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t-shirt (Photo: Jacob Appelbaum)]] Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan (born anti- Iraq War Activist after the death of her son, Casey Sheehan , who was serving in Iraq . She attracted international attention in August 2005 for her extended Demonstration at a Peace Camp outside President George W. Bush 's Texas Ranch . She is sometimes referred to by the media as the "'''Peace Mom'''." {Link without Title} DEATH OF HER SON Cindy Sheehan is the mother of ly awarded the Bronze Star Medal with V for Valor and the Purple Heart {Link without Title} . SHEEHAN'S CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR Sheehan has "always been a , but did not become active in the anti-war effort until after her son's death {Link without Title} . Sheehan and other military families met with President George W. Bush in June 2004 at Fort Lewis , near Tacoma, Washington , nearly three months after her son's death. In a June 24 , 2004 interview with the Vacaville ''Reporter'' published soon after the meeting, she stated, "We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled. The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached." It should be noted that she also stated that President Bush was "...sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis...I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith." {Link without Title} On July 4 , 2005 she was again interviewed by a local paper in Fort Lewis, Washington, regarding her meeting with President Bush, this time describing it as "one of the most disgusting experiences I ever had and it took me almost a year to even talk about it." She described President Bush as being "detached from humanity" and said that "his mouth kept moving, but there was nothing in his eyes or anything else about him that showed me he really cared or had any real compassion at all." She continued, "He didn’t even know our names," asking "Who we'all honorin' here today?" when he first entered the room, and then referring to her as "Ma" or "Mom." {Link without Title} Sheehan gave another interview on October 4 , 2004 stating that she did not understand the reasons for the Iraq invasion and never thought that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States. She further stated that her son's death had compelled her to speak out against what she feels to be an unjust war, in order to help to bring the troops home and hold politicians accountable. {Link without Title} on October 2 , 2004 .]] During the Presidential Inauguration in January, 2005, Cindy traveled to Washington D.C. to speak at the opening of Eyes Wide Open: the Human Cost of War, a traveling exhibition created by the American Friends Service Committee that displays pairs of combat boots to represent every U.S. military casualty. There she met other families who lost loved ones in Iraq, and together they discussed the need to create an organization for similar families. Cindy wrote about the experience in a commentary article She was also a featured speaker when the exhibition opened in San Diego in March, 2005 [http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2107 and traveled with the exhibition other locations. "Behind these boots is one broken-hearted family," she stated as she donated her son Casey's boots to travel with Eyes Wide Open when it stopped in San Francisco later that month [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/26/BAGTBBV26U1.DTL]. Sheehan is one of the nine founding members of Gold Star Families For Peace , an organization founded in January 2005 that seeks to end the occupation of Iraq and provide support for families of fallen soldiers. As of August 2005, at least 63 other relatives of fallen soldiers are listed as members. Although she had spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, and even pledged not to pay her 2004 taxes on August 5, 2005 Sheehan gained national attention in early , she said she was "very, very, very grateful" Bush did not grant her that meeting because it would have ended the momentum the Peace Movement gained from the popularity of her vigil [http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/1708361.html . Sheehan's actions have led supporters such as Rev. Lennox Yearwood , CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus , to describe her as "the Rosa Parks of the Antiwar Movement ." Later during the demonstration, Sheehan also gained the label of "Peace Mom" from the mainstream media [http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/24312/ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/22/politics/main789375.shtml Some critics have likened her dissent to an act of treason [http://shows.airamericaradio.com/alfrankenshow/node/3113 {Link without Title} . In her anti-war speeches and writings, Sheehan is blunt and often vitriolic, a characteristic that has been noted by observers on both the left and right, and which Sheehan herself does not deny {Link without Title} . Some of her statements have caused controversy. Of greatest controversy is an incident about which Sheehan's detractors claim she has lied. In March, 2005, James Morris sent an e-mail, written by Sheehan, to ABC's '' Nightline '' that allegedly included the statements that Casey "was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel" and that he had "joined the Army to protect America, not Israel." Sheehan denies the allegations, "I've never said that... Those aren't even words that I would say. I do believe that the Palestinian issue is a hot issue that needs to be solved, and it needs to be more fair and equitable, but I never said my son died for Israel," and claims that the email was modified by James Morris to support his own personal agenda. However, James Morris denies altering the email before sending it along to ''Nightline'' [http://representativepress.blogspot.com/2005/08/cindy-sheehan-mother-of-spc-casey.html on Sheehan's behalf (per her request for him to do so). Two other individuals, Tony Tersch and Skeeter Gallagher, received a copy of Sheehan's email directly from her; both claim that the e-mail they received is consistent with Morris's story, rather than Sheehan's. Tersch posted the email received to the "bullyard" Google group [http://www.slate.com/id/2124788/sidebar/2124791/ . Opponents of Sheehan assert that this essentially proves that she has repeatedly lied about the content of her original e-mail [http://www.slate.com/id/2124788/sidebar/2124791/]. Rumors began spreading towards the end of 2005 that Sheehan would challenge Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) For Her Seat In 2006 , which Sheehan publicly considered in January 2006 . Sheehan is, however, backing Green Party candidate Todd Chretien in that election. REACTIONS The White House On August 6 2005 , Sheehan met with two high-level Bush administration officials, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and Deputy White House Chief Of Staff Joe Hagin . According to ''The New York Times'' ( August 6 2005 ) the meeting lasted 45 minutes. The ''Times'' also reported that Ms. Sheehan told the two officials she appreciated their meeting with her. President George W. Bush did speak to reporters at his ranch, saying: :"I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan. She feels strongly about her position, and she has every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She has a right to her position, and I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is: 'Get out of Iraq now.' And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so." {Link without Title} Prior to going on a bicycle ride on his Texas ranch on August 13 , 2005 Bush gave journalists and aides a defense of his not meeting with Sheehan stating, as reported by Ken Herman of Cox Enterprises :"I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life. I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy. And part of my being is to be outside exercising. So I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so." {Link without Title} U.S. Congress At least sixteen Democratic members of Congress signed a letter on August 9 , 2005 , asking that Bush meet with Sheehan and the other relatives of fallen soldiers, as well as calling on Bush to ensure that no one will be arrested for having a peaceful demonstration. {Link without Title} SUPPORT AND CRITICISM OF CINDY SHEEHAN See Also: Support and criticism of Cindy Sheehan CHRONOLOGY OF ACTIVISM Camp Casey See Also: Camp Casey, Crawford, Texas On 6 August , 2005, Sheehan created a makeshift camp in a ditch by the side of the road about 3 miles from George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas and announced her intention to stay (sleeping in a pup tent at night) until she is granted a second face-to-face meeting with the President. {Link without Title} Sheehan started her protest the day the President started a planned five-week vacation. A few days later, the media began referring to Sheehan's camp as " Camp Casey ." {Link without Title} She spent the next four weeks in Crawford (except for 5 days spent in California to see her elderly mother, who had suffered a stroke On some days as many as 1500 supporters visited Camp Casey[http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050813/APN/508130949&cachetime=3&template=dateline , including members of Congress, as well as several notable actors, singers, and civil rights activists. Gold Star Families for Peace, of which Sheehan is a founding member, released a TV commercial featuring Sheehan, broadcast on Crawford and Waco cable channels near Bush's ranch. The group conducted a walk to a police station just outside President Bush's Crawford ranch and delivered a bundle of oversized letters written by them to First Lady Laura Bush, appealing to her as a mother for support towards their movement.[http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=060000&biid=2005082014748 On 16 August , Sheehan moved her camp closer to the Bush ranch after being offered the use of a piece of land owned by a supporter, Fred Mattlage, who also happens to be a third cousin of Larry Mattlage, a rancher who had fired a shotgun on his property near the demonstration site several days earlier. {Link without Title} {Link without Title} In late August, Sheehan stated that she would continue her campaign against the Iraq war even if granted a second meeting with the President. She also announced the Bring Them Home Now Tour , to depart on September 1 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on September 24 for three days of demonstrations. Hurricane Katrina , a Category 4 storm, made landfall in southeastern Louisiana on 29 August . The following day, President Bush ended his five-week vacation early to focus on relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. September - December 2005 See Also: Bring Them Home Now Tour In September, the Bring Them Home Now Tour was organized by Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Veterans For Peace. It was a rolling anti-war protest against the Iraq War, beginning in Crawford, Texas, travelling three routes across the country (with rallies along the way) and culminating in a rally in Washington, DC in September 2005. It was inspired by and featured Cindy Sheehan as a speaker at many rallies. Sheehan's activism continued into the winter of 2005/2006. She met with Senator John McCain (a Vietnam veteran) and, after considering the meeting a disappointment, called him a warmonger. She later protested Hillary Clinton's stance on the war, stating that Clinton must either speak out against the war or risk losing her job, [http://www.muslimwakeup.com/main/archives/2005/10/cindy_sheehan_r.php [http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Oct05/Frank1003.htm] and urged Governor and then tie herself to the fence, promising to return to the fence as soon as possible if arrested. Around Thanksgiving, Sheehan returned to Texas to protest banquet. The theme of the banquet was “Make 2006 a turning point year in the fight for peace and justice." The PWW is the newspaper of the Communist Party USA . {Link without Title} Europe and South America Sheehan went to . On December 13, Sheehan traveled to Ireland , where she met Irish Foreign Affairs minister Dermot Ahern . She voiced her objection to U.S. aircraft refueling at Shannon Airport , stating, "Your Government, even though they didn't send troops to Iraq, are complicit in the crimes by allowing the planes to land and refuel..." {Link without Title} On 's statement that President Bush is "the greatest terrorist in the world." Also, while in Venezuela, Sheehan released a statement that unless Senator Dianne Feinstein voted to Fillibuster the confirmation of Samuel Alito , she would challenge Feinstein for her Senate seat. Later that day, Feinstein announced that she would support the filibuster against Alito, but it is not clear if this announcement was prompted by Sheehan's statement {Link without Title} . State of the Union speech Sheehan was back in in the June 2006 Democratic primary. Two hours prior to the address by George W. Bush, Sheehan reluctantly accepted an invitation by , was ordered to leave the gallery during Bush's speech because she was wearing a shirt with the words "Support the Troops Defending Our Freedom." After complying with the officer's request to leave the gallery, Young said she argued loudly with officers and called one of them "an idiot." Unlike Sheehan, Young was not arrested, leaving on her own accord. [http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001955837 Charges were later dropped and an apology was issued Sheehan later declared that she intends to file a lawsuit [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/01/MNG72H13HK12.DTL . 2006 activism On March 7 , 2006 Sheehan was arrested in New York "after blocking the door to the U.S. Mission to the U.N. offices" during a protest with Iraqi women against the war in Iraq {Link without Title} . Ms. Sheehan took part in the "United For Peace and Justice" March in New York to protest the war on 2006-04-29 . FAMILY Sheehan lived with her husband and four children (Casey was the oldest) in Norwalk, California , before moving to Vacaville in 1983 . While in Norwalk, the family was active in the city's Roman Catholic church. In Vacaville, Cindy Sheehan has been a youth minister at St. Mary's Church {Link without Title} After being married for 28 years, Sheehan's husband, Patrick Thomas Sheehan (Casey's father), filed for divorce on August 12 , 2005. Although Patrick Sheehan has not spoken publicly about his beliefs or the reason for the divorce, according to Cindy, her husband " support [her activities, although he knows the war is a lie." Patrick and Cindy were high-school sweethearts. [http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/sheehan.asp] Cindy Sheehan has a living elderly mother. After her mother suffered a stroke on August 18 , 2005 , Sheehan had to leave her protest in Crawford in order to be with her mother in a hospital in Los Angeles. She rejoined the protest a week later. Myths about Sheehan In 2005, an Urban Legend circulated, stating that Cindy Sheehan's son Casey was raised by her ex-husband after the couple divorced and both remarried. {Link without Title} A 2005 tongue-in-cheek article by the online satire magazine The Onion stated that Sheehan had a second son who was missing and presumed drowned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina . Like many facetious articles, this one was occasionally forwarded as fact by people who did not realize its source. SEE ALSO
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