Cindy Sheehan

By Cindy Sheehan

Cri-sis n 1. a situation or period in which things are very uncertain, difficult, or painful, especially a time when action must be taken to avoid complete disaster or breakdown 2. a time when something very important for the future happens or is decided.

When I retired as the "face" of the American anti-war movement in May, I had decided that my group, Camp Casey Peace Institute, would focus on changing the world one person at a time by becoming a humanitarian group: People for Humanity. After Congress gave George another blank check to continue the murder and mayhem in Iraq, we came to the conclusion that it would be better to focus on the people who have been harmed by American corporate imperialism than fight it at home. We decided that our first project would be helping the refugees who have been displaced by the violence and instability in Iraq.

By Cindy Sheehan

My statement to the press when I announced my candidacy at the Presidio on August 9th

Two years ago this week, I started my first vigil in Crawford, Tx, at what became Camp Casey I near George's vacation ranch. I never thought that my path would lead me here today. Nothing before Casey was killed in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq prepared me for this new direction, but looking back on my life since April 04. 2004, I believe this is the next

By Daniel Ellsberg

[Remarks of Daniel Ellsberg at a press conference August 9, 2007 at which Cindy Sheehan announced her independent candidacy for the 8th Congressional District of California, an office now held by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House.]

I don't speak for Cindy Sheehan—whom I admire unreservedly—or for her campaign. When I say "we" in what follows, I'm really just giving my own perspective on this campaign, as one of her supporters.

By Cindy Sheehan

An anti-war activist at a town hall meeting in Iowa recently asked Mitt Romney why not ONE of his five sons served the USA in the military. The woman's brother had been in Iraq and she understandably would have liked to know if the Romney family was so supportive of BushCo's war of terror why didn't they support it with their own flesh and blood.

Mitt Romney said that his five privileged elite stockbroker/real estate boys are supporting our nation by helping get their father "elected." We could dispute the allegation of how getting a pandering, war-mongering, born-again abortion foe elected is good for our country, but that's not the point. The point is the ruling class elite who don't have to worry about health-care, jobs, or how they are going to pay for their children's college tuition send our children to fight and die in their wars that only make them richer while sending working-class families into life times of despair.

By Cindy Sheehan

Since I posted my article: "I’m as Perturbed as Heck", I have received many emails and messages. This is a typical response:

We don't know what to do.

Bushco and Congress only has authority because of their guns and prisons, right? I hate to put pressure on you when I do nothing in comparison, but what would a call to armed Americans amount to? We need the people who are willing to "fight for this country" to realize exactly who we should be fighting. As you can tell, we the people are literally being ignored. Do we really think that quitting our jobs to stand on the White House lawn is going to change the agenda of...I don't want to say Bushco, because it's obviously so much bigger than them...those fascist, greedy, homicidal, psychopaths.

If only tragedies in America would trigger greater compassion for the anguish of those in other nations. If only American pain would bring a deeper understanding of the pain felt by others in the world.

Sometimes it does.

It did with Cindy Sheehan who transformed her anguish over the loss of her son Casey into profound empathy for Iraqi mothers who'd lost their own sons. It did with Fernando Suarez del Solar, whose torment over the death in Iraq of his son Jesus, inspired Fernando to go to Iraq on a humanitarian mission.

But because American exceptionalism, first coined by Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831, deludes Americans into believing American lives have greater value than the lives of those in other lands, this great transference of compassion doesn't happen very often. For exceptionalist Americans who believe the only suffering worth caring for is American suffering, the daily, even hourly anguish of vulnerable third world people is accepted blanketly by Americans as those people's predestined fate in the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exceptionalism)

By Cindy Sheehan

“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
“I’m human, goddamnit, and my life counts!”
Howard Beale, Network 1971

In Paddy Chaefsky’s brilliant movie, Network, news anchor, Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch who was awarded an Oscar posthumously for his remarkable performance) screams out: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore,” and then we see people all over the city leaning out their windows, screaming the same refrain.

By Billy Pilgrim

"Lotta Bucks" and her husband picked up "Moira Drugs" and me around noon, and the four of us started the drive from Staten Island to Central Park. We were somewhat apprehensive. Almost any other event would have been called because of weather. (In fact, later in the afternoon, the Mets game was called.) But Cindy Sheehan has stood up to a lot worse than a little rain. We weren't going to miss the chance to stand with her. We brought umbrellas. And it looked like we'd really need them. We went through a real downpour on the Gowanus. But we emerged from the Battery Tunnel into a mere light drizzle.

BY ROCHELLE RILEY, Detroit Free Press

I have but one child. She is bright, funny, thoughtful, moody, loving, innocent, spirited -- and only 17.

I cannot imagine what I would do if something happened to her.

I can imagine what I would do if someone happened to her. I would hunt that person down and stalk them until they were brought to justice, unless justice got there first.

By Cindy Sheehan

Before I headed to our "Gather-In of Hearts" in Central Park West this afternoon, I was watching NBC's Meet the Press. Except for a brief excerpt about the Alberto Gonzales hearing this week, the entire show was about Obama vs. Hillary. Should Obama hit harder? Should Hillary ignore him since she's the frontrunner? How will this affect the primaries? Will it affect the primaries? Fox and CNN are trying to distract us from real news that affects us all by 'round the clock reporting on Lindsay Lohan and NBC uses the shiny keys of Obama and Clinton, two people whose campaigns together have each raised enough money to pay for about five hours of the illegal and insane occupation of Iraq.

CLICK FOR PHOTOS

Watch it here.

To the Editor:

Your editorial criticizing Cindy Sheehan purports to offer advice to the peace movement (advice to dump Cindy Sheehan as a spokesperson). There are a number of problems with that.

First, you clearly do not want to promote the peace movement at all, but rather continue the occupation of Iraq. This makes the peace movement likely to distrust your motives.

Second, while Cindy Sheehan is one of the best spokespeople we have, the peace movement didn't choose her; the media did. When we hold rallies without her, you guys never show up. That may be a perfect solution from your point of view, but not from ours.

By Ruth Conniff, The Progressive

The blogosphere was aquiver with the news that Cindy Sheehan announced she will challenge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as an independent, since Pelosi has refused to renounce her position that impeachment is “off the table.” Sheehan promptly got herself arrested in the office of Congressman John Conyers, who heads the House Judiciary Committee.

“The Democrats will not hold this administration accountable, so we have to hold the Democrats accountable,” Sheehan said. She and a group of other pro-impeachment activists were arrested in Conyers’s office after a meeting at which Conyers told the activists that he lacked the votes for impeachment. Sheehan’s group began a sit-in, demanding that Conyers sign onto Representative Dennis Kucinich’s impeachment bill. Conyers eventually called the Capitol Police to arrest the protesters and drag them away.

By Cindy Sheehan

Justice should be color-blind, but we all know that it still is not.

There are many perhaps thousands if not millions, historically, cases disputing the blindness of justice but when I think about this contradiction a few cases jump to my mind.

The incident in Georgia where the young man was given a sentence of ten years in prison for consensual sexual contact between minors is one example. Paris Hilton got a slap in the wrist for breaking parole, but she's white and rich. White, rich people rarely have to pay for their crimes.

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July 24, 2007 - By Cindy Sheehan

Yesterday our Journey for Humanity took us from Arlington Cemetery to Capitol Hill where Cindy, Rev. Lennox Yearwood and Ex-CIA Analyst Ray McGovern met with Cong. Conyers head of the Judiciary committee. The purpose of the meeting was to ask Rep. Conyers to begin Impeachment proceedings. This was one of the "promises" made to the peace community before the "06" elections. Rep. Conyers remained in lockstep behind the Democratic party leaders refusing to do the right and noble thing...which is to hold the Bush administration accountable for it's crimes. Politics as usual my friends. Conyers told us what we needed to do was to vote out the enablers (Republicans) in 08". 1 1/2 more years of bloodshed is what the Pelosi administration is willing to accept for their political agendas. 47 dedicated peace and justice activists staged a sit in at Conyers office chanting "Hey Conyers, need a reason...lying, torture, spying, treason..." Please flood Conyers and Pelosi's offices with FAX's and Phone calls all this weeks. Tell them either they do their jobs and Impeachment Bush and Cheney or come 08" we truly will vote out the enablers.

By David Swanson

Moral midget Dana Milbank (he who proves that the Constitution does not require impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors by citing the little known fact that most presidents have not been impeached) in this Washington Post "news" article quotes from a speech I made about impeaching Cheney, but omits any mention of Cheney. He says Cindy was wearing a "Impeach Bush Shirt" although her shirt, identical to hundreds of others that Milbank spent hours staring at, read "Impeach Bush and Cheney." We went to lobby for movement on H Res 333, a bill to impeach Cheney. Milbank doesn't mention it. Instead he argues that our movement to impeach Bush is dumb because we'd end up with president Cheney. Now, Milbank is a dishonest twerp, but we assisted him in this one. We had signs and chants about impeaching Bush. We'll only force the media to get the message straight when we do.

Journey for Humanity and Accountability
Day 14
Cindy Sheehan

I am lying in my hotel bed at the end of a very busy,
productive, yet sad day.

About 300 people gathered today and marched the 3½
miles from the entrance of Arlington Cemetery to
Congressman John Conyers' office to demand impeachment
and accountability from one of the leading figures in
American politics for the last four decades.

By Cindy Sheehan

Our Constitution established a tri-partite system of government, with the notion that each branch of government would act as a check on the other two. Unfortunately, for the last six years, the Republicans in Congress have largely viewed themselves as defenders of the Bush Administration, instead of a vital check on overreaching by the Executive Branch. By doing so, I believe they have acted to the detriment of our Constitutional form of government.

WHO: Peace activists Cindy Sheehan, President of the Hip-Hop Caucus Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and activists from around the country that have been traveling on a 29 day "Journey for Humanity" caravan from Crawford.

WHAT: The "Journey For Humanity" reaches D.C. and delivers over 1,000,000 signatures to Congressman John Conyers appealing to him to begin impeachment proceedings.

Posted here.

There's also an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

By Cindy Sheehan

Day 11 of our Journey for Humanity and Accountability found our caravan group at the Charlottesville, VA home of David Swanson who is director of AfterDowningStreet.org. I got to know David after my group Gold Star Families for Peace became one of the first organizations to sign on to ADS when the memos were exposed on May 1, 2005. That collaboration led to what I thought was going to be the downfall of BushCo: the fact that on July 23, 2001, there was a secret meeting at 10 Downing Street that pretty much said that the invasion of Iraq was a foregone conclusion and the intelligence was going to have to be "fixed" around the policy of pre-emptive invasion.

By Scott Trent, Greensboro Chapter, "The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime!"

Click here to listen.

July 18th - With only about a week and a half notice, and while we were in the midst of planning our Town Hall Meeting, we were able to step up and host Cindy Sheehan, who is on a "Journey for Humanity" from Crawford, TX to NYC to push impeachment and accountability for the crimes of the Bush Regime.

Anti-War Activist to Demand Impeachment of Bush/Cheney, Will Announce Candidacy Against Speaker Pelosi

www.vvaw.org

www.Arlington-LibertyBell.org

Who: Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan, Iraq War Vets, Constitution Scholars, local activists, citizens from every demographic, musicians, poets, and YOU

What: Press Conference and Rally, discussing the High Crimes and Misdemeanors Bush & Cheney have committed while trashing the 1st, 4th, 6th, & 8th Amendments of our Constitution.

July 23 Join Gold Star Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan - March from Arlington Cemetery to Rep. Conyers Office - Demand Impeachment & Accountability

Video of Cindy Sheehan in Charlotte July 17

Video of Gold Star Dad Carlos Arredondo in Charlotte July 17