The Sacramento Bee today published an op-ed by independent congressional candidate and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, in which she stresses the personal significance Memorial Day has to her:
Memorial Day is a double whammy for me. You see, my son Casey was born on Memorial Day 29 years ago.
When he was growing up, we would gather dozens of our friends and relatives to celebrate his birthday. Now a few of us gather at his grave in Vacaville to mourn his death and cry for the life that was stolen from him.
And what she wants Memorial Day to mean to the rest of us:
On this Memorial Day, I would like you to take a few moments from your day off and stare into the faces of grief.
Go to a nearby military cemetery and look at the American flags stuck on each grave and think of the person buried there who was killed for global domination or for the blunders and egomania of our leadership.
And remember, for every person buried there, 10 more loved that person and were shattered by the loss. Instead of saluting, softly say: “I’m sorry.” On this Memorial Day, remember, too, to look at the pictures of Iraqi children being lifted out of rubble after their homes have been bombed by U.S. jets.
Please say, “I’m sorry” for them, also.
Sheehan is running in California’s 8th District, against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (who faces a primary challenge from Kucinich supporter Shirley Golub), Republican Dana Walsh (who characterizes Pelosi and Sheehan as “two of the most dangerous women in Americaâ€), Libertarian Philip Berg (who is also running on a peace platform), and the Socialist Workers candidate, meatpacker Lea Sherman (who has no website).
My bet is that she wanted to be nonpartisan.
Ask and I shall recieve! Thanks for covering Sheehan!
Tom M is a warmongering kerfuffler.
Ms. Sheehan has become an advocate for all veterans, because of her son Casey. Tom M is just whining because Dick Cheney won’t get to be the Dark Overlord anymore!
I read on Ballot Acess news that as of last week she had only 900? 1000? sigs out of the 10000 she needs.
I sent her $25, and I’m going to squeeze another $25 out of June’s budget.
I think it sends an important message to the national Dem leadership if there is a serious challenge to Pelosi.
I’m still very interested in why she chose the much harder row-to-hoe as an indie, and not on the P&F or Green line?
I get email updates from the campaign. You could post them (or I could….) if you wanted to.
Tom M,
Yes, Cindy Sheehan has done more than mourn her dead son. She stepped it up a notch. Others noticed, agreed and offered to help her and it went big time.
She’s done what all those people in uniform take an oath to defend, which is the right to speak freely and to freely associate. Pawns don’t speak.
Tom M,
I don’t think that Ms. Sheehan is perfect, but I do think she is sincere. If she were merely a Democratic Party shill, she would be doing things very differently than what she has.
This woman hates the war, and for good reason. Her son made a choice to join the armed services, and she has made a choice to criticize the people who caused her son’s death. These two adults have both, in very different ways, stood up for freedom.
Gene T: Then in my opinion the grieving over her son was nothing more than a contrived effort by her and “code pink” to create a controversy that would garner headlines. I’m not one to grieve over the dead unless they are from my own family but to create a media uprising to make or prove a point goes above and beyond grieving, question the actions of my political leaders YES, but even the grieving family of Pat Tillman haven’t created the media uproar the Ms. Sheehan started only to see she was being used like a pawn by the democrat party. Casey Sheehan knew what he was signing up for as did I when I enlisted, the family members of anyone in the military is also aware it could happen as well. The military isn’t an 8 to 5 job no matter if we are in peace time or time of war and for anyone to think otherwise is disingenuous.
I think Cindy Sheehan has much more empathy with other grieving families than does John McCain…to compare her feelings to just one other politician whose actions, specifically, resulted in the death of her son.
Tom M: sometimes it’s difficult to grieve for someone you don’t know. It’s only when the tragedy strikes home that one becomes aware of situation.
IN that race, Cindy is very smart running an Independent campaign. If the Kucinich lady softens Pelosi up a bit in the Dem primary, and then a serious GOP challenger (and a few 3rd party incl LP contenders) can split off significant votes, Sheehan could either elect the GOPer (hello Ralph & Harry in Florida 2000?) or even make a serious run at Nurse Ratch … err, Nancy!
stranger things happen in CA every day
Go Phil, Go!
I wonder if Ms Sheehan had these types of feelings for the Vietnam vets, korean vets or any other dead vet that returned in body bags, or was this only reserved for her son. Remember we have an all volunteer military and on day one we realize that we could be called to protect and defend not only the U.S. but any nation that has been deemed to have national interest.
And in reference to this comment, I have been trying to follow Sheehan’s run, but she hasn’t been producing much news over the last month. Today she had an Op-ed published, and it was timely anyway, but I don’t have the inside track to know how her petitioning is going… yet.