Get News & Views Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Justice for Casey Sheehan and Hundreds of Thousands of Others
It was with great sorrow and fear that my family watched the insane and inexplicable rush of our nation to invade two countries that had absolutely nothing to do with the events on September 11, 2001.
It was with greater sorrow and fear that my family watched one of our indispensable members, Casey, march off to one of those immoral occupations in Iraq.
Our lives were shattered when he came home in a cardboard box, shortly after he was killed there on April 04, 2004. We picked Casey's body up from the airport in San Francisco for the final time at a United Airlines loading dock, where his cardboard box was unceremoniously loaded into the hearse for his last ride home.(And the longest ride of my life).
Along with the rest of our family, Casey was opposed to these wars of aggression and before he left for Iraq, Casey, a Humvee mechanic, told everyone that he wouldn’t be able to “kill anyone.”
Well, one president, thousands of American deaths, over a million Iraqi deaths, and almost nine years later, Barack Obama has announced that all US troops would be leaving Iraq by the end of this year. I'd like to remind everyone that Barack Obama stated that ending the war in Iraq would be the "first thing" he did as President--and we could even "take it to the bank," (probably one of the failed ones) and that this withdrawal is something Bush-Maliki scheduled back at the end of 2008.
I would like to send my deepest apologies to the people of Iraq for what my country has done there, but also my congratulations (no matter how reserved) because this is something that the people of Iraq have been fighting for and I am happy for them that US troops finally will be vacating their country.
However, did Obama just forget about the heavily fortified 104 acre US Embassy in Baghdad that employs 3000, or the enormous US consulates in Basra and Erbil, that will eventually employ about another 3000 people--or the thousands of paid mercenaries that will remain after the end of this year?
I didn’t hear Obama talk about the destruction of infrastructure and lives for the people of Iraq—or the high increases in cancer rates and birth defects from the usage of depleted uranium coated munitions.
The two most important things, though, that I did not hear Obama say are these: prosecuting members of the Bush regime for the hundreds of lies it told about Iraq, and paying reparations to the people of Iraq.
I can only hope that when US troops do pull out that the US puppet government pulls out of there, too, and the people of Iraq can finally and completely have their country back and with full and unfettered access to the natural resources that belong to the people. Unfortunately, with thousands of Americans, mercenary troops and foreign oil companies, I don’t think the struggle is over.
Also, which war will Obama send these troops that are leaving Iraq to? Pakistan? Afghanistan? Uganda? Iran? Or somewhere else that we can only imagine?
These wars have cost my family dearly and have sucked at least three trillion dollars out of our economy.
We will never get Casey back and no amount of death/destruction will make his “sacrifice” “worth it”—the only thing that could bring comfort to our family now is accountability and an end to war as the first go-to tool in the box of US foreign policy.
RIP, Casey Austin Sheehan and so many others who are dead for absolutely no reason other than profit for the few.
Comments
Note: Disqus 2012 is best viewed on an up to date browser. Click here for information. Instructions for how to sign up to comment can be viewed here. Our Comment Policy can be viewed here. Please follow the guidelines. Note to Readers: Spam Filter May Capture Legitimate Comments...
64 Comments so far
Show All"an end to war as the first go-to tool in the box of US foreign policy."
It often seems to me that foreign policy is the first go-to tool of the military enthusiasts who use it as an excuse to make war. President Junior's Iraq war is the best example of that: the decision to go to war came first then the supposed reasons were contrived and cobbled together.
Of course, since Obama/Biden and the Democrats have all continued the Bush/Cheney/Republican war crimes and crimes against humanity, and are as complicit in them, don't ever expect prosecutions from this two-party Wall Street/Corporatist/Warmonger Ruling Class.
Unless and until we have a new economic/political system here, in which justice, obedience to the law and fairness are prominent features, true justice for Casey Sheehan and all the others murdered, maimed, tortured, or made refugees by U.S. imperial policies will have to wait.
Ed: You nailed it!
Cindy, first off, I am sorry for your loss. I too lost a child and it stays with your forever.
Second, thank you for camping out and speeking out about the war.
Too bad the rest of the US was to stupid to understand what you were saying.
And the headlines all over the world should be:
THE US LOST THE WAR OF IRAQ! Not this bs that Obama is saying that he kept his promise. The weasel lost the right to stay and occupy a country that the US illegally invaded.
This is great - to hear from Cindy, an International Treasure. Thank you, Cindy, for sending apologies to the people in Iraq. Also, the U$A should pay reparations to the people of Iraq. We owe them big time. Wars will go on until US taxpayers have to pay for the destructuion they cause in other countries. It is now time to pay the bill to Iraq, Afgan, Pak, Diego Garcia, Haiti, Panama, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Cuba, Mexico, etc, etc, etc...
Cindy, you are awesome, thank you. Your light shines for all of us !
Yes, the fascist amerikan empire owes a lot to innocent nations. Amerika's debt will be paid back in karma by the collapsing empire....for SURE !
Cindy: " Which war will Obama send these troops that are leaving Iraq to"?
Whereever the war racketeers, Wall Street, the MIC, and the war profiteers tell him to send them.
Cindy, you have my deepest respect for all you do. Paul
Exactly. Out of the frying pan, into the fire--there is no end of places to meddle in, as long as there are profits to be made and people to exploit. I read today that many people in Iraq yearn for the days of Saddam. Mission accomplished, eh Obama?
I will always respect Cindy Sheehan for her courage in the needless death of her son. I'm sure Casey would be very proud--may he rest in peace.
We hear so much about 'serving one's country', so much about sacrifice and heroes, so much about not giving up and 'going the distance'....all very worthy but much depends on context. Cindy represents the truth, the real context...she is a hero. One will not soon forget her camped outside the 'Crawford White House' all those summers...Cindy represents perseverence sacrifice etc, and she deserves our thanks for it. I greatly resent the notion that those of us who don't have loved ones 'serving' don;t understand...well we understand so much and care so much we didn't want these people to go over there in the first place. We DO understand the legacy we inherit....the war is FAR from over, the broken families, lives, spirits and communities will last a very long time not to speak of the financial cost to us all except the very wealthy who have made so much at the expence of so many. Yes, Cindy is a hero, unsung and to our shame almost forgotten...best wishes and blessings Cindy. You have always told it like it is! Telling truth to power is a heroic deed.
It is to the eternal shame of the people of Nancy Pelosi's district in California -- and of San Francisco in particular -- that they re-elected her over Cindy Sheehan in the last election.
And they certainly can not use "ignorance" as an excuse.
San Francisco has one of the most highly educated populations in the US.
And also (supposedly) one of the most "progressive"
What a joke..
Cindy Sheehan's congressional bid! Slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch...
Jimbojangles, even from clear across the continent, it became depressingly clear to me that Sheehan wasn't getting much traction in SF because Pelosi is a well-connected Establishment politician with a fatuous progressive-liberal following.
Since I've never so much as visited San Francisco-- and I'm not sure flowers would obtain sufficient purchase in my dwindling hair-- I leave it to local residents to confirm, deny, or modify my belief that SF's (and California's) reputation as a freethinking, freewheeling multicultural/countercultural hotbed is mostly leftover hype from the Haight-Ashbury "flower power" era.
My sense is that, while the tradition of waving one's freak flag high lives on here and there, and influences municipal and local politics, SF has an entrenched an Establishment as any other big Amerikan city. And that a true radical like Sheehan is anathema to the SF Establishment's Democratic progressive-liberals
During Sheehan's ill-fated campaign, I remember going back and forth in CD comments threads with some knucklehead "realist" who stubbornly rejected Sheehan as a hapless outsider-- if not an outright self-indulgent "spoiler", at best a misguided amateur who was out of her league could never "deliver the goods" the way seasoned, experienced Pelosi could.
And the genteel liberal-lites were-- and are-- also captive to the warped and pernicious excesses of identity politics; they were enthralled by Pelosi's "Historic" position as the first woman Speaker of the House, and were not about to withdraw their drooling heads from Pelosi's fundament and forsake her in order to support a true maverick like Sheehan just because Cindy is a woman of far more courage, wisdom, and integrity than the Gorgon Pelosi.
The progressive-liberal moderate "Heathers": Salon's Joan Walsh, the "Nation" women (Katrina vanden Heuvel, Katha Pollitt et al), and even Code Pink all ran from Sheehan as if escaping a particularly pungent fart because Cindy rejected their consensus that she was best suited to remaining the Democrats' in-house "anti-war mom" mascot, devoting herself to cheerleading for Democratic "liberal" candidates-- like Pelosi!
Eff THAT noise, Cindy quite correctly said. And off the table she went, just like Bush's impeachment.
It still burns me up. Does it show?
You are not alone. Cindy, My name is Thomas, I visited you back at Camp Casey all those years ago, driving several hours from where I live in the DFW area. You inspired me to read more about Eugene Debs, Noam Chomsky, and a copy of Zinn's "History" still rests, dog-eared but whole near my bedside to this day. I now have the courage to speak openly, at the Bedford Library, at Tarrant County College and to everyone that I meet about my growing conviction, made stronger not weaker as I age, that our salvation will come not from fear and hate and vengeance, but from love, sharing and socialism. I did not think it was possible for people to still exist that thought like you, and it made me feel like all my ideas died stillborn before their escape from my head. I was wrong, and for that reason alone, I cannot thank you enough.
Obedient Servant: Very astute and brilliant post!
I even argued with the labor unions on why they wouldn't support Cindy over "Impeachment's off the table" Pelosi. The unfortunate thing is that they keep supporting Democrats instead of alternative candidates. They dwell in the past when the Dems were decent for labor.
Jimbojangles: Sad to say, but you're right. I've done a lot of precinct walking in my life for various candidates and different issues, and I can proudly say that I walked the beat for Cindy Sheehan for Congress.
When the Bush/Cheney protector Pelosi is on television, I change channels or walk out of the room, she is so despicable!
I realize that there are still lots of people like yourself who DID work for and support Cindy. Good for you!
I went to see Cindy speak in a park on the east coast when she was doing her "Bus tour" (before she was running for Congress) and what impressed me above all were her honesty and integrity.
These also happen to be the qualities that are most wanting in the vast majority of our politicians today (not coincidentally, I am sure)
They are also the only things that will bring real change.
I actually have to laugh when I hear the rationale given for voting for Pelosi over Sheehan: Pelosi is "seasoned".
Well, at least they got that right.
She's so well "seasoned" that Bush and Cheney had her for dinner -- after she had made room on the table by removing impeachment, of course.
You're so right about the "seasoned" Pelosi. She even grins like W.
So-called print, radio, and television liberal/progressives still make excuses for Pelosi (and Obama & Harry Reid) after she took "single payer" health care, and the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) "off the table" and tell you to keep voting for the Democrats.
Always a thrill and a pleasure to find Cindy Sheehan gracing the CommonDreams lineup.
Cindy's commentaries unfailingly ring with clarity and truth. ♥ ☮
CommonDreams did not see fit to publish Cindy's articles where she took sharp aim at Obama, shortly after he took office and quickly continued Bush's far-right policies.
I remember copying and pasting several of Cindy's articles here in the comments section.
It was unacceptable to censor one of the most important voices of the peace movement simply because a consensus had not yet been reached that Obama was a sell-out.
Our numbers are so small we absolutely cannot afford to have our most prominent members pushed out and ignored.
Yeah, and right now CD is providing several heaping helpings of "The Evil Gaddafi is Dead, Boo-Yahh, Long Live the Brave Democrats of Libya" . . .
Exactly. Thank you Commondreams, for lifting your censorious ban of Cindy Sheehan's writings.
>>Along with the rest of our family, Casey was opposed to these wars of aggression and before he left for Iraq, Casey, a Humvee mechanic, told everyone that he wouldn’t be able to “kill anyone".<<
Then why did he enlist? Did you try to dissuade him? If not, why not?
indeed
service is voluntary
and if you choose to volunteer because you need a job
then you have chosen money over principle
I served, my ex served, ( for australia, your imperialist attitude assumes everyone is is USAian ) I have friends who are serving now for the USA .
Have you served? I doubt it, patriotic pricks like you rarely have.
And you can shove your lies about freedom up your arse, Freedom is not something to be won, we are born free.
Sure , some wars are about defeating evil and defending the weak, ( it's not about defending freedom :eyeroll: ) but a big number of them are money making ventures by the MIC
and the words you put in my mouth, about calling cindy a war whore, you can shove those up your arse as well
"( for australia, your imperialist attitude assumes everyone is is USAian ) "
In all fairness, this is an American blog. Which doesn't mean you're not welcome; only that you should expect to be assumed to be American until we know otherwise.
"Freedom is not something to be won, we are born free."
Pretty (but) meaningless statement. We're born; that is all. Who knows if we're ever "free"? Depends on one's definition of "freedom." Strictly speaking, one is born utterly unfree: I dare any newly delivered fetus to start living out an Ayn Rand wet dream.
my comprehension is excellent
I can read through your words straight to your intent
>>one who has died for your right to be disrespectful, abusive, and mean <<
If only that was the case but it is not. They are dying for pipelines. They are dying for corporate profits. They are dying for ideological reasons. They are not dying to protect our rights.
Casey Sheehan probably thought he was enlisting for all the right reasons, because the propaganda "catapaulted" by GWB and his predecessors is so powerful. Freedom. Motherhood. Apple pie.
There a story told about an experiment done in Germany a long long time ago dating back to the period of the 30 years war.
A young orphan boy was taken by a very intelligent elderly man when the boy still a babe and raised in this tower. All of his life that boy saw no other but that elderly man and a small circle of friends. He was cut off from the world , even from the sun itself. All that he was told or learned was what the man decided he would be told or learned.
When that young boy grew to manhood and was first taken from that tower, he cowered in fear from the sun itself.
Now if that elderly man said to the boy. Jump from this towers edge. You see birds? You can fly like them . You see that blue beneath? It is a pool of water and will catch you if you fall . Now if that boy jumped....
Did the boy make a FREE choice? Did he truly volunteer to jump? Can he be called an idiot? Stupid...Insane?
Now that certainly an example of extremes . I saw the accounting of how this boy was read on some documentary many years ago and can not recall how it all turned out but the example of the extreme does make a point.
The structure of a society shapes and molds how children behave and how they will act when they grow to manhood. A boy raised in Ancient Sparta is going to have differing views regarding war then one born in Modern Iceland.
The United States of America is a Militaristic society wherein children are all but indoctrinated into the concept of "American Exceptionalism" and War as a heroic and noble act. While Casey ultimately made that choice, it was not an informed one and it not being an informed choice is not entirely the fault of Casey.
Quite frankly it my belief that one should not be able to volunteer for Military service until one is 30 years of age. The warfare state "Gets them when they are young" and starts going after them when they in school because it knows full well that few if any will volunteer at the age of 30.
Well said.
Yes, it is well said!
Interesting thing about being 30 years old. The Russian mystic, Madam Blavatsky, once said that most people don't really start to think until they're around 30.
Didn't Blavatsky invent Theosophy and the Root Race Theory, a most evil idea that was taken up by the Nazis.
I would never quote her as if she is some kind of enlightened being.
She did try to dissuade him, but he had made a commitment. He was a mechanic. I know, he was still part of the war machine, but back then, too many bought into the BS that OBL blew up the towers.
Do you remember growing up with all those patriotic verses shoved down your throat everyday?
Did you ever play cowboys and indians?
Just because you are now enlightened, it take a lot of thinking to understand that the US is not the shining beacon on the hill.
It is the most violent country on the planet and the Elite's muscle.
Many people join out of Patriotism, not just for a job.
My opinion.
People enlist in the military for a variety of reasons (job opportunities, college tuition, desire to serve their country, etc) and it is quite possible to oppose "wars of aggression" but not all wars (eg, one meant to repel an invasion or to defeat someone like Hitler)
Iraq clearly falls in the war of aggression category.
It's not really a particularly fair -- or even fruitful-- endeavor to criticize those like Casey simply for joining the miltary because they are not responsible for the wars.
Our Presidents are. Congress is supposed to be making the decision, but is little more than a rubber stamp, unfortunately, although they should still be held accountable for letting the President deceive the country into an aggressive war like Iraq, just the same.
Sure, people like Casey Sheehan fight them, but they are not given a choice which ones to fight.
Their only "choice" is fight or face a prison term. Not much of a choice, in my opinion.
Cindy, thank you for the example you set for the rest of us who think and care. You courageously point out the steaming piles of bs coming from the mouths and the deeds of our so-called leaders. You warn us not to contaminate our "souls" with it, not to be complicit in the US empire's violent quest for world dominance. You study up, you get your facts straight, you tell the unvarnished truth. You were one of a very few who saw through Obama's pile of crap. Too bad the great majority preferred to see it as a bunch of roses. Your defeat to Nancy Pelosi was telling as to how low American "progressives" are willing to be taken. Let's hope the era of "Empire dearest, tell us what to do, what to think, and who to turn to for leadership" is over.
I don't see a link to Cindy's blog here at CD. Just fyi, here it is: http://www.cindysheehanssoapbox.com/ I for one would like to see more of her writings posted here. Thank you in advance.
Thank you Cindy for your story and your work. Your son did what he thought was the right thing to do, a choice many unsuspecting young people did in this country. Sort of like voting for a guy who claims so much and delivers so little. Yes, the Iraq soldiers willcome home to no jobs, little health care, extreme cost to get educated...and yet those multibillion dollar contractors get to stay in Iraq and suck the other side for awhile til someone declares Iraq a colony of the US. The lies and scams our government, someone's government, not mine, continues with, are just disgusting. The cover of Mother Jones for December says it all.
I have to wonder how much more the Faux people can keep up with the charade. I learned the hard way as a child, that if you start with a lie, and a coverup attempt, that sooner or later, it can't hold up under the weight if it compounds itself. The lies the 1% has told us since Reagan are already in the compounding mode. The initiation of the MIC during FDR, http://www.prisonplanet.com/the-military-industrial-complex-it%E2%80%99s-much-later-than-you-think.html ..."Roosevelt was building up his “arsenal of democracy,” down to the present moment, public opinion has usually assumed that it involved more or less equitable relations—often termed a “partnership”—between the high command and civilian overlords of the United States military and privately-owned, for-profit manufacturing and service enterprises. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that, from the time they first emerged, these relations were never equitable." So anything done since then, whether it is Dems or Reps..whatever, it ain't equitable for the citizens of the US either. This is way out of whack, way worse than any of us say out loud. It's almost too unbelievable that Americans would hate their countrymen so much that they would sacrifice an entire nation in order to just be rich, and have a boat, and a house, a lobster and Chevas, what ? really???
Can we say COVER UP? CORRUPTION?? EXTORTION?? MURDER??
What we have left to fight with is boycott-occupy-litigate. We still must pick a battle within this big lie, and the MIC is a pretty good bet for leader of the pack...PAC...so researching the MIC contracts and the companies and who we can affect through boycotting, occupying, or litigating. The answers are right in front of our nose, we just need to all be serious journalists and layman lawyers and find our way into the courts to end this nightmare. I believe families like the Sheehans ought suit the MIC for loss of life, cost of everything and pain and suffering, a civil suit...just thinking
Excellent comment. However...
>>and find our way into the courts to end this nightmare.<<
What do we do when the courts are corrupt. If any cases we might bring rise to the level of the Supreme Court, which is almost totally corrupt, we will lose. Lower courts can rule for us, and those we sue will appeal. And if they lose in a higher court, they will appeal again. I like your ideas, but I fear we may be so far gone that nothing can be done. Yes. We still have to try.
Stonepig: I share your sentiments. Good post!
Remember the late 19th century robber barron Jay Gould's famous remark: "I have enough money to hire half of the people to kill the other half." (Or words to that effect.)
Our robo-cop-like police forces have become the new storm troopers in Amerika. I'm not to sure about our court system anymore. It is more jaded than ever.
I am so delighted to read something from Cindy Sheehan again, and hope her voice will remain strong.
my son also served in iraq (army infantry) during the time cindys son casey was there. i cannot imagine the heartache and devastation. i applaud cindys efforts. i am not sure i could do the same. must be a struggle to go on day to day. this same son is now over in afghanistan with the air force. i also have a younger son who is a new marine and yet to experience war. i pray he does not anytime soon.
while yes, i believe the war was wrong to initiate, and i, also, want an end to it, i believe it is vitally important to continue to support the men and women serving.
it is unrealistic to lobby for all to be removed from iraq. there is a us embassy there, for one.
whether or not we agree with any decision regarding the war, the fact remains it cannot be changed. events have transpired. what's done is done. to waste any further energy over the past is futile and unproductive.
grumbling and griping about september 11 is not getting us anywhere. looking for instant miracles will lead to frustration. one goal achieved at a time will lead to hope. however, please don't lose focus on the other living and breathing troops that are every bit as important as those who have lived, fought and died for their country not themselves.
MilitaryMomX2 sez: "... i believe it is vitally important to continue to support the men and women serving.it is unrealistic to lobby for all to be removed from iraq."
The problem with supporting the troops is that it is too often conflated with supporting the war(s). Even you, with two sons in the armed forces, are arguing that some people's sons and daughters must be left to maintain our status in a country that doesn't want us there.
The best way to support the troops is to bring them home and stop wasting their lives in unnecessary wars of aggression. By re-branding overseas invasions/occupations as a "war on terror" we have established an "always at war" mindset. We don't need to be always at war. We need to stop being the aggressors. We need to wage peace.
ctrz-z
I like your explanation to MilitaryMomX2 and for all the moms (and pops) I'll add something else. The only way to end wars is not to be a participant in them.
I've come to the conclusion that once personnel leave their country's borders under arms, they become an aggressor. Nations of the world have a right to protect their citizens from an invasion and/or an occupation from another country, and if this rule were applied, peaceful coexistence among the inhabitants of this planet would become a reality.
I've confronted folk with sons, daughters, parents, and grandchildren currently serving in the military and it's heartbreaking telling them why I cannot support the troops in our endless "conflicts."
Telling truth to power! The ghastly legacy of GWB will not end soon. This War Criminal has damaged all of us. Why was GWB not held accountable for his crimes? This is the #1 question in the world today. There is no question larger. Being Republican is to be in bed with a war criminal. And these candidates have a 50/50 chance of being elected? Shame on you America!
"However, did Obama just forget about the heavily fortified 104 acre US Embassy in Baghdad that employs 3000.."
No he didn't "forget". Cindy. He, the Federal Government of the United States and the American Press are doing what they've always done: Lie, hide and skew the truth. ABC, CBS NBC/GE, FOX and CNN. All liars.
They've got yet another foothold in the ME and they're happy. Thats what they wanted all along.
They should all be driven east into the sea and drowned.
Moonpie, you have it correct. " The United States and the American Press are doing what they have always done ". Destroy, pervert, and divert the truth, to keep the 1% in power. Support #OWS!
The U.S. lost the nation on the day George W. Bush attacked Iraq. It's all downhill.
I don't think we ever had the nation. It was founded on privilege, genocide, and oligarchy, and pretty much stayed that way.
The one thing we can all be sure of is that none of this was necessary, none of it was worth it, not one life lost in these ideological ego driven invasion's was "worth it"
To those that question Cindy, shame on you. It was her son's decision to join and he was a man of his word. And at the time not everyone was as omniscient as you folks, certainly not a young man like many others who joined before things became clear. I sometimes despair of reasonable intelligence that is AWOL here sometimes.
Just remember Cindy, through you he had a greater effect than most, so he did not die in vain.
To quote one of my favorites...."Always a thrill and a pleasure to find Cindy Sheehan gracing the CommonDreams lineup.
Cindy's commentaries unfailingly ring with clarity and truth. ♥ ☮"
Indeed!
alugilac: Amen! You said it well!
>>And at the time not everyone was as omniscient as you folks, certainly not a young man like many others who joined before things became clear.<<
And, now, although presumably "things have become clear" people continue to enlist. And now a sincere question, "Why, in your opinion, is this?"
Cindy for President!