Crawford Update

Gold Star Families for Peace gather at Bush ranch check point

2005-11-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Cindy Sheehan and peace activists from across the country wrapped up Thanksgiving outside the Bush vacation ranch today. Festivities included a press conference, book signing, big tent rally, secret service checkpoint protest, mass balloon release, and a evening candle light vigil.

The march to the Bush secret service checkpoint was cancelled due to poor weather but dozens of folks took up positions at the checkpoint anyway. Gold Star Families for Peace members, including Cindy Sheehan and her sister DeDe Miller, chanted "What noble cause?" as Secret Service SUVs passed.

Due to the presence of the protesters, the president's convoy detoured past Camp Casey and the peace rally.

More photos from Crawford today
Photos by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005

Camp Casey rallies to "bring them home now"

2005-11-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

Camp Casey hosted a rally this afternoon against the war. After Daniel Ellsberg's presentation, the activists jumped up and out of the tent to meet the Bush limo passing by. Most folks only caught a glimpse of the limo as it sped by significantly faster than the posted speed limit.

Nina Nahvi, sister of Spc. Russell H. Nahvi killed in Balad, Iraq on October 19, 2005, spoke of her loss for the first time. She said her brother Russell was clearly against the war, and she noted he would never have a chance to join Veterans for Peace. Russell was 25, and Nina is a few years younger. Seven other Gold Star Families for Peace members spoke at the rally, including Amy Branham and Bill Mitchell.

Ann Wright is one of three diplomats who resigned their posts in protest of the war in Iraq. She spoke of how Daniel Ellsberg inspired her to not just resign, but speak against the war. Hadi Jawad spoke of the role of the Crawford Peace House as the hub of the movement to hold war criminals in Washington DC accountable. Not in Our Name activist, and Gulf War resister Jeff Paterson spoke in support of recent objector Army National Guard Spc. Katherine Jashinski and her courage to resist an unjust war that spawns torture and war crimes. Vietnam, Gulf and Iraq War veterans joined Gold Star Families for Peace members demanding an immediate end to the US occupation of Iraq.

Following the rally, balloons were released towards the Bush ranch. Each balloon bore a small photo of a US serviceperson killed in Iraq with the message "bring them home."

More photos from Crawford today

Photos by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005

Crawford Peace House dedicates memorial to "Sheehan's Stand", troops killed in Iraq

2005-11-25T16:34:00.000-08:00

Dozens of supporters and members of national and regional media were on hand today for the dedication of the new Crawford Peace House garden and memorial to Cindy's stand, and the troops killed in Iraq.

The memorial reads simply "Sheehan's Stand" on one side, and asks "Why!" on the other. The backside includes a few of the first names of troops killed: "Casey", "Jessica", "Aron", "Kelly", "Alex" . . .

The memorial was hand chiseled by Ron Teska from a nearly one-ton granite foundation stone of an old Pennsylvania church. Ron, who was hand for the dedication, was a fixture of the August Crawford vigil picking away at the massive stone with ice picks, screwdrivers, and hammers in the back of his pickup.

The dedication featured Gold Star Families for Peace members Sergio Torres, father of Sgt. Daniel Torres killed in Iraq; DeDe Miller and Cindy Sheehan, aunt and mother of Army Spc. Casey Sheehan; Cindy Sheehan; and Bill Mitchell, father of Army Sgt. Michael Mitchell.

Meanwhile, less than a block away at the intersection that marks the center of Crawford, a small vigil was held "to counter Sheehan's effect". A Vietnam veteran strummed a guitar and told passers-bys that we to "stay in Vietnam until the job is done". He later corrected himself that he meant, "stay in Iraq," but later repeated his declaration about Vietnam. Joining him was Gary Qualls, father of Marine LCpl Louis Qualls who was killed in Fallujah, Iraq last year.

The new memorial stone stands only 30 feet from the official "Western White House" marker that tells the official story of G.W. Bush - the story includes how Bush purchased his vacation ranch in the run up to the 2000 presidential election.

Tomorrow afternoon a rally at Camp Casey will again call for an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq, followed by a march to the Bush ranch Secret Service check point.

More photos of the memorial dedication

Photos by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005

Come to Crawford Saturday to march and rally against the war

2005-11-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

Join Cindy Sheehan, Daniel Ellsberg, Ann Wright, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace, Gold Star Families for Peace, CODEPINK, and many others this Saturday, November 26 for a anti-war march and rally outside the Bush vacation ranch. Meet at the Crawford Peace House (map) by noon. Please use the free shuttle service to Camp Casey for the 1 PM march and rally.

Cindy Sheehan joins Crawford Thanksgiving protest vigil

2005-11-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

Crawford, Texas - Returning from his China getaway, Bush has again been met outside his ranch near Crawford, Texas by people from across the state and country, demanding an immediate end to the US occupation of Iraq.

Renewing the Camp Casey protest vigil in central Texas on Wednesday, a dozen anti-war activists challenged the county's recent laws against camping or parking on the side of any public road. Those arrested included Daniel Ellsberg, former diplomat Ann Wright, and DeDe Miller, Cindy Sheehan's sister. They are charged with trespassing and obstructing the road. They were sitting in the ditch along a county road, and no obstruction occurred. Each of these Orwellian criminal misdemeanors carries a possible 180 days in jail, and a $2,000 fine.

The "legal" Camp Casey II has again been erected on donated land at the foot of one of the access roads to the Bush ranch. Like many folks around the country, Camp Casey gathered for a Thanksgiving meal today - but ours was traditional Middle Eastern fare.

Under a large white tent, Bill Mitchell described how he first joined a local anti-war protest in his hometown of San Luis Obispo in Southern California when the war first started. He carried a sign that read, "Bring my son home now." He noted that he soon got what he asked for, but that his sign should have read, "Bring my son home now, alive." He later helped found Gold Star Families for Peace with Cindy Sheehan.

Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers whistleblower, held the tent's undivided attention with endless tales of civil disobedience against unjust laws and policy. He turned serious when he expressed his doubts that "American justice" and civil rights as we know them would not survive the next 9/11. To Daniel Ellsberg, one important question is how many of us will speak out when the government targets immigrant communities and political opponents are rounded up and placed in detention camps. We should not wait until then, now is the time to resist, he concluded.

Wrapping up Thanksgiving in Crawford, dozens of supporters and media welcomed Cindy Sheehan upon her return to Camp Casey. In a brief statement at the small airport terminal last night, Cindy expressed confidence that the August vigil outside of the Bush ranch played a key part in starting a new national dialog on the Iraq War. Many people feel that history may record Camp Casey as a turning point in the war without end.

More photos of Thanksgiving in Crawford

Photos by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005

Thanksgiving in Crawford Underway

2005-11-24T06:57:00.000-08:00

Activists from around the country have begun arriving in Crawford, Texas and the Crawford Peace House for a simple Iraqi-style dinner to mark Thanksgiving this afternoon. The dozen activists who were arrested yesterday while challenging the ban on camping, or even parking, along any road near the Bush vacation ranch were released after a few hours. For setting up a tent in a ditch, each person was charged with two criminal misdemeanors, trespass and blocking an access road. Each charge carries a possible 180 day jail sentence. All were ordered to appear in front of a local judge on January 4. Cindy Sheehan is expected to arrive this evening and resume her vigil to win a meeting with Bush. Photo: Gold Star Families for Peace co-founder Bill Mitchell speaking to Mike, a 1991 Gulf War veteran from Fort Worth, Texas at Camp Casey II this morning.

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005.

2005-11-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Protesters Arrested Near Bush's Ranch

By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 57 minutes ago

A dozen war protesters were arrested Wednesday for setting up camp near President Bush's ranch in defiance of new local bans on roadside camping and parking.

About four hours after the group pitched six tents and huddled in sleeping bags and blankets, McLennan County sheriff's deputies arrested them for criminal trespassing.

Another dozen or so demonstrators left the public right of way after deputies warned them they would be arrested.

The protest was set to coincide with Bush's Thanksgiving ranch visit.

The arrests were made by more than two dozen deputies who calmly approached the demonstrators in their tents and asked if they wanted to walk out on their own or be carried. Two chose to be carried. They were to be taken to jail for booking.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan wasn't among the protesters Wednesday because of a family emergency in California, but she planned to be at the camp later in the week.

"We are proud to be here," Dede Miller, Sheehan's sister, said hours before her arrest as she huddled in a blanket at the campsite. "This is just so important. What we did in August really moved us forward, and this is just a continuation of it."

In August, hundreds of demonstrators camped off the road during a 26-day protest led by Sheehan, whose 24-year-old soldier son Casey was killed in Iraq last year. But a month later, county commissioners banned camping in any county ditch and parking within 7 miles of the ranch, citing safety and traffic congestion issues.

Earlier this week, three demonstrators filed a federal lawsuit against McLennan County over the two local bans.

During the last several weeks of their summer protest, the activists had camped on a private 1-acre lot that a sympathetic landowner let them use. That land is about a mile from Bush's ranch.

Thanksgiving in Iraq

2005-11-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

By Tim Goodrich, co-founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War

As the time comes to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States, my mind wanders and my thoughts shift to Iraq. This is frequent occurrence for anyone who has been involved with the war; just ask any of the hundreds of thousands who have been deployed there.

This Thanksgiving, we have 160,000 troops in Iraq. This means there are that many empty seats at dinner tables across the US. This also means that the families of all these troops are worrying each minute about whether or not their loved one will make it home for the next Thanksgiving. In Iraq, many troops are feeling homesick, wondering why they are caught up in a seemingly endless war with no mission to speak of, when they could be home eating comfort food with their families by the fireplace. This year, real "Thanksgiving" for the troops will not involve a plastic turkey and a presidential photo-op, but instead will be when they've made it through the day alive and with all of their limbs intact.

Although the Iraqis don't celebrate Thanksgiving, one must ask, "What do they have to give thanks for?" They certainly aren’t thankful for living at the hand of an illegal and immoral occupation that has killed and wounded scores of their people. They aren't thankful for George W. Bush's version of freedom, which provides them with less electricity, potable water and security than they had before the occupation. My Iraqi friend in Baghdad is not thankful for the daily bombings that cause her great distress and have blown out her apartment windows.

Instead, the Iraqi people will give thanks when the unemployment rate of 60% goes down, the unannounced house raids on innocent homes stop and the last US troops have left their country.

During the upcoming holiday season, please show your support beyond slapping a yellow magnet on your car. We know the ultimate solution would be to end the occupation now, but please also consider giving in some way to the troops. There are a variety of ways you can do this, but please visit www.ivaw.net for some ideas.

Photo: Tim Goodrich (right) at Camp Casey II, Crawford, Texas August 29, 2005. Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005.

Join Cindy Sheehan to renew Camp Casey for Thanksgiving, Nov. 22-27

2005-11-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

Join Cindy Sheehan to renew Camp Casey outside the Bush vacation ranch for Thanksgiving. The schedule of events currently posted by the Crawford Peace House include: Tuesday, Nov. 22 - Civil Disobedience action; Wednesday, Nov. 23 - Hurricane relief collection; Thursday, Nov. 24 - Iraqi Dinner of Solidarity [RSVP]; Friday, Nov. 25 - Dedication of Camp Casey Memorial Garden; Saturday, Nov. 26 - Anti-War Rally in Crawford; Sunday, Nov. 27 - Interfaith Service. If you can't make, be sure to check back here for daily reports and photos as the events unfold.

Photo: Cindy Sheehan in front of the Crawford Peace House, August 16, 2005. Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copyright 2005.

Camp Casey comes to an end, bus tours begin

2005-08-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of the encampment. Setting off from Crawford, Texas today are three buses that will make up The Bring Them Home Now Tour. Each bus is carrying military and Gold Star families, veterans of the Iraq War and veterans of previous wars. These buses will travel different routes across the country, converging in Washington, DC on September 21, for the United for Peace and Justice Mobilization Sep 24th-26th.

I was talking to Iraq veteran Kelly Dougherty yesterday. She summed up what many were thinking, "This (Camp Casey) was not supposed to happen. No one could have planned it, but here it is. It has been amazing. And it is just the beginning. We are going to keep at it until all of the troops are brought home."

Crosses removed

2005-08-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

This morning the white crosses gracing the front of the massive Camp Casey II tent were ceremoniously removed, with the deconstruction of the encampments to follow throughout the day and into Wednesday. First the thousands of roses, and dozens of boots, were removed from the crosses. People then filed around the parameter of the crosses, removing a single cross each time, and then delivering it to one of the Iraq veterans who then packed it for transport.

Photo: Gold Star father for peace Bill Mitchell hands his son's cross to an Iraq veteran. Another Gold Star father, Steve DeFord, waits to do the same.

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005. More photos from Monday and Tuesday are available here.

Taps played for the last time

2005-08-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Last night Marine LCpl Jeff Key played taps for the final time at Camp Casey. This time folks gathered at the original Camp Casey, were Cindy held vigil for the first two weeks after arriving in Crawford. In recent days, a small encampment of "stay the course" folks had taken shape across from Camp Casey I. In what was a very moving moment for many involved, a few of our cross-road neighbors came over to take part in the candle lighting ceremony. One of the those that crossed the road was a Gold Star father who brought a flag which he designed in honor of this son, "Lest they be forgotten."

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005.

American Indian Movement representatives visit Camp Casey

2005-08-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Dennis Banks, "Commander and Chief" of the American Indian Movement, presented Cindy a cloak on behalf of her fallen warrior son. He then presented Cindy a pin of five gold stars (it looked a lot like the rank ensign of a five star general). Dennis explained that the pin was not only representative of her as a gold star mother, but also of a leader in the struggle against injustice and war. He was also not the first person to mention Cindy and Rosa Parks in the same sentence. Four other members of AIM joined Dennis on stage for ceremonial drum circle.

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005

Cindy and vets hold morning press conference

2005-08-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

At this mornings's press conference, Cindy, military families and veterans, including National Guardsmen, sent condolences to the men and women of Louisiana who are facing Hurricane Katrina. Cindy called for all remaining Camp Casey materials to be sent to the disaster site, and veteran called on fellow vets in Louisiana to help with disaster relief. More information about the coming bus tour was announced.

Paralyzed Iraq veteran Tomas Young called on President Bush to meet with him to explain why his best hope to walk again, stem cell research, was not being pursued. Tomas was wounded in Iraq the same day that Casey Sheehan was killed.

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Cindy Sheehan comforts Steve DeFord, Gold Star father. Copywrite 2005. More photos from Sunday are available here.

Martin Sheen visits Camp Casey

2005-08-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Following our wedding earlier in the day, Martin Sheen visited Camp Casey and led a Catholic rosary that incorporated the reading of the names of 50 U.S. servicepersons killed in Iraq. Interspersed in the reading of the names, a chorus sang religious hymns from many different faiths. Upon taking the stage, Martin Sheen declared that many had been silent far too long about what's happening and he hoped that Cindy would be the catalyst for changing that. After posing for a photo op with members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, he joined the nightly Camp Casey sunset taps ceremony.

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005

Genevieve and Peter tie knot at Camp Casey

2005-08-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Genevieve and Peter of Austin, Texas were married under the big tent of Camp Casey II. After coming to Crawford last weekend, the couple decided to move up their scheduled wedding and forego some of the ceremonial trappings to marry among friends, some old and many new. (Photo: Genevieve center, Peter obscured by flying rose petals in background, and their two sons in foreground.)

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005

Al Sharpton joins interfaith service

2005-08-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Representatives of a dozen faith-based communities and beliefs gathered this morning for an interfaith prayer service. Each took a moment to express in their own words why this war must end. "We should not declare God to be on our side, but we should be on God's side," said one clergy member. Rev. Al Sharpton closed the service with a moving call to take history into our own hands. Maybe folks didn't have the courage to do what Cindy did, but the least we can do now is stand with her now, he urged.

After the service, over 4,000 roses were placed on the crosses in front of Camp Casey II. Each rose was paid for by an individual who gave $3 via Working Assets.

Today is also the 42nd anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington. I was talking to Maggie from New York City earlier. She has been here awhile now, so I asked her what's happening? Without hesitation, she reply, "Grassroots democracy in action. This is thrilling and unstoppable. It feels like the Civil Rights Movement of the 50's when I was a kid. I have that same feeling now." After a pause, she added, "I hope that I'm right."

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005.

Two thousand gather for anti-war Texas hoe down and BBQ

2005-08-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Over two thousand people made their way to Camp Casey yesterday for a huge hoe down deep in the heart of Texas. Full buses of supporters from Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin unload and loaded throughout the day. The day included a massive volunteer mobilization to serve up a full "Texas-style BBQ," and to support all of the camp visitors in the 100+ heat. After Cindy Sheehan welcomed many of the buses, the main tent stage featured a day of music by artists from across Texas.

Despite the quadrupling of the Crawford population yesterday, only a few heated exchanges between anti-war folks and "stay the course" folks were seen. At Camp Casey II, to greet a steady stream of pro-war folks driving by, dozens of people stood in the blazing sun and lined the edge of the road with two 40 foot banners that read, "What noble cause?" and "Support Our Troops Bring Them Home Alive."

The evening program was cut short when a thunderstorm threatened to roll over the camp. Although lighting danced on the horizon, it by passed us. Folks clustered and shared stories about Camp Casey and what they are going to do to make sure we stop this war when they get home - or get on the bus tour next week.

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005. More photos from Saturday.

Final Weekend at Camp Casey Underway

2005-08-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

The final weekend of activity is well under way here at Camp Casey. Buses have begun to arrive from across the region - the first full buses have just pulled in from Austin and Dallas. The population of the camp seems to be doubling every few hours. Well over a thousand supporters are expected to join Cindy's historic vigil at the driveway of President Bush's vacation ranch by days end.

It's going to be another hot one here in Central Texas, but 1,200 bottles of water have been staged to create a "great wall" of sorts across the back of our massive tent. And there is more water and ice on it's way. If your on your way, please bring water and sports drinks, and leave your pets at home if at all possible.

Meanwhile, the "Cindy Doesn't Speak for Me" folks will be gathering in a bit at the Crawford high football stadium - home of the Crawford Pirates. Of course Cindy has never claimed to speak for them, but tens of millions have simply been moved by her determined stand. "America Stands with Cindy" is truly something much more than another political slogan now. All Camp Casey supporters are strongly encouraged to not engage with pro-war protesters in any way.

Camp Casey II Press Conference

2005-08-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Elliott Adams, for Veterans for Peace, addressing yesterday's morning press conference. Background: Cody Camacho , Tina Garnanez, and Jeff Key, for Iraq Veterans Against the War. Cindy Sheehan and Steve DeFord, for Gold Star Families for Peace. Steve's son David was killed in Iraq last September.

Photo by Jeff Paterson, copywrite 2005

Change of the Blog Guard

2005-08-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hi folks. Emily Sharpe, Camp Casey blogger extraordinaire, had to leave this morning to get back to life on the outside. Apparently, she appreciated my daily photos and reports from the camp and has turned over blog control to me in her leave. Of course, I will probably never be able to fill her shoes, but I'll give it my best.

In short, my story is that of a Marine during the first Gulf War, who, based on the evidence at hand (even back then) had to openly speak out against the war. I was the first serviceperson to refuse to fight that war, a hundred followed, yet the war continues today. I'm currently an active member of Veterans for Peace, and my daily photos, reports, and video from Crawford, Texas can be viewed at Not in Our Name. Sincerely, Jeff Paterson. USMC 86-90

Bring Them Home Now Tour 2005

2005-08-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

From Camp Casey, Crawford to Washington, D.C.;

From George Bush's door step to Communities along the way, We Demand That:

Elected Representatives Decide Now to Bring the Troops Home
We Take Care of Them When They Get Here
We Never Again Send Our Loved Ones to War Based on Lies!

On August 31st, the last day of the encampment, the Bring Them Home Now Tour will lauch three buses from Crawford, TX, each carrying military and Gold Star families, veterans of the Iraq War and veterans of previous wars. These buses will travel different routes across the country, converging in Washington, D.C. on September 21st, for the United for Peace and Justice Mobilization September 24th-26th.

Please go to the tour's website http://www.bringthemhomenowtour.org for more information on the route, opportunities for hosting events and next steps in the fight to end the war.

Help!

2005-08-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Cindy, the military families and vets are calling for a very special loan/donation from their wonderful supporters: for the success of the "Bring Them Home Now" bus tour kicking off in Crawford on August 31st, we need to borrow TWO campers/RVs to drive many, many miles, arriving in D.C. in before September 24th. Alternatively, we would love to accept donations for the rental :) If you or someone you know might be willing to make this very important loan/montetary donation, please call organizer Lisa Fithian at (213) 840-1972 or e-mail her at fithianl@igc.org.

THANKS!!!

Overheard today at Camp Casey

2005-08-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

One late 50's-ish man to another: "If we had bottled water back during the Vietnam era like we do now, all of that protesting would have been a heck of a lot easier!"

Letter from a serviceman

2005-08-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is a letter written by a U.S. serviceman to Larry Northern, the man who drove over hundreds of crosses at the Camp Casey memorial called Arlington West. It comes courtesy of the website Operation Truth.

Mr. Northern:

I am a Veteran of the Iraq war, having served with the 4th Infantry Division on the initial invasion with Force Package One.

While I was in Iraq,a very good friend of mine, Christopher Cutchall,was killed in an unarmoredHMMWV outside of Baghdad. He was a cavalry scout serving with the 3d ID.Once he had declined the award of a medal because Soldiers assigned to him did not receive similar awards that he had recommended. He left two sons and awonderful wife. On Monday night, August 16, you ran down the memorial cross erected for him by Arlington West.

One of my Soldiers in Iraq was Roger Turner. We gave him a hard time because he always wore all of his protective equipment, including three pairs of glasses or goggles. He did this because he wanted to make sure that he returned home to his family. He rode a bicycle to work every day to make sure that he was able to save enough money on his Army salary to send his son to college. At Camp Anaconda, where the squadron briefly stayed, a rocket landed inside a tent, sending a piece of debris or fragment into him and killed him. On Monday night, August 16, you ran down the memorial cross erected for him by Arlington West.

One of my Soldiers was Henry Bacon. He was one of the finest men I ever met. He was in perfect shape for a man over forty, working hard at night. He told me that he did that because he didn't have much money to buy nice things for his wife, who he loved so much, so he had to be in good shape for her. He was like a father to many young men in his section of maintenance mechanics. They fixed our vehicles with almost no support and fabricated parts and made repairs that kept our squadron rolling on the longest, fastest armor advance ever made under fire. He was so very proud of his son-in-law that married the beautiful daughter so well raised by Henry. His son-in-law was a helicopter pilot with the 1st Cavalry Division, who died last year. Henry stopped to rescue a vehicle belonging to another unit on what was to be his last day in Iraq. He could have kept rolling - he was headed to Kuwait after a year's tour. But he stopped. He could have sent others to do the work, but he was on the ground, leading by example, when he was killed. On Monday night, August 16, you took it upon yourself to go out in the country, where a peaceful group was exercising their constitutional rights, and harming no one, and you ran down the memorial cross erected for Henry and for his son-in-law by Arlington West.

Mr. Northern - I know little about Cindy Sheehan except that she is a grieving mother, a gentle soul, and wants to bring harm to no one. I know little about you except that you found your way to Crawford on Monday night in August with chains and a pipe attached to your truck for the sole purpose of dishonoring a memorial erected for my friends and lost Soldiers and hundreds of others that served this nation when they were called. I find it disheartening that good men like these have died so that people like you can threaten a mother who lost a child with your actions. I hope that you are ashamed of yourself.

Perry Jefferies, First Sergeant, USA (retired)

Cindy with Gold Star and Blue Star families

2005-08-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

At today's press conference, Cindy was surrounded by Blue Star and Gold Star families who said, "Cindy opened up the dialogue and gave others the courage to speak out against the war." Cindy also reached out to other Gold Star and Blue Star families who support the war, saying, "We may not have the same politics, but we have the same pain."

A representative from the American Friends Service Committee spoke about their "Eyes Wide Open" campaign, which highlights the cost of war by displaying a pair of empty boots for each fallen soldier. The exhibit has now traveled to Crawford so the AFSC rep could present three Gold Star moms with their late sons' boots, which they immediately placed at the foot of their gravemarkers.

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

2005-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Cindy appearing on the Brad Show, streaming Internet radio, from the Crawford Peace House August 25, 2005

Photo by Jeff Paterson, copywrite 2005

Casey

2005-08-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Latest post by CindySheehan

Thu Aug 25th, 2005 at 03:09:30 PDT

on www.dailykos.com

Day 18
The Peaceful Occupation of Crawford

I got up really early today to head back to Camp Casey. On the way, I had some amazing conversations with people. In one of those conversations, I was talking to Tyler who was sitting next to me on one of the planes. We were not talking about me and what I have been doing. Randomly, he told me he had just been in Texas about an hour north of Crawford. I said: "Wow that's where I am going and that's where I have been all month." He said: "I know I own a television." I thought that was pretty cute.

CindySheehan's diary :: ::

I got to Camp Casey and I arrived with a mom whose son, John, was killed on January 26, 2005, and his wife and baby, who never met his dad. We arrived in Waco at about 4:30 to the local press. The White House Press Corps was still with the president.

When I arrived at Camp Casey II this afternoon I was amazed at what has changed since I was gone. Now, we have a huge tent to get out of the sun; caterers; an orientation tent; a medic tent (with medics); a chapel, etc.

The most emotional thing for me though was walking through the main tent and seeing the huge painting on canvas of Casey. Many things hit me all at once: That this huge movement began because of Casey's sacrifice; thousands, if not millions of people know about Casey and how he lived his life and the wrongful way in which he was killed; but the thing that hit me the hardest was how much I miss him. I miss him more everyday. It seems the void in my life grows as time goes on and I realize I am never going to see him again or hear his voice. In addition to all this, the portrait is so beautiful and moving and it captures Casey's spirit so well. I sobbed and sobbed. I was surrounded by photographers, I looked around until I finally found a friendly face, then the news people crushed in on me and I couldn't breathe. I didn't mean to have such a dramatic re-entrance to Camp Casey, but the huge portrait of Casey really surprised me.

I can take all of the right wing attacks on me. I have been lied about and to before. Their attacks just show how much I am getting to them and how little truth they have to tell. What really hurts me the most is when people say that I am dishonoring Casey by my protest in Crawford. By wanting our troops to come home alive and well, that I am somehow not supporting them.

So, after Joan Baez gave us a great concert tonight, I got up and I talked about Casey. About the sweet boy who grew up to be a remarkable young man. Casey was not always a brave, big soldier man. He was my sweet, sweet baby once. I told the people at the Camp named after him, that when he was about 2 years old, he would come up behind me and throw his arms around my legs, kiss me on the butt and say: "I wuv you mama." I also talked about the loving big brother and wonderful, nearly perfect son. Casey was a regular guy who wanted to get married, have a family, be an elementary school teacher, and a Deacon in the Catholic Church. He wanted to be a Chaplain's assistant in the Army, but was lied to about that also by his recruiter. The last time I talked to him when he called from Kuwait, he was on his way to mass.

For Casey to even join the Army, let alone being killed in battle was the thing that was most uncharacteristic of him. He was a gentle and kind soul who only wanted to help others. What did his untimely and unnecessary death accomplish? It accomplished reinvigorating a peace movement that was sincere, but not very active...or if active, not well covered by the main stream media.

Joan sang the song Joe Hill In it Joe Hill says: "I never died." Well, looking out at the faces here at Camp Casey, and knowing that for everyone who is present here, there are thousands of others who support our work, I am convinced that Casey never died, and he never will. When I look into the eyes of the kind and gentle souls who have come here, I see Casey and the faces of all the others killed in George Bush's war for greed and profit. We will never forget them and we will honor them by working for peace.

Joan also sang Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.... "A thousand angels waiting there for me...." I know Casey will be waiting for me when it is my turn, and I know when I finally get there he's going to hug me and say: "Good job, Mom."

Cindy Sheehan Returns to Crawford, Confronts President Bush In National Television Ad

2005-08-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Press release:

GOLD STAR FAMILIES FOR PEACE

Spot Features Cindy Sheehan Directly Addressing Bush With Numerous Questions on the Iraq War

“How many American lives must be lost to justify your war?”

Crawford, TX— Cindy Sheehan, whose son, Pvt. Casey Sheehan was killed in Iraq last year, has resumed her vigil in Crawford, and Gold Star Families for Peace announced that their television ad would go to a national cable audience beginning today.

The ad features Sheehan asking the President, “ . . .how many American lives must be lost to justify this war?” Over the past three weeks, Sheehan has been joined by numerous other mothers and family members who have lost loved ones in the Iraq war, at Camp Casey, just outside the President’s Texas ranch.

The ad, paid for by Gold Star Families for Peace, will begin to air on CNN and Fox News nationwide, with an initial buy of $67,000.

The ad has been running in the Waco, TX, market covering Crawford, and also aired during the President’s visits this week to Salt Lake City and Boise. The group of military families will continue to demand a meeting with the vacationing President at his ranch in Texas, and wherever he travels.

Later today, Sheehan and other Gold Star Family for Peace members will receive Casey Sheehan’s combat boots, delivered to Crawford as part of the American Friends Service Committee’s traveling exhibit, “Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War,” a traveling exhibition of combat boots representing soldiers killed in the Iraq conflict. The boots, which Sheehan had donated for the exhibit, were removed from its current display in Philadelphia.

Sheehan says they put the TV ad together because the airwaves seemed to be the only alternative. “This ad is just another attempt to reach President Bush,” Sheehan said. “All I wanted was an hour out of his lengthy vacation to meet with me and other military moms who disagree with his policies. We just want honest answers.” The president did meet with hand-picked military family members of fallen soldiers in Idaho yesterday, but he continues to refuse to address his critics, who have also lost their children in Iraq.

Celeste Zappala of Pennsylvania, a co-founder of Gold Star Families who lost her son ,Sgt. Sherwood Baker, in Iraq, has re-joined Sheehan in Crawford. "When we buried my son, I vowed to him I would tell the truth. This war is a betrayal of our military and of the democracy they seek to protect. I am here to uphold the honor and memory of my son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, and insist that place accountability for this conflict where it belongs and bring the troops home now.”

“I want answers, just like any mother whose lost her child for a reason that can’t be explained,” said Jean Prewitt of Birmingham, AL, who also has come to Crawford and who lost her son, Private Kelly Prewitt, in the first weeks of the war. “I fully support the other families who want the truth from our President.”

Gold Star Families for Peace is a coalition of military families whose loved ones have died in war. The families plan to stay in Crawford until the President meets with them and to follow him to Washington once his five weeks of vacation are over. For further information, go to http://www.gsfp.org/.

Gold Star Families for Peace

AD TRANSCRIPT:

Cindy Sheehan speaking to President Bush

Mr. President, My name is Cindy Sheehan. On April 24, 2004 my son was killed in Iraq.

He was only 24 and he died in his best friend’s arms. Casey was so good and so honest-- why can’t you be honest with us?

You were wrong about the weapons of mass destruction-you were wrong about the link between Iraq and Al Queda—you lied to us and because of your lies my son died.

Mr. President I want to tell you face to face how much this hurts. I love my country, but how many more of our loved ones need to die in this senseless war? How many more soldiers have to die before we say enough?

War undoes a mother's work

2005-08-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

Sick of those 30-second "Cindy speaks" sound bites served up by CNN? You should have been here tonight at Camp Casey where we had the opportunity to listen to her speak at her leisure. Cindy began by telling us wonderful stories about her son Casey when he was little, like the time he stood on a prayer kneeler in church and sang out to the hushed congregation, "I'm Popeye the sailor man!"-- and for years afterwards, fellow parishoners would call him their little "Popeye." She told us about his strong sense of duty and responsibility nutured during his days as an altar boy and Eagle Scout: "He always wanted to help people and serve his country. His decision to join the army was totally unexpected in some ways, but then we knew he always had that commitment to his country."

Then Cindy reiterated her mission here outside Bush's ranch. She said she is determined that no other mother go through what she went through when her son was killed. Camp Casey is "the place where the end of the occupation of Iraq began!" Finally, she expressed what so many of us want to say to President Bush: "You might be able to lie to Congress, and to the media, but you can't lie to us! This war will end when mothers say no!!!"

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005

Joan sings with Cindy looking on...

2005-08-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Cindy was so thrilled to make it to Crawford before Joan Baez left. Joan asked Cindy if she had any requests, and indeed she did: Cindy asked her to sing "Joe Hill."

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Cindy laying flowers

2005-08-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Footage of tonight's events

2005-08-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

To see archived and streaming footage of tonight's events here at Camp Casey-- from Cindy's arrival to Joan's performance to Cindy's talk to her supporters, head on over to www.bradshow.com.

2005-08-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Susan and Melanie House (mother and widow of John House, Navy corpsman killed in Iraq), Cindy Sheehan, Marine LCpl Jeff Key, and Joan Baez. Sunset at Camp Casey II, Crawford, Texas, August 24, 2005.

Photograph by Jeff Paterson, copywrite 2005.

Taps

2005-08-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Cindy Sheehan and Joan Baez stand by as Lance Corporal Jeff Keys plays taps this evening. Have you ever seen a more beautiful grouping of people?

As I write, Joan Baez is sitting behind me warming up with "Imagine" and Cindy is meeting with other military families. Jeff is doing what Jeff does best-- hanging out with other campers and being his charming self. Life is good here at Camp Casey.

Photograph courtesy of Kim Terpening, copyright 2005

Welcome home, Cindy!!!

2005-08-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

We had the banner up hours before Cindy's return to camp, but nothing prepared us for the thrilling sight of America's heroic mom stepping out of the van with a huge grin on her face. Likewise, I don't know if she was expecting to be so overwhelmed by the sight of dozens of new supporters, the new field of crosses or especially the beautiful mural of Casey commissioned for the new site. Moments after arriving, she went to lay flowers at the base of one of the gravemarkers, then made her way, smiling, over to the tent with a throng of media following her. When she laid eyes on the mural of her son, however, the tears began flowing and didn't let up for nearly 15 minutes. Now Cindy's getting some food and settling back into her home away from home. We'll keep you updated as the night goes on!

p.s. About an hour after Cindy pulled up, we saw three military helicopters fly overhead and land at the Bush ranch-- the President was returning from his "vacation away from his vacation" in Utah and Idaho. I hope he took a good look at the new neighbors living in the big white tent.

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005

Coming back to Crawford

2005-08-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

Posted by Cindy on www.huffingtonreport.com

I'm coming back to Crawford for my son. As long as the president, who sent him to die in a senseless war, is in Crawford, that is where I belong. I came here two and a half weeks ago for one reason, to try and see the president and get an answer to a very simple question: What is the noble cause that he says my son died for?
The answer to that question will not bring my son back. But it may stop more meaningless deaths. Because every death is now a meaningless one. And the vast majority of our country knows this. So why do more young men and women have to die? And why do more parents have to lose their children and live the rest of their lives with this unbearable grief?

The presidency is not bigger than the people's will.

And when the people speak out, it's the president's reponsibility to listen. He is there to serve us, not the other way around.

This isn't about politics. It's about what is good for America and what's best for our security and how far this president has taken us away from both.

I'm coming back to Crawford because -- now and forever -- this is my duty for my son, for my other children, for other parents, and for my country.

Message from Camp Casey organizers

2005-08-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

If you plan to come to Camp Casey anytime in the next week (and we do hope you plan to come), please keep in mind two very important things:

1. BRING WATER!!!

2. Leave your pets at home.

Thanks!

My Private Idaho

2005-08-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

From the New York Times:

By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: August 24, 2005

W. vacationed so hard in Texas he got bushed. He needed a vacation from his vacation.

The most rested president in American history headed West yesterday to get away from his Western getaway - and the mushrooming Crawford Woodstock - and spend a couple of days at the Tamarack Resort in the rural Idaho mountains.

"I'm kind of hangin' loose, as they say," he told reporters.

As The Financial Times noted, Mr. Bush is acting positively French in his love of le loafing, with 339 days at his ranch since he took office - nearly a year out of his five. Most Americans, on the other hand, take fewer vacations than anyone else in the developed world (even the Japanese), averaging only 13 to 16 days off a year.

W. didn't go alone, of course. Just as he took his beloved feather pillow on the road during his 2000 campaign, now he takes his beloved bike. An Air Force One steward tenderly unloaded W.'s $3,000 Trek Fuel mountain bike when they landed in Boise.

Gas is guzzling toward $3 a gallon. U.S. troop casualties in Iraq are at their highest levels since the invasion. As Donald Rumsfeld conceded yesterday, "The lethality, however, is up." Afghanistan's getting more dangerous, too. The defense secretary says he's raising troop levels in both places for coming elections.

So our overextended troops must prepare for more forced rotations, while the president hangs loose.

I mean, I like to exercise, but W. is psychopathic about it. He interviewed one potential Supreme Court nominee, Harvie Wilkinson III, by asking him how much he exercised. Last winter, Mr. Bush was obsessed with his love handles, telling people he was determined to get rid of seven pounds.

Shouldn't the president worry more about body armor than body fat?

Instead of calling in Karl Rove to ask him if he'd leaked, W. probably called him in to order him to the gym.

The rest of us may be fixated on the depressing tableau in Iraq, where the U.S. seems to be delivering a fundamentalist Islamic state into the dirty hands of men like Ahmad Chalabi, who conned the neocons into pushing for war, and his ally Moktada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who started two armed uprisings against U.S. troops. It was his militiamen who ambushed Casey Sheehan's convoy in Sadr City.

America has caved on Iraqi women's rights. In fact, the women's rights activists supported by George and Laura Bush may have to leave Iraq.

But, as a former C.I.A. Middle East specialist, Reuel Marc Gerecht, said on "Meet the Press," U.S. democracy in 1900 didn't let women vote. If Iraqi democracy resembled that, "we'd all be thrilled," he said. "I mean, women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy."

Yesterday, the president hailed the constitution establishing an Islamic republic as "an amazing process," and said it "honors women's rights, the rights of minorities." Could he really think that? Or is he following the Vietnam model - declaring victory so we can leave?

The main point of writing a constitution was to move Sunnis into the mainstream and make them invested in the process, thereby removing the basis of the insurgency. But the Shiites and Kurds have frozen out the Sunnis, enhancing their resentment. So the insurgency is more likely to be inflamed than extinguished.

For political reasons, the president has a history of silence on America's war dead. But he finally mentioned them on Monday because it became politically useful to use them as a rationale for war - now that all the other rationales have gone up in smoke.

"We owe them something," he told veterans in Salt Lake City (even though his administration tried to shortchange the veterans agency by $1.5 billion). "We will finish the task that they gave their lives for."

What twisted logic: with no W.M.D., no link to 9/11 and no democracy, now we have to keep killing people and have our kids killed because so many of our kids have been killed already? Talk about a vicious circle: the killing keeps justifying itself.

Just because the final reason the president came up with for invading Iraq - to create a democracy with freedom of religion and minority rights - has been dashed, why stop relaxing? W. is determined to stay the course on bike trails all over the West.

This president has never had to pull all-nighters or work very hard, because Daddy's friends always gave him a boost when he flamed out. When was the last time Mr. Bush saw the clock strike midnight? At these prices, though, I guess he can't afford to burn the midnight oil.

E-mail: liberties@nytimes.com

Crawford Gold Star Moms Respond to President Bush

2005-08-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. President,

We respect the opportunity given to a selected group of military families to speak with you. As Gold Star moms and military families, we’ve been anxious to have the same opportunity to speak with you for just an hour out of your five week vacation here in Crawford.

We heard you say you want to get on with your life, but with all due respect, getting on with our lives isn’t an option. Many of our families have paid the ultimate price for your administration’s lies leading up to the war in Iraq. For the rest of us, every day brings new fears that our loved ones will be wounded, psychologically damaged or killed. We all deserve answers. Harm, danger, death and grief entered our living rooms the moment you went to war with a country that posed no threat to America and had nothing to do with the war on terrorism. You may think not all military families are like Cindy Sheehan. But Cindy Sheehan is not alone. We all stand by her side outside your ranch. We are joined by thousands of other military families across the country. And thousands more Americans held vigils last week to show their support for us.

We still need answers and wait patiently outside your vacation ranch to ask you what noble cause our sons and daughters fight and die for? Too many of our loved ones have already paid the ultimate price. For those of us with loved ones deployed or about to deploy, every day threatens to transform us from a military family to a Gold Star family. You put our troops in harm’s way based on a lie. We are military families who demand and end to the lies, and call for you to bring our troops home now.

Sincerely,

Celeste Zappala, on behalf of Gold Star Moms for Peace

www.gsfp.org

Update

2005-08-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

There have been at least 82 soldiers killed in Iraq since the beginning of Bush's vacation. Are you listening, Mr. President?

Camp Meeting

2005-08-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

In true democratic fashion, we hold a "camp meeting" every morning here at Camp Casey. Ann Wright, 29 year Air Force veteran and camp organizer, listens to campers' concerns and recruits volunteers for such tasks as traffic duty, shuttle driving and kitchen help. Everything here happens thanks to the muscle power of regular Americans who have come here to speak out against the war!

Statement by Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson

2005-08-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

(Press Release)

The Bush White House and its right wing allies are responding to Cindy Sheehan and the military families’ vigil in Central Texas in the same way that they always respond to bad news– by unleashing personal attacks and smears against her.

This White House never wants an open public discussion, and it certainly never wants to be told that it is wrong. It always tries to change the message by attacking the messenger.

They did it with former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill when he wrote a book that suggested that the White House used 9/11 as an excuse to invade Iraq.

They did it when Richard Clarke revealed that the White House ignored warnings about Bin Laden.

They did it in a most despicable way, as everybody now knows, when they revealed my wife’s identity as a CIA employee because they were unhappy when I spoke the truth and told the American people that President Bush’s claim was false concerning Niger’s giving uranium to Iraq, part of the trumped up rationale for our invasion.

So no one should be surprised that when these mothers and families who have lost loved ones in Iraq step up to question the President, the White House responds not with the respect due them, but with hateful attacks and smears. But enough is enough. Ours is a government of the people, by the people and for the people; and the people in the name of Cindy Sheehan are right in demanding accountability for the tragedy foisted upon our great nation by this administration. To smear her rather than hear her is un-American and undemocratic.

Joseph C. Wilson IV was U.S. Ambassador to Gabon from 1992-1995 and is an international business consultant.

Cornered in Crawford

2005-08-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

President Bush seems to be cornered by the peace movement with peace camps located on both exits from the Western White House. But since he doesn't go by land anyway, and we've only seen him once in the 16 days here, we've decided to offer him the opportunity to land right here at Camp Casey. The construction crew is working overtime in the limited space we have to make sure that a helicopter pad is ready for Marine One to land upon Bush's return to Crawford. Naturally, the landing site meets or even exceeds FAA regulations; in fact, the FAA has already come out here to survey the site (okay, not really). We've found an environmentally sound location for the pad, and noise controls have been put in place so as not to disturb the cows. Furthermore, we will have a bicycle at the ready in case the President wants to continue his 5-week exercise program. He can ride home on a red carpet if he wants-- after all, it's only a block or two from here. The landing pad will be ready in the morning, with pictures to follow.

No excuses, Mr. President.

Into the community

2005-08-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

We definitely do more than sit in ditches around here, and tomorrow's main event is proof positive: at 11 a.m. we'll be caravaning from the Crawford Peace House to the VA hospital in Waco to protest its imminent closure. Texas has the nation's third-largest population of veterans, and the hospital in Waco provides what is considered the best post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and blind rehabilitation facilities in the country. Over 250,000 veterans entered the VA health care system this fiscal year; 40% of them are from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a figure that highlights the decreasing average age of vets. Yet Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson says it needs to go, along with 17 other VA hospitals around the country. As many Vietnam and Iraq vets here at Camp Casey have asked, "Is this how we treat our veterans?" Think of us tomorrow, and even better, find out about the fate of VA hospitals in your area. After all, when we send our soldiers to war, we'd better make sure we take care of them properly when they return.

Quick!

2005-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this at 9:30 central, 10:30 eastern time, head on over to www.bradshow.com to hear their streaming broadcast of Joan Baez's final performance here at Camp Casey.

"My Response to George"

2005-08-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Cindy's still in California taking care of her mother, but her commitment to demanding accountability from George Bush has not diminished. Her latest post on Daily Kos is probably her most powerful yet. I encourage you all to read it to the end.

Read Cindy's post "My Response to George"

Doctor, doctor!

2005-08-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

Heat stroke and sunburn and fire ants, oh my! These are just a few of the routine medical concerns afflicting our brave Camp Casey participants. While we try to stave off the first two ailments with lots of water, shade and sunscreen, fire ants seem to be an inherent hazard of ditch-living in rural Texas. Here one of our volunteer medics, Carl, attends to a participant's fire ant bites by applying hydrogen peroxide. Carl has served as a medic in British Columbia, California and Guatemala, and reports that his introduction to the medical arts began when he helped his father, a veterinarian, perform a C-section on a neighborhood dog. We're hoping to avoid similar surgeries here at Camp Casey.

Come one, come all!

2005-08-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

This upcoming weekend (27th and 28th) is going to be HUGE at Camp Casey! It's the last weekend we will spend in Crawford before heading to D.C., and we want to lots of people here to experience the wonder of Camp Casey.

Saturday we will be having a fabulous Texas-style BBQ at Casey II, to which we have invited the President and First Lady (though I suspect the food will be more authentically Texan than they are).
Sunday is a National Day of Prayer for the troops; regardless of your political persuasion or position on the war, this is a day for you and your community to pray for/meditate on the troops' well-being in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When you come to Crawford, please try to carpool, caravan, or rent a van or bus. We are trying to limit traffic flow and gas usage.

************************************************
If you can't come to Crawford this weekend, we urge you to set up Camp Caseys in your hometowns! Pick a safe, conspicuous area, and bring lots of water, umbrellas and suncreen. Make pro-peace posters with your favorite (appropriate) slogans. Engage in stimulating political discourse. Get each other excited about taking an active role in the peace process. Listen to some fun music. Etc.

FOR ALL PRO-PEACE ACTIVISTS/CINDY SUPPORTERS: Our goal here at Camp Casey has always been peaceful demonstration. Even when pro-Bush people come by and heckle us, we just smile, wave and say, "Thanks for coming! Peace!" We do not want to get involved in shouting matches or any other escalated confrontation. We know that no argument can be made against our work to save American and Iraqi lives. So if ever confronted, just take a deep breath and enjoy being in the right :)

Rebuilding Iraq... and soldiers' lives

2005-08-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Adele Kubein's daughter probably never should have been deployed to Iraq in the first place. Following a civilian accident several years ago, her leg was held together by an 8-inch metal plate and 9 steel screws-- an injury that could have allowed her to opt out of service. But instead she "felt she had a duty to her nation," according to her mother, and went into battle anyway.

The following is the story of Adele's daughter as told to me yesterday evening at Camp Casey. Adele cannot use her daughter's name as she is still active duty military. She speaks of her daughter's deployment to Iraq, injury in a helicopter crash, and the long process of physical and psychological recovery. For it is not just the families of killed soldiers who suffer; according to the website Iraq Coalition Casualty report, the wounded now number 13,877 and counting, meaning 13,877 American families must care for their loved ones returning from Iraq with missing limbs, burned skin, and other tragic physical disabilities.

Adele's story:

"My daughter deployed with the Oregon National Guard in February of 2003, already suffering from a shattered leg held together by an 8-inch metal plate and 9 steel screws. She was a 50 caliber gunner and convoy mechanic. By April of 2003, her unit was convoyed up to Mosul after the bombing there. On the way, they traveled on roads covered in depleted uranium dust. They were told not to breathe the "red dust."

I generally knew about her whereabouts. She and I would try to talk 3 or more times a week, but one time I didn't hear from her for more than a month. I was worried to death.

She was injured about 10 months into her deployment when her helicopter was shot down over Mosul. There weren't any fatalities in her helicopter, but there were in the one shot down right in front of her's. In the crash, her leg was shattered, it was absolutely pulverized. The impact broke the metal already in her leg. But she wasn't medevaced for two months after her injury; she was told that it wasn't serious, and that they needed her as a 50 caliber gunner.

She had already been medevaced a few months before that to Germany when she was suffering liver failure. 14 soldiers in her unit had liver failure, and 4 died. They had been excavating under Saddam's palace and think they were contaminated by something there.

When my daughter was finally medevaced, she was sent to Ft. Collins, CO, but they couldn't operate right away due to her earlier liver failure. Finally she had her operation. But she couldn't come home to us because National Guard troops only get 90 days of medical care after their period of active duty ends, so she was kept on "active duty" at Ft. Collins for treatment.

She was stuck in Colorado for a year and her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is severe! She would have nightmares all the time. One of her jobs in Iraq was to clean the body parts of her friends out of the humvees. She can't ever shake that.

We finally got her home because we worked with our congressman, a wonderful man named Peter DeFazio, to lobby Congress to have our wounded Oregon National Guard soldiers sent home to us. Thanks to his help they are all home, including my daughter, receiving care from civilian doctors and psychiatrists paid for by the U.S. government (there are no military bases in Oregon, so soldiers from Oregon can't be treated in their home state). I had to do press conferences all over the world to ensure that our troops be treated equally.

So my daughter is home now. They can't fix her leg-- she has special braces, but she will never be able to walk normally again. She won't get any better than this. And you know what? The Army wanted to re-deploy her!

She used to be an incredible athlete. She loved to go hiking and play all sorts of sports. I told her I'll drive her to the top of Mt. Hood now so she can look out.

She's still learning to deal with her anger. The first few months were really tough for her, but now she can manage going to the grocery store and running little errands. Before she was deployed, she was in the 5th year of a Marine biology program at Oregon State. She's really bright.

And it's really hard for us to deal with, too. When your daughter calls you from Iraq with mortars firing in the background, telling you that she just had to kill someone before they killed her, your heart just breaks. A mother's heart can only handle so much. We mothers cry all the time... my daughter was so misused, and I'm determined to speak out now!"

The media is only as liberal as the conservative corporations that own it

2005-08-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Press release:

Boise Network Affiliates Reject Cindy Sheehan TV Spot

CBS, FOX Refuse to Air Cindy’s Plea to President

BOISE, ID--A television ad in which Cindy Sheehan asks President Bush questions about the Iraq war has been rejected by Boise affiliates CBS and FOX. The same ad began airing in Salt Lake City on Monday on NBC CBS and FOX affiliates.

The timing of the ads coincides with the President’s visit to nearby Donnelly, Idaho where the President will be staying through Wednesday.

Representatives for the two stations expressed different responses for their rejection of the ad. The Vice President of sales at Fisher Broadcasting Inc., which owns KBCI (CBS) said: “In the spot, Ms. Sheehan accuses the President of the United States of being a liar. She claims the President lied about, among other things, the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. There is no proof that we are aware of regarding the truthfulness of her claim. We require proof of claims such as this. Until that is provided, our station will not carry this ad.”

Media buyers were similarly asked to supply proof for a Waco television affiliate. When sent findings from the 9/11 Commission, the local station decided to run the ad. However, the Vice President of sales at CBS Boise responded, “If it was not known until after we took to war then it’s hard to understand how someone could have lied…hindsight is always 20/20…that’s our point.”

A representative for KTRV (Fox) said: “We are not accepting the spot because inventory is sold out. A very late order request makes it difficult to clear.”

Three stations in Salt Lake City aired the ad, Mark Weist-a spokesman for one of those stations-said, "There's programming and ads that we would not run because of our ownership and our position in the marketplace, however in this case, we felt this is one person's opinion and that there are others who express this same opinion. The bigger picture is by suppressing the message are we doing what is right under the First Amendment and in an open democratic society?"

"Our fight is an American fight "

2005-08-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee gave an incredible talk last night at Camp Casey. We were so happy to welcome this long-time supporter of civil rights and women's rights to speak to us about opposing the war.

Click here to be awed

America the Beautiful

2005-08-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Joan Baez stayed an extra day with us at Camp Casey to meet with Iraq vets and military families. Last night she performed again, interspersing stories of her activism during the Civil Rights and Vietnam era. She opened by leading us in an a capella version of "America the Beautiful."

Click here to listen

1000 words

2005-08-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

As my photographs are not likely to win the Pulizter Prize anytime soon, I suggest you visit the blog of a wonderful photographer from Alaska who's been at Camp Casey since Thursday. Kim Terpening's photos need no words-- they most definitely speak for themselves.

Her blog address: http://www.alaskagyrl.blogspot.com/

Mail call!

2005-08-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

The mail keeps rolling in for Cindy, military families and others at the Crawford Peace House! The USPS, FedEX and UPS are now frequent visitors. Volunteers, like the two pictured above, donate their time and energy to sorting through the slew of postcards, letters and packages. To those who have sent chocolate chip cookies: we thank you for your generosity, but unfortunately the beautiful treats you baked most often arrive on our doorstep a crumbled, gooey mess. If you are inclined to baking, we've found that dense breads hold up well ;)

p.s. I'm currently writing this post under the big tent at Camp 2-- that's right, our genius volunteer IT people have set up wireless access for us here! Gotta love modern technology...

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005

Massive Mobilization in Mormon Country

2005-08-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here's an audio link to the beginning of the protest today in Salt Lake City. Though the commentator says there are 600-700 people in attendance, our sources on the ground say there are closer to 2,000. Oh, the media...

Click here to listen

2005-08-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

From Crawford, TX to Boise, ID: Gold Star Families Follow Bush to Demand Answers on War in Iraq

Press Release:

Idahoans tell the President…

"Mr. Bush, Every Town Has a Cindy and Casey"

Tuesday Noon Dedication of Iraq War Memorial to Feature Comments from Military Mom and War Widow

Boise, ID, Tuesday, August 23, 12:00 pm: While President Bush is mountain biking 100 miles north of Boise Tuesday, local citizens opposed to the Iraq war and supporting the efforts of Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan will gather in downtown Boise at 12:00 noon to dedicate a memorial to the Iraq War.

The gathering will feature remarks from Gold Star wife Melanie House of Simi Valley, CA, the 27-year-old widow of Petty Officer 3rd Class John House, who was killed in Iraq on January 27, 2005; and, Laura McCarthy, the mother of a soldier serving in the Army National Guard's 116th Calvary Brigade in Iraq.

The Iraq War Memorial in Boise consists of small white crosses or stakes for the more than 1,860 U.S. service members who have died thus far in the Iraq War. Military families and veterans in Idaho would like answers to some of the same questions Ms. Sheehan has asked while waiting to meet with the President outside of his ranch in Crawford, Texas including: What is this “noble cause” for which the President sent our nation and our troops to war?

Cindy Sheehan’s television ad, which has run in Waco, TX and Salt Lake City, UT, will follow the President to Boise, pending approval by local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates.

Who: Gold Star wife Melanie House; military mother Laura McCarthy; military family members; veterans; supporters

What: Public gathering dedicating Iraq War Memorial

When: Tuesday, August 23, 2005; 12:00 noon

Where: Capitol Park, Downtown Boise; 601 W Jefferson St., Boise (Across from Statehouse; near intersection of W Jefferson St and N 6th St.)

Day is done, gone the sun

2005-08-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

As the sun sets over Camp Casey, Lance Corporal Jeff Key plays taps to honor the fallen soldiers. Joan Baez stands beside him in solidarity.

Click here to watch and listen

(6 MB, AVI format)

Will sing for peace

2005-08-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

You have to admire her tenacity: Joan Baez gave her heart and soul to peace activism during the Vietnam War, and even when the U.S. government is dumb enough to get us involved in yet another quagmire, she is still dedicated to spreading peace through song. Joan said before she performed for us tonight, "I didn't need an invitation to come here-- I had already bought my plane ticket!!"

It was understandably an amazing experience for, ahem, older Camp Casey supporters to hear Joan sing years after they had first heard her during the 60's. And even though my previous experience with Joan Baez was limited to Jenny's idolization of her in "Forrest Gump," her presence alone on the stage reminded me how just how historic Camp Casey is.

Listen to Joan sing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" from tonight's performance

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005

The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-22T00:53:00.000-07:00

From the New York Times:

August 21, 2005
By FRANK RICH

CINDY SHEEHAN couldn't have picked a more apt date to begin the vigil that ambushed a president: Aug. 6 was the fourth anniversary of that fateful 2001 Crawford vacation day when George W. Bush responded to an intelligence briefing titled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States" by going fishing. On this Aug. 6 the president was no less determined to shrug off bad news. Though 14 marine reservists had been killed days earlier by a roadside bomb in Haditha, his national radio address that morning made no mention of Iraq. Once again Mr. Bush was in his bubble, ensuring that he wouldn't see Ms. Sheehan coming. So it goes with a president who hasn't foreseen any of the setbacks in the war he fabricated against an enemy who did not attack inside the United States in 2001.

When these setbacks happen in Iraq itself, the administration punts. But when they happen at home, there's a game plan. Once Ms. Sheehan could no longer be ignored, the Swift Boating began. Character assassination is the Karl Rove tactic of choice, eagerly mimicked by his media surrogates, whenever the White House is confronted by a critic who challenges it on matters of war. The Swift Boating is especially vicious if the critic has more battle scars than a president who connived to serve stateside and a vice president who had "other priorities" during Vietnam.

The most prominent smear victims have been Bush political opponents with heroic Vietnam résumés: John McCain, Max Cleland, John Kerry. But the list of past targets stretches from the former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke to Specialist Thomas Wilson, the grunt who publicly challenged Donald Rumsfeld about inadequately armored vehicles last December. The assault on the whistle-blower Joseph Wilson - the diplomat described by the first President Bush as "courageous" and "a true American hero" for confronting Saddam to save American hostages in 1991 - was so toxic it may yet send its perpetrators to jail.

True to form, the attack on Cindy Sheehan surfaced early on Fox News, where she was immediately labeled a "crackpot" by Fred Barnes. The right-wing blogosphere quickly spread tales of her divorce, her angry Republican in-laws, her supposed political flip-flops, her incendiary sloganeering and her association with known ticket-stub-carrying attendees of "Fahrenheit 9/11." Rush Limbaugh went so far as to declare that Ms. Sheehan's "story is nothing more than forged documents - there's nothing about it that's real."

But this time the Swift Boating failed, utterly, and that failure is yet another revealing historical marker in this summer's collapse of political support for the Iraq war.

When the Bush mob attacks critics like Ms. Sheehan, its highest priority is to change the subject. If we talk about Richard Clarke's character, then we stop talking about the administration's pre-9/11 inattentiveness to terrorism. If Thomas Wilson is trashed as an insubordinate plant of the "liberal media," we forget the Pentagon's abysmal failure to give our troops adequate armor (a failure that persists today, eight months after he spoke up). If we focus on Joseph Wilson's wife, we lose the big picture of how the administration twisted intelligence to gin up the threat of Saddam's nonexistent W.M.D.'s.

The hope this time was that we'd change the subject to Cindy Sheehan's "wacko" rhetoric and the opportunistic left-wing groups that have attached themselves to her like barnacles. That way we would forget about her dead son. But if much of the 24/7 media has taken the bait, much of the public has not.

The backdrops against which Ms. Sheehan stands - both that of Mr. Bush's what-me-worry vacation and that of Iraq itself - are perfectly synergistic with her message of unequal sacrifice and fruitless carnage. Her point would endure even if the messenger were shot by a gun-waving Crawford hothead or she never returned to Texas from her ailing mother's bedside or the president folded the media circus by actually meeting with her.

The public knows that what matters this time is Casey Sheehan's story, not the mother who symbolizes it. Cindy Sheehan's bashers, you'll notice, almost never tell her son's story. They are afraid to go there because this young man's life and death encapsulate not just the noble intentions of those who went to fight this war but also the hubris, incompetence and recklessness of those who gave the marching orders.

Specialist Sheehan was both literally and figuratively an Eagle Scout: a church group leader and honor student whose desire to serve his country drove him to enlist before 9/11, in 2000. He died with six other soldiers on a rescue mission in Sadr City on April 4, 2004, at the age of 24, the week after four American security workers had been mutilated in Falluja and two weeks after he arrived in Iraq. This was almost a year after the president had declared the end of "major combat operations" from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

According to the account of the battle by John F. Burns in The Times, the insurgents who slaughtered Specialist Sheehan and his cohort were militiamen loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American Shiite cleric. The Americans probably didn't stand a chance. As Mr. Burns reported, members of "the new Iraqi-trained police and civil defense force" abandoned their posts at checkpoints and police stations "almost as soon as the militiamen appeared with their weapons, leaving the militiamen in unchallenged control."

Yet in the month before Casey Sheehan's death, Mr. Rumsfeld typically went out of his way to inflate the size and prowess of these Iraqi security forces, claiming in successive interviews that there were "over 200,000 Iraqis that have been trained and equipped" and that they were "out on the front line taking the brunt of the violence." We'll have to wait for historians to tell us whether this and all the other Rumsfeld propaganda came about because he was lied to by subordinates or lying to himself or lying to us or some combination thereof.

As The Times reported last month, even now, more than a year later, a declassified Pentagon assessment puts the total count of Iraqi troops and police officers at 171,500, with only "a small number" able to fight insurgents without American assistance. As for Moktada al-Sadr, he remains as much a player as ever in the new "democratic" Iraq. He controls one of the larger blocs in the National Assembly. His loyalists may have been responsible for last month's apparently vengeful murder of Steven Vincent, the American freelance journalist who wrote in The Times that Mr. Sadr's followers had infiltrated Basra's politics and police force.

Casey Sheehan's death in Iraq could not be more representative of the war's mismanagement and failure, but it is hardly singular. Another mother who has journeyed to Crawford, Celeste Zappala, wrote last Sunday in New York's Daily News of how her son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, was also killed in April 2004 - in Baghdad, where he was providing security for the Iraq Survey Group, which was charged with looking for W.M.D.'s "well beyond the admission by David Kay that they didn't exist."

As Ms. Zappala noted with rage, her son's death came only a few weeks after Mr. Bush regaled the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association banquet in Washington with a scripted comedy routine featuring photos of him pretending to look for W.M.D.'s in the Oval Office. "We'd like to know if he still finds humor in the fabrications that justified the war that killed my son," Ms. Zappala wrote. (Perhaps so: surely it was a joke that one of the emissaries Mr. Bush sent to Cindy Sheehan in Crawford was Stephen Hadley, the national security adviser who took responsibility for allowing the 16 errant words about doomsday uranium into the president's prewar State of the Union speech.)

Mr. Bush's stand-up shtick for the Beltway press corps wasn't some aberration; it was part of the White House's political plan for keeping the home front cool. America was to yuk it up, party on and spend its tax cuts heedlessly while the sacrifice of an inadequately manned all-volunteer army in Iraq was kept out of most Americans' sight and minds. This is why the Pentagon issued a directive at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom forbidding news coverage of "deceased military personnel returning to or departing from" air bases. It's why Mr. Bush, unlike Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, has not attended funeral services for the military dead. It's why January's presidential inauguration, though nominally dedicated to the troops, was a gilded $40 million jamboree at which the word Iraq was banished from the Inaugural Address.

THIS summer in Crawford, the White House went to this playbook once too often. When Mr. Bush's motorcade left a grieving mother in the dust to speed on to a fund-raiser, that was one fat-cat party too far. The strategy of fighting a war without shared national sacrifice has at last backfired, just as the strategy of Swift Boating the war's critics has reached its Waterloo before Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury in Washington. The 24/7 cable and Web attack dogs can keep on sliming Cindy Sheehan. The president can keep trying to ration the photos of flag-draped caskets. But this White House no longer has any more control over the insurgency at home than it does over the one in Iraq.

Exodus 20:13

2005-08-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Canaan Baptist Church, where George Bush attends services when in Crawford. It's located across the street from both the Bush ranch and Camp Casey #2. This morning, nine Gold Star families held a brief ceremony in front of the gravemarkers at Camp 2 with Rev. Andrew Weaver before walking down the street to worship at Canaan Baptist Church. There was a simultaneous non-denominational service held at the camp site to honor fallen soldiers and their families and offer a prayer for the future.

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Rocking for peace

2005-08-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

James McMurtry, a political/folk/rock singer came to Camp Casey last night to entertain the troops. Steve Earle followed, singing "Rich Man's War" along with other favorites. Hey, we sit in ditches all day, it's nice to have a little entertainment once in awhile! Speaking of entertainment, check back here tonight for an update on this evening's performer-- nothing says "Peace Movement" like she does.

Photograph by Diego Orjuela, copyright 2005

Under the big top

2005-08-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

It's incredible to think that Camp Casey began exactly two weeks ago Saturday with a grieving mother and a close band of supporters sleeping in a ditch along Prarie Chapel Road. The total number of participants coming to Crawford has now swelled by thousands; the infrastructure has gone from tents in the ditch, no bathroom facilities and rudimentary meals to a huge white tent, scores of porta-potties and multi-course dinners. Hundreds of volunteers and donors have come together to make this all possible, and these little improvements in comfort will sustain us until August 31st!

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Field of Crosses

2005-08-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Arlington West expands

2005-08-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

Camp Casey #2 with 200 crosses in front. Combined with the crosses already erected at Camp Casey #1, there are a total of 1000 in Crawford. The group Veterans for Peace are going to work to put up all 1850 crosses within the week. Yesterday evening, Lance Corporal Jeff Key, Iraq vet, played taps at the edge of the crosses.

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Second camp site

2005-08-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

Our tent at the new camp site. We've decided not to move everything to the new camp site because both the first and second sites are now reaching full capacity. The first site on Prarie Chapel Road is dedicated to camping, and the second is used for events and food.

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005

Phenomenal woman

2005-08-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Beatrice Saldovar has come to Camp Casey to represent the Torres family whose son-- her nephew-- Daniel was killed in Iraq in February 2005, and she has done so with the utmost grace. Whether speaking to the press or the Camp Casey participants, Beatrice's words both honor her nephew's memory and condemn the injustice of the Iraq war. Around camp, she is always giving people hugs, helping with whatever needs to be done, and using every ounce of remaining energy to voice her opposition to the war. She has become so dear to everyone here. I sat down with Beatrice last week to hear the story of her nephew's last visit with his fiancee Sofia; how she had to break the news of his death to Sofia, then 7 weeks pregnant; and Sofia's difficult road ahead without her baby's father.

Listen to the first part of her story here

Listen to the second part of her story here

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Howdy, neighbor!

2005-08-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

We had an incredible evening yesterday up at the new Camp Casey site. Now, as you read the rest of this post, keep in mind that the new site is literally within spitting distance of Bush's ranch-- though we wouldn't actually spit, as we're trying to behave ourselves. And besides, why stoop to vulgar behavior when we have a sound system so loud the words "No more war!" can surely be heard in the man's bedroom?!?

Other statements that boomed over the loudspeaker tonight, besieging Mr. Bush and his pro-war agenda:

Rev. Peter Johnson of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (pictured above with three Gold Star mothers) intoned, "If George Bush is right, then Mahatma Gandhi was wrong. If George Bush is right, then Martin Luther King, Jr. was wrong. If George Bush is right, then Jesus Christ was wrong!"

A Gold Star mother who lost her son in 2003 (speaking, above): "When I first met George Bush after my son was killed, I told him: I'm going to follow up with you! And here I am, following up with him!"

Juan Torres, father of a soldier killed by his superiors in Afghanistan for whistleblowing alleged drug trafficking on the base: "When I came to the U.S. from Argentina, I was looking for the American dream, especially for my children. Now my American dream is buried six feet underground."

We at Camp Casey are blessed by what generous supporters have donated to us and the courageous people who share their stories with us. Tonight we ate food donated by Food not Bombs, sheltered by a huge tent erected on the property of our dear friend Fred Mattlage. We gathered together after dinner to listen to the stories of a brawny Marine who was brave enough to come out of the closet on national television; a Minnesota state senator who buried her son this past May; two civil rights legends who walked with Martin Luther King, Jr.; and many other military families who are grieving their dead sons and daughters. Before the speeches, we were all a bit tired from the intensity of the past few days, but I think there was a definite rejuvenation last night as we grasped the significance of raising hell on the President's doorstep. Here's to 11 more days of hell-raising!!!

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005

2005-08-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hypocrites and Liars

by CindySheehan

Sat Aug 20th, 2005 at 08:55:38 PDT

The media are wrong. The people who have come out to Camp Casey to help coordinate the press and events with me are not putting words in my mouth, they are taking words out of my mouth. I have been known for sometime as a person who speaks the truth and speaks it strongly. I have always called a liar a liar and a hypocrite a hypocrite. Now I am urged to use softer language to appeal to a wider audience. Why do my friends at Camp Casey think they are there? Why did such a big movement occur from such a small action on August 6, 2005?

CindySheehan's diary :: ::

I haven't had much time to analyze the Camp Casey phenomena. I just read that I gave 250 interviews in less than a week's time. I believe it. I would go to bed with a raw throat every night. I got pretty tired of answering some questions, like: "What do you want to say to the President?" and "Do you really think he will meet with you?" However, since my mom has been sick I have had a chance to step back and ponder what I started in Crawford, Tx.

I just read an article posted today on LewRockwell.com by artist Robert Shetterly who painted my portrait. The article reminded me of something I said at the Veteran's for Peace Convention the night before I set out to Bush's ranch in my probable futile quest for the truth. This is what I said:

"I got an email the other day and it said, `Cindy if you didn't use so much profanity .... there's people on the fence that get offended.'

"And you know what I said? `You know what? You know what, god damn it? How in the world is anybody still sitting on that fence?'

"If you fall on the side that is pro-George and pro-war, you get your ass over to Iraq, and take the place of somebody who wants to come home. And if you fall on the side that is against this war and against George Bush, stand up and speak out."

This is what the Camp Casey miracle is all about. American citizens who oppose the war but never had a conduit for their disgust and dismay are dropping everything and traveling to Crawford to stand in solidarity with us who have made a commitment to sit outside of George's ranch for the duration of the miserable Texan August. If they can't come to Texas, they are attending vigils, writing letters to their elected officials and to their local newspapers; they are setting up Camp Casey branches in their hometowns; they are sending flowers, cards, letters, gifts, and donations here to us at Camp Casey. We are so grateful for all of the support, but I think pro-peace Americans are grateful for something to do, finally.

One thing I haven't noticed or become aware of though is an increased number of pro-war, pro-Bush people on the other side of the fence enlisting to go and fight George Bush's war for imperialism and insatiable greed. The pro-peace side has gotten off their apathetic butts to be warriors for peace and justice. Where are the pro-war people? Everyday at Camp Casey we have a couple of anti-peace people on the other side of the road holding up signs that remind me that "Freedom isn't Free" but I don't see them putting their money where their mouths are. I don't think they are willing to pay even a small down payment for freedom by sacrificing their own blood or the flesh of their children. I still challenge them to go to Iraq and let another soldier come home. Perhaps a soldier that is on his/her third tour of duty, or one that has been stop-lossed after serving his/her country nobly and selflessly, only to be held hostage in Iraq by power mad hypocrites who have a long history of avoiding putting their own skin in the game.

Contrary to what the main stream media thinks, I did not just fall off a pumpkin truck in Crawford, Tx. on that scorchingly hot day two weeks ago. I have been writing, speaking, testifying in front of Congressional committees, lobbying Congress, and doing interviews for over a year now. I have been pretty well known in the progressive, peace community and I had many, many supporters before I even left California. The people who supported me did so because they know that I uncompromisingly tell the truth about this war. I have stood up and said: "My son died for NOTHING, and George Bush and his evil cabal and their reckless policies killed him. My son was sent to fight in a war that had no basis in reality and was killed for it." I have never said "pretty please" or "thank you." I have never said anything wishy-washy like he uses "Patriotic Rhetoric." I say my son died for LIES. George Bush LIED to us and he knew he was LYING. The Downing Street Memos dated 23 July, 2002 prove that he knew that Saddam didn't have WMD's or any ties to Al Qaeda. I believe that George lied and he knew he was lying. He didn't use patriotic rhetoric. He lied and made us afraid of ghosts that weren't there. Now he is using patriotic rhetoric to keep the U.S. military presence in Iraq: Patriotic rhetoric that is based on greed and nothing else.

Now I am being vilified and dragged through the mud by the righties and so-called "fair and balanced" main stream media who are afraid of the truth and can't face someone who tells it by telling any truth of their own. Now they have to twist, distort, lie, and scrutinize anything I have ever said when they never scrutinize anything that George Bush said or is saying. Instead of asking George or Scotty McClellan if he will meet with me, why aren't they asking the questions they should have been asking all along: "Why are our young people fighting, dying, and killing in Iraq? What is this noble cause you are sending our young people to Iraq for? What do you hope to accomplish there? Why did you tell us there were WMD's and ties to Al Qaeda when you knew there weren't? Why did you lie to us? Why did you lie to the American people? Why did you lie to the world? Why are our nation's children still in harm's way and dying everyday when we all know you lied? Why do you continually say we have to `complete the mission' when you know damn well you have no idea what that mission is and you can change it at will like you change your cowboy shirts?"

Camp Casey has grown and prospered and survived all attacks and challenges because America is sick and tired of liars and hypocrites and we want the answers to the tough questions that I was the first to dare ask. THIS is George Bush's accountability moment and he is failing...miserably. George Bush and his advisers seriously "misunderestimated" me when they thought they could intimidate me into leaving before I had the answers, or before the end of August. I can take anything they throw at me, or Camp Casey. If it shortens the war by a minute or saves one life, it is worth it. I think they seriously "misunderestimated" all mothers. I wonder if any of them had authentic mother-child relationships and if they are surprised that there are so many mothers in this country who are bear-like when it comes to wanting the truth and who want to make meaning of their child's needless and seemingly meaningless deaths?

The Camp Casey movement will not die until we have a genuine accounting of the truth and until our troops are brought home. Get used to it George, we are not going away.

"Let's Pretend"

2005-08-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Charlie Anderson, an Iraq vet here at Camp Casey, played us a little song last night called "Let's Pretend." It's about Bush's aversion to truth. We think you'll like it :)

Click here to listen!

Operation: Noble Cause

2005-08-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

There is nothing on this earth more moving than seeing a group of military families standing together in solidarity. When they speak, it is doubly so. Today's press conference under the blazing sun (yes, still complaining about the sun) was devoted to all of the Gold Star Families for Peace and members of Military Families Speak Out that had come to join Cindy in her stand against the war. Mimi Evans, whose son is deploying to Iraq within days, opened the conference saying, "Mr. President, we are here outside your ranch, and we are staying here. We Gold Star Families, MFSO and Iraq vets will remain encamped here until you meet with us-- because we ALL deserve answers." Representatives from the other families as well as the Iraq vets added their messages to the President.

You know what Bush should really hear, though? He should have to sit down with these families, like so many of us here at Camp Casey have done, and hear their stories about the loss of their children, or the awful anxiety of having them over in Iraq. He should have to spend a half an hour with Beatrice Torres, the aunt of Daniel Torres who was killed in Iraq this year, and listen to her read Daniel's letter to his fiance, written 4 hours before he was killed by a roadside bomb. He should have to hear Beatrice sob as she recounts having to tell Daniel's fiance, already several weeks pregnant with their child, that the love of her life had been killed. In fact, Beatrice's story is so moving that I recorded it so others could listen-- I hope to have the audio file up soon.

Photography by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Triumphal March

2005-08-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

We definitely deserve some foot massages tonight! This afternoon, over 100 of us marched three miles from Camp Casey to the gate of President Bush's ranch in 90 degree heat, all to deliver hundreds of letters written by women to Laura Bush. Our marching group ranged from infants to octogenarians, and was led by some really gutsy moms.

Despite the heat (and I know we keep talking about the heat, but man it's hot!!), we were totally energized by our goal. As we walked along singing "This Land is Our Land" and "God Bless America," we couldn't fathom that we were about to do what no one had done before: march up the entrance of the President's ranch, special delivery in hand, without shots being fired. But we definitely did not expect what was there waiting for us... emerging from behind the beefy Secret Service agents was a Bush staffer ready to personally accept our letters to the First Lady!

Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK and Mimi Evans, whose son is about to deploy, presented baskets full of letters to Bill Burke just outside the Bush ranch. The two mothers and peace activists reiterated our appeal to Mrs. Bush to persuade her husband to end the war in Iraq. Mimi implored, "From one mother to another, we ask Mrs. Bush to help us bring our children home safe and sound." Mr. Burke was very kind, saying, "It is an honor to receive these letters from you. I will make sure they get to the First Lady." Medea added afterwards, "Mr. Burke, thank you for being so gentlemanly and respectful and coming out to meet with us" (as in, "coming out to meet with mothers is the gentlemanly and respectful thing to do".)

Hundreds of women sent in letters to through the website and the e-mail address (womensletterstolaura@gmail.com), and we are so grateful. Medea and I spent this afternoon before the march reading through some of them, and so many moved us to tears. You wrote beautifully about your love for your children and your desire to protect all children from harm. If you didn't get a chance to send one today, please take a moment to write one soon-- we are thinking of publishing a book of these letters titled, "Dear Laura: Women's Letters to End the War."

Photograph by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Vigil Pics

2005-08-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite pics that are streaming in from last night's vigils. This first one (left) is just outside of President Bush's "other" residence in D.C. More than 450 showed up on Pennsylvania Ave to stand with Cindy.

(right) We don't know where this one is from but I think it's how many of us feel.

Message from Cindy

2005-08-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

Cindy wanted to pass this message on to her supporters, both here in Camp Casey and and around the world:

"I'm going to take care of my mother right now, but I hope to be back before the end of August. Meanwhile, keep the camp together, and keep your spirits high. I may have started this camp out, but I'm counting on you to continue the movement. The call to end the war must be made by everyone!"

Cindy, we're thinking of you and praying for your mother's health. Do what you need to do and we'll see you soon! We'll move our camp early tomorrow morning before the Interfaith service at noon, and we're really looking forward to having more space and security (and being closer to Bush's ranch ;) The camp will be even bigger and better by the time you return to us.

Cindy To Los Angeles

2005-08-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

We got word a few hours ago that Cindy's mother had a stroke. We dont' know how serious the stroke is and cannot tell you whether she is in stable condition or not. Cindy and her sister left a hour ago to take a plane to LA from Waco. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her immediate family.

We are still here. Over 300 people are on the grounds right now. Over 200 mothers are marching right now. Its Thursday. We will have thousands here by Saturday. We need your help in sending this message to President Bush: Get out sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, neighbors and schoolteachers, husbands and wives out of Iraq.

This stand will continue. The Iraq Veterans Against the War are still here. The Veterans for Peace are still here. Military Families Speak Out are all still here. Goldstar Families, founded by Cindy and her sister, are still here. And you're still here. Come to Crawford. Stand with us.

Request for help

2005-08-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

A request from the fantastic volunteers who are trying to ensure the efficient operation of Camp Casey and the Crawford Peace House:

"WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! The magic of the Crawford Peace House can't happen by itself. As more and more people come into Crawford, the greater the need for volunteers. Be a PART OF HISTORY-- sign up to volunteer!! For those you you already in Crawford or planning to arrive soon, the 1st meeting of Peace House volunteers will take play TODAY, Thursday August 18th at 8 p.m. at the Crawford Peace House. For further inquiries, please call 254-486-0099."

We assure you, volunteering here is an incredible experience. Every person who has come through here has been able to apply his or her skills for the benefit of all. Doctors and nurses attend to medical concerns; tech people set up the wireless network and printers; cooks feed the masses; postal workers handle the incoming and outgoing mail; carpenters repair the house and build shelves; lawyers provide legal advice; massage therapists care for our achy bodies; gardeners landscape the house's yard; and people who have just finished their senior theses write the blog (well, that would be me ;) So when you come to Crawford, look forward to meeting Cindy, talking to fellow citizens against the war, and using your skills and training to support our group's well being here in Crawford!

Letters to Laura

2005-08-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday is Women's Day here at Camp Casey. Reflecting Cindy's role as a mother and woman promoting peace, we have organized events for other women to join her in this effort. Women play such a vital role in peacemaking because we often bear the greatest burdens of war- the loss of spouses and children; the crippling anxiety of having a relative far away in battle; the hardship of running households single-handedly; and the financial strains of a war-time economy. Even if we have never had a relative or friend in war, we can sympathize with those mothers and grandmothers and sisters who have suffered.

We are also appealing to one mother in particular today: America's First Lady and Mother, Mrs. Laura Bush. Her husband may not have responded to our call for peace and justice, but we are hoping that Laura will act in her capacity as a woman and mother to persuade her husband to meet with Cindy and other military mothers, and work to bring America's sons and daughters home as soon as possible. Women of America, help us encourage Mrs. Bush to join our efforts by writing to her at womensletterstolaura@gmail.com. We will be printing all of your letters out by 3 p.m. today (central time) and then at 5 p.m., the women of Camp Casey-- daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, aunts-- will march three miles to the Bush ranch to deliver these letters to her. We know it's short notice, but the act is so important, and above all, we want you women of America to be able to express your sentiments against the war.

2005-08-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Vigils

by CindySheehan

Thu Aug 18th, 2005 at 10:02:17 PDT

Our candlelight vigil at Camp Casey was beautiful tonight. There were hundreds of people here and we are hearing that hundreds of people were involved in vigils around the country. We at Camp Casey are so amazed and gratified that there were almost 1700 vigils around the country.

CNN followed me around for the morning to do a "Day in the Life" of Cindy Sheehan. I kept asking them if they were falling asleep from boredom yet. I was on Anderson Cooper and it was pretty good. Anderson didn't ask me about the Israel thing because he had checked with Nightline. But he followed with a talk show, hate monger host, Darrell Ankarlo who I have had problems with in the past. He said that I have said that I believe all of the troops are murderers and I have never said that, either. Darrell Ankarlo wanted me to be on his show, but I don?t think so.

CindySheehan's diary :: ::

Another thing is that the Israel thing has not died. I did not say that my son died for Israel. I have never said it, I don?t think it, I don?t believe it. It is just another lie, smear tactic from the right. It needs to die right now. It?s not the truth. I stand by everything that I have said. But I will not stand by things that I haven?t said. I am not anti-Semitic. I am just anti-killing. George Bush is responsible for killing so many people, but nobody scrutinizes anything he says, especially leading up to the war. Since there is nothing to smear me about with the truth, they have to tell lies. A former friend who is anti-Israel and wants to use the spotlight on me to push his anti-Semitism is telling everyone who is listening that I believe that Casey died for Israel and has gone so far as to apparently doctor an email from me. People have to know that he doesn?t speak for me. ABC Nightline can?t confirm his email is real and therefore any reporting on it is irresponsible. That is not my issue. That is not my message and anyone who knows me knows it doesn?t sound like me.

I'm focused on my mission in Crawford: to meet with the President and demand answers. That?s it. I have spent enough time on that. Enough is enough.

So, tonight was a great night with the vigil capping it off. There are so many good things happening around the country. I love the people of America, especially after seeing the most amazing stories from the vigils across the country.

Strength in numbers

2005-08-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

While we were keeping vigil here in Crawford, 103,000 of you were lighting candles in over 1,600 locations across the United States. Move On is collecting pictures from the nation-wide vigils-- you can add your own by e-mailing vigilphotos@moveon.org. They ask that you include the city, state, and any other details in the body of the e-mail.

Our vigil was, despite intense media presence, incredibly moving. It began with Iraq war veterans Hart Viges and Charlie Anderson flanking a flag-draped coffin, standing at attention, while fellow Iraq vet Aidan Gonzalez spoke about the cost of war: "Whether we win or lose the war, the loss will still be measured in the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis." As a group of supporters began to sing, we lit our candles and started to walk in a procession around the triangular piece of land bordering the camp. Cindy remained by the coffin, holding Hart's hand in her's. When she spoke later at the vigil she said, crying, "When I was walking holding Hart's hand, I pretended that it was my son's hand. But I'll never get to hold Casey's hand again."

The vigil was very emotional for all of us. Being here at Camp Casey is thrilling, because we know we are acting to end the illegal war in Iraq. But it is also draining-- the heat, the pressure of organizing the hundreds of people who come here every day, and above all, the stories of loss that come from military families and vets, can sometimes combine to push us to our limits. That's why it's so important for us to know that outside of our little world that is Crawford, TX, millions of other Americans and people around the world are supporting our efforts through their thoughts, prayers, donations of money and supplies, and pledges to travel down here.

Photo by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Interview with Ray White

2005-08-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I sat down with Ray White to hear his perspectives on Cindy's stand, the war in Iraq, and the necessity of supporting veterans and military families from all wars.
Click here to listen.

360 Degrees

2005-08-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

So its hot here in Crawford. But not 360 degrees hot. However, Anderson Cooper will be airing his show, "Anderson Cooper 360," live tonight from Camp Casey for all the world to see. Check it out on CNN at 7 p.m. EST. Check here for an update.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/

Departure

2005-08-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

My time here at Crawford has ended. I, unfortunately, must head back to the west coast to continue my "other job" and do what I can from a remote location. I gotta say I am thoroughly saddened to be leaving all of these amazing people that are making this incredible effort so powerful. It feels as though I'm walking away from history in the making. If I had the financial ability to fly to Crawford every Friday afternoon I would, just to help move this event that much farther forward. I loved every second of it.

I leave you in the more than capable hands of Emily Sharpe who will be doing the majority of the writing from here on out. Hope you all continue to track the events on the ground here at Crawford and that you get a chance to come down here and be a part of history. Better yet, come and help change it. This is a moment no one should miss and everyone should share.

See you in Crawford.

International salutes

2005-08-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

We are all getting very excited about honoring our troops at tonight's 8 o'clock candlelight vigil. Cindy's been out at the campsite since this morning, and just returned to the Peace House to put her feet up, get some water, enjoy the A.C. and do a little blogging. A steady stream of journalists has come throught our front door in the past few hours, including from Mexico, Germany, Australia, and the U.K.

Just before this morning's press conference, an Australian activist presented Cindy with a message of support from the anti-war movement in her homeland. She read the message aloud to Cindy, who was very encouraged and moved that Australia, one of the coalition partners in the war in Iraq, wanted to express its solidarity. This activist, Donna Mulhearn, has spent the past 2 1/2 years traveling to and from Iraq as a humanitarian aid worker and non-violence activist. Donna says, "It is such a privelege to be here in Crawford because I can feel it's an historic moment and I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world besides Crawford, TX right now! It's really encouraging for Australians to see Americans questioning their administration, because we need to do the same. Our foreign policy is basically a rubber stamp for U.S. foreign policy, so we are all affected, and we ALL want answers!"

Don't Kill the Messenger

2005-08-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

To address the admin deletion of comments: We have decided to remove comments that, by any measure of common sense, qualify as hate speech. This is a forum for rational discussion about the issues, not ad hominem attacks. Please contruct your thoughts in a rational, coherent manner. This applies to everyone, regardless of viewpoint. It is not a restriction on free speech, but an appeal to civil discourse. There are plenty of places on the Internet to employ vile, inflammatory language-- this is not one of them.

Cindy's latest post

2005-08-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Putting out Fires

by CindySheehan

Tue Aug 16th, 2005 at 20:23:47 PDT

Putting out Fires
Day 10
The Peaceful Occupation of Iraq

The right wingers are really having a field day with me. It hurts me really badly, but I am willing to put up with the crap, if it ends the war a minute sooner than it would have. I would like to address some specific concerns that have been raised against me.

CindySheehan's diary :: ::

The first one is about my divorce. I addressed this on my blog the other night. My divorce was in the works way before I came out to Crawford. My husband filed the papers before this all started. It just recorded last Friday. My husband didn't know that it would become public record, and public knowledge. He had told his lawyer not to serve me with the paperwork or even bother me while I was at Camp Casey. He was trying to do the right thing. He didn't want me to find out. Enough about that.

Another "big deal" today was the lie that I had said that Casey died for Israel. I never said that, I never wrote that. I had supposedly said it in a letter that I wrote to Ted Koppel's producer in March. I wrote the letter because I was upset at the way Ted treated me when I appeared at a Nightline Town Hall meeting in January right after the inauguration. I felt that Ted had totally disrespected me. I wrote the letter to Ted Bettag and cc'd a copy to the person who gave me Ted's address. I believe he (the person who gave me the address) changed the email and sent it out to capitalize on my new found notoriety by promoting his own agenda. Enough about that.

I didn't blog about the cross incident last night. I was at the Peace House when there was a big commotion and people started saying that someone had run over our Arlington Crawford display. I know this is old news because I have seen great posts about it today. This is how I feel. The right wingers are emailing me and spewing filth about me on the radio and on the television saying that I am dishonoring my son's memory. This man who ran over the crosses thinks he is a better American than we are. He thinks we are more patriotic than we are. Does he really believe that he is honoring the memories of the fallen and his country by running down 500 crosses and about 60 American flags? The Iraq Veterans Against the War who were here were also very offended. Those crosses represented their buddies who didn't make it home. And they are so aware of the fact that one of those crosses could have their name on it.

Yesterday, we had a counter protestor who played his guitar across the way from us and sang (very terribly!!!) a song that loosely went like this:

Aiding and abetting the enemy.
How many ghosts did you make today?
Google me this, Google me that,
How many ghosts did you make today?

I find it so ironic that he was singing it to me, and not to George Bush. We named the song: The Ballad of George Bush. He came back out today, but blessed be to God, he didn't bring his guitar, and he didn't sing.

We are moving to a place that doesn't have much shade and I put out an appeal for tarps and a soldier from Ft. Hood brought some to us that he "borrowed" from Ft. Hood for us to use. I have had a lot of soldiers from Ft. Hood come out and tell me to keep it up and that I am doing a good thing. We are doing this to honor Casey and the other fallen heroes in their memories. But we are doing it FOR the people of Iraq and the other soldiers who are in harm's way right now. Right after we heard about the crosses last night, a Camp Casey volunteer found out that a pen pal she had in Iraq was KIA on August 12th. This has to stop, now. We will stop it.

George makes an appearance!

2005-08-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Even if Bush won't leave his ranch for five minutes to meet with Cindy, he can be seen all day long at the Coffee Station in downtown Crawford. Proprietress Dorothy Spanos (pictured above with W.) has decorated her cafe/convenience store with tons of Bush memorabilia, including life-size cardboard cutouts of the current president, Barbara and George I. Laura couldn't make an appearance, it seems. George says the Coffee Station is his favorite place in town for breakfast-- it's also the only restaurant in town.

But even though some people call Texas "Bush country," don't expect a hostile environment inside the Coffee Station. Dorothy is one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met, and we had a nice little chat this morning as she poured coffee and took my order for eggs and grits. She said Bush has always been very nice when he comes in, and occasionally likes to bring out-of-town guests along. Dorothy showed me a lovely framed picture of then-Crown Prince Abdallah of Saudi Arabia (the current king) drinking tea with George in her small cafe... hmmm, how interesting...

When I asked her what she thought of the President, she said, "He's real friendly, and I support him. But I don't envy his job-- he has a lot of tough decisions to make, and I understand that some people are upset about them."

I also chatted with some other folks in the cafe who had come to Crawford to support the President. At first I was a bit apprehensive about what they would say when they discovered my affiliation, but they turned out to be very friendly and open. We spoke for a little bit about the scene here in Crawford and our personal backgrounds. It was great to have a civil conversation about this issue-- and I know Cindy would encourage all of us to do the same.

Staying the course

2005-08-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

It is now August 17th; we have TWO WEEKS left here at Camp Casey, and the momentum is growing by the minute! The next few days promise to be intense, both here in Crawford and around the country and the globe. Want to know what will be going on? Here are some events scheduled for the next few days:

Today (Wednesday) is going to be very special, as many of you already know. Move On, along with True Majority and Democracy for America, is helping coordinate candlelight vigils at 7:30 p.m. tonight across the country to support Cindy and call for an end to the war. So far, there are at least 1,380 vigils scheduled with over 35,000 people attending. This is the largest event Move On has ever organized! Haven't signed up yet? Go for it now at www.moveon.org. If you can't find a vigil in your area, we here at Camp Casey encourage you to start one in your own hometown by registering at the same website. Even if you're the only one who holds vigil, remember that Cindy was once standing all alone, too. And just look at the numbers who have joined her since.

Speaking of numbers, we are expecting hundreds or maybe thousands of people to show up for our Interfaith service this Friday at noon to pray for the troops. While we are praying, meditating and holding vigil here at Camp Casey, please take a moment to think about the troops and hope for peace wherever you may be. If at all possible, go one step beyond and come to Crawford!!! Everyone is invited, and we extend a special invitation to religious leaders from all faiths. So please get on the phone with your minister, priest, imam, rabbi, guru, spiritual healer, or other clergy person, and encourage them to show America that the principles of peace, tolerance and justice are common to all spiritual paths and all political persuasions.

p.s. We are holding a candlelight vigil here at Camp Casey, too. It will take place at 8 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m. as we need time to set up after Anderson Cooper airs his show live from here between 6 and 7. Since we are still in the process of arranging to move to Fred Mattlage's property, our vigil will take place at the original Camp Casey site on Prarie Chapel Road. We're planning some really great stuff, so come join us if you can!

We're moving!!!

2005-08-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Miracles happen all the time here at Camp Casey, and this one in particular is pretty amazing: Crawford resident Fred Mattlage has offered us his land as a new base for our camp! This land is a gift in more than one sense-- it is more private and secure than our current location on Prarie Chapel road; it provides us with more space to set up; and it's a HECK of a lot closer to Bush's ranch. It is also adjacent to the church Bush attends while in Crawford, so maybe we'll get a glimpse of him this Sunday. And who knows, during his time in God's house he might just be moved to walk over and greet Cindy. But then, perhaps this is too great a miracle to expect.

With this new, exciting opportunity comes some new needs. This site has far fewer trees than the old one, and so we're going to be baking under the Texas sun. To help us stay healthy and cool, we REALLY need the following:

1. large tents (both the camping type and the canopy type)
2. tarps

And remember, our much larger campsite means that we now have more room for YOU!!! Whether you can stay for a few hours, a few days or until the end of August, you are welcome at Camp Casey. People keep streaming in from all over the United States and the world, and we are so thrilled to have them.

Farmers for Cindy

2005-08-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we at Camp Casey had some unexpected yet much-appreciated guests. Wayne, Buddy and Larry, three farmers from Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, respectively, wandered into the Crawford Peace House around 3 p.m. and my first thought was, "uh oh, these might be Bush supporters." But to our great relief, Wayne announced in his charming Okie accent, "Hello! We're here to see Cindy and tell her that we support her and her cause 100%." Goes to show it doesn't pay to stereotype, and even more importantly, that Cindy supporters and pro-peace people come from all different backgrounds.

Cindy was at Camp Casey, so they offered me a ride in their F-250 and off we went down the windy road towards the Bush ranch. On the way, they told me that they had driven hours in their pick-up truck to tell Cindy that they are very upset by the negative things some people are saying about her, and that they are so proud she is standing up for the truth. Wayne, Larry and Buddy are leaders in American Agriculture Movement, Inc., and they too have taken their stand for justice by participating in the Tractorcade to Washington, D.C.

When Cindy met them, she was so thrilled by their encouraging words! Wayne's daughter will be deploying soon as a nurse in the Reserves, leaving her 7 year-old son at home, and so the two of them exchanged words of comfort.

Photo by Emily Sharpe, copyright 2005.

Good fences make good neighbors

2005-08-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

It was one of those defining moments of being here in Crawford: last week I was living a normal life, and at 9 this morning I was climbing the steps of the McLellan County Courthouse in Waco-- one of those classic Southern county courthouses--- to attend a hearing on land use at the Camp Casey site. I was frankly expecting a Camp Casey supporters v.s. angry landowner showdown, but to the credit of all involved, calm and reason prevailed. They aired their grievances, we discussed our need to protect our right to demonstrate, and the county commissioners listened to both sides. After the hearing, Ann Wright, a 29 year Army veteran and Camp Casey organizer, said she thought everything went really well. She commented, "The landowners have some very valid points about the traffic jams and space challenges. They spoke eloquently about their needs. We were able to discuss our need for free speech and area for dissent. It was very helpful to meet the landowners, and we look forward to working with them in the future. We want to be good neighbors to them." Ann also spoke personally with two of the landowners after the hearing (pictured above).

Another one of our talented volunteers is Lon Burnham, a Texas State Representative from Ft. Worth. He also spoke at the hearing, and made the striking point that while the land use issue is very important, we have to remember that the reason Camp Casey participants want to protect our First Amendment rights goes far beyond public land use in McLellan County; we are here to speak out against an illegal war and the undeniable tragedy of human loss.

Luckily, it looks like we won't be forced to pack up anytime soon-- we understand that if the landowners want to lobby to change the laws of public land use at Camp Casey, they are required by law to give us a 30 day warning. Don't worry, folks-- barring George Bush growing a heart, by the time eviction orders come we'll be camping at a different address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Flowers!

2005-08-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Wow. Ask and ye shall receive! This morning over 30 dozen long-stem roses arrived via FedEx from a supporter in Florida. Simply incredible. We're still sorting through them to see who exactly sent them. They're on their way up to Arlington West to be placed over each memorial. A BIG thank you to our friends in Florida!

Morning

2005-08-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning and headed over to Camp Casey to see what we could do to pitch in. Some media were already there filming and talking to Camp Casey folks. The irony of the situation was that the guy who drove his truck through the memorial of white crosses, claims to be a "real Christian." I'm not sure how much more ironic it can get. Some of the best pics (coming soon) show two Iraq war veterans re-setting the crosses and piecing together the remains. I must say it's pretty incredible to see veterans tear up in front of a memorial they helped create.

Rude Awakening

2005-08-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

About an hour ago, wegot a phone call from our friends up at Camp Casey saying that the line of gravemarkers along the road (Arlington West) had been run over. People there said that as they were talking to a few members of the press, a pick-up truck came down the road and stopped at the fork by the edge of the tents. The driver then jumped out and attached a pipe to the undercarriage with a chain and began to "swerve into the line of crosses," said Tammara Rosenleaf from Montana. "Then we heard the pipe being dragged over the gravemarkers and the pick-up's wheels crushing them."

Out of the 800 crosses, 500 were knocked down and 100 are irreperable. However, the driver was arrested by the local authorities. This is a prime example of how the Crawford sheriff's department has helped to protect us and our freedom of speech over the past week and a half. A big thank you to them!

Regardless of who did this, the fact is that respect for this country's dead is not a partisan issue. Putting up memorials of our country's fallen is not a "liberal" act. It is an American act. Even a group of counter-protestors from Dallas last week draped flags and flowers over many of the gravemarkers, and many were moved to tears at the sight of the long line of dead soldiers. It's too bad that someone else who disagrees with Cindy felt they needed to wipe out the memory of our fallen in such an obscene manner.

Now, more than ever, is the time for us to come together. We need your voice and your help to bring America closer to an ideal that all of us hold in our hearts. Cindy Sheehan is bringing us closer to that ideal and demonstrating its power to change this country.

-Japhet Els and Emily Sharpe

Dinner for 50

2005-08-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

As more and more people continue to filter through Crawford one thing we all pride ourselves on is being able to provide meals and snacks for everyone around. Food is everywhere and snacks are hanging on the walls (practically). The key to all this is the people showing up with bundles of food and drink, willing to donate it. Everyone has more than enough food and I have yet to leave a meal still hungry. We had the best apple pie and cheesecake the other night.

On tonight's menu is a boatload of spaghetti, garlic bread, grilled chicken, ribs, fish, salads and a pan-fried pepper and potato dish. And it's all happening out of the little Crawford Peace House kitchen. The people who are cooking? Volunteers from Colorado, Missouri, Texas and New York have arrived, taken charge and are now cooking for 50+ people. Wow. Gotta love the community that's formed here. It reminds me of the summer barbecues I used to attend as a little tike, only those were a tad smaller in size. Are you barbecuing tonight? Maybe you'd like to have a "Barbecue for Cindy?" Gotta go get some cous cous...

Stop Loss: Stuck in the Service

2005-08-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Lietta Ruger, a member of Military Families Speak Out of Washington state had much to say about the war in Iraq. She has a son-in-law and nephew serving right now in Germany, waiting to be re-deployed to Iraq.

"Two loved ones in our family of Iraq Veterans, served 15-month extended tours in Iraq. When Cindy lost her son, Casey, our 2 with the 1^st Armoured Division, were extended. They were told that under "Stop Loss"policy they had immediate orders for second deployments to Iraq and that they wouldn't be able to come home. I came from Washington state to Camp Casey on Tuesday and have been privileged to stand with Cindy and her message to bring Iraq front and center in the American conscious. Cindy represents an ideal and the heartfelt outpouring from across the country speaks to an America that is showing support and feeling hope and yearn to stand with Cindy. It has been nothing short of amazing to stand in this moment in history with our own courageous Cindy Sheehan. Cindy, you know I love you...your west coast friend. We will bring our troops home!"
-Lietta Ruger

It's beginning to seem like this is no longer a volunteer army. If the majority of enlisted men and women are being forced back to Iraq aren't we increasing their chances of injury and death?

The Gaggle Continues

2005-08-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

A great shot from this morning's press conference.

Separation of Church and Town

2005-08-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Not sure if anyone has seen this pic but it's definitley sparked some interesting comments among the people gathering in Crawford. The Yellow Grove gift store (includes "Bush Gifts") has a rather large flatbed out front with two tablets of the Ten Commandments on them. In between them is a re-creation of the Liberty Bell. It's big and lighted up with all kinds of lights at night. We weren't real sure what the overall message was (whether its liberty through God and his commandments or something else) but its the first thing you see when you roll into town. This brings up a sticky issue that I won't go into here, but it should give you an idea of where Crawford sits in our political and cultural divide.

Crawford Post Office

2005-08-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the Crawford Post Office won't deliver packages to the Peace House unless they've got the entire 9 digit zip code on them. Not really sure why this is happening, whether its for our protection or simply to throw another annoying cog in the wheel here but it definitely isn't helping us get the mail through. So, if you're sending something to Cindy be sure you get the entire 9 digit zip code:

76638-3037

Cindy Press Conference

2005-08-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Cindy had a press conference this morning at Camp Casey. Most the major media was there. If you missed it, be sure to tune into Headline News or CNN in the coming hours. Cindy offered President Bush to join her and other military families in a non-denominational prayer meeting this Friday in support of our troops in Iraq and their families. Let's hope the President makes the right decision.

A gentleman from ABC News has been here since the beginning and done some great work for us. At the press conference he couldn't seem to let go of the question around whether Cindy felt as though she had become distracted from her original goal of meeting with the President because of the media circus and all the people that had arrived in support of her. "No, I love the people that have come here to Camp Casey. Last night we all had a chance to sit down and re-focus our goals and remember why we're here. But no, we remain determined and focused on the goal of meeting with President Bush," said Cindy.

In Need of Fresh Flowers

2005-08-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

I've just been told that we're running out of fresh flowers for the memorials along the road. If you have any time today it'd be great to have flowers sent to Camp Casey via the Crawford Peace House. Here is the address:

Crawford Peace House
9142 East 5th Street
Crawford, TX 76638-3037

It's important that you include the 9 digits for the zip code as the local post office will not deliver to the Peace House unless it's addressed exactly (that's a whole other issue I'll go into later...)