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Posted in its entirety with permission.
Hell Freezes Over
Cindy Sheehan
On a weekend where 10 American troops and dozens of Iraqis were sent to an Easter grave, Camp Casey was once again open for protesting business.
At a time when my sharp, stabbing pain of loss is turning into a dull constant ache and I am surrounded by hundreds of people who support the work of peace and help me carry my burden, 10 more American mothers are in a daze of shock, horrible agony and unbelief that her son is not coming home alive from the mess that George Bush put her child in. No matter what date Easter falls on in the future, these family’s Easters (and other holidays) will be broken forever.
Although the weather did not co-operate this weekend and we even had SNOW!, we had another amazing Camp Casey. Our first night out at camp, we had an impeachment forum with top impeachment activists from all over the nation speaking about the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush cabal. Two Waco news stations were carrying the feed live from Camp Casey. Hopefully, we got across our message that impeachment is not a “loony left” concept, but a conservative, constitutional remedy to an out of control elected official that thinks he/she is above the law and above accountability. Why should King George, et. al. be able to leave office and live lives of relative comfort and ease when they have devastated so many so fully?
Since King George was vacationing at his pig farm (how fitting!) this weekend, we did some great actions at the checkpoints. On Good Friday, we read the names of our dead loved ones, who are gone forever (they are not movie or video game stars) because of the Bush Regime. Saturday, some darling activist children tried to deliver Easter eggs with messages of peace to the destroyer-in-chief. The actions at the checkpoints, although good and relevant, do not have any affect on the criminals down the road who clean their brush and ride their bikes like they haven’t even caused so much suffering on our planet.
At our five acres of Camp Casey we also announced phase two of our development from a protest camp to a peace facility. The Camp Casey Peace Institute is partnering with Farm Hands to create a therapeutic farm for Vets and their families and active duty soldiers. We are having our first build on Memorial Weekend to put up our lodge building.
I believe that never in history has an administration not supported the troops that they are sending to die and kill innocent people for no reason, which only angers me further when the peace movement is accused of not “supporting the troops.” The VA system can’t handle all of the compromised Vets that need help and with the very buildings falling apart; families falling apart; and the Vets falling apart, we want Camp Casey to be a place where their lives can be made whole again and where the ex-soldier can re-integrate into a society that seems so fake after their life and death struggle in a war zone.
From singing Christmas carols around our camp fire with snow swirling around us to enjoying Rev. Lennox Yearwood’s Hip Hop Caucus anti-war rally, Camp Casey was truly miraculous again. When our “family” re-gathers in Crawford, Tx, we are re-energized for peace. We come together tired and sometimes discouraged, but leave fueled once more for our various mission around the country and world for peace. A single act on August 6, 2005 has transformed into an exciting movement and it energizes me to learn of all of the actions around the world that our Camp Casey-ites are involved in.
We know as surely as it can snow on Easter in Crawford, Tx, that our troops will finally come home from Iraq. We know that as important as our efforts are here in America, that when the Iraqis rise up by the thousands to denounce US troop presence in Iraq, that the end is near for this war and for the Bush Crime Cabal.
But we also know that the war for profit corporations won’t let war end until we force them to and they are planning the next incursion into another country so they can rely on the government subsidies that Congress so freely doles out.
For the children that tried to give a message of peace to Bloody King George and for the children all over the world that want to live their lives free from the American corporate imperialists, we can never give up.
Special thanks to these people for making Camp Casey so wonderful on Easter, 2007:
The First Annual Camp Casey Peace Award Winners; Willie and Annie Nelson, Ann Wright and VFP; Jodie Evans and CODEPINK; The Crawford Peace House; and Ava Lowery from Peace Takes Courage who received the First Annual Casey Sheehan Young Peace Activist Award.
To the presenters: Jim Hightower and Mimi Kennedy from the PDA and Dharma and Greg.
To our musicians: Carolyn Wonderland and her Band, Emma's Revolution, Hank Woji and Jesse Dyen.
To Camp Casey and GSFP staff and advisors: Tiffany Burns, Dede Miller, Carl Risingmoore, Rebekah Patnode, Ann Wright and Gerry Fonseca.
To our volunteers: TOO MANY TO NAME: YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Thanks the most! Security, Parking, Cooking, Cleaning, Building, Driving Shuttles...we couldn't do Camp Casey without our fine volunteers.
To the people who came from all over the country to pitch in and make this Camp Casey the best ever!
To Lon Burnam from the Dallas Peace Center and Texas State Legislature who has introduced Articles of Impeachment in the Texas State Legislature.
To Debra Sweet from WCW and David Swanson from After Downing Street Coalition for leading our fine impeachment workshop.
To the McGregor Hall for allowing us to move there when it started snowing after no one else would!
To Truthout.org and The Lone Star Iconoclast: two media outlets which are always there to share Camp Casey with the world.
To our many, many grassroots donors who make this all possible!
To my biggest heroes, my survivng children: Carly, Andy and Janey.
To Casey, whose body arrived back home from Iraq three years ago today...your sacrifice started this all. Your noble cause will be for peace.
If I forgot anyone, you know I love you!
Peace and Love
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was killed in Bush's war of terror on 04/04/04.
She is the co-founder and president of Gold Star Families for Peace and The Camp Casey Peace Institute.
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