[Peace-discuss] Some sense on the situation

[C. G. Estabrook]

[A recent comment from Cindy Sheehan at <http://cindyforcongress.org>. --CGE]

San Francisco
July 10th, 2008

Exactly one year ago today, (my 50th birthday) I left Crawford, Texas for the 
final time (San Francisco in the summer is a lot nicer than Crawford in the 
summer -- and in more ways than one), and set out with a couple of dozen other 
peace activists on our Journey for Humanity from Crawford to Washington, DC, 
demanding that Pelosi put impeachment back on that now infamous "table" and do 
her duty by allowing John Conyers to do his.

Ms. Pelosi's office said at the time that impeachment would be a "distraction," 
and, anyhow, the Democratically controlled Congress was busy trying to "end the 
war." Sure. Since Nancy Pelosi has been Speaker, Congress has given George over 
½ trillion more dollars to wage the war that she says she is trying to stop: 
recently appropriating 162 billion for an entire year's worth of carnage! Since 
Nancy has been Speaker, tens of thousands of Iraqis have died and about 1200 of 
our young people have been unnecessarily murdered or tortured (with Pelosi's 
approval) and their families sent into tailspins of grief.  Millions of people 
have lost their jobs and/or homes and oil is just under 150.00 a barrel. That's 
why it hurts me so much when Nancy says that she "likes" the president and when 
she opposes him (which has literally been never, since she's been Speaker), that 
it's not "personal." How can one personally like someone who has been 
responsible for so much heartache in this world? I wish the horrible state of 
affairs we find ourselves in were not "personal" to me but things are deeply 
"personal" to me. Bush's crimes and Nancy's support of him have cost a lot of 
innocent lives and caused a lot of pointless pain.

When I first left the Democratic Party in May, 2007, over disgust at the 
continued war funding and continued destruction of our rule of law, I was 
roundly and thoroughly criticized by the centrists and even more so when I 
announced my candidacy for Pelosi's seat.  In the intervening year, I have been 
unfortunately vindicated by Congress's fresh attacks on our civil liberties and 
constant caving into BushCo and War, Inc. Just like being right about the 
wrongness of the war gave me no joy, being right about the wrongness of the 
"left" (read right of center) also gives me no consolation. Working to rectify 
the malignant (cyst)em is what gives me resolve and hope.

Today, Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh) introduced an Article of Impeachment against 
George Bush and Nancy says that the House Judiciary committee "may" investigate 
the Article. WOW! That is some "strong" defense of the Constitution on a day 
when George Bush also gleefully signed the bill that Congress wrote destroying 
the 4th Amendment. Is such a "courageous" remark because my campaign is gaining 
so much momentum? Or could it be because Congress has the abysmal approval 
rating of 9%? Congress' approval rating is dropping like a bomb over Baghdad; 
zoomed past George's historically low marks on the way down and in a few months' 
time could go into negative integers if Congress keeps going in the same 
demented direction its "leaders" seem intent on traveling.

It has been a challenging year ramping up the campaign, and getting our office 
up and running (totally renovating a store front that was formerly a successful 
sex shop) but we are seeing the fruits of our labor.  We have raised over 
$215,000.00 in about 8 months time and our volunteer force is growing as 
dissatisfaction here with Pelosi and the (cyst)em also grows.  In gathering the 
democracy-suppressing amount of signatures required from an independent to get 
on the ballot in California, we have been able to campaign and spread the news 
that corporately controlled Pelosi is part of the problem and that voting for me 
will be part of the solution.

I want to thank everyone who has contributed money, time, encouragement, 
talents, and even criticism that helped us grow.

I want to thank my surviving children, Carly, Andy and Janey, for the moral 
support that I need to be able to do this, but I want to especially thank my 
sister, Dede Miller, and my campaign manager, Tiffany Burns, who have constantly 
been by my side since August, 2005 when we first camped in a ditch in Crawford, 
Tx, and millions of people stood with us around the world.

I am convinced that we will be on the ballot when the final count is made on 
August 28th, then there will be no stopping us! America really wants a change, 
and we have the opportunity for real and positive change here in California's 
8th district.

This race is not about Cindy and Nancy: it is about "We the People" standing up 
against the (cyst)em that is beholden to the Military Industrial Complex. This 
time, "We the People" must be victorious!

Thanks for standing with me, again.

San Francisco
July 10th, 2008