by Mark Taylor-Canfield - Vol 3 Issue 33

Since the invasion of Iraq began, the anti-war movement has been in search of a symbolic leader to voice their concerns.

Unfortunately, although millions around the world marched against the Bush administration's unjustified war even before it started, the Supreme Court-selected administration and their campaign for invasion seemed impervious to any outside influence, no matter how large the demonstrations became. The result was a disheartened and intimidated movement which largely went underground as the corporate media erased them from the public airwaves. Amid the mass faux-patriotism and warmongering, independent voices of reason were drowned out by the fanatical ranting of right-wing extremists on the talk radio programs and the television news networks.

In the meantime, peace and justice activists became quite paranoid and many of them dropped out of the movement. Even many of those radical tear gas huffing stalwarts from the WTO protests in Seattle went underground because they were convinced that they were subject to invasive surveillance by unscrupulous government agents and private corporations who were using the USA Patriot Act as a tool to quash political dissent in America.

No Abbie Hoffman, Bobby Seals or Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged to inspire the masses into action. Instead, most Democrats and their allies rallied for war (with the exception of a few brave souls like Congressman Jim McDermott and Senator Patty Murray). Congress joined Bush's zealous crusade out of fear of political ostracism. Our representatives were under the perception that a potential public backlash may have resulted from a vote opposing the president's plans. After all, they explained, the war on Iraq was considered an issue of national security - a move to prevent any further attacks on the US by terrorists.

Of course the anti-war activists knew all along that these rationalizations were merely carefully crafted political propaganda talking points intended to get the American people to support an unjustified pre-emptive war against a nation which could not have attacked us at home. The visionaries and intellectuals at the demonstrations and in the alternative media foresaw the brutality of US soldiers and private contractors against detainees. They predicted the mass killing of Iraqi civilians; the destabilization of the Middle East and the destruction of families in the US who have lost loved ones. These atrocities have been the common symptoms of all arrogant, out of touch and out of control empires throughout the history of the world. Anyone versed in elementary school level history could understand the simplicity of this undeniable fact.

As usual, the anti-fascist protesters and liberal progressives who pointed out the immorality and imminent dangers of unprovoked war were publicly flogged by the media for their warnings and right-wingers accused dissenters of being traitors and supporters of Saddam Hussein. This kind of attack on the political opposition is also a common tactic long used by governments and the supporters of empire in times of war, something Joseph Goebbels understood very well, indeed.

Now, however, it has become increasingly clear, even to most pro-Bush fanatics, that something is wrong in Iraq and in the USA. Bush's poll numbers are currently lower than Richard Nixon's during the Watergate scandal which destroyed that megalomaniac’s Republican administration. Fallen soldier Casey Sheehan's mother, Cindy, has sparked a nation-wide political revolt against the war in Iraq. Finally someone has been given enough cover by all the bad publicity about the war, and her own son's death, to speak out publicly and fiercely in the face of an apathetic public and a disengaged US administration. She has been vilified by the right for calling Bush a terrorist and a killer, but her vigil has forced even the right-wing media pundits to acknowledge her importance on the national political scene.

A few weeks ago a truck driver drove through the display of crosses that the anti-war activists had set up as a mini Arlington National Cemetery near Bush's ranch at Crawford, Texas. The crosses were meant to honor the dead and to call attention to the plight of all the soldiers being sent to Iraq on false premises. The truck driver also managed to knock over a group of American flags that people had placed near the crosses. This one act served to showcase the irrational and militant attitude among many of the supporters of Bush and his war. The fact that some pro-military folks are willing to disrespect and degrade the mother of a US soldier who gave his life in Iraq deeply hurts the moral foundation of the arguments of those on the right. The man who destroyed part of the Camp Casey memorial was arrested and charged with vandalism.

The "You Don’t Speak For Me, Cindy Tour," after visiting Sheehan's hometown of Vacaville, ended up in Crawford, Texas at the site of Camp Casey. This makeshift encampment, where Joan Baez and Steve Earle have performed for the participants, is the location where anti-war activists and bereaved families have been gathering ever since Cindy Sheehan decided to confront the president’s doorstep at the ranch where he seems to hide whenever his administration is experiencing bad publicity or when large national problems require a direct response from the Commander in Chief.

The festivities and protests at the vigil site at Camp Casey harkens back to the glory days of the anti-Vietnam war movement of the 1960s. One half expects to see Ginsberg or Dylan hanging around with the middle-aged mothers, and I think the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson is beginning to invade the press corps because shots have been fired and suddenly it's okay to hang out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of idealistic peaceniks in a type of communal protest camp. The media has caught wind of the intellectual insurrection and it's losing its fear of reporting on the opposition to the war. They sense that the Bush administration is losing most of its support among the populace. Even without an official draft, folks are unwilling to send their children into a combat zone for a national leader who doesn't seem to have a good reason for why we are in Iraq.

During the pro-Bush rally at the end of the "You Don't Speak For Me, Cindy Tour" in Crawford, minor skirmishes broke out between pro and anti Bush demonstrators. One person was cited for disorderly conduct. Another man was charged with aggravated assault. Pro-Bush demonstration organizer Melanie Morgan told Fox, "Overall, it was more peaceful than we expected." One sign read, "Bitch in the Ditch Go Home!" a reference to Cindy and her original camp in a water drainage ditch beside a road. The families who oppose Cindy Sheehan removed the names of their children and relatives from the crosses at Crawford. One of the odd facts about the protests was the position of the police. Unlike most demonstrations, they stood facing the pro-Bush protesters instead of the anti-war group. Sheehan said she was grateful for their protection.

The anti-Cindy demonstrators, who consider themselves, "patriotic, proud Americans", say they were able to rally 4,000 people in Crawford. According to anti-Cindy organizer Melanie Morgan the anti-war activists are lying about the strength of their movement. John McGlusky, who lost a child in Iraq, told Fox radio, "I don't care about those polls, I mean I don't know who they call—I've never been polled—but what I've seen shows that America is behind this president." He said, "This rally was a very exhilarating and emotional time for us. We were just honored to be there and humbled to support the troops in my son's name." McGlusky said his wife called the county Sheriff and complained about their son's name being included on the crosses at the miniature Arlington display near Camp Casey. Within a day it was removed. McGlusky stated, "We were very happy about that."

Despite the anti-Cindy Sheehan sentiment still ubiquitous on the right wing airwaves, her words and her actions have reverberated around the globe. Journalists follow her everywhere and she has become the darling of Air America radio and Michael Moore. Soon her entourage will be headed to the nation's capitol in a bus caravan, bringing her message directly to the White House. The folks from Camp Casey are planning to arrive on September 24th during nation-wide anti-war demonstrations. Cindy Sheehan, despite what the pundits say, is likely to continue sparking a social revolution in the name of her deceased son Casey. Her disarming personality, an innate demand for honesty, combined with a sheer determination to stop the killing in Iraq, have won her much admiration among those who feel they have no voice. Her campaign for personal justice has brought her movement worldwide recognition. I doubt it will be long before she is seen meeting with major heads of state to discuss issues of war, motherhood and world peace.

In response to Sheehan's vigil, George Bush stated, "The best way to honor those who have died is to complete the mission,"

Cindy Sheehan responded in a speech given at a rally in Crawford, Texas: "The president says we have to continue killing because he's already killed so many. Why are we allowing that to continue? Well, I came out and said—'I've had enough!' This is America standing up and saying, 'We've had enough. We've had enough of you!'"

"I want to tell the pro-war people and the pro-killing people who have tried to smear me and smear my family, you know, the 'Christians'—those nice people...Like Joan (Baez) said, 'Religious right—eat your heart out.' You know, because we know that our God does not stand for killing."