One Mother's Loss

Cindy Sheehan lost her son last year to the war in Iraq. She's camped outside the President's ranch right now waiting to talk to him, to insist that he stop using her son's death as a justification for the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq. She is referring to the ongoing argument that to "finish the mission" is to honor the lives of those already surrendered to the effort. Cindy Sheehan doesn't agree.

According to the NYTimes, she has taken her case to the President at a coincidentally fortuitous time to gather maximum attention: the recent deaths of 20 marines from a single unit in Ohio, the sinking numbers in the polls measuring support for the President's war efforts, and the presence of the press corp already at the ranch in hope of catching a story. These factors combine with the now grass roots upsurge of support for Ms. Sheehan in her campaign for an immediate withdrawal of troops.

The most interesting part of the story for me (for many) is the first-hand account Sheehan is able to provide about the meetings the President holds with families whose loved ones have died in the war: the picture she provides of these otherwise "behind closed doors meetings" isn't pretty. I can only imagine how angry I would be if, in a moment like that, sorting out the emotions at the loss of my own daughter, the President of the United States, in a supposed gesture of comfort, addressed me only as "Mom" - worse if he were unable to remember the name of my child.

A problem is snowballing at the end of his driveway, and the President is feeling the pressure. White house Stephen Hadley and Joe Hagin were sent out to try to calm the growing melee to no avail. Ms. Sheehan is holding her ground with the insistence of speaking directly to the President, and from the sounds of it, she has company on the way ... lots of it! Go Cindy!

Thanks to Alice for her post on this topic in remembrance of Tommi, and thanks to Morgaine at What She Said for providing information for those who are looking for ways to support Cindy Sheehan as she camps her way through the month of August in Texas.

Update: Cindy phoned David Swanson just now (11:00 a.m. Monday morning, August 8) to let him know she and her company have been informed that if they have not vacated the premises by Thursday, they will be arrested as "a threat to national security." OMGoodness!


technorati tags: CindySheehan, protests, war