This afternoon I was writing up the weekly news report (since I haven’t done it in two weeks) when I reached the portion about the anti-war protests at the White House this weekend and Cindy Sheehan’s arrest. And that was when it happened: I felt the hate rise up within me and explode onto the page. It was in danger of taking over the article, so I cut it out and decided to stick it here instead. You’ll get the regular news report tomorrow, but in the meantime, you’re stuck with my opinion.
This weekend, over one-hundred thousand people camped outside of the White House, protesting the war in Iraq, among other things. During the protest, police had to keep telling Sheehan and her fellow protestors to “keep moving”, and not sit down on the sidewalk. After having to tell them on three different occasions, the message was still not sinking in and the police started making arrests. Cindy Sheehan was the first to be arrested, while protestors chanted, “The world is watching.” Okay, whatever you say, crazy people.
On a personal note, I’ve tried staying out of the whole Cindy Sheehan debate. Up until now, there isn’t a lot that I’ve said about her. When her mother had a stroke, I hoped that she would be gone from the media forever, but that hasn’t happened. Instead, she has rekindled the anti-war fire. And that’s fine; I respect her right to protest and share her opinion. However, I need to get this out of my system before I detonate on everyone, lashing out with unbridled hate, saying things I don’t really mean. So here’s my whole take on Cindy Sheehan, and I’ll try to keep it brief:
My brother is a Navy pilot. A couple of years ago, he was called up to serve in Iraq. It was a very scary time as my only sibling, whom I am very close to, was going to a strange place whose history was marred with violence. When he came home, he told us stories about how it was obvious that the true Iraqis wanted peace and freedom, and were grateful for what we (as well as other nations) were doing there. It’s funny that you don’t hear much of those reports in the news. But I won’t lie; I was relieved when he came home in one piece. Had he been killed in Iraq, I would have been devastated. I can’t imagine how that would feel as a mother. However, it is my personal opinion that by carrying on in this fashion, she has cheapened her son’s death, as well as the deaths of every other soldier and Iraqi who has died. I find it extremely hypocritical that she will admonish Congress members who backed Bush and the Iraq war by saying, “Shame on you. How many more of other people’s children are you willing to sacrifice?” and leading a chant of “Not one more,” when innocent Iraqis have been dying. So, what Cindy Sheehan really means is, “How many more Americans are you willing to sacrifice, because I don’t care what happens to the Iraqis.” No matter how you slice it, at this point in the war, we’re beyond whether or not we should be there. Right now if everyone pulled out of Iraq, the country would be even worse off than before we invaded. I can appreciate everyone’s debates about whether Bush was right or wrong, but right now the bottom line is, if we leave Iraq right now, those people will be completely screwed – and that would be an even bigger crime than invading them in the first place, if that’s your take on things.
So there you have it. I’m all done now and I feel much better.
You shouldn’t feel better. They’re FUCKING IDIOTS. You have to phrase it like that, or you can’t really feel better. FUCKING IDIOTS. Yes, every one of you protesting. You have every right to say what you’re saying. And you’re a FUCKING IDIOT for what you choose to say. I can’t even explain in words how hypocritical and ignorant you’re being.
September 26th, 2005, at 4:25 pm #I find it extremely interesting that during this whole Cindy Sheehan thing, her husband has filed for divorce and her family has all but disowned her for being a fruit. I honestly can’t say, though, how much of a loony-bird I’d be if my son were killed. They’d probably have to lock me up in a rubber room. Every time I think about it, I feel the crazy start to take over. So she’s justifiably loony, I don’t blame her for that. What she really needs is to quit living on various streets in America and get some therapy to help her handle her grief. Other parents who have lost children in the war aren’t behaving this way…
Also, she’s demanding that the President meet with her. He’s already done that once, and I very much doubt his answer to her is going to be any different from the first time she met him.
September 27th, 2005, at 3:47 am #Cindy Sheehan is a convenient straw man argument for the right, nothing more. Is she crazy? Yeah, pretty much. Is she annoying? Oh hell yeah. Is she protesting correctly? No, she’s not. Should this war be protested? Undeniably.
I vehemently disagree with the notion that we are “beyond whether or not we should be there.” I hate to throw out the Vietnam card this early in the diatribe, but there it is. We were sold a bill of goods on this war that has turned out to be blatantly false. No, Iraq did not have WMDs. Yes there are terrorists living there that are tangentially connected to 9/11, but you can throw a dart in that area of the map and say the same thing about wherever it lands. Yes the Iraqi people were living under the rule of a lunatic. Same dart, same map, same result.
So why Iraq, and why now? I would love to buy into the “blood for oil” conspiracy theory, but at 3 bucks a gallon that doesn’t hold much water. The truth of the matter is that this war was almost completely arbitrary. If we want to give up on the notion that America acts differently than other nations let’s just make Iraq a state, add another star on to the flag and be done with it. But if we still believe that America is better than that, we need to act like it.
September 27th, 2005, at 2:19 pm #