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| Arrests, rhetoric highlight protests in Crawford |
| 2005-08-28 |
| 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 âYou Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!â rally. The sign read, âHow to wreck your family in 30 days by âb**** (bitch) in the ditch' Cindy Sheehan.â Nothing about J-Lo's tush though. Bitch in the ditch does have a nice ring to it. Kristinn Taylor, an event organizer with FreeRepublic.com, heard about the sign and rushed up to Robinson. âThis is our rally and you can't do that here,â he said, only for Robinson to insist he was within his rights. Camera crews rushed in and Taylor turned to face them. âTo all the media here, this sign is not representative of the crowd here today,â Taylor announced. Some of the crowd around Robinson came forward to shake his hand, while others chanted, âIdiot, go home.â The two men then squared off and raised their voices. âJust get outta here!â Robinson yelled, and aimed a kick at Taylor's midsection. Taylor called for security, and a young Woodway policeman quickly showed up. âI have the right to freedom of speech,â 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 -â one on the side of Prairie Chapel Road, the other in a field temporarily donated by a local landowner â 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 âYou Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!â 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. Good show, they were outnumbered 2 to 1. 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. âI finally figured out what the ânoble cause' is ...â she said, referring to two words the president uses to talk about the sacrifices of U.S. troops. âHe 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.â 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 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 âAmazing Grace.â âOh, Christian right, eat your heart out,â Baez said, capping the song. Two more seconds of attention for one far beyond her usefulness. 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. My God, where do they dig up these retreads? Indians, neo-Nazis, Rev. Pimp, 60's relics, etc. 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. 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. âWe've remained calm and let them do their thing, but this has really taken away our peace,â said 46-year-old Carolyn Dobbs, who lives next door to the Crawford Peace House. âI've tried not to say anything but, well, when they park in my driveway, I've got to ask them to move.â 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. âThis is a small little town and you can't breathe anymore,â McDonald said of all the traffic and indiscriminate parking, much of which he said was caused by the Sheehan camp. âIt's not just bad today, it's been this way the last two weeks.â 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. âWe don't want conflict,â said M.J. Kesterson, 58, of Independent, Ore., whose son, Erik, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, was killed in Iraq. âThis 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.â 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. âOur strategy is straightforward,â Bush said. âAs 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.â |
| Posted by:Captain America |
| #10 Hat tip: Freeper "DTogo" |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-08-28 18:42 |
| #9 ..but that would make that person a war-monger and all around bad guy. I'd love to see one of their asses kicked royally. With the constant drumbeat of relentless protesting, Bush=Hitler namecalling, and over-the-top rhetoric by the Left, it's about high time they feel the consequences of their actions. And please dispense with the "bad guy" stuff; remember the demonstrations at the various economic summits that have erupted into violence? Has any one of the protesters at those events ever been depicted as "bad guys" in the press? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-08-28 15:21 |
| #8 Sacred Cowburgers is a riot! Humor applied as a weapon of war. "B*tch in a Ditch" is a keeper, LOL! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-08-28 15:13 |
| #7 LOL UG! |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-08-28 14:02 |
| #6 http://www.sacredcowburgers.com/fresh/showpics.cgi?just_another_mouthpiece |
| Posted by: Ulaviger Glaick8998 2005-08-28 13:43 |
| #5 to these people the elected Commander in Chief IS a hostile enemy |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-28 10:58 |
| #4 This may sound trite but one of the concepts that the left continually injects into its protests which so far that I have not seen challenged, is that Bush got her son killed. It may seen a small thing, but I believe it is very important to point out that Casey Sheehan was killed by an armed and hostile enemy in a war, not by Bush. In fact it is, IMO, an element which can conceivably remind folks that we are at war and that young people do die, and if we have any indentity as a nation, we must honor their sacrifice, and pray Sheehans buddies eventually got the guy who did the killing. Casey Sheehan died at the hands of a hostile enemy. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-08-28 10:35 |
| #3 ...Wish Mr. Robinson had kept his cool, but on the other hand, I don't blame him. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2005-08-28 10:14 |
| #2 Mac, nice idea in fact I would like nothing more but that would make that person a war-monger and all around bad guy. The peace nitwits are slowly peeling away their soft outside and revealing their true colors. A review of past Cindy seeches is very revealing and she will slip back into that mantra before too long. When Americans start hearing how Israel, Haliburton, and PNAC are the reasons behind all evil, Cindy will lose her star status and reveal the true moonbat inside. It is not going to be pretty but I almost guaruntee a crash with camera rolling. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-08-28 10:06 |
| #1 If some people who are pro-Bush choose to kick the living crap out of some annoying antiwar protesters, I've got no problem with that. Personally I've had it with the left and believe them to be traitors to the nation who are aiding and abetting the enemy in time of war. If bad things happen to them at the hands of loyal Americans, they've gotten no more than they deserve. |
| Posted by: mac 2005-08-28 07:55 |