(x-post) Cindy Sheehan retires...

[allan grossman]

Saddest thing I've read in awhile. You may not agree with her politics but she nailed it this time, I think.

 

Comments?

 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/28/sheehan/index.html

 

Anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan gives up her protest

 

POSTED: 10:55 p.m. EDT, May 28, 2007

 

(CNN) -- Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who became an anti-war leader after her son was killed in Iraq, declared Monday she was walking away from the peace movement.

 

She said her son died "for nothing."

 

Sheehan achieved national attention when she camped outside President Bush's home in Crawford, Texas, throughout August 2005 to demand a meeting with the president over her son's death.

 

While Bush ignored her, the vigil made her one of the most prominent figures among opponents of the war.

 

But in a Web diary posted to the liberal online community Daily Kos on Monday, Sheehan said she was exhausted by the personal, financial and emotional toll of the past two years.

 

She wrote that she is disillusioned by the failure of Democratic politicians to bring the unpopular war to an end and tired of a peace movement she said "often puts personal egos above peace and human life."

 

Casey Sheehan, a 24-year-old Army specialist, was killed in an April 2004 battle in Baghdad. His death prompted his mother to found Gold Star Families for Peace.

 

But in Monday's 1,200-word letter, titled, "Good Riddance Attention Whore," Sheehan announced that her son "did indeed die for nothing."

 

"I have tried every since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful," she wrote. "Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives.

 

"It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years, and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most."

 

Cindy Sheehan's sister, DeDe Miller, told CNN that the group would continue working for humanitarian causes, but drop its involvement in the anti-war movement. As for her sister's letter, Miller said, "She cried for quite a bit after writing it."

 

Sheehan warned that the United States was becoming "a fascist corporate wasteland," and that onetime allies among Bush's Democratic opposition turned on her when she began trying to hold them accountable for bringing the 4-year-old war to a close.

 

In the meantime, she said her antiwar activism had cost her her marriage, that she had put the survivor's benefits paid for her son's death and all her speaking and book fees into the cause and that she now owed extensive medical bills.

 

"I am going to take whatever I have left and go home," she wrote. "I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost.

 

"I will try to maintain and nurture some very positive relationships that I have found in the journey that I was forced into when Casey died and try to repair some of the ones that have fallen apart since I began this single-minded crusade to try and change a paradigm that is now, I am afraid, carved in immovable, unbendable and rigidly mendacious marble."

[baracuda2004]

so who do you think the next American Idol will be??

[Thumper]

I hope she finds peace.

[prosigna]

 

"It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years, and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most." Sheehan warned that the United States was becoming "a fascist corporate wasteland," and that onetime allies among Bush's Democratic opposition turned on her when she began trying to hold them accountable for bringing the 4-year-old war to a close.

 

 

The United States has never been anything but "a fascist corporate wasteland,". Learn the system. It is what we have and it is better than anyone else's.

 

 

****Walks back to front porch with jug of moonshine, huntin' dog, and shotgun***

[Tim in WV]

 

Sheehan warned that the United States was becoming "a fascist corporate wasteland," and that onetime allies among Bush's Democratic opposition turned on her when she began trying to hold them accountable for bringing the 4-year-old war to a close.

 

whoops, there it is. I recently came to the same conclusion: that any real change through the political system we now have is impossible. The Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex runs the show top to bottom, and it's 40 years too late to stop them. They have bought and paid for everyone. No one that opposes them could ever get elected; the President and VP are just figureheads now.

[ezstep]

Much ado about nothing. I really felt sorry for her, but I did not elevate her to any political status. From what I understand, she, like most of us, has many skeletons in her closet that she needs to deal with. Maybe now she can focus on her own life.

[mikgag]

It is what we have and it is better than anyone else's.

 

 

ha ha...says you...

 

 

nice dog btw.

 

[RSBro]

Regardless of her and/or my view on the war, for me it boils down to this-

 

her son enlisted in the Army. Got paid. Was sent to war. Died while in combat. I'm not exactly sure what her issue is over this. He wasn't drafted, just was sent to do his duty. Unfortunately being in the Army has the possibility of actually going to war, and that's what happened.

I have and know clients who have kids who do this and complain about the war and their kids having to go. I just ask again "What did you think was going to happen?"

[lug]

 

I hope she finds peace.

 

 

+1

[Ender_rpm]

As a servicemember, I am sorry for her loss, but was often insulted by the paternalistic tone she, and others, adopt when speaking of the military. These young men and women are ADULTS, who have volunteered to serve thier country, fully understanding that it is not up to us what fights we will get into, where we will be sent, or what the outcome of those events will be. It is up to our leadership to use us wisely, and for the right reasons. The constant moping of Ms. Sheehan, along with her seemingly insatiable need for media attention, long ago destroyed any credibility she had. Its too bad the left has abandoned her, but she is an idealist, and politics are about compromise, not ideals. May she find the peace she has been searching for.

[Kindness]

I hadn't heard of her or her son until this post, but this statement alone indicates she wasn't someone to listen to from day one:

 

"she wrote. "Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives."

 

True, but if you don't know this on day one, then you aren't seeing enough of the big picture to make any meaningful contribution. This realization can't be the end game, it has to be the foundation upon which a call for change is made. So she spent a couple of years to get up to speed on what the political system is all about and now that she knows, instead of making a real effort for change, she gives up. Any real change will only come from someone that starts with this level of understanding and is motivated from that point to make a difference.

 

"I'm going to climb the mountain! Oh wait, that's the mountain? Nevermind."

[L-1329]

If she really thinks her son died for nothing, then I really do feel sorry for her. But, only because she has blinded herself to the world because of a tragedy. Her son, and every other son and daughter over there has not died for nothing, not even by a long shot. I have an issue with surviving family members taking on such an empowered stance, as if they have suddenly been given the voice of absolute truth and reason. If anyone doesn't listen then they are some kind of evil, uncaring bastards incapable uf understanding. The rightous victim mentality doesn't fly with me at all. Her view is one of many, and her idea's are no more relevent than anyone else's, including mine. Her son was killed, and that is a tragedy. That however, doesn't change the world situation and ranting about the evil Bush 'regime' sure as heck isn't going to change a thing either. She needs, and maybe has realised, that she needs to get off the hate and back to her life in the wake of a family tragedy.

 

 

Now, why the hell do frequenter's of different forum's feel the need to put "x-post" in a thread title? Just post the damn thing already!

[Emprov]

 

If she really thinks her son died for nothing, then I really do feel sorry for her. But, only because she has blinded herself to the world because of a tragedy. Her son, and every other son and daughter over there has not died for nothing, not even by a long shot. I have an issue with surviving family members taking on such an empowered stance, as if they have suddenly been given the voice of absolute truth and reason. If anyone doesn't listen then they are some kind of evil, uncaring bastards incapable uf understanding. The rightous victim mentality doesn't fly with me at all. Her view is one of many, and her idea's are no more relevent than anyone else's, including mine. Her son was killed, and that is a tragedy. That however, doesn't change the world situation and ranting about the evil Bush 'regime' sure as heck isn't going to change a thing either. She needs, and maybe has realised, that she needs to get off the hate and back to her life in the wake of a family tragedy.

 

Well put.

[misterhinkydink]

 

I hadn't heard of her or her son until this post, but this statement alone indicates she wasn't someone to listen to from day one: "she wrote. "Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives." True, but if you don't know this on day one, then you aren't seeing enough of the big picture to make any meaningful contribution. This realization can't be the end game, it has to be the foundation upon which a call for change is made. So she spent a couple of years to get up to speed on what the political system is all about and now that she knows, instead of making a real effort for change, she gives up. Any real change will only come from someone that starts with this level of understanding and is motivated from that point to make a difference. "I'm going to climb the mountain! Oh wait, that's the mountain? Nevermind."

 

 

You really should have learned more about her before making this judgment.

[Kindness]

You really should have learned more about her before making this judgment.

 

No I shouldn't, it would be a waste of my time.

 

If my post is off base, it's off base, I said from the start I don't know who the hell this person is.

 

Why even read my post, L-1329 wrote the definitive response.

[misterhinkydink]

I said from the start I don't know who the hell this person is.

 

No {censored}....

[liko]

 

...She wrote: "Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives." True, but if you don't know this on day one, then you aren't seeing enough of the big picture to make any meaningful contribution. This realization can't be the end game, it has to be the foundation upon which a call for change is made. So she spent a couple of years to get up to speed on what the political system is all about and now that she knows, instead of making a real effort for change, she gives up. Any real change will only come from someone that starts with this level of understanding and is motivated from that point to make a difference. "I'm going to climb the mountain! Oh wait, that's the mountain? Nevermind."

 

 

+1000. Never have truer words been spoken. Our most famous advocates for social change realized that in order to effect any real change, they had to overcome social apathy and the sense of "that's the way it's always been, it doesn't concern me". I'm guilty as charged: the war in Iraq is on the other side of the world, and more U.S. citizens have died within our borders of starvation and murder than have died in Iraq since the war began. I'm not concerned with Iraq; I want us to stop wasting money being in the middle of a political and religious power struggle and start spending that money getting the guys with RPGs and automatic weapons off of our southern border. Fix social security and Medicare as promised seven years ago. Make the DHS a cohesive entity instead of an unmanageable hierarchy of formerly unrelated agencies still struggling to agree on how to talk to each other.

[Kindness]

 

You really should have learned more about her before making this judgment.

 

 

Now I have and my initial judgement was right on. If you care to contribute anything meaningful to the discussion I will be pleased to read it and give your opinions all the respect they are due.

[Enderz13]

Regardless of her and/or my view on the war, for me it boils down to this- her son enlisted in the Army. Got paid. Was sent to war. Died while in combat. I'm not exactly sure what her issue is over this. He wasn't drafted, just was sent to do his duty. Unfortunately being in the Army has the possibility of actually going to war, and that's what happened. I have and know clients who have kids who do this and complain about the war and their kids having to go. I just ask again "What did you think was going to happen?"

+1 And hope she finds peace.

[Teleken]

 

I have an issue with surviving family members taking on such an empowered stance, as if they have suddenly been given the voice of absolute truth and reason.

 

 

I have an issue with family members of troops, surviving or not, taking the stance that THEY'RE the troops. Get a grip folks, you're not. I had a particularly annoying girlfriend that took this stance with me often - her brother's a Marine reservist and a good guy. She attention whored the entire time he was deployed as if she was the one playing in the desert. Got news, sweetheart - HE can complain. She, OTOH, needed to sit down and have a nice cup of STFU - her need for attention and her playing on her brother's deployment was disgusting at best.

 

The funniest part was when she'd try to sit me down and explain to me how military service worked - 6 years after I was honorably discharged from the USAF after finishing my 6 year term of enlistment.

 

Military families - yes, it sucks that Johnny got sent to do his job. Guess what? He knew what the job was when he signed the papers and took the oath.

[kurfu]

Anyone retarded enough to start a political thread outside of the political forum gets a free trip to my ignore list! Congratulations!

:thu: :freak: :thu:

[HackedByChinese!]

Anyone retarded enough to start a political thread outside of the political forum gets a free trip to my ignore list! Congratulations! :thu: :freak: :thu:

 

A big thank you for announcing that. We have enough threads about her (there) already.

[Smokinfiddler]

 

I hope she finds peace.

 

 

+3

[bbl]

Anyone retarded enough to start a political thread outside of the political forum gets a free trip to my ignore list! Congratulations! :thu: :freak: :thu:

 

This place ain't for you.

[Crescent Seven]

I feel kinda sorry for Cindy Sheehan. The Democrats and media used her like a gym towel, and now that there isn't an election to win, they've discarded her.

I always thought she was wrong, but I knew she was just a puppet.

C7