From
The Providence Journal:
A Mother Hits the Road for Peace by Bob Kerr (registration required).
It will be women like Cindy Sheehan who force this obscene, fraudulent war into the open.
It will be people like her who have come home to find military officers standing on their porches or in their living rooms with the news of a son or daughter killed in Iraq.
It will be people like her who know deep down in their gut that they and their families and their country have been had in a cruel, cold, manipulative way.
It was April 4, 2004, Palm Sunday, when Sheehan, a former Catholic youth minister, returned to her house in Vacaville, Calif., after walking her dogs.
She and her husband, Patrick, had been watching CNN and the story of soldiers killed in Sadr City. They saw burning Humvees on their TV screen, and Sheehan was convinced that her son, Casey, an Army Humvee mechanic, was among the dead. She just knew it. And when she walked in her house, her husband appeared in shock as he talked to three Army officers.
"I collapsed on the floor screaming," she says. "I wanted to die, too.
Cindy is very excited about the
Upcoming Hearing on the Downing Street Memo and warmly thanks John Conyers and all of you who support her. She especially wants to pass on her appreciation for you folks who expressed your unity with her on seedsdifferent's
Diary last night. She asks that you consider siging this
Petition if you haven't already done so. Cindy may write-up some of her thoughts and experiences on her site or on other Blogs when she gets a second to catch her breath. She is currently traveling and battling both road trip problems and local, primitive, dial-up, connections,
and preparing for Congressional testimony next week . But she says to us all simply:
RIGHT ON AND WISH US LUCK KOSSACKS!!!!!
I felt kind of sheepish asking for a reco. But then I thought wtf? It's not for me, it's for all of us. People here and all over have worked, some pretty hard, to see this take place. Lord knows Cindy has not only worked hard but god-m she lost her son over this shit. I want folks to see that their work can and has made a difference, a big difference: Could be the biggest difference ever and end up saving a ton of lives. It sure has made a difference in Cindy's outlook.
"It will never be over for us," she says.
"Something terrible has happened to us -- we don't want it to happen to you."
We're going to get huge play on something both the MSM and the WH wanted to pretend did not exist. Now we're ramming it down their throats courtesy of Conyers, Sheehan, and many more, including many of YOU.
Seriously guys ... she is really fired up about it and you should be also. Probably happier than she's been in a hell of a long time, that the loss of her son Casey is going to have some positive value after all, probably save lives, in what has been a grade A cluster F**K meat-grinder up to now.
I'm pratically trembling with the thought that we lowly bloggers have helped force an issue which could well lead to the resignation of elite leaders. Every now and then it doesn't hurt to congratulate ourselves and those who've helped produce this amazing turn of events. That's the reason I asked for the reco.
And ... she asked me to help, and help I effin plan to do.
If the coming Inquiries do result in more incriminating evidence and ultimately lead to some resignations, our work in pushing this issue is going to make "Rathergate" look like the contrived mendacity it was. And it won't be a lone blogger commentator or a buttrocket taking credit for it, it will be a true group effort of 'we the people ...'
And, even it doesn't result in what we'd all like to see, I bet it's going to be a cold day in hell before the WH tries out another invasion based on phony bullshit. Not unless it's truly unavoidable this time and the people are well informed, truthfully informed, and behind it.
So, let's take a moment and look at the liberal or moderate politcal junkie, the activist, the cyber guy or gal next to us, and tell them 'so far, you've done good'.
Update: Take a look at Common Ground-Common Sense, the Blog of ARMYDAD if you want to get a feel for what these military families are going through day-to-day. HT: lawnorder.
Update: Magnificent article by Hilzoy. HT: Pharyngula