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Published on Saturday, November 26, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
Having a Great Time, Wish You were all Here!! Or Throw the XXXXX in
the Ditch
by Cindy Sheehan
I was feeling very down when I was flying to Waco yesterday. I did a
lot of crying and missing Casey on the way out from Sacramento. I am not at
the place in my grieving yet where I can look at all of our good times and
feel grateful for them. Remembering many, many happy Thanksgivings past only
made me feel worse, not better.
So, I called my sister (one of the Crawford 12 jailbirds) when I was
on a short layover in Dallas to ask her who was picking me up. She wouldn't
give me a straight answer saying that "don't worry, someone will be there."
So I told her not to worry about it, I would take a taxi to the Peace House
or rent a car. I was DEFINITELY feeling sorry for my poor little self.
Well, after the very short flight from Dallas to Waco, and after a
luggage misunderstanding on the tarmac, I walked into the terminal in Waco.
Lo and behold, there were dozens of people there to welcome me and lots of
press. Most of the people (including the press) were old Camp Casey friends
and my spirits lifted and I felt strangely at home.
After a stop at the Peace House we headed back out to Camp Casey on
the Camp Casey II location. Now I did feel at home. We stayed up for hours
talking about politics, the war, old times, and the future. We laughed and
cried and I thought: "I am so lucky to have two families. My children and mi
familia de Corazon: (my family of the heart).
Both of my families are very close and loving and we laugh and have
good times, but our good times are hampered by the fact that we are here for
dead serious reasons: we want to hold a President and his lying
administration accountable for leading us to disaster in Iraq and we want to
stop an immoral occupation. Some of us are also there because we have been
so intimately and tragically affected by the disaster and immorality. We
periodically stop to reflect on these things.
When I am here in Crawford at Camp Casey, I almost feel sorry for
George up there a couple of miles away from us in his protected Green Zone.
He is protected from physical harm (which he need not fear from us) and he
is protected from political harm. He doesn't have to face people who
disagree vehemently with his policies and who oppose his continued killing
with every fiber of our beings. He is protected from the real world of pain
and need. He has never had to face his failures or own up to anything.
Really, are any of us surprised that he has been such a miserable failure in
every way?
The reason I feel sorry for him though, is that he is also sitting in
his political Green Zone with apparently not many friends or confidants.
Reports show that he only has four people who he can talk to. He is not even
on friendly terms with his father, Karl or Dick. We at Camp Casey, on the
other hand, are surrounded by laughter, love, hope and acceptance. One can't
help smiling just being here.
I received an email today that had this subject line: "Throw the XXXXX
in the Ditch." The writer accused me of "throwing dirt" on Casey, himself
and his son who all have served the country. I have NEVER said anything to
disparage the honorable service of Casey or the others who have signed up to
be in the military, only to be abused by the leadership of this country.
This writer didn't even blink an eye at calling the mother of a war hero
"XXXXX." I wonder how the email writer feels about his own leadership
"throwing dirt" on the service of actual military men like: John Kerry; Jack
Murtha; Max Cleland, and yes, even John McCain? I have never questioned
people who try to stay alive fighting in the dishonorable wars of the old
men. Who I appreciate even more, though, are the people of courage who
resist killing innocent people and become conscientious objectors. I wish
Casey had. I am hoping that would have happened. He told everyone before he
left for Iraq that he didn't think he could "kill anyone."
Today we dedicated the Casey Sheehan Memorial Peace Gardens at the
Crawford Peace house and we unveiled the memorial stone. It was a very
poignant and moving event. Tomorrow we are having a rally here at Camp
Casey, everyone is invited. There is great info at the Crawford Peace House
website or www.MichaelMoore.com
We are again going to be sad to leave on Sunday, but if George is
still defiling the White House and if the war is still raging, we will be
back for Easter.
Someone has to make George face his failures and change his ways. We
in the Camp Casey Peace movement are dedicated to that mission. But more
importantly we are dedicated to the mission of honoring our fallen heroes by
bringing their buddies home alive.
We will keep pressing; we will not give up; we will stay the course;
we will prevail.
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Quaecomque sunt vera ----
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