[Peace-discuss] Opposition to the war

[C. G. Estabrook]

[After the contemptible display by the congressional Democrats
this week -- the clapped-out servants of empire went into the
tank for the administration once again, and gave Bush and Co.
the great gift of an overwhelming vote for the continuation of
the war -- it's good to see that real opposition leaders can
still make matters clear.  This is an open letter from Cindy
Sheehan to the president's mother.  --CGE]

Dear Barbara,

On April 04, 2004, your oldest child killed my oldest child,
Casey Austin Sheehan.

Unlike your oldest child, my son was a marvelous person who
joined the military to serve his country and to try and make
the world a better place. Casey didn't want to go to Iraq, but
he knew his duty. Your son went AWOL from a glamour unit.
George couldn't even handle the Alabama Air National Guard.
Casey joined the Army before your son became commander in
chief. We all know that your son was thinking of invading Iraq
as early as 1999. Casey was a dead man before George even
became president and before he even joined the Army in May of
2000.

I raised Casey and my other children to use their words to
solve problems and conflicts. I told my four children from the
time that they were small that it is ALWAYS wrong to kick,
bite, hit, scratch, pull hair, etc. If the smaller children
couldn't find the words to solve their conflicts without
violence, I always encouraged them to find a mediator like a
parent, older sibling, or teacher to help them find the words.

Did you teach George to use his words and not his violence to
solve problems? It doesn't appear so. Did you teach him that
killing other people for profits and oil is ALWAYS wrong?
Obviously you did not. I also used to wash my children's mouth
out with soap on the rare occasion that they lied…did you do
that to George? Can you do it now? He has lied and he is still
lying. Saddam did not have WMD's or ties with al-Qaeda and the
Downing Street Memos prove that your son knew this before he
invaded Iraq.

On August 3rd, 2005, your son said that he killed my son and
the other brave and honorable Americans for a "noble cause."
Well, Barbara, mother to mother, that angered me. I don't
consider invading and occupying another country that was
proven not to be a threat to the USA is a noble cause. I don't
think invading a country, killing its innocent citizens, and
ruining the infrastructure to make your family and your
family-friendly war profiteers rich is a noble cause.

So I went down to Crawford in August to ask your son what
noble cause did he kill my son for. He wouldn't speak with me.
I think that showed incredibly bad manners. Do you think a
president, even if it is your son, should be so inaccessible
to his employers? Especially one of his bosses whose life
George has devastated so completely?

I have been to the White House several times since August to
try and meet with George and I am going back to Crawford next
week. Do you think you can call him and ask him to do the
right thing and bring the troops home from this illegal and
immoral war in Iraq that he carelessly started? I hear you are
one of the few people he still talks to. He won't speak to his
father, who knew the difficulties and impossibilities of going
into Iraq and that's why he didn't go there in the 1 st Gulf
War. If you won't tell him to bring the troops home, can you
at least urge him to meet with me?

You said this in 2003, a little over a year before my dear,
sweet Casey was killed by your son's policies:

"Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? Oh, I mean,
it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on
something like that?" (Good Morning America, March 18, 2003)

Now I have something to tell you, Barbara. I didn't want to
hear about deaths or body bags either. On April 04, 2004,
three Army officers came to my house to tell me that Casey was
killed in Iraq. I fell on the floor screaming and begging the
cruel Angel of Death to take me too. But the Angel of Death
that took my son is your son.

Casey came home in a flag draped coffin on April 10th. I used
to have a beautiful mind too. Now my mind is filled with
images of seeing his beautiful body in his casket and memories
of burying my brave and honest boy before his life really
began. Casey's beautiful mind was ended by an insurgent's
bullet to his brain, but your son might as well have pulled
the trigger.

Besides encouraging your son to have some honesty and courage
and to finally do the right thing, don't you think you owe me
and every other Gold Star parent an apology for that cruel and
careless remark you made?

Your son's amazingly ignorant, arrogant, and reckless policies
in Iraq are responsible for so much sorrow and trouble in this
world.

Can you make him stop? Do it before more mothers' lives are
needlessly and cruelly harmed. There have been too many
worldwide already.

Sincerely,

Cindy Sheehan
Mother of Casey Sheehan
Founder and President of Gold Star Families for Peace
Founder of Camp Casey Peace Foundation