"I'm Not Giving Up," Sheehan Tells Radio Show Schultz

[Edgewater_Joe]

Source: THE RAW STORY

On Tuesday, peace activist Cindy Sheehan appeared on The Ed Schultz Show to talk about her recent declaration that she is leaving the anti-war movement.

Sheehan starts off the radio interview sounding tired and dispirited. She explains that she has kept pushing herself because "I can't say no, especially when people are dying" but that the recent failure of the Democrats to vote against the war caused her to conclude, "I think I've gone as far as I can in this movement."

Sheehan's tone then becomes stronger and more positive as she looks to the future, making it clear that she is not giving up activism. She says, "We're gonna see what other direction we can come at it, because obviously the direction that we're going has stopped being effective. ... We're gonna close up the factory, we're gonna retool, and we're gonna see how we can come at this problem from a different angle."

Sheehen's strongest criticism is directed at the Democratic Party. She says, "It's all about the presidential elections, it's all about politics. And the Democrats have to stop being careful and stop playing politics with human flesh and blood and they're going to have to be courageous. ... If we're gonna get a Democrat in the White House that acts like a Republican, what's the difference?"

It is clear from the interview that Sheehan hopes that as she stands down, millions more anti-war activists will stand up. "I'm not giving up," she concludes, promising to announce her new campaign within the next two months.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Cindy_Sheehan_on_Ed_Shultz_show_0529.html

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Radio clip at link.

[Deep13]

1. "...Democrat in the White House that acts like a Republican, what's the difference?"

Good question.

[pokercat999]

2. The democrats in congress nullified our vote just

as surely as the rethug efforts to steal the election. But from rethugs it's to be expected. From democrats it's a crime worthy of a strong and unmistakeable reaction.

[Deep13]

4. There's too much focus on the WH.

Everything is about posturing for a presidential election and nothing is about governing. Congress is the people's branch of govt., Congress has all the legislative and financial power and Congress has the final say of foreign policy. The power is on the Hill. Our party leaders seem to have forgotten that. Caving in because the executive does not agree is an abdication of responsibility and a betrayal of the public and the Constitution.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. Well said! Congress must fight back against the

Straussian concept of "the unitary presidency." The Founding Fathers would view it as a return to monarchy, and not a good monarchy, either.

[badgervan]

11. Nonsense

Does anyone really believe that 6 and 1/2 years of a Gore presidency would have left our country where we are right now? Use your brains!

[Tyler Durden]

14. I think she's talking about the current crop.

If Gore was there, I don't think even 9/11 would have happened, let alone this illegal war.

[silverojo]

16. I've been asking myself that one since Clinton took office

Even Reagan didn't decimate welfare the way Clinton did. :mad:

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. I love that quote!!

I have heard her say this many times.

[AnOhioan]

3. Excellent, glad she is not "giving up".....

here input into the national conversation is far too valuable.

[jarnocan]

5. thanks for the update also a thanks Cindy petition link

http://www.petitiononline.com/peacemom/petition.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Thanks for the petition link!!

[Bjorn Against]

7. I knew she would come back

I can't wait to see what her new tactics will be, I think she may be planning something big and needs this time off to recover and prepare for whatever she has in store.

[Peace Patriot]

8. Suggestion for the anti-war movement: help us get rid of corporate voting machines!

If all our votes were counted, we wouldn't have Bush and we wouldn't have this war, and, more than likely, we wouldn't have Democrats supporting the escalation of this war.

75% of the American people oppose this war and want it ended. Yet the voters were only able to achieve a Congress that provides anti-war rhetoric while in fact ESCALATING the war.

What's wrong with this picture?

There is vote suppression and "caging" lists and all the rest. But beneath all that, out of view, under the radar, totally blackholed in the "news" (and in both party's political platforms) is: The fast-track conversion of our election system to electronic voting machines, run on 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations. This coup of non-transparent, corporate vote counting--now spread all over the country--was engineered by the Anthrax Congress in the same month as the Iraq War Resolution, October 2002. And they are closely related. You can't perpetrate an unjust, illegal war, in a democracy--especially one with the Vietnam War in living memory--without fixing the elections. That's what they did.

Back in Feb. 2003, just before the invasion, 56% of the American people opposed the Iraq War. That would be a landslide in a presidential election. And it probably was. And this war is so illegal, so unjust, and so awful that the warmongers certainly knew that that big opposition--56%--would grow. It's now over 70%. It was to defeat that large, peace-minded, progressive American majority that Diebold/ES&S "black box" vote "counting" was pushed upon us, and spread like a lethal cancer throughout the land. Even more Democrats voted for secret corporate vote "counting" than voted for the war! That WAS the coup. Its two chief architects were the biggest crooks in the Anthrax Congress, Tom Delay and Bob Ney, abetted by Corporate Democrats like Christopher Dodd and Terry McAuliffe, and by the mind-boggling silence of the entire upper layer of the Democratic Party, to this day.

The people tried to outvote the machines in '06, and succeeded in some cases. But Diebold/ES&S also controls election outcomes in our political primaries. And where filthy money and the whole filthy, war profiteering political establishment in Washington DC cannot insure a war-funding Congress--with money and threats--they now have the ability--through these far rightwing corporations and their secret vote "counting"--to fiddle a percentage here, a percentage there, often small and hard to detect, but sometimes quite dramatic, to keep real populists and anti-war candidates out of general elections and out of office, and to shape a Congress in which the few that make it through this obstacle course cannot put a majority together to end the war. I think that every "Blue Dog" Democrat's election (about 40 of them) should be closely investigated for electronic vote stealing. ("Blue Dogs" are for cutting all spending except war spending.)

If the antiwar movement would convert to the election reform movement--and mount grass roots campaigns at every county Registrar's office, and in every state legislature and secretary of state's office, we might start getting somewhere in ending this heinous war.

I wouldn't recommend anything to Cindy Sheehan right now, except rest and recuperation. But for those others who are still fresh and able to organize, this is where all reform energy should be directed. Until we get back public control of our voting system--and restore vote counting that everyone can see and understand--nothing is going to change.

The secretly programmed electronic voting machines WERE the coup!

[silverojo]

17. The antiwar movement SHOULD be election reform

But we also need to find some Dems worth electing...as in, Dems with a spine.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. That's good. She was hurt by the insults some DUers directed at her

for saying she was leaving the Democratic Party, notably the post calling her an "attention-seeking whore." (She mentioned that one at Daily Kos when she said she was leaving the anti-war movement. )

There were a lot of others that were quite unfriendly, too. Why people want to kick somebody when she's down, I don't know, but it happens all too often.

Remember that Cindy just went through another Mother's Day without Casey. Some people undoubtedly think she needs to "Move on" and "After all, she has other children." Some people undoubtedly have told her that to her face. Some people are that callous.

It doesn't matter how many children are in a family, if one dies, it's a tragedy for the entire family. I think the statistic is that 40% of all marriages break up within 5 years after a child's death. Cindy's broke up sooner. And the surviving children not only grieve their sibling but are hurt by their parents' grief, thinking the dead child was loved most. Cindy's other children are reportedly estranged from her to some degree, and I hope that can be resolved, for the sake of them all.

When the Democrats found their rubber stamp again, all of us were upset. But probably no one here has worked as hard in the anti-war movement as Cindy has and it was just too much for her.

Her sister said she and Cindy are going to a spa and I hope that will do her a lot of good. She needs to get away from what she's been doing, relax, be pampered, and think about other things.

We really should send Cindy cards wishing her well. Roses would be a good idea, too.

[PassingFair]

10. Her statement said that she was struggling with medical bills, too.

Maybe a collection is in order.
I would chip in for flowers and/or
donate towards paying off her
medical expenses....

[DemBones DemBones]

12. I heard her sister mention something about her

financial state, haven't read her whole statement yet.

I'd really like to be able to send her a card or flowers, rather than just sign a petition. Bags full of cards would perk her up, I think, but I'm sure some asshats would send her nasty messages so I guess flowers would be better. Maybe they're already organizing this at Daily Kos. I'll check there after I read my PMs.

[jarnocan]

18. Road runner poll -mainstream media was NOTfair or favorable toward her

http://www.rr.com/flash/index.cfm?rev=10212 so the poll seems a bit freepie, and harsh, favorable or unfavorable- hit it if you want.
I admire her greatly, she is compassionate and sincere.

[ninkasi]

13. This will be my first comment

on the many "Cindy" threads. As far as seeking attention, how the hell can anybody be a successful activist WITHOUT attacking attention? Isn't that kind of the whole point, getting people to pay attention to an issue? I will never believe she has put herself through such incredible stress, jeopardizing her own health, just to get attention. She has always been about trying to stop a war that should never have started, and trying to prevent others from going through the agony she has endured.

I've been pretty disappointed at the attacks, and keep wondering why people feel it necessary to speak against her. She is the one who, in my opinion, started the whole anti-war movement going. We complain that the MSM doesn't carry our points of view, but Cindy was able to get the whole thing started, and getting attention is the way she did it. I hope she stays active. God bless you, Cindy. You are trying your best to keep others from the heartbreak you've known.

[anitar1]

21. Well said ., Ninkasi. I will never forget what happened

in Crawford, Texas. The response from people was incredible. I wanted to go , but couldn't afford it. And I am not one who runs to attend everything. The woman is sincere and raised a lot of attention with her protests.I wish her the best.

[unkachuck]

20. thanks Cindy....

....I still say, Cindy for President!!