Cindy Sheehan

[shinerbock]

Don't worry I'm not offended.

However, I believe that once you cross the line into the public arena, when you rail against the administration and those who support the war, you've effectively lost your immunity to attack. I'm with Ann Coulter on this one, in that you have every right to grieve in peace, and even to question the authorities in power...but when you use your grief as a rallying point for your personal leanings, people should be free (both legally and without moral rebuke) to refute your positions. There are thousands of parents who have lost their children in this war, and very few are given a national audience. We (the public) did not seek her out, but rather she subjected herself the harsh political world by consistantly bashing not only the war but other policies of our President. Didn't she say Hugo Chavez was a better president than W?

I believe that grief is important, and that people should be free to express it publicly. However, I don't believe people like her or the "9/11 widows" should have a free card of immunity to wave whenever their viewpoints are attacked. Basically, if you put yourself out there, you should be prepared for exposure to scrutiny, especially those who exploit the media's attention.

[dekeguy]

No one can argue against this woman's right to express herself, but when her whole existance becomes a freak show of public faux pas one cannot but wonder whether her motivation is to "honor" her son or to take advantage of expanding her 15 minutes of fame.
Her son was a soldier in an all volunteer Army. He did his duty and gave the last full measure of devotion to that duty. Tragic and worthy of admiration. However, his mother is a disgrace to the memory of a young man who chose to go in harm's way to fulfill his committment.
I count myself very lucky to have heard the admonition and expectations of my Grandmother, the original Steel Magnolia. You might remember my earlier comments in other threads relating how when my Dad went to Viet Nam and when I deployed to Iraq we got the 'speech'. "Don't try to be a hero, just do your duty, take care of your men, and try to come home in one piece, BUT, if the worst comes to the worst, remember that the last thing you do on earth is die, DO IT WELL!"
No soldier wants to die, and no soldier's mother wants him to, but that is an accepted risk known to every soldier and every soldier's family. We Americans would do well to remember that sometimes we need to reach down into ourselves and simply demonstrate that we are made of the stuff that forged this nation, warts and all, and that this nation of ours is worth defending, warts and all, and those who give the last full measure are very much worth honoring, not dishonoring.
No one should ever challenge anyone's right to express oneself, but is it asking so very much that the mothers of those brave souls who defend our rights should not descend into the squalor of tackyness and self serving desecration of the very values for which their dead sons and daughters laid it all on the line?
I honor and stand in admiring awe the vast majority of mothers who have lost sons and daughters in the service of their country and confront their grief with dignity. I am nauseated with contempt for those few who make a mockery of their child's supreme sacrifice.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by dekeguy

No one can argue against this woman's right to express herself, but when her whole existance becomes a freak show of public faux pas one cannot but wonder whether her motivation is to "honor" her son or to take advantage of expanding her 15 minutes of fame.
Her son was a soldier in an all volunteer Army. He did his duty and gave the last full measure of devotion to that duty. Tragic and worthy of admiration. However, his mother is a disgrace to the memory of a young man who chose to go in harm's way to fulfill his committment.
I count myself very lucky to have heard the admonition and expectations of my Grandmother, the original Steel Magnolia. You might remember my earlier comments in other threads relating how when my Dad went to Viet Nam and when I deployed to Iraq we got the 'speech'. "Don't try to be a hero, just do your duty, take care of your men, and try to come home in one piece, BUT, if the worst comes to the worst, remember that the last thing you do on earth is die, DO IT WELL!"
No soldier wants to die, and no soldier's mother wants him to, but that is an accepted risk known to every soldier and every soldier's family. We Americans would do well to remember that sometimes we need to reach down into ourselves and simply demonstrate that we are made of the stuff that forged this nation, warts and all, and that this nation of ours is worth defending, warts and all, and those who give the last full measure are very much worth honoring, not dishonoring.
No one should ever challenge anyone's right to express oneself, but is it asking so very much that the mothers of those brave souls who defend our rights should not descend into the squalor of tackyness and self serving desecration of the very values for which their dead sons and daughters laid it all on the line?
I honor and stand in admiring awe the vast majority of mothers who have lost sons and daughters in the service of their country and confront their grief with dignity. I am nauseated with contempt for those few who make a mockery of their child's supreme sacrifice.

Having heard this self-same speech made to so many of my relatives, I understand and agree with you. I toyed with adding more, but decided to let your words stand, uncorrupted.

Bless you and all of our military personnel, now and always.