Protest At Bushs
Ranch
Gathers Momentum
By Kate Randall
13 August 2005
World
Socialist Web
The
protest in Crawford, Texas, by Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen
soldier in Iraq, has gained strength and momentum since she arrived
last Saturday and set up camp down the road from George W. Bushs
ranch.
Sheehan, 48, whose
24-year-old son Casey was killed in April 2004, five days after he arrived
in Iraq, has vowed to stay in her makeshift camp until Bush speaks to
her, she is arrested or the president winds up his five-week working
vacation at the end of August.
Outraged at comments
by the president that her son and other US troops died for a noble
cause, she has demanded that Bush meet with her personally and
answer the questions: Why did you kill my son? What did my son
die for? She is calling for all US troops to be brought home before
another mother suffers a tragedy likes hers.
Ms. Sheehans
weeklong protest has galvanized support among other military families
whose loved ones have been killed in the war, are presently in Iraq
or are set to be deployed. More than 100 people had joined her as of
Friday, and more supporters are continually arriving. Their stand has
focused a spotlight on opposition to the Bush administrations
war policy among growing sections of the American population.
Largely due to the
publicity surrounding Cindy Sheehans causeand mounting support
for itBush was forced to refer to her by name at a press conference
outside his ranch on Thursday. I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan,
he said. She feels strongly about her position. She has every
right in the world to say what she believes. This is America.
Bushs sympathy, however, has not moved him to grant her a meeting.
Bush also made clear
that he has no intention of bringing the troops home. Pulling
the troops out would send a terrible signal to the enemy, he said.
While not mentioning him by name, Bushs statements contradicted
those of Gen. George Casey, the top commander in Iraq, who has said
that fairly substantial reductions could be expected after
elections scheduled for December, if the insurgency did not expand and
the training of Iraqi security forces proceeded as planned.
The president avoided
as well addressing one of Ms. Sheehans central contentionsand
one she would undoubtedly demand an explanation for in a face-to-face
meetingthat the war in Iraq was launched on the basis of lies.
The presidents
contempt for Sheehan and her supporters was emphasized Friday afternoon
when his motorcade rode past them without stopping on the way to a political
fundraiser near his ranch. Law enforcement required the protesters to
stand behind a yellow tape as Bushs caravan passed. Ms. Sheehan
held up a sign reading, Why do you make time for donors and not
for me?
Bush and about 230
others were attending a barbeque fundraiser at the nearby 478-acre Broken
Spoke Ranch, and the event was expected to raise at least $2 million
for the Republican National Committee. All of the well-heeled guests
have contributed at least $25,000 to the RNC, with somedubbed
pioneershaving raised $100,000 or more.
This circle of wealthy
Republican Party insiders stands in stark contrast to the families of
the young men and women who are being sent to fight and die in Iraq,
the overwhelming majority of whom come from poor and working class neighborhoods
across America, having joined up to earn money for college, learn a
trade or simply find a paying job.
To date, 1,846 men
and women have been killed since the US invaded Iraq in March 2003.
The death toll has been growing for National Guard and Reserve troops
in particular, with 100 killed since May 1. The month of August has
been the bloodiest yet, with more guardsmen and reservists killed in
combat in the first 10 days of the monthat least 32than
in any full month of the entire war.
These deaths included
six Marine reservists who were killed by small arms fire near the town
of Haditha, in western Iraq, on August 1. Two days later, 14 Marine
Reserve troops from Ohio were killed in a roadside bomb that destroyed
their amphibious assault vehicle.
Also on August 3,
three members of a National Guard unit from Georgia were killed in Baghdad
when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle near an armored troop carrier.
On August 9, five members of the Pennsylvania National Guardfour
of them from Philadelphiawere killed.
These deathsin
some cases devastating entire communitiesare a central factor
in the mounting hostility to the war. Also fueling this opposition are
reports of horrific conditions confronting the Iraqi population in their
daily lives, and the disrepair and devastation of the countrys
infrastructure.
Commenting on the
training of the Iraqi security forces at his press conference on Thursday,
Bush described their progress as improving from raw recruit
to plenty capable. He said, I know its hard
for some Americans to see that progress. Indeed it is, with daily
reports that obviously prove this claim to be a lie.
An August 10 press
release by Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak
Out reports on some of the people who are protesting with Cindy Sheehan.
It puts a face on the growing ranks of opponents of the Bush administrations
war policyparents, grandparents and children from cities and towns
across the country.
A partial list of
those who are either already in Crawford or on their way includes:
* Jean Prewitt of
Birmingham, Alabama, whose son Private Kelly Prewitt was killed in action
on April 6, 2003.
* Linda and Phil
Waste of Hinesville, Georgia, who have three sons and two grandchildren
(a grandson and a granddaughter) on active duty in the military. Together,
the five have already spent a total of more than 57 months on tours
of duty in Iraq. Several of these children/grandchildren are currently
serving in Iraq, and have served extended and multiple deployments.
* Barbara Porchia
of Camden, Arkansas, whose son, Army Reservist Private 1st Class Jonathan
Cheatham, was killed in action in Baghdad on July 26, 2003.
* Sue Niederer of
Pennington, New Jersey, is a co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace.
Her son, 1st Lieutenant Seth Dvorin, was killed in action near Iskandariyah,
Iraq, on February 3, 2004.
* Mimi Evans of
Hyannis, Massachusetts, plans to arrive in Crawford next week. Mimis
son serves in the Marines and will be deployed to Fallujah in the next
two weeks.
* Bill Mitchell
of Atascadero, California, has already arrived in Crawford. Bills
son, Sgt. Michael Mitchell, was killed in action in Sadr City on April
4, 2004, along with Cindy Sheehans son Casey. Bill is a co-founder
of Gold Star Families for Peace.