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Priorities, Priorities
[Editor's Note: I cross-posted this at Dailykos last night.]
There's something that George Bush just doesn't understand, that Cindy Sheehan is trying to teach.
Cindy Sheehan is trying to teach him, and many others, that you don't stop being a mother when your child dies.
And something is very wrong in America with people who want to insist you should.
Something is very wrong in America when the President can meet with large campaign contributors but not the mother of a fallen soldier right at the end of his driveway.
Something is very wrong in America when the President can leave his vacation to sign an energy bill that he himself admits will do nothing to either lower gasoline prices or reduce our energy dependence, but can't meet with the mother of a fallen soldier sitting at the end of his driveway.
Something is very wrong in America when the President can take a five week vacation, while giving a speech that reminds the country no less than eight times that "We are at war", and then ignores the tragic and inevitable consequence of that war, even as she is sitting at the end of his driveway.
Something is very wrong in America when the phrase "We are at war", means the death of a child for some people, and "let me hold your coat while you go and fight a war that I started" for other people. And the people who started the war refuse to acknowledge the injustice of that choice, even as it sits at the end of the driveway.
Something is very wrong in America when people think that sacrifice means a magnetic yellow ribbon, when it actually means a combat ribbon. And the cars embossed with those magnetic ribbons drive right by the mother of the fallen soldier who got his combat ribbon posthumously as she sits at the end of the driveway.
Something is very wrong in America when the President who claims moral authority, from a party that touts the moral high ground at every opportunity, and yet refuses to recognize the absolute and unrelenting moral authority of the mother of a fallen soldier.
Even as that mother is sitting at the end of his driveway. Every day. Every night. In the rain, and the cold, in the heat and the dark.
Something is very wrong in America.
And Cindy Sheehan is working to make it right.
Because you don't stop being a mother when your child dies.
God Bless You, Cindy.
Talk about priorities... Take a tragedy and turn it into a parade...How patriotic...
Is there no end to which this regime will go to abuse and trivialize 9/11 and the "fight for freedom"...
'Freedom Walk' to Commemorate 9/11, Celebrate Freedom
By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2005 – The Defense Department today announced the first "America Supports You Freedom Walk" to honor the victims of 9/11 and America's military personnel, as well as to celebrate freedom.
http://www.pentagon.mil/news/Aug2005/20050809_2376.html
A picture is worth a thousand words
There are 4 pages in this gallery. Each picture on these pages is the first picture in an album.
The albums have titles such as:
Lawless Iraq: Nine bricklayers detained by security forces on suspicion of involvement with the Iraqi resistance who suffocated to death while held for over 14 hours in a police van on 11 July 2005.
The "reconstruction" of Fallujah: These photos were taken by Justin Alexander who entered Fallujah with CPT in early May, 2005.
Casualties of Polling: Hundreds of Iraqis were wounded during the polling of January 30.
The Face of War: This album contains photos taken by the military of dead men in Fallujah. They were taken on November 19th, 2004, to identify the dead. The IRC estimates that at least 60% of those killed in the assault of Fallujah are women, children and elderly. Warning: These are extremely graphic images posted simply to show the true face of war
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/gallery/
47 albums, 619 images on 4 pages
Just in: Coup in Baghdad:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/10/international/middleeast/10iraq.html?ex=1281326400&en=b9d54ec8678483a0&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Per Laura Rozen's War and Piece Blog:
http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/002360.html
Next thing the Pentagon will sponsor a march to celebrate Pearl Harbor.
Here's an excerpt from the Times article on the Baghdad coup:
"Baghdad Mayor Is Ousted by a Shiite Group and Replaced
By JAMES GLANZ
Published: August 10, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 9 - Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city's mayor and installed a member of Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/10/international/middleeast/10iraq.html?ex=1281326400&en=b9d54ec8678483a0&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
It's relevant to note that, according to the story, the ousted Mayor was installed by Bremer, and the Council that was behind the coup was actually elected.
Needless to say, democracy in Iraq may not produce results that are to our liking.
Good God, Beth. People are walking into City Hall in Baghdad armed? WTF?
The snippet below is a reaction to a much longer piece written by Jay Rosen which is also excellent and worth reading. I wanted to bring this to your attention because I think the writer expressed very clearly how "different realities" can and do exist. This statement of how it occurs just underlines how one must go about breaking down the borders of a given person's "reality" and why Truth Shall Prevail has been so successful with her patient persistence.
we don't have any control over the structure of the culture, because what is evolving is not a single culture, but multiple cultures. The culture that you are referring to will be/is the "left wing media elite" culture---the culture that cares about things like "accuracy".
The larger "real world" culture is based on self-gratification and self-affirmation---and technology is evolving to the point where people will be able to live in a "real" world that is totally divorced from reality.
The right wing in America has already achieved much of that---they have their own News Network, a talk radio network, and a rightwing blogosphere that presents a view of reality that is completely at odds with the perceptions of 99% of the people on the planet. The "mainstream media" presents no threat to this unreal "reality" thanks to the emphasis on "balance" in the news---since one of the choices offered is THEIR reality, they seldom experience cognitive dissonance. And when cognitive dissonance does occur, they write it off as "media bias."
Of course, the Fox/Rush/Reynolds axis is just a crude approximation of what will evolve eventually---individually tailored realities.
Only the most intellectually masochistic will successfully break out of their individually tailored reality, and get a clue to what is really going on --- and they will wind up classified as insane, either because cognitive dissonance drives them nuts, or their attempts to break through to others will be perceived as the ravings of a madman.
We're the Borg...we just don't know it. But then again, neither did they.
Posted by: p.lukasiak at January 18, 2005 09:23 PM
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2005/01/15/berk_pprd.html#comment15170
Link to Jay Rosen's essay:
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2005/01/15/berk_pprd.html
Spinnaker: Apparently. Here's a quote from the article:
"This is the new Iraq," said Mr. Tamimi, a secular engineer with no party affiliation. "They use force to achieve their goal."
Talk about priorities... Take a tragedy and turn it into a parade...How patriotic...
Posted by: madame defarge at August 10, 2005 10:44 AM
In the past year or two, EVERY calendar I receive at the beginning of the year has had September 11th marked "Patriot Day." As if everyone has to go into a patriotic fervor on that day and renew our "resolve" to fight make-believe terrorists like Saddam Hussein, while the real terrorist, Osama, runs free. (But then, I work in the ultra-conservative construction mafia industry, so maybe this is to be expected.)
If misguided wars and destruction of Constitutional principles are what patriotism stands for these days, I want no part of it. This was NOT the deal I was given when I naturalized as an American during the Clinton era.
Only the most intellectually masochistic will successfully break out of their individually tailored reality, and get a clue to what is really going on --- and they will wind up classified as insane, either because cognitive dissonance drives them nuts, or their attempts to break through to others will be perceived as the ravings of a madman.
Posted by: dwahzon at August 10, 2005 11:39 AM
They've already done that crap to me in the Great Red State of Arizona.
This week I get the feeling that we are losing the war. I mean, not only are we really screwing up in Iraq, and not winning, but that we are really losing.
Perhaps the Iraqi Constitution will be signed and that will do all the things the Administration hopes. I really hope so too. Right now I'm getting worried that ionstead of "Iraqification" we are getting "Iranification". This isn't looking good--Iraqi leaders kidnapped, the Baghdad mayor hiding after a Shite coup, car bombs killing US troops and Iraqi police by the handfulls...
Because you don't stop being a mother when your child dies.
God Bless You, Cindy.
Posted by Casey Morris at August 10, 2005 10:12 AM
Casey, this is so well written, gets right to the heart of the matter. Thank you so much for this, I have already shared it with others: with those who can instantly relate and also with some who will resist, but who desperately need to read this.
Cindy=Courage
Something to watch out for in Bush's march to create the conditions for a war in Iran...
From Del Magna in The Huffington Post 8-9-2005
Why Recess-Appoint an Assistant Secretary? Why Now?
President Bush recess-appointed Peter Cyril Wyche Flory to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security on August 2, 2005. Yet Bush’s nominee to the Deputy Secretary of that department remains unconfirmed and un-appointed but is “acting” in the position. And, the nominee to be undersecretary for policy – the person Flory would report to (the one who would replace Douglas Feith) – remains unconfirmed, un-appointed, and isn’t even “acting.”
Why Flory? Why now?
Flory has worked closely with former Deputy Secretary of Defense appointee Paul Wolfowitz. He appeared before a Senate sub committee on Iranian proliferation in 2004 – along with John Bolton. In this role it was Flory’s responsibility to explain how Iranian nuclear capabilities might “alter the U.S. defense posture and military strategy in the region.”
During that sub committee meeting Flory said,” the exact nature and shape of what we do is going to depend on what happens, and it's going to depend, like our overall posture there is, on events in the region, how things go in Iraq, what the profile is of the development of the Iranian threat, what we see as the actual military threat at a given time.”
Yesterday, Iran resumed uranium production in Ishafan, ostensibly to produce much needed electricity not bombs. The move pissed off the U.S. government, who is now considering denying a visa to Iran's President for next month’s UN General meeting. It may affect “the exact nature and shape” of what the defense policy will become.
Understanding this, the International Atomic Energy Agency today “urged diplomats to exercise ‘maximum restraint’ as they try to avert a crisis between Iran and the U.S. over the Islamic Republic's resumption of uranium conversion activities.”
Interestingly, it seems that all involved have forgotten that on the same day that Flory was installed in his new post, the Washington Post reported that Iran was at least 10 years away from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear bomb.
So why Flory? Why now?
Is it something to do with today's reports that Iranian explosives have supposedly been found in Iraq?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/dal-lamagna/why-recessappoint-an-ass_5371.html
Casey, great article.
I hope Cindy Sheehan and her plight resonates in the minds and hearts of millions of Americans and beyond our borders......
Casey, your words are an astute reminder of why we must dig in and wrestle for the leadership and direction of this country. For we are all Cindy Sheehans, or have known a Cindy Sheehan in our mothers, grandmothers, and yes, even fathers and sons, and sisters and brothers.
For Cindy represents the dearest characteristic we all have.....love for those closest to her.
Cindy has the guts to make her stand and demand to be heard, and she deserves no less, and neither do we. She is doing what other mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers would be doing if they weren't so blown away by their grief, and struggling with their fear.
WHY in a country with the rich heritage America has, does an unelected official have more fortitude than our elected representatives? Where is the outrage in the Senate and the House?
God bless Rep. Conyers for stepping forward, even if he did have to hold his meeting in a room the size of a closet.
America is experiencing and suffering from unadulterated abuse. It is abuse of the legacy that our forefathers shed their blood for. It is an abuse of the human spirit, and of everything good that America has had to offer in the past, and of everything a few are trying to bring to light now.
This week has been a true turning point for me. I was disappointed before. Seeing this woman standing at the end of the driveway, being harrassed in every demeaning way legal, in full view of the world, has changed me forever.
Do they in power feel so very secure in their position that they demean a woman in full sight of the entire world?
I fear this does not set well in the hearts and minds of men and women across the world.
I know for myself, I have moved beyond feeling disappointed, and angry, and even disgusted.
This MUST NOT be allowed to be. Abuse is NOT an American characteristic. They have not just abused those in the detainee facilities. They have abused all they cheat every day out of a decent living wage. They abuse our citizens by greedily drooling over their profits at the expense of all in their land. They abuse our young men and women in the military as they send them to be maimed or to die (or come home with memories that may render them disabled), for their own gain. They abuse a woman who stands at their gate and wants some honest answers, by sending secret service men and policemen to make them pull up their camp and move, and walk in the ditch. They abuse her and her son's memory by refusing to meet with her, instead treating her like a leper and criminal.
For me, there will be no turning back. They have cross the line, and I set my jaw.
America needs to stop acting like an abused spouse.
America needs to stop acting like an abused spouse.
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at August 10, 2005 01:02 PM
America needs to put a little "United" back in it's so-called altered States of America, and for the proper reasons for a change.
United We Ain't, Divided We Crawl
This week I get the feeling that we are losing the war. I mean, not only are we really screwing up in Iraq, and not winning, but that we are really losing.
Posted by: Beth at August 10, 2005 12:10 PM
We lost this war when George Bush fancied himself a war time President. He has been a failure at everything he has touched (except cheating).
You know, the longer George holds out in talking to Cindy Sheehan, the worse it looks for him. Don't misunderstand: I think he should meet with her; he owes it to her and to all families who have lost loved ones for his mistake. But he's showing his true colors (yellow) by not meeting her face-to-face, in spite of his very busy schedule of brush clearing...
If you're anxious to do something, here's a recommendation for a call to action I found:
Flood the White House with phone calls. Let them know that people in every corner of this country support Cindy and that we want George W. Bush to go out and meet with Cindy! The number for the White House comment line is 202-456-1111. Call your local congressional representatives also! Here are their numbers:
U.S. SENATE
Kay Bailey Hutchison 512—916-5834. www.hutchison.senate.gov
John Cornyn 512—469-6034. www.cornyn.senate.gov
U.S. HOUSE
Michael T. McCaul 512—473-2357. www.house.gov/mccaul
Lamar Smith 512—402-9743. www.lamarsmith.house.gov
Lloyd Doggett 512—916-5921. www.house.gov/doggett
I THINK IT MIGHT BE TIME FOR GEORGE TO GET BACK TO WASHINGTON - NOW IS JUST NOT THE RIGHT TIME FOR A BIG LONG VACATION (and it temporarily solves the Cindy problem)
Just in: Coup in Baghdad:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/10/international/middleeast/10iraq.html?ex=1281326400&en=b9d54ec8678483a0&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Per Laura Rozen's War and Piece Blog:
The American Friends Service Committee has launched a campaign criticizing the Washington Post's decision to co-sponsor the Department of Defense's 9-11 Freedom Walk in DC.
More info at http://afsc.org/iraq/washpost.htm