I am so tired of the news in regards to Cindy Sheehan, but not for the same reason the media wants to box one in. There are three sides to this story given, but only 2 are shown and with very biased positions. Here is the story as I see it and the reason why I am sick of it.
Cindy Sheehan - She is a grieving mother who lost her son in the Iraq war. She, like others who grieve, is angry over the loss of her son and is venting. As an American, she has the right to protest. As a mother, she has a right to grieve in whatever way is productive to help
her move on. Even if the things she believes in are somewhat to the Left, if they are tied into the Bush Administration, for which she holds responsible for her son's death, they are fair game for her venting. She should be encouraged and supported for what she is doing. She needs help in wrapping her mind around her son's death. This is
Cindy's cause on behalf of her son. She needs to do this.
President Bush - If President Bush had to personally address each and every single family member of someone who died in Iraq as a direct or indirect result of the war, he would NEVER have time to do other necessary things that are part of his job. Granted, he was on vacation during this protest, but that did not mean he was any less busy with his finger on the pulse of the office. He saw her there, but had other things on his agenda. I'm sure he felt bad about her loss and the loss of so many others, but he had other things to do and as far as the war goes, there really is not much he can do about her loss because the war supposedly is almost over.
President Bush is a former drug and alcohol addict. He is doing a very stressful job as leader of the country. Anyone familiar with addicts knows they really need to do constructive and positive things to stay on the clean path. He NEEDS his vacation. Put the shoe on the other foot, if you were on vacation and your boss kept calling you about work that you never agreed to handle while you were off, wouldn't you be a little bit stubborn about it?
The President's time would be best spent in addressing ALL who have lost family members in one setting and meet with them instead of having them insist on seeing him at any time of the day. He does have other things to do, whether you want to hear that or not. Cindy Sheehan just is not high on his agenda when Iraq is close to finalizing the constitution, there are still hot spots within Iraq who could cause trouble, the trouble that could happen at any time in Gaza, the price of oil, the economy, and very many other issues here and abroad.
The Outsiders - This group includes the Left, Right and media. Let me say this to the entire group of outsiders - SHAME ON YOU!!!
The Left - It's one thing if you are supporting Cindy Sheehan in a friendly manner as one would want to give humane help to one who is hurting, but how dare you put a political spin on her hurt and anger! She may have opinions that merge with what the Left believes, but you do her no service by making her the poster child for your political platform. This is not about helping her, but helping your own cause. Unless you are there to support Cindy Sheehan as a person, a grieving mother, then leave her alone.
The Right - How dare you determine how this poor woman should or should not grieve? What gall you people have for villanizing a lady who lost her son at war! This is the same group of people who USED a poor comatose woman to further their pro-life agenda who are complaining about the Left USING a bereft mother for their cause. Then to applaud the tactics of bringing in mothers with sons in Iraq who are NOT dead as proof that most Americans are behind him is absurd because the majority are NOT behind this President, but ONLY support the troops.
The Media - You people really know how to beat an issue into the ground. This story, at best, is one of those human interest stories, the kind you devote 5-10 minutes coverage before you move on to the real news. While this whole Sheehan story was front and center, you completely blew off or under-reported several big events such as the floods in central Europe, a plane crash in South America, an earthquake,... and there's more, but since I have to watch the BBC News in order to get see what's happening in the world because you people forget to report just the facts, I don't feel the need to give you news leads.
What Do I Feel About It AllI am so happy my brother-in-law came back in one piece. I watched him grow up when I met my husband from the time he was 6. I helped him get ready for school in the mornings and watched him when he came home from school. I helped him with his homework and taught him how to read. I was there for him to take care of him when he was sick or needed help. When his mother and father were seperated, I was basically in full care of him.
Like so many other kids his age, he had no clue as to what to do when he got out of school. He did not want to go to school again because his last experience with it was less than pleasant. He knew he needed to do something different and get more out of life, so he joined the Army, just like his father did during Vietnam.
Unlike Michael Moore's portrait of a typical soldier over there, the majority of the kids sent there were in fact white suburban or Mid-Western boys who were NOT disadvantaged. They grew up with the idea that the armed forces was an option to do something with your life instead of sitting around doing nothing and going nowhere. They knew by joining they could be called on to fight at any time, regardless of how they feel about any conflict going on.
And like MANY troops serving over there, my brother-in-law thought the whole pretense of war was bogus. He was there to do a job and to stay alive. He served his time and came home. We supported him for doing what he had to do, even if we also thought the circumstances of the war was bogus.
There are a lot of our people still over there who need our love and support. Whether or not we believe in the war is a moot point. Even if a lot of us against the war or how this war was conducted believe Bush should be investigated, IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH SUPPORTING THE TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES!!!
If Cindy Sheehan wants to protest, let her. If George Bush wants to ignore her because he has other things to do, let him. Everyone else really needs to put this whole thing in perspective.
Editorials By Callen Damornen
