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GI's mom persists in quest to meet Bush
Gary Martin
San Antonio Express-News Washington Bureau
CRAWFORD — The mother of a Fort Hood soldier killed in Iraq continued a vigil Sunday on the rural road leading to President Bush's Central Texas ranch and vowed to remain until she meets with the commander in chief.
"I'm calling it the peaceful occupation of Crawford," said Cindy Sheehan, 48, of Vacaville, Calif., who wants Bush to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq.
Army Spc. Casey Austin Sheehan, 24, was killed April 4, 2004, in Sadr City, Baghdad, when his unit of eight soldiers came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment with the 1st Cavalry out of Fort Hood.
The angry mother of the fallen soldier, along with about 10 activists from Code Pink, Gold Star Families for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War, spent the night in tents and cars about 3 miles from the presidential compound.
With temperatures near the century mark, the group was trying to stay cool below the few shade trees that line the open prairie road leading to Bush's home.
"It's hot in Iraq," Sheehan said. "If they can do what they are doing, we can do this."
The group's compound was marked by anti-war banners and prayer flags. Sheehan said they planned a candlelight vigil and other rallies during the weeks that Bush will be on vacation here.
Sheehan met Saturday with the White House deputy chief of staff and the president's national security adviser, who promised to relay her concerns to Bush.
That meeting did not satisfy Sheehan, who said she continues to grapple emotionally with the loss of her son.
"They're not George Bush," she said. "That's who I came out to see."
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attention. I'm glad to see After Downing Street back up, I tried all day first by typing in URL, then a link from your article "WHY MY COMCAST HORROR STORY IS WORSE THAN YOURS" but still got message:
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The web site you have requested may be experiencing technical difficulties due to a busy or broken server.
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Tried a little while ago from Democratic Underground link and same problem. Finally made it here with a link on Rep. Conyers' blog.
I was glad to see that there were so many sites supporting Cindy.
interested in reading how much support she is getting.
Indymedia had some great photos of Cindy and Code Pink marchers.
"The grassroots is working. Fifty-thousand marchers in Atlanta this weekend. Cindy Sheehan in Crawford. DriveDemocracy on the way to Nashville. You are winning, and we will continue to do all that we can to help your voices continue to make a difference.
Sincerely,
Glenn Smith, DriveDemocracy.org"
Directions to "Camp Casey" where Cindy Sheehan is attempting to meet with President Bush. From McGregor (highway 84 and 317), drive north to Crawford (6.3 miles), turn left onto West Fifth at intersection and drive .3 miles to Praire Chapel Road, turn right. Drive 4.9 miles to Camp Casey. You can get details from the Crawford Peace House, 254-486-0099, http://www.crawfordpeacehouse.org/.
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She deserves the Medal of Freedom for her courage and fortitude in all of this turmoil - She is an upfront, in-your-face, example of what activism can and should be. Despite, or maybe because of, her loss she stands up everyday for her beliefs no matter how painful. More articles on the protest in the NYT, here and here. I've been told that they showed the protest on CNN and here in Austin locally. I hope Cindy and the rest of the stalwart men and women keep getting the coverage the so richly deserve.
On a personal note, I want to say that this protest was eye opening for me. My best friend is in Iraq right now and it scares the crap out of me everyday. Now, she's over there by choice feeling that her job is her job in peace and war and I fully respect that; however, if it weren't for Bush and his cronies, she would not have had to make that decision and I wouldn't have to worry every single damn day about her. We can do more in this country to change the political environment. In my mind the real message is this: No matter the cost, stand up for what is right. Don't sit on the sidelines and let other's do it for you.~~~~
http://enthusiast.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/8/6/23422/59956~~~~~~
The call has gone out around the world for ordinary people, musicians, and the news media to converge on Crawford to hear Cindy’s story and witness Bush’s response. For more information check out
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=7418 and check the other stories on that delightful site while you’re there.
So ... now you know that Homeland Security should be concentrating on suppressing American mothers who have lost their sons to lies in Iraq.
White-haired college professors and ordinary middle-class mothers .... these are the new radicals. Will Bush and his criminal sycophants come up with a new policy to make corporate America safe from them, because they are the real threat to the people in power?