CINDY SHEEHAN: "The Opposite of Good is Apathy"

[kpete]

The Opposite of Good is Apathy
Submitted by davidswanson on Fri, 2006-01-06 13:30. Cindy Sheehan
By Cindy Sheehan

"The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal and hasten the resurrection of the dead." William Lord Garrison

The apathy of most of America is stunning and appalling to me. When I found this quote I was filled with wide-eyed wonder that there is one statue left in America complete with statue, or one grave or tomb still occupied.

On October 26th, as MoveOn.org was holding its candlelight vigils across the country to mourn the death of the 2000 th American soldier in Iraq, I, and two dozen others, were being arrested in front of the White House protesting the carnage done in our name by the illegitimate residents therein.

Now, counting the 11 American soldiers who were pointlessly killed in George's unconscionable and brainless war of terror in the Middle East, the American "official" death toll is up to 2193: 200 more families ruined in less than three months!

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/6460

[wixomblues]

1. If you read the whole article

she makes some interesting points about apathy. It sounds like nothing short of Marching into your Rep's office us acceptable. And I suppose if you really are against this war, that's fine. But her tone sounds desperate. I feel like things are going well for the good guys(us) right now, and we're making progress. I don't know what Cindy thinks could be done, short of anarchy and hostile overthrows. But we've got them against the wall. It's a slow process, but we're winning. The corruption is exposed, the war as a sham is exposed, and public support is at a low.

[jonnyblitz]

3. I guess you have to lose a child in the war to understand her

intensity. she is not a political partisan calculating if her actions are "good for the democrats", like some here seem to assume she should.

[meganmonkey]

6. Well, every day that goes by, more innocent people die

So for them, and their loved ones, this "slow process" isn't good enough.

And I look at it this way. It is glaringly obvious that this war is based on lies, that the bush admin broke laws to make the war happen, that every day this war goes on the US is committing war crimes.

If a mass murderer was on the loose in America, wouldn't we support doing everything to catch them ASAP so as to prevent more senseless killing? Why shouldn't we treat the war that way? The death toll is absolutely gruesome. It needs to stop!

I'm with Cindy. I'll continue to do what I can to fight this war. I will continue to contact my rep and senators regularly, I will continue to protest in the streets, I will continue to commit civil disobedience until this war ends. That is democracy. If we all acted like we really had a democracy, maybe we would :shrug:

:patriot:

[Marleyb]

9. this "slow process" aint good enough for me either

Every day people are dying in the most horrible ways imaginable.

We should have stopped Bush long ago, and we could have stopped the horror of the Katrina aftermath. I will never get over that.

The "slow process" meme(kinda like Censure Bush) is a stalling tactic.. Everyday that we are in Iraq, Halliburton makes millions. They don't even care if we 'win', the goal is to stay as long as possible. Halliburton is pumping Iraq's oil unmetered.

We need to all be as resolved as Cindy to end this nightmare now. Think outside of the box, start your own camp casey outside of your congressman's office. Make them so miserable with public pressure, that they are more afraid of the American people than the Bush Administration.

And a strong statement at the State of the Union with Cindy wouldn't hurt...

[wixomblues]

12. I think she's right...but will be disapointed.

The level of activism that she wants just isn't out there. I'm against the war, but I don't want to dedicate my life to stopping it, or even sit in jail for a night.

Does that make me a bad person? Maybe. But It's safe to say that of the thirty thousand posters on here, only a handful have made a serious comittment to stopping the war by Cindy's standards. If you even consider what she's doing...compared to what most others who are anti war doing, she is doing more. So, you have to ask...is what she's doing the best way to end the war, or an emotional response that doesn't do more then us armchair anti war types? I protest the war at the ballot box, and in contributions, arguments, and petitions. I don't need or want to get arrested.

But like I said, is that wrong? Should we all be doing more, and would that be effective, or just silly?

[meganmonkey]

13. See, that is exactly why this war is still going on

and the criminals in the White House still have jobs.

This is OUR country, and the White House is OUR house.

What is silly, IMO, is sitting back and waiting for the war to end itself, while calling oneself 'anti-war'.

Every major movement in this country has been motivated by people willing to put their own asses on the line. In some cases, that involves arrests, or public discomfort, or whatever. The people who call it 'silly' are usually the ones trying to protect the status quo, in order to discredit the people protesting the war, or fighting for civil rights, or for union organizing, or whatever. I am truly shocked to see that language here.

Is it silly that I have used virtually all of my vacation time in the last 3 years to protest the war in several cities and towns...that I have gone from Michigan to D.C. 3 times for marches, gotten arrested once in an act of civil disobedience...that I have continued my CD by not paying the fine they gave me for "demonstrating without a permit"?

How silly would it be if instead of a few hundred of us that got arrested that day, there were a few thousand? Or tens of thousands? Would that be silly, or would that be a real social movement? Would that be something that may actually create change?

Isn't that what 'we' all want to do? Create change?

I don't expect everyone to do everything they can do to stop this war, because that would be 'silly'. It'll never happen. Most people would rather write letters and type on their computers and vote and leave it at that. For me to expect more would be setting myself up for disappointment.

Meanwhile, I am going to do my best to keep fighting this war. Am I doing everything I could do? No. I could quit my job and protest full time, I suppose, and if this war had happened 10 years ago I probably would have. It's all relative, I guess. Bur fear of looking 'silly', IMO, is no excuse not to stand up for what you believe, for what you know is right. If you truly know it in your heart, you have no choice but to participate.

on edit: on rereading this, I guess it probably sounds harsh, and I didn't mean it that way. I am obviously very passionate about it, and frustrated that people aren't doing more, that they aren't out in the streets, that they are 'whispering' their opposition to the war instead of screaming it. I jsut think we need to scream. People are dying every day and it breaks my heart..

[tatertop]

2. Cindy Sheehan is truly awesome

[kpete]

4. Cindy is working for change EVERY DAY!!!

She is unstoppable. I admire her. Admit I do not always agree with her tactics, but she certainly humbles me!!!

[tatertop]

8. I love the way she writes. Very open and honest.

She's plenty smart too.

[uppityperson]

5. The opposite of love is apathy. nt

[bigtree]

7. CS!

:hug:

[oregonindy]

10. to many people sittin on their asses doing nothing but typing

Its good work but it is not a replacement for getting your body out and doing something.

words are useless unless backed up by action

[Marleyb]

11. That was so good I simply must post more of it!

Hillary Clinton told me that the "wheels of government grind slowly." This is a tired cliché and it is unacceptable blather while the war machine is grinding the bones of our children. It is time for us wide awake Americans to make our elected officials speed up the timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

If I hear one more rendition of "We Shall Overcome" and then watch the vigilers or marchers go home and turn on their TV's and crack open a brewsky content in the fact that they have done something for peace that day, I am going to scream! We can't overcome unless we take the proverbial bull by the horns and overcome!

Hold your vigils and marches in relevant places: such as warmongering local Congressional offices. So many Senators and Congresspeople come to mind. Or in front of a recruiting station. Or Federal Buildings. Or military bases. Then instead of going home and cracking open a beer, or uncorking a bottle of wine, sit down and say "we aren't leaving until you call for an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq." Put your butt on the line for humanity.

Change will not happen until we make it happen. We can't make change happen by wishing or praying that it will happen.

We actually have to do something.

[meganmonkey]

14. Kick for Cindy!

Can't we get this on the Greatest page?

[Marleyb]

15. more nominations please..anyone...anyone??

check out these flyers


http://benfrank.net/blog/f/sotu-mlk.pdf

[Karenina]

16. Honest to Christ!

Can we get another nomination here?

[LeahD]

19. Yes! n/t

[Marleyb]

17. can we really afford to wait for W

A Kuwait-based construction firm has already been awarded $300 million of the embassy deal. Several other Middle Eastern and American building companies are bidding for the remaining budget. Funding will probably come from IRAQ‘s oil revenues channeled into rebuilding the war-torn country.

The building is in effect an imperial seat of power, which will be built in IRAQ alongside four massive military superbases the U.S. is building around the Iraqi capital. Washington has many “secret' military bases in several Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. The huge desert bases, that include airstrips and aircraft hangars, are up to 20 miles square and are not shown on civilian maps...

An Iraqi security source said: "The plans for the embassy building will make it the largest and best protected diplomatic building overseas for the United States…. You may as well move the Pentagon to Iraq. It will be amazingly secure but it also flies in the face of claims America is preparing to leave IRAQ to be policed and governed by Iraqis….

"Plans for four superbases across the country will only reinforce the view that the U.S. is here to stay for the duration," the official added.

[meganmonkey]

18. No we cannot

Hey, do you have a link for that?