Sheehan family from left to right: Casey, Patrick, Carly, Janey, Cindy and Andy taken prior to Andy's graduation ceremony.
Casey Sheehan poses with John Wayne replica in this undated photo
Posted on 08/22/2005 12:17:17 PM PDT by jhouston
If we want to end terrorism, why don't we just send flyers over to terrotist with Cindy Sheehan's face on it and tell them that we'll make them have sex with her if they don't stop. I bet they'll lay down their weapons and run for the hills!
Go home and take care of your kids?
That's my first guess.
Put another log on the fire. . .
I suspect that some of her anger is at her son, Casey, since his choices reflect he didn't agree with Mom. But it would be disloyal to be angry with her son so she directs ALL her rage at the Prez.
When MoveOn.Org and the media vampires move on to The Next Big Story, she will be left alone and abandoned and wondering what happened.
It is sad, but it's hard to pity a woman so stupid.
Well, as OBL says, you are too decadent to survive.
Also, when you are attacked, in keeping with your beliefs don't call the police, someone might die in the confrontation. If either the criminal or the police officer die as a result of your call, you would be a murderer.
True, but very cruel to point it out. Where is the compassion? The feeling.... oh, never mind, wrong blog for that.
"the load of misogynistic crap that our children need our constant presence in their lives "
Woman-hating???? I don't get it. Is she saying that loving and supporting our children is woman-hating crap? Maybe she shouldn't have had children.
Now thats just cruel.
It's a Floyd thing ...
"Filth-spewing" "crap" is coming out of HER mouth, not President Bush's.
If that is true, then all of this is her guilty conscience for letting her political persuasion abjure her of her motherly responsibilities when her son was in harms way (by his own choice) when she should have been offering her love and support for him even though she disagreed with his mission.
Ok, I had not heard this. If this is true, then my opinion of her must be revised to NUT CASE
I agree...it would surely show a pattern of abandoning her family. And all this "my beloved Casey" sure would bother me a little, especially if he could hardly bring himself to call her "mom".
I'd sure like to find out if it were true. Wonder if any of those Vacaville neighbors know.
06/24/2004
Bush, Sheehans share moments
By David Henson/Staff Writer
Since learning in April that their son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, had been killed in Iraq, life has been everything but normal for the Sheehan family of Vacaville.
Casey's parents, Cindy and Patrick, as well as their three children, have attended event after event honoring the soldier both locally and abroad, received countless letters of support and fielded questions from reporters across the country.
"That's the way our whole lives have been since April 4," Patrick said. "It's been surreal."
But none of that prepared the family for the message left on their answering machine last week, inviting them to have a face-to-face meeting with President George W. Bush at Fort Lewis near Seattle.
Surreal soon seemed like an understatement, as the Sheehans - one of 17 families who met Thursday with Bush - were whisked in a matter of days to the Army post and given the VIP treatment from the military. But as their meeting with the president approached, the family was faced with a dilemma as to what to say when faced with Casey's commander-in-chief.
"We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled," Cindy said. "The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached."
The 10 minutes of face time with the president could have given the family a chance to vent their frustrations or ask Bush some of the difficult questions they have been asking themselves, such as whether Casey's sacrifice would make the world a safer place.
But in the end, the family decided against such talk, deferring to how they believed Casey would have wanted them to act. In addition, Pat noted that Bush wasn't stumping for votes or trying to gain a political edge for the upcoming election.
"We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us," Pat said.
Sincerity was something Cindy had hoped to find in the meeting. Shortly after Casey died, Bush sent the family a form letter expressing his condolences, and Cindy said she felt it was an impersonal gesture.
"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy said after their meeting. "I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."
The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith.
While meeting with Bush, as well as Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, was an honor, it was almost a tangent benefit of the trip. The Sheehans said they enjoyed meeting the other families.
http://tinyurl.com/9hr2j
Sheehan family from left to right: Casey, Patrick, Carly, Janey, Cindy and Andy taken prior to Andy's graduation ceremony.
Casey Sheehan poses with John Wayne replica in this undated photo
According to VFP, Sheehan said she had two main points to tell Bush should she be able to meet with him.
"Quit saying that U.S. troops died for a noble cause in Iraq, unless you say, 'well, except for Casey Sheehan.' Don't you dare spill any more blood in Casey's name. You do not have permission to use my son's name.
"And the other thing I want him to tell me is 'just what was the noble cause Casey died for?' Was it freedom and democracy? Bullsh--! He died for oil. He died to make your friends richer. He died to expand American imperialism in the Middle East. We're not freer here, thanks to your Patriot Act. Iraq is not free. You get America out of Iraq and Israel out of Palestine and you'll stop the terrorism," she said.
"There, I used the 'I' word – imperialism. And now I'm going to use another 'I' word – impeachment – because we cannot have these people pardoned. They need to be tried on war crimes and go to jail."
******
"If anybody had just come out and said in the mainstream media that there's no reason for this war, my son might be alive," she writes. "Since the invasion, I think it's getting worse. The mainstream media has become a propaganda tool for the administration.
"Sometimes, I just feel like bashing my head against the wall until I'm unconscious, but I can't, because you've got to keep fighting. The stakes are too high."
MSNBC, Keith Olberman’s interview with Cindy Sheehan. (8/11/05)
Sheehan: “I want him to talk to me, I want answers.”
Keith: “It’s pure politics, the nature of the media coverage you’re getting now…From the perspective of your protest there, in a way isn’t it really better if President Bush doesn’t meet with you?”
Sheehan: “I would think so, yeah.. I think it’s great. If he were to come out right now, I think it would diffuse the momentum, but I don’t want to give them any hints. And, I think that’s something they’ve probably already thought about. But, we’re here, we’re committed and we’re staying. In fact, we’re staying here the whole month of August…..”
Me too. I wonder if there are any FReepers up that way who can ferret out some info on the Sheehan Family dynamics prior to the Casey story.
CNN story, her children were coming to join her, even if her husband was not:
But her three other children, ages 19 to 24, may join her in Crawford, she said.
New York Times, Only her surviving son, Adam, will join her at the site in a few weeks; her two daughters are in Europe, she said, "hopefully enjoying themselves" after a year of grieving.
******
CINDY SHEEHAN
In the years before April 4, Cindy Sheehan's life revolved around her family and a series of full-time jobs, including one as a youth minister at a Vacaville church. Three months after Casey's death, Cindy Sheehan, 47, became a full-time antiwar activist. She travels around the country to speak, letting others know there are military families who believe the Iraq war was a mistake.
PAT SHEEHAN
Casey's dad is a sales representative whose territory is Northern California and Northern Nevada. Pat Sheehan, 51, says his son's death changed the way he deals with people. Before April 4, Pat Sheehan would never talk to clients about issues like Iraq.
"Before, I didn't ever bring politics into the equation during my work," he says. "I learned early on not to discuss politics or religion with business associates, but I've become more outspoken and a little more stubborn about the way I feel, even though it's important to be professional in my business. I think it's important to let people know the truth. I'm still very cautious, but I'm quicker to speak out than I was before."
Pat couldn't bear having Casey's things at home, so he rented a storage locker. Visiting it, as he did recently to retrieve Casey's uniform, is exceptionally difficult for him.
To help him cope with his loss, Pat Sheehan bought a 1969 VW Bug convertible last month. He says working on the car takes his mind off Casey's death and the political issues he is focused on. "Andy and I work on it together," says Pat. "Casey used to help me a bit with other cars."
ANDY SHEEHAN
Pat and Cindy Sheehan's only surviving son moved back home after his brother died. He works as a surveyor apprentice, a job he started just three months after Casey's death.
In his room, Andy has posters that once belonged to his brother, including one featuring cheerleaders from Texas, where Casey was stationed before going to Iraq. Andy, who is 21, was always close to his brother, who was four years older. Every day, Andy wears a spare set of Casey's military dog tags.
"We were inseparable before he left for the military," Andy says. "We did everything together, just like brothers."
Two months after Casey's death, Andy had a large tattoo created on his back. It features a cross, a rose, and a band that reads "79-04" -- the years of Casey's birth and death.
"I have three other tattoos. It seemed like a good idea to get one in memory of him," Andy says.
Casey's death has prompted changes in Andy. "I'm not saying (Casey's death) benefited me, but it made me more of a man," Andy says. "I just felt I should be closer to my sisters and be more of a big brother now that we've lost our big brother."
CARLY SHEEHAN
Carly, 24, works as a waitress at a local restaurant and goes to Solano Community College. She wrote a poem about her brother's death:
Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?
The torrential rains of a mother's weeping will never be done.
They call him a hero, you should be glad that he's one,
but have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?
Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?
He must be brave because his boy died for another man's lies.
The only grief he allows himself are long, deep sighs.
Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?
Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother's grave?
They say that he died so that the flag will continue to wave,
but I believe he died because they had oil to save.
Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother's grave?
Have you ever heard the sound of a nation being rocked to sleep?
The leaders want to keep you numb so the pain won't be so deep,
but if we the people let them continue, another mother will weep.
Have you ever heard the sound of a nation being rocked to sleep?
She says the pain of Casey's death has eased a bit in the past few months, but "Every once in a while, I'll just be doing normal things and, all of a sudden, I feel like I get smacked in the face or punched in the gut. I'll think, 'Oh my God, my brother is dead.' It's hard."
JANE SHEEHAN
The youngest of Casey's siblings, Jane Sheehan, is 19. She has a hard time talking about her brother's death, and she didn't want to speak for this article. She was certainly in Casey's thoughts during his brief time in Iraq. In a letter Casey wrote on March 31 (but never mailed home -- commanders found it after his death), Casey wrote, "How is everyone doing? I wish I could be home for Jane's graduation."
The letter is difficult to read. In it, Casey reassures his family that he should be safe, that "we should be looking at a pretty smooth year. The unit we're replacing had only two deaths during their time here."
Four days later, Casey was dead. It has been almost a year now. The anniversary is coming up in two weeks.
To mark the second anniversary of the war, Cindy Sheehan was scheduled to be in Fayetteville, N.C., speaking at an antiwar rally in a city that's home to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.
Fayetteville is a long way from Vacaville and a long way from Iraq. Cindy Sheehan says she and her family will go as far as it takes to keep Casey's memory alive.
******
Casey's last letters home
These letters to Casey Sheehan's family were never sent. Military personnel gave them to the family after his death.
March 13-14, 2004
"The Beginning"
It was a long ordeal starting out at 1100 Saturday morning. We arrived at the back dock to find out we weren't leaving until 2:30 that afternoon. And so began a lot of waiting around. The married soldiers had their families to see them off, and all I had was a call home the night before. Mom cried her eyes out over the phone, not the first time it happened either.
From the back dock we loaded onto a bus that took us to the iron horse gym, where we did some more waiting and the families had one more chance to say good bye. From there we took another bus to Abrams gym, where we actually did some manifest processing for the flight.
They had a nice setup for us, too. Phones, Internet, video games, food, free stuff and music were all provided prior to the next bus ride to the plane. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, they formed us up and herded us onto the bus for the plane.
As we loaded the plane, the flight attendants proceeded to tell us we were making a stop in Ireland before we got to Kuwait. Unfortunately for us, we have to stay on the plane while the crew changes and the plane is refueled. We will be landing in Ireland shortly, then on to Kuwait.
We stayed in Ireland for about 4 hours. While we were here, there was also a National Guard unit from Sacramento. I spoke with the sergeant major of that unit and let him know I was from Vacaville.
I also spoke with one of the airport employees. She told me about the country and the different things to do. She also informed me that my family name is well known here. Shortly after that, we boarded the plane for Kuwait which we were informed will take 6 hours and 4 minutes to get there..
March 31, 2004
Hey Family:
I've finally made to Iraq. Luckily for us, there was no threat to our convoy.
How is everyone doing? I wish I could be home for Jane's graduation.
We should be looking at a pretty smooth year. The unit we are replacing had only two deaths during its time here. Anyway, I didn't think Mom needed to know that. She's already too worried about me being here.
I'm glad I finally got to write. They didn't give us the address until we got to our camp. I'm also glad I got to talk to Mom for a bit about a week ago. She probably doesn't remember because I woke her up.
I had an interesting flight. We flew from Fort Hood to Ireland. We had had 3 1/2-hour layover there. I spent $1.30 for a coke out of a soda machine and got 70 cents back in Eurocoins. I got to speak to one of the employees at the airport. She told me about the country and said that our last name is very well known.
After Ireland we landed in Kuwait ...
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