History's Garbage Dump - TANSTAAFL

I've written before about our local moonbats (http://herbertsobel.blogspot.com/2005/02/protest-against-morons.html). Today, they taped an American flag to a lamp post at a height that had it dragging on the sidewalk. When I yelled across the street to them to lift it off the ground, they laughed. BTW- the twit to the right of the flag (just to the right of the mailboxes) is, IIRC, a British subject; resident in the U.S. >25 years, mother of American citizens, prefers to remain a Crown subject. She should have stayed in London, doing £1 Lewinskys in Picadilly Circus.
After I called them f****** morons, and just as I reached my boil-over point*, the mope who had hung the flag pulled it down, balled it up, and stuffed it into a bag.
And I'm sworn to protect their right to be a-holes.

One of the squacks took a cell-phone pic of me. Look for that rare image of me in street clothes- and remember that video makes one look 20# heavier.


*- a number of vets have told me that they are reluctant to do the Protest Warrior thing because of anger management issues. These issues seem only to surface when moonbats are about.

The city of Mishawaka, IN, held a very nice support the troops rally tonight; attended by hundreds. People sang, hundreds of lit candles were held aloft in a moving moment, the Congressman dropped by (though Bayh didn't come by; he sent a speech with a staffer), and City Hall is going to have a wall of pictures of local service members.
The local news broadcasts gave it about 30 seconds, as a lead-in to a Cindy Sheehan story. Look for the rally on the network morning shows.
{crickets}
Update 18 AUG 05:
The South Bend Tribune, in their 17 AUG edition, had a single captioned photo as reportage of the rally. The same paper held many column inches about Cindy Sheehan, including a brief piece about the "Support Cindy" vigil to be held that evening.

BTW- I did attend this gathering, in uniform. It was a simple, heartfelt, and very moving event. Thank you, Mishawaka.

Addendum:
The South Bend Tribune's 18 AUG edition has more space devoted to the Wed. night Sheehan/anti- George Bush demonstrations. Nothing more about Mishawaka's pro-troop rally, attended by hundreds, that I could find. Maybe there was something buried in the classifieds.
For the curious- the SB Tribune tends toward moonbat politics. Mayor Jeff Rea of Mishawaka is a Republican- not that there's anything wrong with that.....

I have slept at night behind the wire, loaded rifle at hand, with very hostile gerbils on the other side. I have waded through puddles of blood and body parts. I have one daughter standing at the epicenter of what could become a civil war come Monday. I have a son who will, by year's end, be a grunt in an army at war. I also find myself, in my later years, in the position of being one of the gray old men who helps send young ones off to battle. Not all of them return.

I have said before, and I do mean it: These troops are my brothers and sisters, my sons and daughters. Every one who falls is another piece torn out of my soul. Every one that I see learning to use prosthetics, or a white cane, or to cope with unseen demons, causes me anguish.

I am not without compassion for the parents of the slain. Cindy Sheehan, however, was apparently a moonbat before Casey's death. She is using her situation, and others are cynically using her, to further a destructive political agenda. There is a focus coalescing around this incident. The MSM loves Sheehan's story. A grieving mother confronting the leader of the free world in order to halt the evil Bush's war for oil (or riches, or revenge, or ego; depends on which moonbat you're talking with at any given moment). You can't watch TV news or pick up print media without seeing some mention of her. This morning, on the television news, there was a short piece on a moonbat from Phoenix on her way to join Cindy Sheehan. I believe the name was Cheryl Bolens. This woman compared Sheehan to Rosa Parks, and spoke of Sheehan's importance to the anti-Iraq war movement. What a travesty! What a misunderstanding of modern history and current events.!

I've said here and elsewhere, many times, that we are engaged in a World War. Iraq is but one campaign in this much larger war. The anti-American moonbats, desperately trying to re-create the Viet Nam war, would like us to retreat from the field and surrender our security, leaving that security to the good will of others. I say to these moonbats, you can go to Hell in a handbasket if you wish, but you won't take my country, my children, and my grandchildren with you.

Cindy Sheehan's actions, and those of the anti-American moonbats who are only interested in her as a tool, not as a person, do dishonor Casey's memory. I find increasingly that this concept of honor is something I never have to explain to soldiers, and that is rarely understood by others. If you have never listened to it, try to listen to Toby Keith's rendition of American Soldier. Keith's song is an amazing expression by non-vets, and it speaks volumes.


Parts of this post were excerpted from responses I posted last night on an LGF discussion thread: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=17006_Unhinged_Mom_Changes_Story#comments

Update @ 0925:
KSFO, San Francisco, received this e-mail from a Sheehan family spokesman-

Hello again Melanie,

Our family has been so distressed by the recent activities of Cindy we are breaking our silence and we have collectively written a statement for release. Feel free to distribute it as you wish. Thanks – Cherie

In response to questions regarding the Cindy Sheehan/Crawford Texas issue:
Sheehan Family Statement:

The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect.

Sincerely,

Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.

http://www.secondbreakfast.net/archives/002082.html
http://ksfo.com/showdj.asp?DJID=11187
(Hat tip: gus3)

To Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins- thank you, and G-d bless.

Cindy Sheehan is camped out on a dusty road in Texas, slowly parboiling her brain in the heat of a Texas summer. She seeks, no, demands, an audience with the most powerful national leader on the planet. An audience that she has already had. Cindy Sheehan's son, SPC Casey A. Sheehan, died in action in Iraq. I didn't know the man. What I know about him is that he was a volunteer, that he served our country honorably, and that he died while performing this service. I can think of no worse thing to happen to a parent than the loss of a child. That said, I have a harsh message for Ms. Sheehan: get over it.

All the men and women serving in today's U.S. military are volunteers. These men and women dedicate their lives to the protection of the United States. They do this for many reasons, but not for glory or martyrdom. Most do this quietly, without much recognition. They serve because they choose to.

All of us who do or have worn the uniform understand that, from time to time, we are required to to perform difficult or dangerous duties. We know that not all of us will return home safely. When we are young, we don't believe that anything will happen to us. As we get older, we breathe that guilty sigh of relief that it didn't happen to us. SPC Sheehan was at an age where he had some awareness of these truths.

This morning, I watched Ms. Sheehan interviewed by an MSM reporter. As a psychiatric nurse, I'll give you my snap diagnosis: Ms. Sheehan is unhinged. She has chosen to nurture her grief and turn it to destructive effort, as a pawn of those who seek the defeat and destruction of our country. Ms. Sheehan is being used in a most despicable and cynical fashion by these people. The reasons for our troops being in Iraq or, for that matter, anyplace else outside the U.S., have been endlessly debated in many forums. I will not add to that debate any more than I have previously on this site. I will instead remind Ms. Sheehan and all my other countrymen, that once embarked on a war, one must conclude it. Wars conclude with clear victory, ignoble defeat, or uneasy truces. That is the real world, not the fairy-tale land that Code Pink and other neo-hippies and '60s-era refugees seem to prefer.

I lived through the '60s and the '70s. I was on active duty 1971-74. I saw first-hand what the national debate and discord did to our war effort, our military, and our country's future. Code Pink, the neo-hippies, and the '60s-era refugees need to STFU and STFD, right NOW. We need to follow our actions to noble conclusions, for the sake of our nation's future and that of our children. One does not achieve a noble conclusion by turning tail at adversity, and surrendering one's culture and country to one's very real enemies.

Ms. Sheehan, honor your son's memory and the sacrifice he made on our behalf. Place his flag and decorations on the mantle, and celebrate the path that Casey chose.

Specialist Casey A. Sheehan, U.S. Army
29MAY79-4APR04
R.I.P., Brother


Addendum-
Drudge has a report on Cindy Sheehan's changing stories:
http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2005/08/08/20050808_141400_flash4.htm
PROTESTING SOLDIER MOM CHANGED STORY ON BUSH
Mon Aug 08 2005 10:11:07 ET

The mother of a fallen U.S. soldier who is holding a roadside peace vigil near President Bush's ranch -- has dramatically changed her account about what happened when she met the commander-in-chief last summer!

Cindy Sheehan, 48, of Vacaville, Calif., who last year praised Bush for bringing her family the "gift of happiness," took to the nation's TV outlets this weekend to declare how Bush "killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity."

CINDY 2004

THE REPORTER of Vacaville, CA published an account of Cindy Sheehan's visit with the president at Fort Lewis near Seattle on June 24, 2004:

"'I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis,' Cindy said after their meeting. 'I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith.'

"The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith.

"The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.

"For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.

For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.

"'That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' Cindy said."

CINDY 2005

Sheehan's current comments are a striking departure.

In an interview Sunday on CNN, she claimed Bush "acted like it was party" when she met him.

"It was -- you know, there was a lot of things said. We wanted to use the time for him to know that he killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity. And we wanted him to look at the pictures of Casey.

"He wouldn't look at the pictures of Casey. He didn't even know Casey's name. He came in the room and the very first thing he said is, 'So who are we honoring here?' He didn't even know Casey's name. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear anything about Casey. He wouldn't even call him 'him' or 'he.' He called him 'your loved one.'

Every time we tried to talk about Casey and how much we missed him, he would change the subject. And he acted like it was a party.

BLITZER: Like a party? I mean...

SHEEHAN: Yes, he came in very jovial, and like we should be happy that he, our son, died for his misguided policies. He didn't even pretend like somebody...

Developing...

In the interest of fairness, here is a link to the original Reporter article:

original Sheehan story

I stand by my commentary above.

Hey! It's August 9^th!
Peace Through Superior Firepower.

/for those who think that's tasteless, tough. My uncle and many thousands of others came home because we were able to end a war that others started.

An excerpt from my forthcoming memoirs, as posted on LGF:#101

"Winter Soldier"- ah, I remember well the tumult of those years; after JG Kerry and I returned from our river trip to Cambodia, bearing only a tattered boonie hat and the seared memories of COL Kurtz's final words. Kerry and I stood shoulder to shoulder as we hurled some poor schmuck's medals over the fence, savoring the anticipation of another night of orgying with Hanoi Jane and assorted hippie chicks. It was a marvelous season to be a traitor, even if John ranked me at the time.

Hey! It's August 6^th!
Peace Through Superior Firepower.

/for those who think that's tasteless, tough. My uncle and many thousands of others came home because we were able to end a war that others started.