I feel like I need a shower.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

Once upon a time there was a woman. This woman had a son. The son went off to a war that turned out to be meaningless. One day the son was killed. The mother, in her shock and rage at the horrible and unjust ending of her son's life, stood up and faced down the monster directly responsible for this travesty, and in doing so she became the cornerstone of a national movement.

She gave up her life to this movement. She traveled thousands of miles, spent countless nights trying to sleep in strange, cramped rooms, and gave endlessly and tirelessly of herself so others would feel and understand her rage, and perhaps somehow help to find a meaning for her son's death.

She dared an insane man to meet her face to face so she could talk to him. When he ran away from her she thus exposed him as a coward and a bully. She stood tall and strong, her dead son's memory giving her the strength to go another day, stand before another group of people, and tell them why this war was WRONG.

She was famous, and people hung on her every word. What she was trying to do seemed to be working.

Then all of a sudden, it all seemed to go wrong. She said something somebody didn't like. They took offense. They spoke out. They tried to paint an image of a self-serving person who sought out the spotlight simply because she enjoyed it.

They were wrong.

It started feeling to this woman that her message had been lost. It started feeling to this woman that they were trying to take her sorrow and her rage and twist it to say and mean different things. They were becoming hostile to her personally. It began to seem to her they were trying to line up at her son's grave so they could take a piss on it. It frightened her and frustrated her and insulted her that these people would take her motherly sorrow and try to dirty it and her dead son.

One day she grew so weary of fighting the very people who had begun by marching with her and singing with her and standing with her, she decided to pack up her sorrow and go back home to try to find a measure of privacy and peace for herself, and perhaps find a way to put her dead son to honorable rest once and for all.

And many of the people contemptuously laughed at her and said she was running away, and they said "What a disappointment."

But how many of those people have lost sons and daughters to the monster? How many of them have criss-crossed the nation trying to get people to see the monster for what it is? How many miles have they walked in HER shoes? How many times have they stood outside the White House, daring the monster to come out and face them? How many nights have they been forced to sleep in jail cells, arrested for publicly speaking their words of unendurable pain?

How many?

Well?

[BuyingThyme]

1. kcik

[UndertheOcean]

2. K&R

[Marrah_G]

3. I was just thinking "we need another Cindy thread", and there you were !!!!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

8. How very odd.

Do you see the name "Sheenan" even ONCE in my post? 'Cause I sure don't remember putting it there.

[spoony]

20. Yeah it was actually about Frances Farmer.

[hlthe2b]

49. Obviously not, but why would you think of Francis Farmer?

Not exactly the first to come to mind by any means, I wouldn't think...I doubt 10% of DU knows who she was...I wouldn't either, except I'm a fan of the film scorer, John Barry, who did the music for "Frances" the movie, in the early 80s. :shrug:

[spoony]

56. Had just read an article about her

and she was the strangest name I could think of to type in :P

[RetroLounge]

53. I was just thinking we need another useless comment

from someone with nothing worth sharing...

and there you were...

RL

[RoyGBiv]

4. No shower can remove the spot ...

The contemptuous attitudes I've seen expressed toward Ms. Sheehan over the last two years have sickened me. I said two years ago I'd had it with the bullshit, yet little did I realize how bad it would become.

K&R

[Cha]

48. RoyGBiv!~

I wondered where you were..I haven't seen your thoughtful posts in long while.

There's always going to be people who castigate others when they have not walked in their moccasins for even a second.

[RoyGBiv]

68. Heya ...

I've been around, hiding mostly. Tired, fed up, overcooked, ready for the garbage heap mostly.

You flatter me, and I thank you, but you give me too much credit.

I just ramble well. :-)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. K&R...

Beautifully put, my dear Prisoner_Number_Six....

[az chela]

6. Well this brought tears to my eyes for Cindy and Casey and

everyone who has lost loved ones in this war because of power ,greed and oil.I will love and respect Cindy til the day i die.
Have birthday sweet Casey,your mom is one of the greatest people on this planet!!!!!!!

[Downtown Hound]

7. Here! here! n/t

[Longhorn]

9. I've often thought that if I were in her shoes, I would literally explode.

I seriously doubt that I would have had the courage to do what she has done. I haven't always agreed with her but I have never stopped respecting her and her right to choose how to conduct this battle.

My son has been stationed in Japan for the last three years. Believe me, we know how lucky we are that he hasn't gone to Iraq. I will NEVER second-guess the actions of a mother who has suffered what Cindy has suffered.

[Reterr]

10. k&r.eom

[nam78_two]

11. K &R/nt

[underseasurveyor]

12. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose my son

My only child. Much less put myself up as a target, front and center on the world stage. Cindy has more heart, soul and mettle than a thousand people put together.

She's a working class hero and that's something to be!

[driver8]

38. Very well said.

Cindy is, and will always be, a hero in my eyes.

[Ken Burch]

13. Thanks. What's happened today is a tragedy.

A crusader for hope has had her heart and spirit broken. We have to learn from this.

I hope Cindy can find healing and meaning, and can regain her belief that the work must go on. If not, we have to find within each of us the power of a hundred Cindys, and we have to find the way to support each other against the wounds that words can inflict.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

14. Could YOU step forward, knowing what happened to her?

I'm afraid we've lost something absolutely irreplaceable here. And it didn't have to happen.

[Ken Burch]

16. I'm not sure.

But I'm willing to be one of the ones who try.
I can't believe we let this happen. Why wasn't it enough for those who disagreed with her tactics to just say so with civility and dignity? Why did they feel the only way was to try to completely delegitimize her as a human being?

In the end, who's really to say what's "extreme" and what's "mainstream", or what's "serious" versus what's "ridiculous" when it comes to political activism?

[barbtries]

15. exactly.

cindy sheehan is an amazing woman. i wish her nothing but the best, and to be completely straight, i think i agree with just about every thing i have ever heard her say or read that she wrote.

people can be really cruel.

[Lord Helmet]

17. once upon a time ...

I guess this story translates different to different people. Plus there is that thing people call cult of personality.

I think people have a tendency to erect altars here and burn others down. 2 bad people can't exist in between without being called out for not subscribing to the drama.

[Erika]

18. It is sad that Bush escapes criticism while she gets the criticism

She lost her son in an insane war. But hate is meted out against her rather than W?

[me b zola]

19. k&r

[Hekate]

21. Thank you.I almost cried when I first read about this travesty earlier today.

It's just so wrong.

There have been a lot of loving and positive posts since then -- flowers in the swamp -- and I hope someone is seeing that Cindy gets them.

Hekate

[marions ghost]

22. battle fatigue

it happens to the best.

Considering the forces against her, Cindy kept going longer than I would have thought anybody could. If she wants to retire for awhile or forever, she's earned it.

Others have to take up the cause now. It's not a time for retreat despite the latest frustrations.

[Bosso 63]

23. I give credit to anyone who can just get up off the ground after

losing a child, because I don't know if I could and I pray that I never find out.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. Thank you for a beautiful OP

I am thinking that one thing I can do for Cindy is cease my small monthly donation to DU and send it to her instead. I am so repulsed by the negative comments about her on this website I want to vomit. Shame on the DUers who posted them. (One USED TO BE a friend of mine) And shame on the fact they were allowed to stand and were not deleted, in spite of numerous alerts.

[OzarkDem]

25. Only on DU

Sorry to say, but the attacks on Cindy have been much worse here than in other forums. Why is that? I may get flamed, but I attribute it to high post count trolls and others too willing to jump on a bandwagon once it gets rolling.

[Capn Sunshine]

58. My thoughts exactly

As I expressed elsewhere It seems most of the DU smearing was caused by posters who are obvious trolls, at least it seems that way to me. Somewhere at LGF they are privately having a great laugh. Plus, everyone seemed to jump in on the DU thing when she also expressed her weariness with the poseurs and ego clashes endemic to the far left, whether it be NION , ANSWR, etc. Try having all of these groups at the same event some time. I have, and it's almost like a prequel to a gangfight.

I'm always on the ropes when it comes to defeating the evil empire, most of us are. I think sometimes, I would do my self a service to quit for a few years and catch up on dreams deferred.

And those of you who will inevitably respond with a vitriolic " yeah, if you can't take the heat, get out of here, screen door...ass, etc. etc. " F*#K you in advance. :hi:

[Christa]

26. K & R

[deutsey]

27. Kick and recommended n/t

[babylonsister]

28. Thank you. nt

[Missy Vixen]

29. PNS, I've felt the same way for a long time now

It's the truth.

Julie

[WinkyDink]

30. A mother once again has more courage in speaking Truth to Power

than "officials" and "representatives" and "leaders".

She is part of a long line of courageous mothers, including those of the desaparecidos in Argentina, who spoke and marched and protested when it was not "polite" to do so.

So now we have come to this: a time when one must be "civil" to monsters and when murderers no longer fear the Avenging Furies.

THAT is the true meaning of decadence.

[femrap]

31. K & R...

I hope Cindy reads this....

I am glad she is going to get some rest...but I know she'll be back to help us on the road to Peace.

[maggiegault]

32. Cindy, if you see this...my sister and I were going to Camp Casey this summer to honor our brother

Please don't give up the good fight. My life has been turned upside down by my brother's death over in Iraq, and you have been both a comfort and an inspiration to me. :patriot:

Whatever you decide to do, I know that Casey is very proud of you, and my brother is, too.

[Breeze54]

33. Hugs and peace to you, maggiegault!

:hug:

:kick: & Recommended!

[npincus]

35. Bless you.

I am so sorry.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

36. I too lost my brother

Although in his case it was natural causes and not war, he passed when he was just 40 years old, and he left a loving wife and two sons behind, plus me and my three sisters. It took us all years to put the pain to rest.

I just wanted you to know that even though the circumstances were different, I know very well how you and your family have been feeling since your tragedy took place, and I mourn your loss with you.

I also want to tell you that in time the pain and grief will fade, but your precious memories will remain a comfort to you.

[Breeze54]

37. I lost both my parents but not due to an illegal war.

and although their deaths were and are painful; losing a child or sibling
or relative because of a lie of a war, imho, can't compare to my loss.

[npincus]

34. the lunatics running the asylum... have we become them?

talk about a movement shooting itself in the foot.

[Janice325]

39. Thanks.

k&r

[robinlynne]

40. I think Cindy might enjoy hudnreds of flowers right about now. Can we do it?

[helderheid]

41. That suggestion was made on another forum I frequent.

[robinlynne]

42. let's do it together then. (more than one forum.)

[Sander]

44. And where do we send them?

:loveya:

[helderheid]

45. Welcome to DU - I'm working on this - stay tuned!

[robinlynne]

47. good question. I dont know, but I'm sure someone here on the forum does.

[tjwash]

43. I feel like I need to be blasted with a firehose and scrubbed with bleach.

nt

[Swamp Rat]

46. k&r

[Madspirit]

50. k&r...n/t

[19jet54]

51. How many? This many...

http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/

Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto, Cisco had Poncho and so on... "Never stop doing good"

[McCamy Taylor]

52. I feel like I need a march on Washington.

[PuppyBismark]

54. It is time to realize who the problem is and who is the Solution

Cindy,

You and your cause are the solution. W is the Problem!

[midnight]

63. I could not agree more...... W is the problem.....

We love you Cindy.

[TechBear_Seattle]

55. My only complaint on this situation is...

Why has it been just Mrs. Sheehan? For all the pissing and moaning, I have yet to see anyone stepping forward to take up the cause.

As a single gay man, I don't exactly have the moral authority of an outraged, grieving mother. But I know for a fact that there are others who can pick up Cindy's mantle, others who can and won't. That is what gets me angry, that for so long she has been the only lightning rod.

She deserves to get on with her life; she has lived in a fishbowl for long enough. But she has been so important that we need three or four other parents or children or spouses to take the torch she is handing off. No one has done so yet, not in the years she was out there; why should today be any different?

[Cleita]

57. Two things will end this injustice.

(1)Impeach Bush and Cheney.
(2)End this war.

These can be done in either order or simultaneously. I suggest we start pressuring our Congress again, but this time during election season, I suggest a Lysistrata movement but instead of withholding sex, we withhold money and volunteer support for running candidates until they do those two things since most of the candidates are members of Congress today.

[lonestarnot]

59. fucking kick and r!

[Penndems]

60. At the risk of sounding clueless, what exactly happened with Ms. Sheehan?

My seventy-nine-year-old father-in-law is in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease. My husband and I visit him every three weeks, and help my mother-in-law with errands (since she doesn't drive).

I signed on long enough this weekend to donate to DU, but didn't have time to catch up on the news. If someone could please fill me in with the particulars, I'd be grateful.

[uppityperson]

66. I sent you a pm, giving this link with a bit more.

http://cindysheehan.dailykos.com/
Here is the direct link to her writings, so you can read the full things she wrote rather than the bits some media chose to quote.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

61. K, R and thank you.

:cry: MKJ

[kiteinthewind]

62. K&R! nt

:cry:

[uppityperson]

64. Thank you, the nastiness has been heartbreaking to me.

It makes me wonder why people have to respond that way. Have they not read the actual writing, just the bits media chose to quote? Do they really see people only in black or white? Why?

Thank you Cindy, for all you have done and I am really sorry about the nasty people. Hope you get a rest.

[Blue_Tires]

65. k+r

[n2doc]

67. Thank You

This past week has been shocking to me. The number of nasty, personal attack posts, in all sorts of subjects, has been eye opening. Good DU'ers have been goaded into doing crazy things by these posts. I hate to think of losing those here who wear their hearts on their sleeves and aren't "Battle hardened".

Apparently many posters aren't so far from the "America: Love it or leave it" crowd as one might think. Except that they replace "America" with "Democratic Party". I have to hope they are in the minority here, and sense will return.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

69. Excellent!

Don't worry the monster will come out of its cave soon