SHANNON KELLY
Assistant Perspectives Editor
Cindy Sheehan finally left the president’s ranch in Crawford, Texas on Aug. 31. But she isn’t taking down her tent to join her family and properly mourn her son’s death. Sheehan and the anti-Bush brigade have decided to mobilize, literally. She’s taking her show on the road, tour buses and all.
The Sheehan Show, which is officially called the “Bring Them Home Now Tour,” might roll into a town near you. Unlike the Magical Mystery Tour, however, you don’t have to buy tickets to go see this act. But since you get what you pay for, it makes perfect sense that this show is free. Don’t worry, Sheehan’s fans haven’t lost any money by supporting her tour. They’ve only lost their minds.
Why Sheehan? Out of so many groups to choose from, I’m going straight for a grieving mother’s throat (her 24-year-old son, Casey, died in Iraq in April 2004). My feelings toward her actually have nothing to do with my thoughts on the war or how I feel about extreme activists. If anything, I applaud protesters for so perfectly illustrating that, because we have freedom, Americans can exercise their constitutional liberties and speak out for their beliefs. But I don’t approve of what Sheehan is doing, and even if my disapproval has little to do with her politics, it has everything to do with her deficient integrity.
Anybody who dishonors her son by using his death to push her own agenda lacks integrity and deserves no respect. But somehow, (probably with the mainstream media’s help) many Americans think she’s a hero. Her followers are too blinded by their emotions and urgent need for an anti-war ringleader to realize that Sheehan is a phony and anything but an advocate for freedom.
Unlike his mother, Casey Sheehan was a freedom fighter. When he turned 20, he enlisted in the army and underwent Combat-Lifesaver training and became certified to give soldiers communion while on the field. Because he wanted to continue fighting for his country, Casey re-enlisted in 2004, knowing he might be sent to the combat zone in Iraq. When U.S. soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment were ambushed by enemy forces, Casey volunteered to join a relief team but did not survive the mission. His sister, Carly, told a Los Angeles Times reporter, “All he wanted to do was serve God and his country.” Casey was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He fought and died for his country, honorably defending freedom.
Since her son’s death, however, Sheehan has dedicated her life to disproving everything he stood for and taking away his honor. According to the National Review online, she went so far to say, “He died for oil. He died to make your friends richer. He died to expand American imperialism in the Middle East.”
Is that what Casey would say he fought for? How can a mother who makes a mockery of her own son be considered a hero? Sheehan might as well carve her message on Casey’s gravestone; “My son’s ideals were bogus, and he died for a useless cause.” Or she could scorch his metals and char his Purple Heart and Bronze Star to a crisp. Sound awful? She’s spreading that same message on her three-bus tour, a more extravagant and efficient way to dishonor her son.
Sheehan used her son’s death to snatch America’s attention and heartlessly chose to refocus the nation’s interest toward her own anti-war agenda rather than honoring her heroic son. She’s a disgrace and an embarrassment for our country. How can someone be so un-American?
09-08-2005
