Cindy Sheehan Doesn't Speak for Me Tour
Supporters of U.S. Involvement in Iraq Plan Caravans to Texas
Deborah Johns' son William is a Marine stationed in Iraq. She sympathizes with Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war protester who lost her son to enemy fire 16 months ago. However, Johns believes a pull-out now would negate what troops are fighting for in Iraq. She takes exception to Sheehan's protest and plans to do something about it.
Read more and watch the video at ABC News10:
Cindy Sheehan Doesn't Speak for Me Tour
You can read more at Move America Forward and here's the Tentative Caravan & Rally Schedule. You can join the caravans (there's an email address to give your location so you can coordinate and link up with others) or if you can't join the caravans, you can help defray the cost of this project!
Deborah Johns -- YOU ROCK!
Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
Update: Ronald R. Griffin is the father of Spc. Kyle Andrew Griffin, a recipient of the Army Commendation Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star, who was killed in a truck accident on a road between Mosul and Tikrit on May 30, 2003. He writes passionately and honestly in the must read
She Does Not Speak for Me
He concludes with: She Does Not Speak for Me
Those who lost their lives believed in the mission. To honor their memory, and because it's right, we must believe in the mission, too.
We refuse to allow Cindy Sheehan to speak for all of us. Instead, we ask you to learn the individual stories. They are glorious. Honor their memories.
Honor their service. Never dishonor them by giving in. They never did.
posted by Some Soldier's Mom @ 10:49 PM
15 Comments
15 Comments:
Though I am not sure I agree with Cindy Sheehans way of doing things. I just have to say many many people support the troops 100%. Some, including me, just don't support the war any longer. Bush is close behind that also.
I'm just never sure what to say when people tell me this (not in an angry way, just a perplexed way). What is it you don't support any more? The need to get rid of terrorists? Establishing a new democracy in Iraq and the Middle East?
People seem to forget that there were 17 UNITED NATIONS resolutions involving WMD in Iraq... that ten years of sanctions hadn't worked... that Saddam was maintaining training bases for terrorists -- terrorists that had just attacked the USA -- that coupled with his history and verified stockpiles of WMD which he had used on tens of thousands of his own people -- was a big enough threat to our national security for republicans AND democrats to authorize force. [We would probably not be at war today if Sadddam had just complied with the terms of the UN resolutions.]
Should we just abandon the Iraqis now before they can defend themselves domestically and internationally?
Should all the American deaths including Casey Sheehan's and the deaths of Iraqis be in vain??
So what part of the war don't you support?
Is it because it's taking some time? The President (whom I will say I do not support on many issues) told us all that it would be a long, difficult fight. Is it because 1,800 Americans have died? What's an acceptable level? At what point did you stop supporting the war?
Yes, it is tragic that Americans have died, including Casey Sheehan, that Iraqis are dying, that anyone is dying there. From my perspective, our troops cannot come home soon enough... no matter how soon everyone else wants them home, the families of soldiers want them home sooner than that. It can't be soon enough, fast enough. But the men and women of our armed forces know and believe they have a job to do and they WANT to finish what they started.
Cindy Sheehan doesn't speak for me. I'm just sayin'.
You dont have to know what to say. I have my beliefs and you have yours. I have family fighting over there. I support the troops. WMD's?? Hmm, from my recollection we never found any. 1,800 troops is to many, and we are just losing more and more everyday. I know we are trying to keep terrorists out of USA, but we can do that over here. I did support the war in the beginning, because I just believed everything Bush had to say, but now I have learned and listened, that we as Americans were mislead. I think it is time for our troops to start coming home. No don't pull them all out at once, but quit sending more and more over there.
WMD's were not the only reason we went to Iraq. Seems I remember a 10-point, reasoned argument of which WMD's were only one part. That, however, was the focus of the mainstream media and thus, most of the public.
Cindy Sheehan has affiliated herself with some of the saddest and sickest examples of "free speech". They have glommed on to her because no one can criticize a grieving mother without sounding harsh.
But, just as I tell students whose dads are heart surgeons that it doesn't give them automatic credibility to speak on a heart-related topic, having a child who has perished in a war doesn't make you the be-all, end-all on commenting on the war. Contrary to Maureen Dowd's proclamation, this woman is no absolute moral authority.
Her son, who cannot speak for himself, was an adult with his own convictions, beliefs, and reasons for living how he chose to live and ultimately, die.
Cindy Sheehan has openly opposed the war effort since it began. And, although the press hasn't covered it, she's claimed that a "Jewish faction" within the gov't planned the entire thing...she's using her son as a platform, others are hitching their wagons to her and it's out-of-control.
Literally thousands of stories mentioning Sheehan have run since the beginning of the month. There is no balance and no one seems to want to ask her any questions of value.
Frankly, I think she's around the bend and she isn't coming back. It's a shame others are capitalizing on that and even more despicable that the news media isn't providing a balanced view of the situation.
I wondered how long it would be until you jumped on the anti Cindy Sheenan band wagon.
The war is already lost. Do you really think that the half trained Iraqi military is going to be able to defeat an insurgency the American military can’t?
You are living in a dream land. “Support the troops” and “Stay the course” are just convenient slogans for the right leaning pundits to mouth off on TV to look good and patriotic.
I hope your son and all his friends make it back safe and sound, but your anger should be directed at those who sent him on a fools errand, not those now trying to end it.
oh you courageous Anonymous posters (sigh)
I'm not sure hwere you see any anger in my posts at all... I'm not angry about Cindy -- just sad for her...
And if she has the right to voice her opinion in Crawford, why don't those of us that support our soldiers' mission have the same right to attract attention and congregate??
You seem to not be able to accept that people disagree with you and Ms Sheehan and that our arguments hold far more legitimacy than yours. Stop whining already.
I keep hearing "I support the troops, but I don't support the war". You CANNOT do that. The troops believe in their mission enough to lay down their lives if necessary to get it done. They are proud of the work they've done and the good they've accomplished. How can you say you support the troops if you don't support their mission? It's a totally ridiculous thing to say.
I cannot understand the perverse pleasure the trolls get from posting on soldiers' or soldiers' moms blogs.
In this world of instant gratification, there are so many people who are ready to throw in the towel almost immediately. They don't seem to have any concept of the big picture of what we are trying to accomplish over there. It makes complete sense to me that bringing openness and democracy to the middle east will erase the hate. It won't happen right away; anyone who thinks that is not being realistic, but it will happen in time. Why on earth would the Iraqis choose to live under another tyrant when they have had their liberated country handed to them? People like Cindy only prolong the problem because they give encouragement to the enemy.
Thanks for the find mom. I love hearing from our troops.
Good morning to you.
Yes, yes you can support the troops without supporting the war. Many do and can. Supporting the troops is very different than supporting what they are over in Iraq for. I am not saying some of the things they are doing over their are not good and heartfelt. What I am saying is, we went into this war on lies and enough is enough on our dead soldiers. Some of the soldies agree that the reason we went to war was just bs, not all of them support it, they are just there doing what they signed up for. Just because they may or may not agree with it doesn't matter. They still have to be there. I am in support of all the soldiers, especially my family that is currently fighting, that does not mean that I have to support this war 100%.
MissBirdlegs, I respectfully disagree. I believe one hundred percent that you can ABSOLUTELY disagree with the politics that put our troops over there, yet support those brave men and women 100%. I do know that the majority of troops who are over there absolutely believe in their mission and in what they're accomplishing. I respect that and I admire that. Hell, my boyfriend is one of them. I'm not saying I'm "for" the war and I'm not saying I'm against it. I'm just saying that you don't have to agree with Pres. Bush and his actions in order to support our amazing military servicemen and women with all your heart.
How can anyone support our troops and not support our war. I do not understand these people that do post anonymous. They are always the ones that are negative and against our President and Commander most of the time.
If these people had a son/daughter in the war, they would know just how we feel as parents, but until you have walked a mile in our shoes, then you don't have a clue how/what/when we feel as parents. You have no idea what it is like to stay awake nights pacing the floors wondering if your child is alive. These people don't know what it is like to look out your front door day after day hoping and praying that the strange car that has just pulled up your driveway is not the Army coming to give you bad news. So please until you have been through what us parents have been through, don't judge us, uspecially from Cindy's actions.
Our President/Commander is doing an excellent job, and I back him 100%.
Sorry SSM, I just had to vent a little. This crap I guess is really getting to me.
Thanks moms and dads, for letting our SERVICE speak for US!
And letting US be US!
Have a great day!
I'm still trying to figure out what lies were told... how can 17 votes at the united nations first, be characterized as lies, and then attributed solely to the Bush administration?? And that's just for starters.
And keep in mind, all that we have learned about Iraq's capabilities AFTER the start of the war is all well and good... Go back and look at what we ALL knew (or heartily believed) before the war. Perhaps people need to get past how or why we got there (or what they perceive to be the reasons) and look at the MISSION NOW... and why it's important to support THIS mission -- our soldiers' mission. And while there well may be some soldiers that don't agree with how or why we got there, they all believe 100% in their mission: kill or capture terrorists and train the Iraqis to defend themselves from all their enemies - foreign or domestic.
I read "WHY WE MUST STAY IN IRAQ" over at You Must Be Kidding (www.youmbkidding.blogspot.com). Powerful reasons to finish what we started.
The Ollie North piece is interesting, too as is Joe Galloway's latest...
Thank you SSM. As soon as I read this story online this morning I jumped over here because I knew you'd have something to say about it and something to say that I agree with.
My husband leaves Aug. 29th for a year+ tour. He is part of a MI BN. I love him dearly and the only way I know how to support him is to support everything that all the men are doing.
She is disrespecting her son's memory and to me that is the greatest loss in all of this.
As for WMD my husband came home over 2 months ago from training at our local base and told me he stood next to a very large WMD... funny that didn't make the news but as he says the news wouldn't dare report anything that made Bush out to be right!
All I can say is that I love and support all the men and women working so hard, in such harsh conditions so that we can even have this discussion.
In my opinion Bush will have the last laugh. I believe we have found more there then he lets on and that in the end he continues to do what he does because he knows he's been right all along, certainly my husband has more conviction now than ever after seeing what he saw.
Some people forget that the people who join the military do so at their own free will, they accept the job, they accept the president as their commander and they are willing....yes WILLING to die because they have such conviction. We should all be so lucky to have such conviction about life.
Casey's mother should hold a sign that says Thank you son for awarding me the privilege to live in a country where I can protest.
Thank you again SSM. I love this blog and as we prepare to say goodbye to my husband my mother-in-law and I are faithful readers!!
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