Gold9472
08-28-2005, 01:21 PM
Arrests, rhetoric highlight protests
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/08/28/20050828wacarrests.html
By Thaddeus DeJesus and J.B. Smith Tribune-Herald staff writers
Sunday, August 28, 2005
CRAWFORD -– With five days left until the end of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan's vigil near President Bush's ranch, Crawford became protest central Saturday as supporters and opponents of the Iraq war rallied, marched and simmered in 101-degree heat.
A handful also got themselves arrested, including a protester whose anti-Sheehan sign was deemed unnecessarily offensive by organizers of a large pro-Bush rally. The man carrying the sign became violent when he was asked to put it down.
Ken Robinson, of Richardson, Texas, who described himself as a Vietnam veteran, was carrying a sign at a “You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!” rally. The sign read, “How to wreck your family in 30 days by ‘b**** in the ditch' Cindy Sheehan.”
Kristinn Taylor, an event organizer with FreeRepublic.com, heard about the sign and rushed up to Robinson.
“This is our rally and you can't do that here,” he said, only for Robinson to insist he was within his rights.
Camera crews rushed in and Taylor turned to face them.
“To all the media here, this sign is not representative of the crowd here today,” Taylor announced. Some of the crowd around Robinson came forward to shake his hand, while others chanted, “Idiot, go home.”
The two men then squared off and raised their voices.
“Just get outta here!” Robinson yelled, and aimed a kick at Taylor's midsection. Taylor called for security, and a young Woodway policeman quickly showed up.
“I have the right to freedom of speech,” Robinson said.
Robinson continued to protest loudly as police handcuffed him and led him away.
Much of the media focus Saturday was on Sheehan's two peace camps just beyond Crawford -– one on the side of Prairie Chapel Road, the other in a field temporarily donated by a local landowner – and yet other anti-war protesters at the Crawford Peace House in town.
In addition, however, there was a pro-Bush camp that sprouted alongside a souvenir shop specializing in President Bush dolls, T-shirts and coffee cups; a West Coast caravan dubbed “You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!” that took over the football stadium Saturday afternoon to rally on behalf of U.S. troops; and Operation Iraqi Hope, made up of family members who have lost loved ones in Iraq but still support the war.
Altogether, pro-war events in Crawford attracted about 3,000 people. Attendance at Camp Casey I and II together appeared to reach about 1,500.
Underneath a giant revival tent about a mile from the Western White House, peace mom Cindy Sheehan continued to stoke the fires of the anti-war movement.
Sheehan, 48, has challenged President Bush by staging a nearly month-long vigil near his Central Texas vacation home. She says she wants to meet with the president to learn what “noble cause” her son died for in Iraq and to call for withdrawal of U.S. troops.
At Saturday's large rally at Camp Casey II, Sheehan partially answered her own question.
“I finally figured out what the ‘noble cause' is ...” she said, referring to two words the president uses to talk about the sacrifices of U.S. troops. “He wants more American soldiers killed because American soldiers have already been killed, and that's his mission. We have to stop him. We have to stop him as soon as possible.”
The anti-war movement lost its footing with the re-election of President Bush in November 2004. But Sheehan's highly publicized vigil has brought to surface long-simmering doubts about the Iraq war among some Americans.
Some, including those at much larger simultaneous rallies in Crawford supporting the president and the troops, have questioned Sheehan's morals, patriotism and even her religious convictions.
Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., was a Catholic youth minister prior to becoming a full-time activist shortly after the death of her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan. Casey Sheehan was killed by insurgents in an ambush attach in Baghdad in 2004.
Folk singer Joan Baez, an earlier visitor to Camp Casey, returned to Crawford this weekend and aimed an arrow directly at those Christian critics after leading a chorus of “Amazing Grace.”
“Oh, Christian right, eat your heart out,” Baez said, capping the song.
Sheehan on Saturday was joined by Iraq war veterans and military families who have had relatives killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. All were united by opposition to the war.
American Indian activist Russell Means also made an appearance, praising Sheehan for her attempts to save others from warfare. Means is an actor who has starred in The Last of the Mohicans and Natural Born Killers.
The massive crowd, however, bore more everyday people from across the nation, and across Texas. Five chartered buses ferried passengers from Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
Sheehan reiterated on Saturday that her first stop after her vigil ends Aug. 31 is U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's office. The Republican congressman from Sugar Land is the House Majority Leader.
While mostly siding with pro-Bush forces, many Crawford residents said they nonetheless look forward to the day when all the protesters go home. Sheehan has said she will end her month-long vigil Wednesday.
“We've remained calm and let them do their thing, but this has really taken away our peace,” said 46-year-old Carolyn Dobbs, who lives next door to the Crawford Peace House. “I've tried not to say anything but, well, when they park in my driveway, I've got to ask them to move.”
Bob McDonald, 43, also of Crawford, sought to get that message across, riding his horse Deacon up and down town streets. Marked on the horse's hind-quarters was a message to Sheehan inviting her to leave town.
“This is a small little town and you can't breathe anymore,” McDonald said of all the traffic and indiscriminate parking, much of which he said was caused by the Sheehan camp. “It's not just bad today, it's been this way the last two weeks.”
The tenor of pro-Bush protesters varied. Members of Operation Iraqi Hope said they encouraged Sheehan to mount her protest but said they had come from all corners of the nation to ensure that their voices, too, are heard.
“We don't want conflict,” said M.J. Kesterson, 58, of Independent, Ore., whose son, Erik, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, was killed in Iraq. “This is to honor our sons and daughters. And if things get to where we lose sight of that, we'll leave. It serves no purpose losing your cool.”
Yet at the crossroads of Crawford, where officers directed long lines of traffic, some pro-Bush supporters shouted at Crawford Peace House volunteers driving shuttles, accusing them of aiding terrorism.
President Bush, as much the focus of the protests as Sheehan, weighed in on the matter Saturday, saying in his weekly radio address that the U.S. military would have to remain committed to the operations.
“Our strategy is straightforward,” Bush said. “As Iraqis stand up, Americans will stand down. And when Iraqi forces can defend their freedom by taking more and more of the fight to the enemy, our troops will come home with the honor they have earned.”
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/08/28/20050828wacarrests.html
By Thaddeus DeJesus and J.B. Smith Tribune-Herald staff writers
Sunday, August 28, 2005
CRAWFORD -– With five days left until the end of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan's vigil near President Bush's ranch, Crawford became protest central Saturday as supporters and opponents of the Iraq war rallied, marched and simmered in 101-degree heat.
A handful also got themselves arrested, including a protester whose anti-Sheehan sign was deemed unnecessarily offensive by organizers of a large pro-Bush rally. The man carrying the sign became violent when he was asked to put it down.
Ken Robinson, of Richardson, Texas, who described himself as a Vietnam veteran, was carrying a sign at a “You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!” rally. The sign read, “How to wreck your family in 30 days by ‘b**** in the ditch' Cindy Sheehan.”
Kristinn Taylor, an event organizer with FreeRepublic.com, heard about the sign and rushed up to Robinson.
“This is our rally and you can't do that here,” he said, only for Robinson to insist he was within his rights.
Camera crews rushed in and Taylor turned to face them.
“To all the media here, this sign is not representative of the crowd here today,” Taylor announced. Some of the crowd around Robinson came forward to shake his hand, while others chanted, “Idiot, go home.”
The two men then squared off and raised their voices.
“Just get outta here!” Robinson yelled, and aimed a kick at Taylor's midsection. Taylor called for security, and a young Woodway policeman quickly showed up.
“I have the right to freedom of speech,” Robinson said.
Robinson continued to protest loudly as police handcuffed him and led him away.
Much of the media focus Saturday was on Sheehan's two peace camps just beyond Crawford -– one on the side of Prairie Chapel Road, the other in a field temporarily donated by a local landowner – and yet other anti-war protesters at the Crawford Peace House in town.
In addition, however, there was a pro-Bush camp that sprouted alongside a souvenir shop specializing in President Bush dolls, T-shirts and coffee cups; a West Coast caravan dubbed “You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!” that took over the football stadium Saturday afternoon to rally on behalf of U.S. troops; and Operation Iraqi Hope, made up of family members who have lost loved ones in Iraq but still support the war.
Altogether, pro-war events in Crawford attracted about 3,000 people. Attendance at Camp Casey I and II together appeared to reach about 1,500.
Underneath a giant revival tent about a mile from the Western White House, peace mom Cindy Sheehan continued to stoke the fires of the anti-war movement.
Sheehan, 48, has challenged President Bush by staging a nearly month-long vigil near his Central Texas vacation home. She says she wants to meet with the president to learn what “noble cause” her son died for in Iraq and to call for withdrawal of U.S. troops.
At Saturday's large rally at Camp Casey II, Sheehan partially answered her own question.
“I finally figured out what the ‘noble cause' is ...” she said, referring to two words the president uses to talk about the sacrifices of U.S. troops. “He wants more American soldiers killed because American soldiers have already been killed, and that's his mission. We have to stop him. We have to stop him as soon as possible.”
The anti-war movement lost its footing with the re-election of President Bush in November 2004. But Sheehan's highly publicized vigil has brought to surface long-simmering doubts about the Iraq war among some Americans.
Some, including those at much larger simultaneous rallies in Crawford supporting the president and the troops, have questioned Sheehan's morals, patriotism and even her religious convictions.
Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., was a Catholic youth minister prior to becoming a full-time activist shortly after the death of her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan. Casey Sheehan was killed by insurgents in an ambush attach in Baghdad in 2004.
Folk singer Joan Baez, an earlier visitor to Camp Casey, returned to Crawford this weekend and aimed an arrow directly at those Christian critics after leading a chorus of “Amazing Grace.”
“Oh, Christian right, eat your heart out,” Baez said, capping the song.
Sheehan on Saturday was joined by Iraq war veterans and military families who have had relatives killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. All were united by opposition to the war.
American Indian activist Russell Means also made an appearance, praising Sheehan for her attempts to save others from warfare. Means is an actor who has starred in The Last of the Mohicans and Natural Born Killers.
The massive crowd, however, bore more everyday people from across the nation, and across Texas. Five chartered buses ferried passengers from Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
Sheehan reiterated on Saturday that her first stop after her vigil ends Aug. 31 is U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's office. The Republican congressman from Sugar Land is the House Majority Leader.
While mostly siding with pro-Bush forces, many Crawford residents said they nonetheless look forward to the day when all the protesters go home. Sheehan has said she will end her month-long vigil Wednesday.
“We've remained calm and let them do their thing, but this has really taken away our peace,” said 46-year-old Carolyn Dobbs, who lives next door to the Crawford Peace House. “I've tried not to say anything but, well, when they park in my driveway, I've got to ask them to move.”
Bob McDonald, 43, also of Crawford, sought to get that message across, riding his horse Deacon up and down town streets. Marked on the horse's hind-quarters was a message to Sheehan inviting her to leave town.
“This is a small little town and you can't breathe anymore,” McDonald said of all the traffic and indiscriminate parking, much of which he said was caused by the Sheehan camp. “It's not just bad today, it's been this way the last two weeks.”
The tenor of pro-Bush protesters varied. Members of Operation Iraqi Hope said they encouraged Sheehan to mount her protest but said they had come from all corners of the nation to ensure that their voices, too, are heard.
“We don't want conflict,” said M.J. Kesterson, 58, of Independent, Ore., whose son, Erik, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, was killed in Iraq. “This is to honor our sons and daughters. And if things get to where we lose sight of that, we'll leave. It serves no purpose losing your cool.”
Yet at the crossroads of Crawford, where officers directed long lines of traffic, some pro-Bush supporters shouted at Crawford Peace House volunteers driving shuttles, accusing them of aiding terrorism.
President Bush, as much the focus of the protests as Sheehan, weighed in on the matter Saturday, saying in his weekly radio address that the U.S. military would have to remain committed to the operations.
“Our strategy is straightforward,” Bush said. “As Iraqis stand up, Americans will stand down. And when Iraqi forces can defend their freedom by taking more and more of the fight to the enemy, our troops will come home with the honor they have earned.”