti-war effort until after her son's death.

Sheehan and other military families met with President George W. Bush in June of 2004 at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, nearly 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 he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."

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.

During 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 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. She was also a featured speaker when the exhibition opened in San Diego in March, 2005 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.

Sheehan is one of the nine founding members of Gold Star Families for Peace, 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.

Although she had spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, and even pledged not to pay her 2004 taxes, Sheehan attracted international attention only in early August of 2005. At that time, she traveled to Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch just outside Crawford, Texas. Demanding a second meeting with the President and an explanation of the cause for which her son died, she created a peace camp called Camp Casey 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. 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 vigil, she said she was "very, very, very grateful" Bush did not grant her that meeting because it would have ended the momentum the peace movement gained from the popularity of her demonstrations.

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

Some of her statements have caused controversy. One such comment she wrote on the Daily Kos Sheehan blog on September 24 2005, accusing the media of excessive media coverage of Hurricane Rita:

am watching 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!!!!

In March 2005, James Morris sent an e-mail to ABC's Nightline that allegedly included the statements that Casey Sheehan "was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel" 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 Palestinian issue 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 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 he received to the "bullyard" Google group.

Cindy Sheehan on May 12, 2006 published a letter titled "Oh no, Canada". In the letter, she wrote that the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper 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 indicating approval for the Prime Minister in every part of the country.

She has plans to build a therapy center across from President Bush's ranch for returning war victims.

Crawford Peace House

Sheehan is a director of the Crawford Peace House, which came under scrutiny in March of 2007 after not only failing to submit paperwork since May 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.

Chronology of activism

Camp Casey

Main article: Camp Casey, Crawford, Texas

On August 6, 2005, 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. 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 "Camp Casey."

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.) On some days as many as 1500 supporters visited Camp Casey, including members of 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 Crawford ranch and delivered a bundle of oversized letters written by them to First Lady Laura Bush, appealing to her as a mother for support towards 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, 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.

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 Bring Them Home Now Tour, 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.

September - December 2005

Main article: Bring Them Home Now Tour

In September, 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. It was a rolling anti-war 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, DC in September 2005. It was inspired by and featured Cindy Sheehan as a speaker at many rallies.

Sheehan's activism continued into the winter of 2005/2006. She met with Senator John McCain and, after considering the meeting a disappointment, called him a "warmonger". She later protested Hillary Clinton's stance on the war, stating that Clinton must either speak out against the war or risk losing her job, and urged Governor Janet Napolitano to withdraw the Arizona National Guard from Iraq at a rally in Phoenix. After a short trip back home to California, Sheehan said on October 24 during a media interview that she planned to speak at the White House 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.

Around Thanksgiving, Sheehan returned to Texas to protest Bush's vacation without bringing the soldiers home. Bush planned to stay in Crawford through November 28, 2005. In early December, Sheehan traveled to Chicago to attend the annual People's Weekly World banquet. The theme of the banquet was "Make 2006 a turning point year in the fight for peace and justice."

Europe and South America

Sheehan went to London in early December. She 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 and held at The Royal Horticultural Halls. Sheehan was received enthusiastically by the British anti-war movement. Later in the evening, she attended the London Premiere of Peace Mom, a play written by Dario Fo (Literature Nobel laureate) 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 24, 2006, Sheehan took a trip to Venezuela, sponsored by that nation's foreign ministry. Joining more than 10,000 anti-globalization activists in Venezuela for the Caracas World Social Forum with Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez, she stated "I admire President Chávez for his strength to resist the United States" while saying she agreed with Harry Belafonte's statement that President Bush is "the greatest terrorist in the world."

2006 activism

On January 31, 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. Additionally, Beverly Young, the wife of Representative Bill Young (R., Fla.), 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:

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 freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct."

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."
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 First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain.

On March 7, 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 took part in the "United For Peace and Justice" March in New York to protest the war on 2006-04-29.

Sheehan has accused the United States of planning to attack Iran in an effort to halt that nation's development of nuclear weapons. In two articles on BuzzFlash, she called the passage of the Iran Freedom and Support Act was merely a stepping stone to war, and called on Congress to reject similar measures in the future.

On Mother's Day, Sheehan joined Susan Sarandon at a Code Pink organized protest in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Sheehan told the crowd that Mother's Day without her son was "very emotional" for her.

On May 26, Sheehan spoke at a rally in Melbourne, Australia. The rally was held in front of the offices of the Victorian Liberal Party, and it was in support of the release of David Hicks.

Several organizations are planning a hunger strike for July 4 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 Dick Gregory 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." Hers was a fast from solid foods, but allowing liquids such as blended juice drinks and smoothies.

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 Chávez than Bush.

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 impeachment, 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. In an interview on The Stephanie Miller Show, 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.

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 fantasies of suicide 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; John Kerry, whom she says she regrets voting for; and Hillary Clinton, whom she calls a "powermonger."

On December 10, Sheehan participated in a pro-impeachment forum at Fordham University alongside Carolyn Ho, mother of Ehren Watada, the first commissioned Army officer to refuse to go to Iraq.

2007 activism

On January 6 2007 she traveled to Cuba and called for the closure of the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She also visited the Latin American School of Medicine (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." Sheehan refused to meet with Cuban dissidents regarding Cuba's holding of political prisoners.

In Springfield, Vermont, on March 4, 2007, Sheehan gave a speech at the Unitarian Universalists Church about impeaching Bush and ending the war.

Cindy Sheehan planned on visiting Purdue University, on April 12, 2007, to give a speech on President Bush and the war in Iraq. 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."

Cindy Sheehan was invited by the May 4th Task Force as part of a yearly event remembering the Kent State Shootings. After ringing the Kent State bell 32 times to honor the recent Virgina Tech massacre, Cindy Sheehan spoke to a crowded gathering of students, activists and adults from all over the region.

Quotes

“Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not afraid of anything,”
“We can't depend on the Democrats ... They got there and betrayed the grass roots that put them there”
" the biggest terrorist in the world and worse than Osama Bin Laden, I would rather live under Venezuela's Chávez than Bush.”