Cindy, Cindy, Cindy... when will you learn? Shrill voices only make people cover their ears. For those of you unfamiliar with dear Cindy, let me introduce you. Cindy Sheehan is a 49-year-old woman who has taken up a crusade. Two years ago she lost her son while he was serving in Iraq. She began crusading to end the war and used part of her son's life insurance to start her campaign. No one will disagree that losing a son, daughter, or family member is an absolute tragedy. It is compounded more if they are young. My condolences and sympathies go out to Cindy and any other families that have lost loved ones, whether in Iraq or in their own backyard.
There are no bad emotions. Hate, love, sadness, and the rest are part of the human experience. It is what we do with these emotions that can be good or bad. Ms. Sheehan has taken her grief and turned it into something I'll bet that her son would not be proud of. I am making some assumptions here, but they are ones that have a lot of examples out there. I would say that most people in the United States military are patriotic. They are willing to serve the good of the nation, protect it from harm, and if necessary give their lives for that freedom to continue. It must take a certain amount of faith in our country, its leaders, and its Commander in Chief. It is admirable beyond compare. God certainly must bless those who serve their nation for good. If those generalizations are true... Then I am sure that Ms. Sheehan's son served with honor and is proud to have died for what he believes in.
But Cindy Sheehan is not proud. She has set up camp outside of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. There she continues her 24-hour campaign to end the war. Her shrill cry is heard again: "US out of Iraq!"
To quote the Chicago Tribune: " She has become a household name, yet her once-strong family ties are in ruins. Her work has become a 24-hour-a-day obsession, generating praise from around the world, yet it also brought condemnation--even death threats--from opponents who suggest her constant harangue has made her a bit of a political gadfly. Others say it has served to dilute her message."
And more from the Tribune: " Sheehan's fiery rhetoric and inflammatory attacks on the president have sent once-close friends running for cover. She has referred to Bush as a "terrorist" and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as an "angel of death."
Sheehan's 28-year marriage is over.
'Out of everything, that hurt me the most,' she explained. 'After 31 years of being in the family, I thought they would support me. They totally disowned me and chose George Bush over murder.'"
I will disagree over her terminology. Her family chose their family over her disunity. She chose something that is temporary over something with infinite potential. The war will end. It will end whether Cindy is screaming her complaints, or if she goes to Iraq and fights herself. And when it does, Cindy will be left without a cause. Oh, but I don't underestimate her... I'm sure she'll find some new cause to tranfer all her hate and rhetoric to. Afterall, she doesn't have a family anymore. What can she do?
Later in the article Cindy says, "People who still support this war have blood on their hands. It was not right to begin with. It's not right now." Does she realize that her son is one of those? That she is campaigning against the very son she thinks she is memorializing? The son that has stood up and protected the very rights and priveleges she is abusing.
I feel sorry for her.
The Chicago Tribune article
The AP Yahoo article
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