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Cindy's Crawford: Camp Casey Continues to Grow Despite Sheehan's
Absence
Pro-Bush Demonstrators Mount "I Give a Sheet" Campaign
"If Bush Is Right, Martin Luther King Jr. Was Wrong"
- Activist Rev. Peter Johnson Speaks at Camp Casey
Mother of First Soldier from Georgia Killed in Iraq Also
Demands to Speak with Bush
Former Homeless Veteran Describes How Horrors of War Continues
to Plague Soldiers at Home
Military Wife Speaks Out on Eve of Husband's Deployment
Brother of First Pennsylvania National Guardsman Killed in
Combat in 60 years Speaks at Camp Casey
Mother of Soldier Serving in Iraq Calls Continued U.S. Troop
Presence a "Moral Sin"
Cindy's Crawford: Camp Casey Continues to Grow Despite
Sheehan's Absence
Hundreds of supporters converged on Camp Casey outside Bush’s
Crawford estate this weekend. Although Cindy Sheehan had to
leave temporarily to care for her ailing mother, other military
families delivered a letter to the gates of the presidential
property. [includes rush
transcript]
Despite the temporary departure of Cindy Sheehan to care
for her ailing mother, the antiwar vigil outside President
Bush’s estate in Crawford is continuing to grow. Hundreds
gathered on Saturday night to hear musician Steve Earle perform
at Camp Casey. Legendary folk singer Joan Baez also held a
concert Sunday evening. Military families, veterans and other
supporters are coming from around the country - as far away
as Alaska, California and Massachusetts - to support Cindy’s
efforts.
It all started two weeks ago on August 6th when Cindy began
the vigil in memory of her son, Casey who died in Iraq last
year. She has vowed to stay until Bush meets with her, or
until his month-long vacation ends. Cindy’s protest
has received national and international media attention and
has become the central focus of the antiwar movement. She
left the site abruptly on Thursday to be with her mother who
suffered a stroke. She says she plans to return before the
end of the president’s August vacation.
Over the weekend, Bush met with cycling champion Lance Armstrong
for a two-hour bike ride around the Crawford property. Armstrong
has recently criticized the war in Iraq saying it has prevented
the country from spending more on cancer research. While President
Bush gave him a t-shirt that said "Tour-de-Crawford",
he made no public comments, Cindy Sheehan, the "Tour-de-Force"
while in Crawford.
After two weeks at the Crawford estate, Bush is heading out
on the road this week for a pair of speeches focusing on Iraq
and the war on terror. On Monday, the president is scheduled
to address the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Utah.
Meanwhile, at Camp Casey, Cindy Sheehan’s supporters
are vowing to stay throughout the month until Bush’s
vacation ends and then on to Washington for a major antiwar
rally on September 24th.
Democracy Now! broadcast from Camp Casey on Friday. We stayed
on though the weekend to cover the story. Military families
and Iraq veterans held a press conference at Camp Casey Friday
afternoon.
- Becky Lourey, (D-MN). Her son, Matt, was killed in Iraq
in May. Lourey was a leading opponent in her state of the
invasion of Iraq. In March 2003, she authored an antiwar
resolution signed by eighteen other state senators.
After the news conference, military families, veterans and
others held a prayer vigil in front of the more than 840 crosses
planted in the camp grounds representing soldiers killed in
Iraq. They then boarded into vans and headed out towards President
Bush’s property to deliver the letter. Leading the procession
were two women: Beatrice Saldivar whose nephew, Daniel Torres
was killed in Iraq in February 2005 and Mimi Evans whose son
is a marine awaiting deployment to Iraq. They were stopped
at a checkpoint on the way to Bush’s property.
Refusing to be turned away, Mimi Evans and Beatrice Saldivar
walked hand in hand up to the barriers blockading the entrance
to President Bush’s estate. They dropped the letter
on the ground and laid a pair of flowers on top. This is Beatrice
Saldivar.
- Beatrice Saldivar, her nephew, Daniel Torres was killed
in Iraq in February 2005
Pro-Bush Demonstrators Mount "I Give a Sheet"
Campaign
Bush supporters also made their way to Crawford this weekend.
About fifty people delivered sheets with messages of support
written on them, a local business-owner started a pro-Bush
camp, motorcyclists rode past Crawford to show support for
the president, and mainstream media commentators continued
to attack Cindy Sheehan. [includes rush
transcript]
Bush supporters also made their way to Crawford this weekend.
A local business-owner started a pro-Bush camp, motorcyclists
rode past Crawford to show support for the president, and
mainstream media commentators continued to mount attacks against
Cindy Sheehan. Two weeks after Cindy Sheehan began her vigil,
Bush supporters also made their way to Crawford last weekend
to show support for the President's policies in Iraq. On Saturday,
about fifty people held a rally and then walked to the gates
of Bush's estate and dropped off thirty-two white bed sheets
signed with names and messages of support for the president.
The effort was dubbed the "I Give a Sheet" campaign
and this time a White House aide at the secret service checkpoint
accepted the messages, in contrast to the letter delivered
by grieving military family members.
A pro-Bush camp was also started by a local business owner
in downtown Crawford. The camp was named "Fort Qualls"
after Louis Wayne Qualls - a soldier who died in Iraq last
fall. Last week, his father, Gary Qualls removed a cross bearing
his son's name that was among the hundreds that the anti-war
protestors had put up along the road to Bush's property. Gary
Qualls called the protesters views disrespectful to the soldiers.
Also on Saturday, a caravan of motorcyclists rode past Camp
Casey to show their support for Bush.
- Kathy Warren Miller and Harold Miller, American Legion
Post 170. They were setting up to meet the motorcyclists
half-a mile down the road from Camp Casey.
A few Bush supporters also set up camp on the opposite side
of the road from Camp Casey. Democracy Now's Yoruba Richen
caught up with Staci Glick who came from Dallas to show support
for President Bush and the war in Iraq.
- Staci Glick, counter-protester outside Camp Casey
Meanwhile the right-wing attack on Cindy Sheehan has continued
in the media. Fox News Host Bill O'Reilly called Sheehan's
actions treasonous; Fred Barnes a Fox News commentator and
the editor of the Weekly Standard, labeled her a "crackpot"
and said that if her son could speak now he would say that
he was embarrassed by his mother's actions. And on his radio
program, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh cast doubt
on the truth of Cindy Sheehan's story.
- The Rush Limbaugh Show, August 15:
I mean, Cindy Sheehan is just Bill Burkett. Her story is
nothing more than forged documents. There's nothing about
it that's real, including the mainstream media's glomming
onto it. It's not real. It's nothing more than an attempt.
It's the latest effort made by the coordinated left.
Also this week, an attack ad produced by a Republican strategist
will start airing on CNN and Fox. It features Deborah Johns,
whose son is serving in Iraq. Johns explicitly attacks Sheehan
in the ad saying "Cindy Sheehan certainly does not speak
to me."
"If Bush Is Right, Martin Luther King Jr. Was
Wrong" - Activist Rev. Peter Johnson Speaks at Camp Casey
We play a speech by longtime activist and former SCLC staffer,
the Rev. Peter Johnson who says, "War is not the answer.
Only love can conquer hate. If Bush is right, then Marvin
[Gaye] was wrong. If Bush is right, then Mohandas Gandhi was
wrong. If Bush is right, Henry David Thoreau was wrong. If
Bush is right, Martin Luther King Jr. was wrong. If Bush is
right, Jesus of Nazareth was wrong." [includes rush
transcript]
Throughout the weekend, the number of supporters for Cindy
Sheehan continued to grow. African American leaders, including
veteran civil rights activist Reverend Joseph Lourey who co-founded
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, came from Dallas
and Georgia bringing mothers of soldiers killed in Iraq and
other antiwar protesters. These newcomers took to the stage
at a new camp site dubbed "Camp Casey 2" closer
to Bush's estate on land donated by a local resident. This
is longtime activist and organizer, the Rev. Peter Johnson.
- The Rev. Peter Johnson, longtime activist and organizer
and a former staffer of the SCLC.
Mother of First Soldier from Georgia Killed in Iraq
Also Demands to Speak with Bush
We speak with Patricia Roberts, her son Jamaal Addison was
killed in Iraq in 2003. He was the first soldier from Georgia
killed in Iraq. She says, "[Bush] goes about choosing
which parents he talks to because I don't know why I haven't
gotten the opportunity to talk to him." [includes rush
transcript]
On Saturday, Democracy Now! producer Yoruba Richen spoke
with Patricia Roberts. Her son Jamaal Addison was killed in
Iraq in 2003. She began by talking about why she came to Camp
Casey.
- Patricia Roberts, her son, Jamaal Addison, was the first
soldier from Georgia killed in Iraq.
Former Homeless Veteran Describes How Horrors of
War Continues to Plague Soldiers at Home
We hear a speech by former homeless veteran Ed Boyd. He
says, "When the parade ends, and the military person
takes off that uniform, and the horrors of war are still deep
within them, and they can't get help because the Veterans
Administration has got a $2 billion shortfall, they enter
into a world of real terror, drug abuse, alcoholism, violence."
[includes rush
transcript]
On Saturday evening, hundreds of supporters gathered under
a tent at the Camp Casey Two. Before a performance by Texas
musician Steve Earl, activists, veterans and military families
took to the stage to address the crowd.
- Ed Boyd, former homeless veteran.
Military Wife Speaks Out on Eve of Husband's Deployment
Tammara Rosenleaf came from Montana to join other military
families at Camp Casey. Her husband is about to be deployed
to Iraq. [includes rush
transcript]
Tammara Rosenleaf said of her decision to join the vigil
outside Bush's estate, "When I left Montana, they asked
me, what are you going to do when you get to Texas? I said,
I’m going to make their lives a misery in Washington.
Guess what? I did. But I didn’t do it by myself. All
of these people from military families, Gold Star families,
the Vets for Peace, the Iraq vets and all of the supporting
people here have made that happen.”
- Tammara Rosenleaf, her husband is soon to be deployed
to Iraq.
Brother of First Pennsylvania National Guardsman
Killed in Combat in 60 years Speaks at Camp Casey
We hear from Dante Zappala, whose brother, Sherwood Baker,
was killed in Iraq in 2004. He was the first member of the
Pennsylvania Army National Guard to die in combat since 1945.
[includes rush
transcript]
Dante Zappala is the adoptive brother of Sherwood Baker.
He said at Camp Casey on Saturday, "My brother was never
silent. He was always a loud and proud person who stood up
for what was right and that's why I'm here."
- Dante Zappala, his brother Sherwood Baker was killed
in Iraq.
Mother of Soldier Serving in Iraq Calls Continued
U.S. Troop Presence a "Moral Sin"
We hear a speech by Andrea Hackett speaking at Camp Casey.
Her daughter just returned from serving in Iraq. She says,
"Let's make this a huge movement so that [Bush] has to
either answer or go back to the White House and hide. We'll
meet him there on September 24th, though." [includes
rush
transcript]
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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