Is it about Cindy Sheehan?
Cindy Sheehan isn't responsible for her son's death, nor is the President or anyone who supports the war.
Some terrorist in Iraq is responsible. Had her son not gone to Iraq he would probably be with us today, but it was his decision to go there.
He re-enlisted after the war had begun knowing full well that he'd likely be headed to Iraq. He was an adult and made a decision. His decision was to continue his service in the military. He clearly believed in the mission, even though his mother does not.
When President Bush returns to the White House after his working vacation at his Crawford ranch, Cindy Sheehan will most likely go home and shut up. I'm really sorry she has lost a son. War is not fun. People die.
But -- here, the left wing anti-war establishment, desperately looking for poster children, has made a bad pick for a poster Mom. Harry Belafonte probably would be better. At the least, he can sing pretty well, and his face is more familiar.
This is what the Sheehan family has to say:
"The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. 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 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.
Sincerely,
Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins."
How 'bout it, Mrs. Sheehan? President Bush has already met with you personally, do you remember? Do you really enjoy being exploited like this as a mere "plaything du jour" of the anti-war left? When I was younger, I had a friend who died in Vietnam. I managed to stay out of the Service - I even peed on the wall of the Pentagon once. But I like to think that I grew up, too.
Some terrorist in Iraq is responsible. Had her son not gone to Iraq he would probably be with us today, but it was his decision to go there.
He re-enlisted after the war had begun knowing full well that he'd likely be headed to Iraq. He was an adult and made a decision. His decision was to continue his service in the military. He clearly believed in the mission, even though his mother does not.
When President Bush returns to the White House after his working vacation at his Crawford ranch, Cindy Sheehan will most likely go home and shut up. I'm really sorry she has lost a son. War is not fun. People die.
But -- here, the left wing anti-war establishment, desperately looking for poster children, has made a bad pick for a poster Mom. Harry Belafonte probably would be better. At the least, he can sing pretty well, and his face is more familiar.
This is what the Sheehan family has to say:
"The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. 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 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.
Sincerely,
Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins."
How 'bout it, Mrs. Sheehan? President Bush has already met with you personally, do you remember? Do you really enjoy being exploited like this as a mere "plaything du jour" of the anti-war left? When I was younger, I had a friend who died in Vietnam. I managed to stay out of the Service - I even peed on the wall of the Pentagon once. But I like to think that I grew up, too.
I was given a link to your ASP.NET: Hamburger article and followed from there...
ReplyDeleteSuch honesty! I enjoy reading these things from the perspective of someone that might have not seen this as clearly in their youth.
I like to think I have also learned the lessons of the Vietnam era via its presense in history so I don't need to those mistakes growing up. At 19, I'm proud to say (even lacking context :) ) I have never, nor will ever urinate on the walls of the Pentagon. :)
Seriously though, as something of a student of that era I have a question. What was the logic behind those kinds of things? Or lacking such, what compelled people to do those things mostly?
For instance, I know some people that will to this day brag about how cool they are (they're in their mid 50s now!) for leaving ice cream in the bottoms of shopping carts w/ bags of potatoes on top and other such nonsense. I ask them if they were on crack, and they tell me, "It was to stop unfair trade" and continue to explain as if that act changed the world somehow. If a logical connection exists there, it to this second defies me. I guess I don't understand the influences on thought that existed in that time and it seems largely undocumented so it's difficult to get a grasp of.
Anyways, nice writing. Keep it up!
--
-Sean
Heh. I'm not sure if there was any logic to that era. I think the real lesson in logic is that power corrupts, and poeople in power often make bad decisions. Question authority. (Sound familiar?)
ReplyDeleteThe president should be blamed to send troops to Iraq. It costs our money, sons and daughters. We should feel sorry for Cindy Sheehan.
ReplyDeleteAfter his working vacation? Are you drunk? Bush is a liar and a fool and taking you Americans on a war of conquest. The sooner you realize this the better.
ReplyDeleteYour comments are welcome! Don't hold your breath.
ReplyDeleteJust a small note on terminology:
ReplyDeleteWhen a person is fighting IN HIS OWN COUNTRY against a foreign invader, you can hardly call him terrorist...
Freedom fighter is an alternative....
Most today's flourishing countries were established by some groups called terrorists by old super-powers.
You really believe that horseshit?
ReplyDeleteThat the people killing both US Servicepeople and innocent Iraqi citizens are FREEDOM FIGHTERS?
Honestly, I don't even know how to react to such utter stupidity.
Agreed! How can you call those that bomb and kill Iraq police trainees as Freedom Fighters? Are they fighting for 'freedom' from their OWN government?
ReplyDeleteShould the Coalition troops pull out of Iraq? Yes, and they will when the job is done. But the TERRORISTS that are killing Iraqis and Coalition troops are delaying it, not helping it along at all.
Freedom fighters?! Right, blowing yourself and a bunch of innocent kids up is such an act of a freedom fighter?
ReplyDeleteReally, it's sad there are such people like you in the world.
"You really believe that horseshit?
ReplyDeleteThat the people killing both US Servicepeople and innocent Iraqi citizens are FREEDOM FIGHTERS?
Honestly, I don't even know how to react to such utter stupidity."
[Peter Bromberg, 2005]
Let's rephrase that:
"You really believe that horseshit?
That the people killing both Spain's Servicepeople and innocent Mexican citizens are FREEDOM FIGHTERS?
Honestly, I don't even know how to react to such utter stupidity."
[Ferdinand VII of Spain, 1820]
Peter, when it comes to .NET you're a genius. When it comes to history and politics you are just another right-wing American retard. The proliferation of your ilk profanes the fundamentals upon which this nation was founded, is bent on repeating history's mistakes due to your ignorance of it, and, above all, is ensuring that a senseless mob yelping in tongues flailing their arms in the air any time the President mentions anything Christian will inevitably fall to a dictatorship which will exact an irreparable loss of liberty and freedom.
"...it is very true that I threw up my cap for liberty with great ardor, and perfect sincerity, but very soon found the folly of it. A hundred years to come my people will not be fit for liberty. They do not know what it is, unenlightened as they are, and under the influence of a Catholic clergy, a despotism is the proper government for them, but there is no reason why it should not be a wise and virtuous one."
[Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in reply to former American envoy to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, after the former's capture in 1836]
Sounds eerily familiar...
From Cindy Sheehan's interview on "Hardball":
ReplyDeleteMATTHEWS: ...Let me give you a statement that seems to show some division in your family. One of your relatives has given this statement to a conservative radio commentary for distribution.
"The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. 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 our troops, our country, and our president, silently, with prayer and respect. Sincerely, Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins."
So it seems like you have a division in your family.
SHEEHAN: Those are on my husband's side of the family. And we've always been politically on different sides of the fence. I have always been a Democrat and they have always been Republicans, so we've always had a good-natured kind of debate within that family. But you know what, we support the troops. How can they say by what I'm doing I don't support the troops?
The troops are over there for a mistake and not one of them, not one drop of blood should have been spilled in Iraq. Why are they still over there? Why are they still dying and why are the Iraqi people still dying? Because it is a mistake. And it was based on deceptions.
And another thing about that side of the family, they barely knew Casey. They barely had a relationship with him. They call him their beloved Casey. He was my hero, Chris, before he was killed. I knew him so well.
It really doesn't matter who you quote, there is always another side to a story. Your comments are of course welcome.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, realistically, I think any intelligent human would find it difficult to believe that the only meaningful relationship that Casey Sheehan ever had out of his entire extended family was the one with his mother alone.
Did Chris Matthews interview anyone else from the Sheehans, or did she just have the floor for his entire show?
Oh, and regarding Ferdinand VII of Spain - this stuff all sounds very eloquent and passionate, but really, I have to wonder what you'be been smoking?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm just a "right-wing American retard", huh? Too dumb to "get it"?
It's too bad politcal discussions degenerate into questions like "What have you been smoking," and folks taking pride that they never urinated on the Pentagon.
ReplyDeleteBut Peter,
You remained civil up to the point Anonymous seemed to be loosing it.
You are correct about there being no logic to the '60s. Just as there is no logic to the Katrina catastrophe.
People will argue their viewpoints until they die. Later historians will put a nice gloss on things and make the era into a multiple choice question on a college entrance exam.
Cindy Sheenan is getting used. At the most basic level she asked for honest answers and she implied that Bush lied about our reasons for getting into a difficult war.
Now Sheenasn stumps for the peace movement. Some folks have a religios commitment to speak out agaist war. Others are just Opposed to Bush.
The Freedom fighters question is way stinkier than anything that came out of the end of a horse. Even Iraqui President Talibani objects to the US Occupation. He does so meekly but he does say Occupation. So there are many factions that want the US out. The people fighting our soldiers are hardly a united front. Some of them just want power and some want their country 'liberated' from our occupation.
All of them become the enemy. Most of them believe they fight for freedom.
I've been thinking about what a friend said to me; "All good soldiers fight for peace."
I think he is right any time we can walk away from a conflict without deadly combat should be a victory. Just watch your back.
Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Well, the phrase works better when spoken verbally than typed. But the point of it remains. George W. Bush launched an immoral, illegal war of aggression based on lies against the country called Iraq therfore betraying those who signed up for service in the US military. In the afermath, many of those who signed up for service lost their lives. Many others were maimed, wounded, or otherwise crippled for life. The Iraqi people have a right to defend their country. No distortion of the nature of the occupation or the Iraqi resistance by US media, US politicians, or others can change this fact. Cindy deserves our support. Unfortunately, there are enough indoctrinated imbeciles who are all too willing to attack her rather than the monsters and criminals who she stands against.
ReplyDelete