"Peace Mom" v. "Guardian of Power"

"Peace Mom" v. "Guardian of Power"
by Stephen Lendman

Credit both titles to the book authors. Cindy Sheehan as a mother, peace activist, and now candidate to succeed Nancy Pelosi in California's Eighth Congressional District. Pelosi as both "guardian" and possessor of what Davids Cromwell and Edwards wrote about in their powerful critique of the media.

Both women represent hugely different interests, so let readers choose which ones they prefer. First some background on both candidates.

Sheehan is a peace activist, not a politician, and
think how refreshing that is. Here's some background
about her from her cindyforcongress.com web site:

-- born in California to working-class parents who
experienced the pain of the Great Depression;

-- raised four children, including her son Casey;
killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004 at age 24 - five days
after he arrived;

-- Sheehan bitterly opposed the war and begged her son
not to re-enlist in August 2003: "I begged Casey not
to go. I told him I would take him to Canada. (I would
do) anything to get him not to go to that immoral
war;"

-- as an adult mother, she attended Cerritos College
and UCLA;

-- she then worked as a Youth Minister at St. Mary's
Catholic Church in Vacaville, CA for eight years and
coordinated an after-school program for at-risk middle
school children;

-- everything changed when Casey was killed; it
energized her to action;

-- she founded Gold Star Families for Peace in January
2005, an organization of family members whose
relatives were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and
that's dedicated "to ending the occupation in Iraq and
bringing our troops home;"

-- in August 2005, she organized demonstrations close
to the Bush ranch in Crawford, TX - what became known
as "Camp Casey;" it drew thousands of activists and
celebrities from around the world in protest against
an illegal war they want stopped;

-- prior to her congressional campaign, she travelled
the world to meet with world leaders about resolving
the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts; the US Congress
and governments of South Korea, Scotland and Canada
paid her special recognition;

-- numerous organizations around the country and world
now have her as a keynote speaker and honored guest;

-- she receives dozens of peace awards and was
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005; in
addition, Dario Fo, 1997 Nobel Laureate for
Literature, wrote a play about her called "Peace Mom,"
the same title as her book;

-- she's also now an accomplished author of three
books to go along with her other achievements that
have gotten her featured in the mainstream press and
alternative media;

-- in sum: major achievements for a once simple "mom"
who cared enough to change her life and shake the
world; now she hopes to do it as a member of the 111th
Congress next January and accomplished the first step
toward it - in spite of a determined effort to stop
her, she collected enough required signatures (by the
August 8 deadline) to be on the November ballot as an
independent candidate for Congress.

Nancy Pelosi is the current House Speaker and Democrat
Congressional member since winning a special election
in 1987. Her 8th Congressional District represents
much of San Francisco and is considered one of the
most liberal ones in the country. In November 2002,
she became the first woman ever in Congress to lead a
political party as Minority Leader. After Democrats
won control of the House in the 2006 off-year
elections, she was elected Speaker in January 2007.

She grew up in Baltimore in a very political family.
Her late father, Tommy "The Elder" D'Alesandro, was a
local party boss and served in various capacities in
the city council, as a state delegate, congressman,
and three times as mayor from 1947 - 1959. Her younger
brother, Tommy "The Younger" D'Alesandro, also was
Baltimore's mayor for one term.

Pelosi's husband, Paul, is a successful San Francisco
financier and businessman. Largely because of his
wealth, Pelosi is considered the ninth richest person
in the House (according to OpenSecrets.org) with
estimates of their net worth ranging from $25 million
to three or four times that amount and a life-style to
go with it. Not a model populist in a strongly
Democrat district where she's been re-elected 10 times
with at least 75% of the vote. Republicans need not
apply, so Democrats win by showing up. At least so
far.

On examination, Pelosi's record is troubling,
especially after becoming Speaker and failing to
deliver on promises made in the 2006 mid-term
election. Along with Senate Majority Leader
(Democrat) Harry Reid, they share most blame for why
the July Rasmussen Reports gave Congress its lowest
ever approval rating at 9% with only 2% of respondents
calling its performance excellent. The other 7% called
it good. The majority 91% called it fair (36%) or poor
(52%). That presents opportunity for Sheehan.

Pelosi on the issues explains why. She:

-- supported the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Blily Act that
repealed Glass-Steagall and allowed commercial and
investment banks and insurance companies to combine;
it opened the door for some of the worst financial
abuses now apparent;

-- voted for the September 2001 Authorization for Use
of Military Force (AUMF) for "the use of United States
Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent
attacks launched against the United States;" it began
the "war on terror," the illegal wars that followed,
as well as the Bush administration's coup d'etat
against the Constitution and establishment of a police
state;

-- opposed the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military
Force Against Iraq Resolution responsible for
launching the war; but she supported the Afghanistan
assault and all illegal war funding;

-- on January 5, 2007 (after becoming Speaker),
"informed the president" in writing of her opposition
to the "surge;" only supported a non-binding February
resolution against it and took no effective action to
end it or the occupation;

-- supported the 2007 Responsible Redeployment from
Iraq Act (HR 2956); it passed the House, but the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee took no further
action;

-- supported the 2007 US Troop Readiness, Veterans'
Health, and Iraq Accountabiity Act (HR 1591) - the
first legislation for supplemental Iraq and
Afghanistan funding; it called for ending the
occupation by September 1, 2008; a compromise bill was
agreed to by the House and Senate; it passed both
Houses; George Bush vetoed it, and House Democrats
failed to override; a second attempt also failed;
Democrats in both Houses (backed by Pelosi) agreed to
approve supplemental funding with no occupation
withdrawal timetable and clear evidence that their
earlier efforts were more posturing than a determined
effort to end it;

-- despite considerable opposition rhetoric, indicated
her support for the Iraq and Afghan wars (on December
5, 2006) after the mid-term elections when she looked
assured of being elected Speaker; responding to
questions said: "We will not cut off funding for the
troops; absolutely not; let me remove all doubt in
anyone's mind; as long as our troops are in harm's
way, Democrats will be there to support them....;"

-- voted for every Bush administration Pentagon budget
request since 2001; and also supported:

-- the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act - a thinly veiled
scheme to destroy public education and privatize it;

-- the 2001 Anti-Terrorism Act;

-- the 2001 USA Patriot Act;

-- the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act - it denied
detainees habeas rights and let US forces use cruel,
abusive, inhumane and degrading treatment in the
interest of national security;

-- the 2006 Homeland Security Department Authorization
Act;

-- the 2007 Implementing the 9/11 Commission
Recommendation Act;

-- the 2008 and 2009 Intelligence Authorization Acts
to fund 13 intelligence agencies; and

-- the 2008 FISA Amendments Act - to weaken standards
of proof and warrants required for surveillance and
grant telecom companies retroactive immunity for
warrantless spying post-9/11.

She's also fully committed to and well-funded by the
corporate interests she supports. She voted against
withdrawing from the WTO, for NAFTA and for similar
"free trade" agreements with Australia, Peru, Chile,
and Singapore. She calls democratic Venezuela's
President Hugo Chavez a "common thug."

And when it comes to Israel, she states that she and
the US "will stand with (the Jewish state) now and
forever." She further contends that the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn't over the issue of
occupation. "This is absolute nonsense. In truth, the
history of the conflict is not over occupation, and
never has been: it is over the fundamental right of
Israel to exist."

Her AIPAC June 2008 conference address highlighted
her "commitment to Israel's security;" that passage of
the 2008 Security Assistance and Arms Export Control
Reform Act will expedite sending defense equipment and
services to Israel; that Israel will be "treated like
NATO members;" and that America will guarantee that
"Israel's qualitative military edge (will) be
empirically assessed on an ongoing basis."

She also highlighted Iran as one of her main concerns
and said: "Ensuring the security of Israel and the
entire world demands that we do more to convince Iran
to give up its nuclear ambitions and cease its support
for terrorist groups." She further suggested that Iran
represents an existential threat and that sanctions
against it must be tightened - "and by tighten, I mean
tighten."

She then added: "Thank you (for) lobby(ing) on behalf
of bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressman
Ackerman" by which she meant H. Con. Res. 362. It
contains outlandish, unsubstantiated accusations
against Iran, and if enacted and implemented, will
authorize a naval blockade and be an act of war. AIPAC
is committed to its passage. Pelosi is committed to
AIPAC. Its 2002 - 04 president, Amy Rothschild
Friedkin, (a fellow San Franciscan) is her close
friend.

Finally, as House Speaker, she declared that efforts
to impeach George Bush were "off the table." Most
recently in an August 1 interview with James Carney of
Time, Inc., she responded to a question about it as
follows:

"I took (impeachment) off the table a long time ago.
You can't talk about impeachment unless you have the
facts, and you can't have the facts unless you have
cooperation from the Administration. I think the
Republicans would like nothing better than for us to
focus on impeachment and take our eye off the ball of
a progressive economic agenda."

Pelosi, of course, turns a blind eye to very clear
evidence for impeachment. On January 17, 2003,
international law expert Professor Francis Boyle
listed them in his "Draft Impeachment Resolution
Against President George W. Bush" and presented it to
the 108th Congress. It called for impeaching the
President for high crimes and misdemeanors for:

-- "violat(ing) his constitutional oath to faithfully
execute (his) office;"

-- failing to "preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution;

-- impos(ing) a police state and military
dictatorship;

-- ramming the totalitarian USA Patriot Act (and other
repressive legislation) through Congress;

-- trying to suspend the constitutional Writ of Habeas
Corpus;

-- mass-round(ing) up and incarcrat(ing) foreigners;

-- kangaroo courts;

-- depriving at least two United States citizens of
their constitutional rights by means of military
incarceration;

-- interfer(ing) with the constitutional right of
defendants in criminal cases to (be represented by)
lawyers;

-- violating and subverting the Posse Comitatus Act;

-- (allowing) unlawful and unreasonable searches and
seizures;

-- violating the First Amendment rights of free
exercise of religion, speech, assembly, and to
petition the government for redress of grievances;

-- packing the federal judiciary with hand-picked
(totalitarian-minded) judges;

-- violating the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions,
US War Crimes Act, (UN) Convention against Torture,
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," and other
violations of US and international laws and norms -
"to the great prejudice of the cause of law and
justice and to the manifest injury of the people of
the United States."

Cindy Sheehan on the Issues

Her positions on key issues stand in stark contrast to
Pelosi's. She's for:

-- "repealing all 'free trade' agreements;" replacing
them with "fair trade" ones that respect worker rights
and union empowerment to bargain on equal terms with
management;

-- enacting "single-payer healthcare and affordable
housing" legislation;

-- extending unemployment and food stamp benefits at a
time of economic distress;

-- "compassionate and humane treatment for immigrant
workers;" their right to join unions; and for an
"expedited path to legalization in the form of Green
Cards;"

-- ending the militarization of the border as well as
funding for ICE and other government agencies that
"terrorize immigrant workers (driven here by
bipartisan support for unfair) 'free trade' and
'structural adjustment' policies;"

-- making quality free education a "basic human right
from infants in day care centers to students in
universities;"

-- "bring(ing) home our troops from all countries
where (they) promote occupation, corporate greed and
empire;"

-- repealing the No Child Left Behind Act and backing
government-supported public education;

-- investing in the nation's infrastructure, long
neglected;

-- slashing the Pentagon's budget and putting federal
money into job creation (and social services);

-- reversing destructive deregulation that enables
"corporate profiteers to (avoid) proper oversight and
health and safety regulations; reinstating
Glass-Steagall that separated investment from
commercial banking and insurance operations;

-- regulating the corporate media; opposing the
"multiple ownership of newspaper, cable, broadcast,
internet and all other media operations;" supporting
federally-funded "public labor-community broadcast and
internet systems;"

-- reversing the trend to "privatize and contract out
jobs (that) threat(en the nation's) workforce;" ending
the privatization of federal jobs and letting all
government workers join unions;

-- preventing the US Postal Service from being
privatized;

-- establishing "a national energy system, for a mass
transit system;" alternative fuels as well to end our
dependence on oil, gas and nuclear;

-- assuring civil rights and privacy protection;
ending harassment and discrimination against union
members and unorganized workers;

-- repealing the Patriot Act and other repressive
laws;

-- ending pervasive spying - by the government on the
citizenry and corporations on their workers; and

-- repealing drug and other repressive laws that jail
millions of working people in the world's largest
prison population.

Sheehan v. Pelosi. "Peace Mom and supporter of people
rights v. "Guardian of Power" and defender of wealth
and privilege. On November 3, the people of
California's 8th Congressional District will decide
which agenda they prefer. So can readers.

###

Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre
for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and
can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and
listen to The Global Research News Hour on
RepublicBroadcasting.org Mondays from 11AM - 1PM US
Central time for cutting-edge discussions with
distinguished guests. All programs are archived for
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http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9838