This is all I have to say about Cindy Sheehan.

[JTG of the PRB]

Cindy Sheehan has become many things since she first entered the scene a few years ago, but above all there is one thing I think whenever I hear about her. Cindy Sheehan is a human being.

She is a human being. She is an American. She is a mother, a protester, an advocate for change. She is using her right as an American citizen to speak her voice, to protest that which she does not agree with, and try to bring about change to this country and to the world.

At times, she has been right. There have also been times when she has been wrong. It happens to all of us, to all us human beings.

Cindy Sheehan has mourned the loss of a son, a young man killed in a war that has turned out to be wrong, wrong, wrong from the very start. She made her grief public to help rally support - not for her, but for all parents and families and those who saw just how wrong the war was from the start - for the anti-war movement to bring our brave men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, home from Iraq. She worked endless hours trying to get the word out, trying to spread the word and bring about change.

She has been called many things - some of those names are fair, some are unfair. She has made some decisions - some good, some questionable - in her quest to change the road we are currently following in this country. She has given all she has, and she continues to do so - and it is all within her right as a human being.

Cindy Sheehan is not perfect. None of us are perfect. She is not above blame or criticism; nor are we. She has done the best she can, and at times has summoned strength one might not expect - and we are all capable of the same.

She has all the same rights as the rest of us, and she deserves every last one of them. We all deserve them. Sometimes, in order to protect them, we must stand up, make our voices heard, and make a scene. Sometimes we need to do it again and again and again before things will change. It's human nature to want to improve, to change, and to end suffering.

In the end, Cindy Sheehan is only human. We should all be so lucky.

That's all I have to say about that.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Damn inhuman critics.

[Forkboy]

4. Is that really all you took from that?

If so,that's mighty sad.

[BlooInBloo]

5. The rest of it wasn't news.

[Forkboy]

6. Like I said,mighty sad.

[BlooInBloo]

9. Your concern is noted.

[Forkboy]

11. As is your lack of it.

[Skittles]

34. don't feed the trolls

please

[LittleClarkie]

14. "She is not above blame or criticism"

I rather liked this bit of the OP.

I thought the OP was very fair and civil. I recommended it.

Cindy has her rights, we have ours. She has criticized us as a party. We have the right to criticize her. Hopefully both sides can do so civilly.

[cynatnite]

17. Same here n/t

[emilyg]

20. Yep

[SammyWinstonJack]

48. ...

:thumbsup:

[Forkboy]

2. This is clearly not a polarized enough view for DU.

I'm going to have to ask you to rewrite this with less understanding,compassion,and willingness to look at yourself as not perfect. ;)

[The Magistrate]

15. There You Have It, My Friend

"People are fucking people, and that is just fucked up."

[az chela]

3. Well they locked the previous thread about Cindy

What the hell is up with that????

[pinto]

13. We are trying to help support a level of civil discourse on what is obviously a contentious topic.

No more, no less.

Thanks.

[LittleClarkie]

18. And the last thread re: Cindy was a promotion of her run for Congress

which is why it went bye bye, if that's the one this poster is speaking about.

What a fine line y'all walk. Hang in there.

I'm just happy that the rules are enforced fairly evenly, be the third party candidate Lieberman or Cindy.

[FloridaJudy]

29. Thank you.

I wouldn't have your job for all the yak-butter in Tibet!

[pinto]

30. Thank you! The members make the site. We just run damage control.

The rules are pretty straightforward.

Appreciate your comment.

[Redstone]

7. I will NEVER criticize her. She has lost a son in this pointless war. NOBODY who has not suffered

the same loss has ANY right to judge her.

Period.

Redstone

[cynatnite]

12. People will judge her all the time whether you think it's deserved or not...

Since I haven't experienced that tragedy doesn't mean that my opinion of her actions are any less or more relevant than anyone else. If I judge her actions to be a mistake, that's my opinion and no one has the right to tell me I'm not allowed because my experience doesn't equal hers.

[Redstone]

28. You are of course allowed your opinions, since this is America, but I am at the same time

allowed to give weight to your opinions on a war, based on whether you have suffered a personal loss of a son or a daughter in that war.

Sorry, but that's the way I judge. The people who are MOST PERSONALLY affected by a war get the most of my opinion and respect. The ones who are unaffected on a PERSONAL level don't.

Just the way I think. Your mileage may vary.

Redstone

[cynatnite]

32. How can you gauge how deeply someone is affected by the war on a forum?

Don't you have to look into their hearts? Some people don't wear their emotions on their sleeves. There are some people whose only personal stake in the war is the senseless violence and death. They don't have loved ones serving, but still feel as deeply about it as anyone who does have someone over there.

I guess I find it odd that you rate your respect for someone based on HOW MUCH someone is affected by the war.

[Redstone]

36. It's different when someone close to you dies. Trust me on this.

Makes it more personal somehow. That difference is hard for you to understand, excatly why?

Redstone

[cynatnite]

38. And you think that no one else on this forum hasn't suffered loss?

That we don't know what it's like to lose someone we loved? Do we HAVE to lose someone in Iraq in order to be equal to Cindy Sheehan?

[LittleClarkie]

41. I've often asked if it's in how someone types that people think they can tell

how much activism that person has perpetrated or how much loss that person has suffered.

Lots of assumptions.

[cynatnite]

42. It's sad, you know...

My son would have to die in Iraq for me to have a differing opinion than Cindy Sheehan's that would be respected by some here at DU.

[emilyg]

22. So have thousands of other mothers

[LittleClarkie]

24. And many of those mothers are on the other side of the political divide

I hope that the same courtesy is afforded them.

[Redstone]

26. Your point being? She should shut up? Have YOU lost a son in Iraq?

Redstone

[LittleClarkie]

27. And if he/she hasn't, should THEY shut up?

Is that YOUR point?

[Redstone]

35. Nobody is talking about people who HAVE NOT lost a son in Iraq, ARE they?

They're talking about someone who HAS had a son die in Iraq, right?

And why the FUCK are you arguing the point? Have YOU lost a son or daughter in this stupid fucking pointles war?

If you have not, why are you criticizing her? Do you share he experience?

Actually, I'm not all that interested to hear your answer if you don't meet the above criteria. If you are willing to argue with a womans whose son DIED in this war, and you've not had a similar experience, I don't beleive that your opinion means as much as hers does.

Redstone

[cynatnite]

37. So let me get this straight...

For all of those who support Cindy Sheehan and didn't lose a son...their opinions are okay. And those of us who didn't suffer such a tragedy, who don't agree with Cindy Sheehan...our opinions mean less.

Interesting.

[LostInAnomie]

40. Sadly, among some circles on DU, that is the train of thought.

Of course, who needs opinions when you can just say "Cindy speaks for me!" :eyes:

Thankfully, many have been wiling to challenge that line of reasoning as of late.

[LittleClarkie]

44. Then she can make any pronouncement she wants even if it's not related to her son's death

and that loss somehow elevates her words to ultimate truth?

Everything out of her mouth is then golden?

I'm sorry but if the woman is going to go around insulting folks, and she did insult us, make no mistake, her opinion can and will be up for criticism.

Her opinion of the Democratic Party had nothing to do with her loss. It had to do with her politics. She can think what she likes of us, and we likewise have the right to think and say what we like of her.

[Hekate]

8. Thank you

I've been a Cindy supporter all along, but I happen to think she jumped the shark when she decided to get arrested in John Conyers' office. And now this.

She is a great lady, and will go down in the annals of history as one of those bereaved mothers who took her plea to the gates of the king's palace and sat there begging to be noticed by those in power too cowardly to face her, too inhumane to even offer her water.

If for nothing else, Cindy Sheehan will hold a place in our hearts forever.

Thank you for reminding us all of how very human she is.

Hekate

[NanceGreggs]

10. Jesus H ...

... that was beautifully said.

And you're so right. Whether we disagree with Cindy or applaud her every effort, we tend to forget that under all of the photos, the posters, the videos, the speeches, all imbued with some sort of political colouring, there is a human being - just like the rest of us - sometimes flawed, sometimes heroic, and sometimes both at the same time.

[JTG of the PRB]

46. Thank you so much.

I wasn't going to comment at all on this thread, but you really said something that warranted it - that Cindy and us all are "sometimes flawed, sometimes heroic, and sometimes both at the same time."

THAT'S what I'm talking about!

[az chela]

16. Cindy is not a politician ,she is heart broken mom

that wants to help end this war and get rid of the criminals running the government.
NO she doesnt have experience at what she does,she just lets her heart lead her where she feels she needs to go.
She has had her life threatened many times and has been living on the road to try and get her message out.
If you cant support her than keep your mouth shut.Better yet get out and walk beside her and
help all of us end this war and the busco criminals

[LittleClarkie]

19. How can someone be runnning for office and somehow not be a politician

if nothing else, she is a public figure.

[az chela]

23. She is not an experienced politician,she has worked so hard

and gets kicks in the face by those who pretend to support her.How many of us on here have her courage?????
I wish I did

[LittleClarkie]

25. They did not pretend to support her. Many did support her.

Until she insulted them and their party, until she went after a good man in his office, until she decided to run as a third party candidate against a Dem. It was those things that have eroded her support here.

She can not make public pronouncements without there being opinions about those pronouncements. That's the way the cookie bounces.

[saracat]

21. YAWN. Much ado about nothing.Tired old saga.

[Forkboy]

33. Yep,the war is a tired old saga.

[cutlassmama]

31. She had the balls to go up to Capitol Building and scream for impeachment.

I thought that, in and of itself, showed what a great woman she was.

[Reterr]

39. k&r

Seeing grey areas -what a novel concept :thumbsup:!

[jzodda]

43. I respect her, feel bad for her but she does not speak for me

She is a one issue individual and though she should be commended for speaking out I disagree with her decision to leave the party and now to try and run against the speaker of the house. She has said some good things, as well as some very kooky and nutty things that have been fodder even on mainstream media.

I don't know what she thinks she will accomplish by running against Pelosi and I am glad that she won't be allowed to get official support in this forum for actions. This party and its members embraced her, helped her both in action and with money and instead of helping to change it and influence debate from the inside she decided to just abandon it. We don't need people like that

[opihimoimoi]

45. I think the lady is getting bad advice from Trolls and Moles...some of which are PUBs

They seem to be using her...

[mzmolly]

47. Nancy Pelosi "human being" - John Conyers "human being."

I'm glad we recognize that Cindy, Nancy and John are indeed human. Human beings, even good ones, disagree at times.

Peace