We are getting to them

[travelinman]

More Reich-Wing Horse Pucky

By Cindy Sheehan

Karl Rove and his manipulative, behind the scenes machinations continue even though he had to resign in disgrace from BushCo. Also, the willing tools of the Republican killing machine, including Karl Rove, with whom they have formed an unholy alliance, Move America Forward, are helping Rove whip a group called ?Gathering of Eagles? into a frenzy over something that is not and was not ever going to occur. Okay, I am not sure that Karl Rove started this particular pile of horse pucky, but it sure has his stank all over it, so we are going to pretend for the sake of argument that it was Karl, or someone just like him. BushCo employees Roves like McDonald?s employs fry cooks.

The Gathering of Eagles is supposedly a veterans? ad hoc group who are allowing themselves to be despicably stage-managed by Rove and Move America Forward using fascist tactics to lie about an anti-war group, just like BushCo lied our country into two abominable wars that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. The actions around this are very similar to the Swift Boaters---who I believe are also involved in this current Reich-wing, Squawking-Head brouhaha.

The Rove backed tools of hatred and misguided propaganda are saying that in the March 17th march on the Pentagon that I am participating in which is sponsored by A.N.S.W.E.R. is planning on desecrating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by spitting on it, or throwing paint on it. What a monumental load of Reich-wing horse pucky!

I have participated in dozens of protests: small, medium, and large, in DC---we even held a candlelight vigil in the Vietnam Memorial, and we have never desecrated it. Why would we begin now and why did Rove start this scandalous lie? Recently, there was a lie-filled article floating around the Reich-wing pucky-o-sphere which claimed that I threw paint on Congress on a day when I was 3000 miles away in Los Angeles. Do Reich-wingers ever tell the truth? Is honesty even in their genes? Is the word ?fact? in their vocabulary?

The so-called Gathering of Eagles says on their web site: ?We will not allow them to spit on Iraqi Veterans again (itals mine).? First of all, it is not ?Iraqi? veteran that is like saying ?Vietnamese? veteran. It is ?Iraq? veteran. Secondly, I have never spat on any veteran. I know no one who has, or who would spit on a veteran. Saying this is just pure propaganda horse pucky and the small minded people that are manipulating proud veterans with these deceptions should be ashamed of themselves. But we know they aren?t. They aren?t even ashamed of killing, torturing, or maiming innocent people. Why should they suddenly be ashamed of or disavow their tactics now? There tactics only become more contemptible as their positions become more indefensible and untenable.

One fantastic irony is that the only time that I can recall when memorials to fallen Iraq veterans have been desecrated is when Reich-wingers have been the ones doing the vandalizing. The first time was in August of 2005 when Larry Northern mowed over hundreds of crosses at Camp Casey. How do the people who say they honor our fallen heroes feel about this act of violence against these fallen heroes? I know I was appalled and heartbroken that Larry didn?t respect our memorial, our soldiers, and particularly my son.

Another time that a memorial was in January of this year when The Camp Casey Peace Institute put 3000 American flags down Prairie Chapel Road to commemorate the 3000th American soldier killed in Iraq. One woman broke every flag in front of her property (on public land) and left the pieces strewn all over in the bar ditches. Is this respecting our fallen heroes or the American flag? Maybe the Reich-wing suspects that we will desecrate a memorial because they are so good at it?

I wonder how Reich-wingers who bind themselves up in the flag of false patriotism and lift high a cross of self-righteousness feel about two of their symbols being demolished by some of their own ilk. I know there are many falsely patriotic Iraq Memorials around the country that I don?t want my son associated with, but I would never even think of destroying the monument or demanding that Casey?s name be removed from one.

The March to the Pentagon on March 17th will be led by Vietnam Veterans, Iraq Veterans, First Gulf War Veterans, military families and Gold Star Families followed by many other peace and justice groups and individuals. The veterans will be there not to protect a Wall that never should have had to be erected in the first place, but to protect our First Amendment rights to be there; rights that supposedly, Casey and millions of other Americans have died protecting, including the names on the Wall. Rights that all service members swear to uphold. The veterans with us will also be there to make sure that the calamitous Iraq Memorial is not nearly as long as the one that the Eagles think they have to protect.

I believe a Gathering of Vets should surround the Constitution and protect it from further desecration by the Bush Regime. I think a Gathering of Americans should surround the Bill of Rights and refuse to allow BushCo to spit all over that document any longer. I think a Gathering of Patriots should surround the White House and demand that the world?s number one terrorist remove himself and his puppet masters from our house before they do any more damage to our planet and/or to humanity.

Get a clue, buy a vowel, Eagles. You are being played like a banjo by Karl Rove and Move America Forward. You are becoming all irate for absolutely no reason. We are not even going into the memorial. Even if we did we would not desecrate it. How many of your VA benefits to the crooks in the White House have to cut before you finally wake up? They don?t care about you! Don?t let them shovel any more Reich-wing horse pucky down your throats. Refuse to be used. Don?t be minions of, or in league with devils.

Eagles, if you come to DC looking for trouble you won?t find it from me. I honor your service to our country as I deplore George and Dick?s cowardly avoidance of that same service.

The first time I visited DC just six short months after Casey was killed, I placed a picture of him at the base of the Wall next to a picture of Sgt. Mike Mitchell, who was killed in the same battle as Casey on 04/04/04. Two more boys murdered for the Military Industrial Complex. Two more families destroyed for the lies of their leaders. Two more lives wasted.

Just relax, OUR Wall will not be desecrated and if it is, it won?t be by us.

Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was killed in Bush's war of terror on 04/04/04.
She is the co-founder and president of Gold Star Families for Peace and the Camp Casey Peace Institute.
She is the author of three books, the most recent is: Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey Through Heartache
to Activism.

source

[Lew]

My response would be simple- it's democracy in action. One group wants to protest one viewpoint, another group is free to protest the opposite side. Nothing wrong with that. My gut feeling is there will be a lot of hype, but at the end of the day it will be much ado about nothing. I had completely forgotten about that being St. Patrick's day, by noon everyone will be smashed anyway so what's the difference? I am looking forward to a picture of Gae in her Wonder Woman/Eagle costume.....

[travelinman]

Lew,

I think you are wrong; there is a ground swell of anger pent up for over 30 years that only needs a spark to explode. I know there are Vietnam Vets that have already set aside their bail money. I spoke with one last night at the VA hospital. I am expecting the Vets to number in the thousands if the responses I am seeing on the 20 odd sites I have been following are at all accurate. Believe me if Fonda shows up as advertised and makes any attempt to go near the Wall this will get ugly.

It?s my opinion that A.N.S.W.E.R was expecting this type of response from a few Free Republic members and was looking to provoke a confrontation, what they didn?t count on was the number of other organization that would join in.

There are a lot of us who just won?t take it anymore. If you doubt it look what the Westboro church created. When they started there were 15 to 20 of them protesting funerals, a few American Legion riders in Kansas decide to stand up to them and two years later the Patriot Guard Riders are 72,000 members strong and as long as the Family wishes it a Vet will never again be buried without protection.

[travelinman]

AP - Thu Feb 22, 11:36 AM ET

Retired Navy Capt. Larry Bailey gestures during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007 to discuss plans to protect the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during next month's anti-war march.

[travelinman]

Just a sample:

I?m Robert Tamburri Post Commander of American Veterans (AMVETS) John R. Tamurri, Jr. Memorial Post 917. We are located in Staten Island, NY. We are trying to get enough to fill a bus ride. Please help spread the word for Staten Island. I am requesting that when we arrive I am able to stand at Panel 7W Row 70 at my brother?s place on the wall.

Sincerely,
Robert Tamburri
www.post917.com

[travelinman]

Update:

It is now confirmed that a group of Australian Vietnam Vets and a group of Canadian Vietnam Vets are flying in to stand with The Americans.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 23, 2007 12:54 PM: Message edited by: travelinman ]</font>