...and yes IT IS BETWEEN MY HUSBAND AND i.

t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By Cindy Sheehan
http://truthout.org/cindy.shtml
Monday 15 August 2005
3:44 AM

I apparently am the sacrificial lamb of the peace movement. I
't care about myself. Putting myself in the forefront and daring to challenge the president on his lies left myself open to the attacks. Which are, of course, half truths and distortions.

When they start sliming my home life and my family, that's where I draw the line. Yes, my husband has filed for divorce and yes he filed before I left for the VFP Convention and this trip to Crawford and yes IT IS BETWEEN MY HUSBAND AND I.

Having Casey murdered in Iraq by George Bush's reckless policies has been hard enough on my family, but me setting off on my holy war to bring the troops home, my constant absences, and all of the media attention has put additional stresses on my family.

I chose my path after Casey died. The rest of the family has chosen theirs. We all still love each other and support each other in anything that we do. We didn't want Casey to join the Army, but once he made that decision, we supported him and even encouraged him through boot camp.

We are a normal American family who have had good times, bad times, and terrible times. We hope the good times will come back. We hope that we will be able to laugh with abandon together like we used to one day. We hope that the troops come home and no other families have to go through what we are going through.

It isn't about politics for us. No one asked Casey what political affiliation he was before they sent him off to die in Iraq and no one asked us who we voted for in 2000 before we were handed a folded flag from Casey's flag-draped coffin.

I am not perfect and I never even claimed to be perfect. My family isn't perfect, but we are pretty special ... especially the children. We all miss Casey so much and it is George Bush and his neocon cabal who is at fault. The people who are dragging my family through the mud need to grow up and look at themselves. The Christ said: "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."

If everyone followed Jesus's advice, the world would be a much better place.

t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By Tim Goodrich

Sunday 14 August 2005
11:50 PM

Good things come in small packages. Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas may not have the people of a 500,000 strong anti-war march, but its making at least as powerful a statement. This is only my first day here outside the ranch, but this has already been one of the most moving events I have attended.

Almost immediately, I recognized the standard tactics of the right wing; deceit and hatred. Upon waking up at the Crawford Peace House, I noticed a news van for the local AM radio station sitting outside. I watched him for a while, but he never bothered to step outside of the van. Later on, I heard the radio station reporting that the people at the Crawford Peace House had chased him away by throwing bottles and rocks at him. This was obviously a lie; designed to paint us, who have gathered peacefully, as militants.

Upon arrival at Camp Casey one of the first new people I met was a Gulf War Marine veteran who now works driving a truck out of Augusta, Georgia. While listening to his satellite radio, he heard about the encampment here in Crawford. Since he was running ahead of schedule and didn't have to be to San Antonio until the next morning, he took a detour to investigate. As a few of us veterans had a good conversation with him, I realized one important thing: He gets it. This former marine was just another of countless veterans across the United States that realize the war in Iraq is a tremendous waste of life and resources.

The weather is very hot and humid here, as evidenced by the few who succumbed to heat stroke. Despite the lack of most creature comforts, the spirit and will of the people here amazes me. In the end the world will know the truth, but in the meantime, I have a request for my former Commander-in-Chief. Come meet with us who served in your imperial war. Come meet with the military families who have loved ones serving in Iraq. Come meet with Cindy and the other Gold Star families. It's about time you're honest with the American people.

MORE:
http://truthout.org/cindy.shtml
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Bush defends ignoring protest
Waco Tribune Herald, TX - Aug 13, 2005
By Ken Herman Cox News Service. CRAWFORD, Texas � President Bush, noting that lots of people want to talk to the president and ��it's also important for ...
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/08/14/20050814wacbushprotest.html

By Ken Herman Cox News Service

Sunday, August 14, 2005

CRAWFORD, Texas � President Bush, noting that lots of people want to talk to the president and ��it's also important for me to go on with my life,'' on Saturday defended his decision not to meet with the grieving mom of a soldier killed in Iraq.

Bush said he is aware of the anti-war sentiments of Cindy Sheehan and others who have joined her protest near the Bush ranch.

��But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there's somebody who has got something to say to the president, that's part of the job,'' Bush said on the ranch. ��And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say.''

��But,'' he added, ��I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.''

The comments came prior to a bike ride on the ranch with journalists and aides. It also came as the crowd of protesters grew in support of Sheehan, the California mother who came here Aug. 6 demanding to talk to Bush about the death of her son Casey. Sheehan arrived earlier in the week with about a half dozen supporters. As of Saturday there were about 300 anti-war protestors and approximately 100 people supporting the Bush administration.

Sheehan is seeking a justification for the war, as well as her son's death.

��I don't want comfort from him,'' she said Friday. ��I want answers. I want the truth.''

Bush on Saturday said, ��I've heard their complaints about my policy. I think it would be a big mistake to withdraw immediately from Iraq, which is what they're suggesting we do.''

In addition to the two-hour bike ride, Bush's Saturday schedule included an evening Little League Baseball playoff game, a lunch meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a nap, some fishing and some reading.

��I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy,'' he said when asked about bike riding while a grieving mom wanted to speak with him. ��And part of my being is to be outside exercising.''

��So I'm mindful of what goes on around me,'' Bush added. ��On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so.''

Pro- and anti-war forces continued to gather in Crawford and demonstrators held dueling rallies on Saturday.

�We speak out ... so that your loved one can be next to you and not in a picture,� Fort Worth resident Beatriz Saldivar told anti-war demonstrators at Crawford's Tonka Park.

Saldivar's nephew, 23-year-old Army Sgt. Daniel Torres, was killed Feb. 4 by a bomb blast during patrol duty in northern Iraq.

Saldivar was among the seven speakers who lost a family member in the Iraq war. Veterans and families of servicemembers also spoke at the event, which was sponsored by several anti-war organizations including Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans For Peace.

There have been no arrests as the protests enter into the second week.

Raoul Deming of Takoma Park, Md., led a pro-Bush counter rally at the opposite site of the city park. The event was organized by Free Republic, a conservative grassroots organization. It drew about 75 people at its height.

Deming was critical of Sheehan and the various anti-war organizations who are supporting her cause, and suggested that such groups help to fan the insurgent uprising in Iraq.

�They're trying to market grief,� Deming said from the bed of a pickup truck. �That's why they want to see photos of coffins. That's why they want to see the amputees.�

Kim Barr, 48, of Killeen, said he wanted to voice his support of the U.S. military.

Barr said he felt compelled to do so in support of his neighbors, many of whom are stationed at nearby Fort Hood.

�If (Cindy Sheehan) went to Killeen, she wouldn't have been there for long,� he said, noting that support for the military in Killeen is one-sided.

Tribune-Herald staff writer Thaddeus DeJesus contributed to this story.
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America's Heroes!
Mother Cindy Sheehan & Son Casey
INFO & LINKS:
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/sheehan.htm