My published LTTE in today's The Day: Sheehan Spoke Against War Early And Bravely

[Larkspur]

I wrote and sent it yesterday, and today, it's in the paper. Talk about a quick turnaround.<p>

Sheehan Spoke Against War Early And Bravely
Published on 7/13/2007 »Letters to The Editor

Contrary to what the writer of the letter titled “Sheehan's behavior dishonors son's legacy,” published July 12, says, Cindy Sheehan is the living incarnation of that old woman in Jesus' parable who nagged the corrupt judge for justice. Jesus' old woman won her battle against the corrupt judge with the courage of her convictions and constantly reminding the corrupt judge to honor the oath he took to uphold the laws, the laws that protected her rights.

Back in August 2005, Cindy Sheehan and a few others started a vigil outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas, compound. As a citizen of this United States and mother of a fallen United States soldier, Ms. Sheehan demanded that President George W. Bush explain what is the noble cause that her son died for. President Bush has yet to answer that question, but the actions of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney show that Casey Sheehan and his fellow soldiers are treated like cannon fodder for the neo-conservative delusions and greed.

History will regard President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Sen. Joe Lieberman and their allies as war criminals because they pushed our nation into a war (and into) against a protracted occupation of Iraq based upon deceit and hubris.

Future historians will ask why those with power, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, failed to hold the Bush administration accountable, and why only a few, like private citizen Cindy Sheehan, had the courage to stand up to these madmen, who have squandered our nation's moral authority and power.

The editor chop out some words in the 3rd paragraph, so that sentence doesn't read correctly. I edited the editor's mistake.

Here's the LTTE I was responding to. It was in yesterday's paper.

Sheehan's Behavior Dishonors Son's Legacy

Cindy Sheehan's latest announcement that she is coming out of activist retirement to challenge House Speaker's Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat if she does not commence impeachment proceedings against the president is the final insult to her son's legacy.

Her anti-Bush, anti-American rants dishonor her son's life and death by suggesting he was incapable of independent thought, couldn't have had his own ideals of honor, patriotism, duty and simply wasted his life by submitting to the command of George Bush, the Alpha and Omega (in her view) of all evil.

She's right, I can't imagine the depth of her loss but it's not about her, it's about her son. Her son entering the armed forces was not a mistake caused by Ms. Sheehan's perception of George Bush's lunacy, it was her son's will. I refuse to believe he was a mindless lemming without personal conviction and simply joined a volunteer military force because he was bored.

Ms. Sheehan's pain cannot erase his great bravery and selfless execution of duty under his commander in chief. Ms. Sheehan should honor her son by acknowledging his conviction of purpose, courage, devotion to duty, subordination to his superiors and paying the ultimate sacrifice. Her fringe-lunatic politics are contrary to everything he apparently stood for and leave her with little credibility.