[Peace-discuss] Sheehan's account of her arrest

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Cindy Sheehan acts on what she says, and in the account,
gives one of the better analyses of what's going on.  --CGE] 

09.26.2005
My First Time

The rumors are true this time. I was arrested in front of the
White House today. It was my first time ever being arrested.

We proceeded from Lafayette Park to the Guard House at the
White House.  I, my sister, and other Gold Star Families for
Peace members and some Military Families requested to meet
with the President again. We again wanted to know: What is the
Noble Cause? Our request was, to our immense shock and
surprise, denied. They wouldn't even deliver any letters or
pictures of our killed loved ones to the White House.

We all know by now why George won't meet with parents of the
soldiers he has killed who disagree with him. First of all, he
hates it when people disagree with him. I am not so sure he
hates it as much as he is in denial that it even happens.
Secondly, he is a coward who arrogantly refuses to meet with
the people who pay his salary. Maybe the next time one of us
is asked by our bosses to have a performance review, or we are
going to be written up for a workplace infraction, we should
refuse to go and talk to our bosses citing the fact that the
President doesn't have to. The third reason why he won't talk
to us is that he knows there is no Noble Cause for the
invasion and continued occupation of Iraq. It is a question
that has no true answer.

After we were refused a meeting with the Disconnected One, we
went over to right in front of our house...the White House (in
front of the gate of course) and we sat down and refused to
move until George came out and talked to us. We actually had a
good time singing old church songs and old protest songs while
we waited. I tied a picture of Casey on the White House fence
and apparently, that is against the law, too.

After three warnings to get up and move off of the sidewalk in
front of our house, we were arrested. It is so ironic to me
that the person who resides in our White House swears to
uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of
America. The person who is the (p)resident of the White House
now has no concept of the Constitution. He was appointed by
the Supreme Court for his first term, invaded and continues to
occupy a sovereign country without a declaration of war from
the Congress, and violated several treaties to actually
invade, Iraq too. Not to mention the condoned torture that
pervades the military prisons these days. These are all
violations of the Constitution. The Patriot Act and denying us
our rights to peaceably assemble are serious breaches of the
Bill of Rights. George is so hypocritically concerned about
Iraq developing a Constitution when he ignores and shreds our
own Constitution.

Being arrested is not a big deal. Even though we were arrested
for "demonstrating without a permit" we were protesting
something that is much more serious than sitting on a
sidewalk: the tragic and needless deaths of tens of thousands
of innocent Iraqis and Americans (both in Iraq and here in
America) who would be alive if it weren't for the criminals
who reside in and work in the White House.

Karl Rove (besides just being a very creepy man) outed a CIA
agent and was responsible for endangering many of our covert
agents worldwide. Dick Cheney's old company is reaping profits
beyond anyone's wildest imaginations in their no-bid contracts
in Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans. John Negroponte's
activities in South America are very shady and murderous.
Rumsfeld and Gonzales are responsible for illegal and immoral
authorization, encouragement and approval of torture. Not to
mention, violating Geneva Conventions, torture endangers the
lives of our service men and women in Iraq. Along with the
above mentioned traitors, Condi lied through her teeth in the
insane run-up to the invasion. The list of crimes this
administration has commited is extensive, abhorrent, and
unbelievable. What is so unbelievable is that WE were arrested
for exercising our first amendment rights and these people are
running free to enjoy their lives of crime and to wreak havoc
on the world.

The fine for "demonstrating without a permit" is $75.00. I am
certain that I won't pay it. My court date is November 16th.
Any lawyers out there want to help me challenge an
unconstitutional law??