Cindy Sheehan says Bill O'Reilly is an "Obscenity to Humanity"

August 10, 2005 2:14 PM

Cindy Sheehan says Bill O'Reilly is an "Obscenity to Humanity" [...]Asked how she feels about the MSM devoting so much time to the Natalee Holloway story, Sheehan said "Holloway is a tragedy for one family" but what she's doing is trying to help thousands of families avoid tragedy.[...]
posted by Postroad (77 comments total)

Good for her. She's right about Bill. Hopefully the mainstream media (of which he is not) will actually give her the time of day with this much of a groundswell of public support, but I honestly am not holding my breath.
posted by wakko at 2:21 PM on August 10, 2005

Yeah, but you've got to admit, he's been great for the loofah industry.
posted by PlusDistance at 2:23 PM on August 10, 2005

The falafel industry, however, is going to take some time to recover.

Topic: mad props to Cindy Sheehan.
posted by scody at 2:25 PM on August 10, 2005

But he is a great writer of sex scenes.
posted by maxsparber at 2:29 PM on August 10, 2005

I still boycott the local news station in PDX where he was once an anchor (I was 2 at the time, but still, it's the thought that counts right?)

Cindy's a trooper. I don't understand how people like Orielly, who are intelligent enough to put on pants, can't see that her activism is motivated by grief and anguish, not a naked desire to smear 'true americans'


*kick*


yup. the horse is still dead.
posted by markovitch at 2:35 PM on August 10, 2005

I don't understand how people like Orielly, who are intelligent enough to put on pants, can't see that her activism is motivated by grief and anguish, not a naked desire to smear 'true americans'.
I understand. It's naked dishonesty in the pursuit of money and power. Of course, the True Christian people don't get as upset over lying as they do over homosexuality, do they, trolldios?
posted by wendell at 2:38 PM on August 10, 2005

And to tie it into the "9/11 Rally" in the previous post, from the comments:
What's worse than a two hour special on Aruba girl?

Clear Channel is sponsoring an ANTI-Cindy Barbeque Rally" across the street from Cindy's camp on Saturday; and to topit off, they have found military to show up and say that they would be ashamed if their mother behaved that way. There will be free beer, believe it or not.

It's disgusting.

Eileen in VT
posted by wendell at 2:40 PM on August 10, 2005

Is that true, Wendell? That's impressive. I'd sure like a major corporation to sponsor a barbecue rally to protest me!
posted by fungible at 2:57 PM on August 10, 2005

Didn't you all get the memo?

Dissent IS treason.

Treason is the new heroism.

We have always been at war with _______ (fill in the blank depending on what day it is).

wendell, that's astounding. The more publicity they give to her, the better. She's a mother of a soldier who is being smeared as if she sent her son to Canada instead of to Iraq. The spin machine is well out of control now. Bush should have given her five minutes and this would be done but he's a stubborn old asshole.
posted by fenriq at 3:12 PM on August 10, 2005

She's an obscenity to grammar.
posted by klangklangston at 3:38 PM on August 10, 2005

Someone asked whether she was going to be on Bill O'Reilly's show tonight. She said the show called her this morning and invited her on. Initially she thought she would take them up on it but then she thought, "no!" She said it's fine if O'Reilly disagrees with her politics but after he attacked her last night she decided she's "not going to dignify his show" with her presence. She said O'Reilly's an "obscenity to the truth and an obscenity to humanity."

I'm sure bill will have the terimnity to call her a "coward" for not apearing.
posted by delmoi at 3:58 PM on August 10, 2005

Cindy Sheehan may or may not be a trouper. The troopers would be the ones controlling traffic, except in the sovereign state of Texas they call themselves rangers.
posted by longsleeves at 4:20 PM on August 10, 2005

I'm a liberal, but am I also kind of critical of this protest. It started pretty good, but now Michael Moore is getting involved. MoveOn.org is trying to get her to do commercials.

The usual crowd of 20-somethings who beat drums and wear Bush vampire masks are showing up singing Give Peace a Chance.

I want her to protest on behalf of her son and against the war, not for Code Pink.

I think it's time to stop the circus... The local morning zoo radio show in Crawford is doing an anti-Cindy BBQ with free hot dogs for the troops...
posted by DougieZero1982 at 4:30 PM on August 10, 2005

Um, is there any reason to doubt that O'Reilly is an Obscenity to Humanity(tm)? I fail to see how this statement is remotely "controversial," in so far as this isn't really the worst thing anyone has ever said about any other public figure in the political sphere.

Incidently, that (tm) was made in jest, but it is wise to trademark phrases you wish to keep under your control, in this day and age.
posted by deanc at 5:17 PM on August 10, 2005

in the sovereign state of Texas they call themselves rangers

Not exactly. State troopers are not Texas Rangers. And the Rangers aren't exactly heroes. Someday, read Americo Paredes' With His Pistol In His Hand to find out why.

Dougie, that's damn cynical. If it weren't for the energy of the "20-somethings" the anti-war movement would have no juice. She's not protesting "for" Code Pink. Code Pink is supporting her protest. The only organization she represents is Gold Star Families for Peace. We have ourselves a genuine hero here, a Rosa Parks for the peace movement. She's inspiring a lot of support, even from people like me who oppose the war vehemently but disagree with her that the solution is an immediate US withdrawal, which I think will foment even greater horror. If I still lived in Texas, I'd be there with her too.

And fuck Clear Channel. Sorry, it's the only word that works.
posted by realcountrymusic at 5:18 PM on August 10, 2005

I agree with you about the withdrawal. We need to fix it no matter how many US lives it takes now, we broke it. I also blame the American people and the media. I still hear slogans that make no sense... IE:

We are fighting for OUR freedom!
He/She died to keep us free!...etc.

Of course we are already free...

The American people forgot that war is a tragedy not patriotic... remember before the war when people were getting arrested at shopping malls for wearing peace shirts? Movie studios were altering movie posters to make them more patriotic? People were pissed off at the Dixie Chicks for saying they were embarrassed for the president?

George Pataki wanted to melt the head of one of the Saddam statues and put it into the 9-11 memorial (the first time they would be truly linked)... basically it was a wave of mentally retardation sweeping over the country. Face it.... America really really really wanted to go to war.
posted by DougieZero1982 at 5:38 PM on August 10, 2005

Collect the whole Family Values series!

NSFW
posted by joedharma at 5:58 PM on August 10, 2005

The usual crowd of 20-somethings who beat drums and wear Bush vampire masks are showing up singing Give Peace a Chance.


No, it's not. It's mostly veterans and military families. And Veterans For Peace are by far the largest contingent. And those Code Pink people have a bunch of vets among them as well.
posted by amberglow at 7:03 PM on August 10, 2005

In fact there are far more veterans out there in the broiling sun than there are in the entire Bush administration and GOP members of Çongress combined.
posted by amberglow at 7:04 PM on August 10, 2005

This is the woman who changed her story, correct?

Cindy in 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."

posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 7:22 PM on August 10, 2005

you left out that it wasn't Bush who made life return to the way it was at all--it was the other grieving families. ..Sheehan also said the trip to Seattle helped connect her family to others that had lost a son or daughter in Iraq. Sheehan said sharing their story with those families was rewarding, as was the time she got to spend with her own family. 'That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' she said in the story. Drudge included that quote in his Monday morning report, but didn't explain that it referred to sharing time with her family, not the president."

Reporter editor Diane Barney also responded to Drudge in an August 9 column, in which she said that Sheehan's positions on Bush and the war have not changed since June 2004. "We don't think there has been a dramatic turnaround. Clearly, Cindy Sheehan's outrage was festering even then," ...

Nice attempt at smearing her--not--maybe there's an orphan somewhere who needs the sliming too? jerk.
posted by amberglow at 7:26 PM on August 10, 2005

smearing her?

Are this quotes taken out of context too?

"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqi"
"I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."

I guess I shouldn't expect much from who one who is exploiting their son's death for political gains.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 7:33 PM on August 10, 2005

You're the one exploiting her and her son for your political gain. Get a little more fake outraged, ok? There are still some insults you haven't made towards this mother who lost a son. Learn from O'Reilly and Malkin--you haven't even called her treasonous yet.

...Maybe if she donated $100,000 to the Republican National Committee, he'd find some more time.
Public relations-wise, this is an easy one, isn't it? If you're the President, you meet with Sheehan. You invite her in. You give her some lemonade. You listen. You say you're sorry. And then you let her go back out. PR problem over, no? Fuck, while she's talkin', you can have monkeys dancin' in your head. But doesn't this seem like a no-brainer?
Unless, of course, you don't give a shit. Unless, of course, you think of yourself as unquestionably right and, frankly, you couldn't give a happy monkey fuck what the opposition says. And, of course, Bush doesn't.
So often symbols of protest are created by the power of the opposition. Right now, Bush is making Cindy Sheehan into a more powerful figure than he could ever imagine. Than he could ever wish for himself. In the end, if Sheehan indeed becomes a new Rosa Parks, then, like the war itself, the President will only have himself to blame.
posted by amberglow at 7:47 PM on August 10, 2005

Right now, Bush is making Cindy Sheehan into a more powerful figure than he could ever imagine. Than he could ever wish for himself. In the end, if Sheehan indeed becomes a new Rosa Parks, then, like the war itself, the President will only have himself to blame.


LOL

You people are more delusional than I thought.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 7:51 PM on August 10, 2005

Bill O'Reilly, bastion of integrity and defender of our country's veterans lecturing Senator John McCain on torture:

MCCAIN: Don't think that you get anything out of torture, Bill, because you don't. And I know that for a fact. And the other thing is that when people see pictures of Abu Ghraib around the world and in Arab countries, that it hurts us enormously.

O'REILLY: But I think that coerced interrogation, the Bagram guys tell me it works. It's just a matter of degree.

That's from a July 27 interview O'Reilly did with McCain.

I guess O'Reilly needed to take a break from writing child porn to lecture a POW on the virtues of torture.
posted by joedharma at 8:04 PM on August 10, 2005

smearing her?

Are this quotes taken out of context too?

"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqi"
"I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."

I guess I shouldn't expect much from who one who is exploiting their son's death for political gains.

You don't have any integrity do you?
posted by Rubbstone at 8:09 PM on August 10, 2005

In the end, if Sheehan indeed becomes a new Rosa Parks

Are you kidding me?

Why don't you compare her to Gandhi and Mandela for the hat trick?
posted by SeizeTheDay at 8:11 PM on August 10, 2005

That wasn't a question for you to answer, amberglow. That was a rhetorical question directed at rudepundit and his asinine comparison.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 8:18 PM on August 10, 2005

IRAQ WANTS TO EAT STEVE_AT_LINNWOOD
posted by I EAT TAPES at 8:22 PM on August 10, 2005

AND HIS LITTLE DOG TOO.
posted by I EAT TAPES at 8:23 PM on August 10, 2005

Steve, when you stop LOL you might try getting past cutting and pasting from Drudge to read the original June 6 article--it's at the Vacaville Reporter's site. Drudge left out comments of Sheehan's in order to manufacture one of his tabloid style revelations. Drudge is a hack. Cindy Sheehan has been ambivalent about Bush for months.
posted by tula at 8:32 PM on August 10, 2005

Bush should have given her five minutes and this would be done but he's a stubborn old asshole.
posted by fenriq

Fenriq, I know your opinion of both bush and the war, but you're either naive or ignorant if you truly believe that.

5 minutes and she would go away? Hardly. She's got much more on her agenda than 5 minutes.

This whole concept that she's a grieving mother who simply wants a conversation with bush is wrong, and spinning it as such is comical.
posted by justgary at 8:39 PM on August 10, 2005

what's Bush afraid of? he's the Wuss-in-Chief now? (or always has been?)
posted by amberglow at 8:44 PM on August 10, 2005

Wait, so your argument, Steve, is that the lady once trusted Bush (debateable) but now doesn't? And this is somehow dishonest of her?
posted by odinsdream at 8:58 PM on August 10, 2005

She's got much more on her agenda than 5 minutes.

What could it hurt? Let's say Bush gives her that five minutes, and she's not satisfied and calls for another meeting. Then I - and a shitload of rational liberals who understand that the President needs his precious time to remove brush and dig critter holes on his good ol' real Tejas ranch - would conclude that she's being manipulative and selfish. Wouldn't that be awesome for you? Just give her the fucking five minutes and see what happens afterward, you fucking cowards.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:21 PM on August 10, 2005

...The orcs are at it with Cindy Sheehan, hating her for making them confront the reflections of their own chickenhawkery and political hackishness.
...And forget the narcissism of it, the way they are admiring and congratulating themselves by imagining that Sheehan would be automatically on their side, the way they are feeling tough and brave by identifying with a dead hero, the way they refuse to imagine the ghost of Casey Sheehan turning to those among them young enough to serve and demanding to know, “Why weren’t you there with me? Why didn’t you have my back?”
Forget all that and look at the orckish evil mindedness of their assuming that a son would turn on his mother because of her political opinions.
You see the mirror they’re holding up? Loyalty to the right political idea—to their idea—trumps all, family loyalty and a son’s love for his mother included.
What’s reflected in that mirror are people who have no respect for anything, not a dead solider, not a mother’s grief, certainly not truth, not even themselves, no respect for anything but an idea. ...
posted by amberglow at 9:35 PM on August 10, 2005

I guess I shouldn't expect much from who one who is exploiting their son's death for political gains.

So Steve, see you at the Clint Black concert?
posted by Armitage Shanks at 9:46 PM on August 10, 2005

Local women join war protester ...Neither of the two women knows Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son, Casey, an Army specialist, was killed in Baghdad in April 2004. Neither has a child, much less one who has been killed in Iraq. And neither had been active in the anti-war movement. They hadn't attended any "protests or peace rallies or anything like that," Strause said. "Both of us are very busy." ...
posted by amberglow at 9:51 PM on August 10, 2005

"The obvious reality is that we'll never know exactly what Casey Sheehan, who was ambushed and killed in Sadr City in April 2004, thought about the war. But we do know what Gennaro Pellegrini thought, because he told us. A four-year veteran of the Philadelphia police force, he seemed to know what has eluded the grasp of the Pentagon, that the situation on the ground in Iraq was unworkable."
posted by soyjoy at 9:53 PM on August 10, 2005

S@L, it's common for polite people to say one or two nice things about people they dissagree with it. But I can understand how people who listen to the right-wing noise machine could get confused.

Being polite isn't the same thing as being weak or stupid.
posted by delmoi at 10:33 PM on August 10, 2005

Liked the orc piece Amberglow.
posted by pointilist at 12:34 AM on August 11, 2005

I can't actually find any external reference about a Clear Channel sponsored barbeque (search) . Does anyone have something on that?
posted by dopeypanda at 12:56 AM on August 11, 2005

Sheehan: traumatized, fink Lefty De La Semana
posted by ParisParamus at 5:24 AM on August 11, 2005

The Lone Star Iconoclast's Sheehan blog, courtesy of the local Crawford paper.
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:29 AM on August 11, 2005

... Cindy Sheehan and Celeste Zappala have joined with others in Crawford to insist that death is not a message for more death -- that we can understand death as a profound reality check, imploring us to affirm and defend life. ...

and Paris, you really don't want to go there. The crowd of racists, criminals, adulterers, hypocrites, cheaters, theocrats, terrorists, treasonous staffers, dictators, etc, all associated with the GOP and Bush trump peaceniks and a filmmaker anytime. (not to mention their stated "Fuck the Jews" attitude--unless it can help bring the rapture.)
posted by amberglow at 5:55 AM on August 11, 2005

When you're being unfavorably compared to Nixon, and losing, you're in trouble: ...Nixon, on the other hand, went a different way one interesting and significant night. In May of 1970, right after the Kent State shootings, when civil unrest across the nation had reached a fever pitch and opposition to the war had roared again to the forefront, Nixon woke his personal valet in the middle of the night. He grabbed a few Secret Service agents and set off for the Lincoln Memorial. There, he spent an hour talking with a large gathering of war protesters encamped around the monument.
The Time Magazine article from May 18, 1970, recalls the scene this way: "When the conversation turned to the war, Nixon told the students: 'I know you think we are a bunch of so and so's.'" Before he left, Nixon said: 'I know you want to get the war over. Sure you came here to demonstrate and shout your slogans on the ellipse. That's all right. Just keep it peaceful. Have a good time in Washington, and don't go away bitter.' The singular odyssey went on. Nixon and his small contingent wandered through the capital, then drove to the Mayflower Hotel for a breakfast of corned beef hash and eggs - his first restaurant meal in Washington since he assumed power. Then he withdrew to his study in the Executive Office Building to sit out the day of protest."
...
Cindy Sheehan is not in a large crowd in Washington DC. She is not camped on the Lincoln Memorial. She waits for Mr. Bush in a ditch by the side of the road in Crawford, arguably the safest and most comfortable spot in America for this self-styled cowboy. Yet he does not emerge to speak to this woman who lost her son to his war. Somehow, it seems a safe bet that not even Richard Nixon would keep this woman waiting. ...
posted by amberglow at 6:09 AM on August 11, 2005

Um, is there any reason to doubt that O'Reilly is an Obscenity to Humanity(tm)?

I prefer Bill O'Reilly:Tubgirl of TV
posted by Enron Hubbard at 6:26 AM on August 11, 2005

Bush doesn't have time to meet with Cindy. He's on level 14 of Halo! Don't you people understand "vacation"?
posted by fungible at 8:52 AM on August 11, 2005

"and Paris, you really don't want to go there."

Oh, yes I do...
posted by ParisParamus at 12:32 PM on August 11, 2005

And, at least you're not questioning the ill-repute of her "colleagues." Maybe there's hope afterall...
posted by ParisParamus at 12:37 PM on August 11, 2005

FAMILY OF FALLEN SOLDIER PLEADS: PLEASE STOP, CINDY!
Thu Aug 11 2005 12:56:21 ET

The family of American soldier Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004, has broken its silence and spoken out against his mother Cindy Sheehan's anti-war vigil against George Bush held outside the president's Crawford, Texas ranch.

The following email was received by the DRUDGE REPORT from Casey's aunt and godmother:

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.

posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 1:58 PM on August 11, 2005

Interesting how guilt by association is a Republican thing, but "noble Leftists" can be in bed with the anti-zionist/communist/anarchist crowd and it means nothing.
posted by ParisParamus at 2:22 PM on August 11, 2005

Well ParisParamus, that is becouse there is nothing wrong, in their view, with the anti-zionist/communist/anarchist crowd.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 2:30 PM on August 11, 2005

Yesterday Bill O'Reilly interviewed Dolores Kesterson, another woman who's lost a son in Iraq. He was unconscionably rude and she graciously and calmly applied a smackdown:

O'Reilly: If you had to throw in with one person, President Bush or Michael Moore, if you had to make a decision, who am I going to back here, who would it be?

Kesterson: Michael Moore, if he has lied or not, has not killed thousands of people, possibly hundreds of thousands.

Apparently the O'Reilly show wanted to book her as "the anti-Cindy Sheehan" but they got the wrong Mrs. Kesterson (she's divorced and her husband's current wife supports the war).
posted by kirkaracha at 2:48 PM on August 11, 2005

So, ParisParamus, you signed up, yet? Your nearest armed forces recruiters:

Army & Navy
41 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-858-2170 (Army)
718-330-7665 (Navy)

Coast Guard
USCG Recruiting Office Brooklyn
Recruiter in Charge: PO Craig Reid
7810 Flatlands
Brooklyn NY 11236
Voice: [phone]

And the Marine Corps wants to send its information right to you! Just go to www.marines.com and give 'em your info. Hell, you can even be a lawyer for the Corps!
posted by RakDaddy at 3:05 PM on August 11, 2005

The longer Bush refuses to meet with her, the more powerful her argument becomes. Bush is a prideful fool for thinking ignoring her would make it go away (or sending out an underling as they did yesterday).

This could have been resolved alot more easily by just meeting with her. Five minutes, an hour? What's the difference? He's on vacation anyway.

But it sure is nice to know that Bush grieves with her, just not, you know, WITH her by her side or anything where she could actually speak to him.
posted by fenriq at 3:06 PM on August 11, 2005

RakDaddy, I called spoke with a Captain who reassured me that I can better serve my country, and the fight against Evil by confronting asinine Leftist thought here.
posted by ParisParamus at 4:55 PM on August 11, 2005

So, ParisParamus ... where do you stand on your earlier statement:

"If WMDs are not found in Iraq, and in large quantity (or at least objective evidence that they were destroyed), then, in terms of American politics, the war was a sham, and the President should be indicted."

posted by ericb at 5:15 PM on August 11, 2005

pp, That's right because everyone in the military loves GWB, don't they? Each and everyone of them, including Tommy who just took a round through the leg. He's all for GWB and his mandate. And all their parents love, love, love themselves some GWB. They know he's leading us on the path of righteousness and black gold and kickbacks and WMD's (woops, don't know how those got in here since they aren't over there).

And there aren't any lefties fighting, are there? Oh no, America's army is filled with God-fearin' Republicans. Yep. And each and every one of them is proud, proud, proud to be fighting in GWB's little pet oil war. Oh yeah, dissension and desertion aren't serious issues over there at all. Nope, not a bit.

Recruitment? Recruiting's going great, isn't it? Thousands and thousands of good Red state, red Blooded kids ready to go off and die for George, who will then grieve over their deaths before sending another wave over to die.

Was it Captain Crunch you spoke with? He's got a lisp and probably actually said "Why don't you shoot yourself in the head and save the insurgents the trouble?"

You're a bad and boring troll.

ericb, are you kidding? Trolls have no memories. But I like your line of thinking.
posted by fenriq at 5:16 PM on August 11, 2005

Since you shirk from your patriotic duty of joining the armed forces in Iraq, the least you could be doing is protesting in Crawford, Texas to follow-up on your earlier position - as reprinted above.
posted by ericb at 5:17 PM on August 11, 2005

ParisParamus - your "retort" to RakDaddy reeks of the excuses Young Republicans have given when confronted by Operation Yellow Elephant on why they are not signing-up for our all-volunteer military.

I can't help but recall Chris Matthew's interview with Jason Mattera from the Young America's Foundation

"Chris: Would you like to serve in this war?

Jason: I'm fighting the battle for ideas..."

Oh, how noble, oh how brave!
posted by ericb at 5:27 PM on August 11, 2005

RakDaddy, I called spoke with a Captain who reassured me that I can better serve my country, and the fight against Evil by confronting asinine Leftist thought here.

Thank you for taking the time to respond, ParisParamus, but that kind of answer just isn't good enough. If you really want to show all of us asinine lefties how to Fight Against Evil, then you really ought to go down to 41 Flatbush and sign your name on the dotted line. My sense of New York geography isn't too hot, but you'll find it right here. You can even plug in your address and get directions.

I look forward to hearing how you do on your Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Here's a practice test, though I'm sure someone with your quick legal mind will rock that mother and head off to OCS. You've got officer material written all over you.

What, you're still here? Get going, son! There's Evil to fight!
posted by RakDaddy at 7:23 PM on August 11, 2005

Since you shirk from your patriotic duty of joining the armed forces in Iraq, the least you could be doing is protesting in Crawford, Texas to follow-up on your earlier position - as reprinted above.

Protest in Crawford??? The guy couldn't even summon up the nerve to protest Al Franken - again, after brashly declaring that he would. See a pattern here?
posted by soyjoy at 7:35 PM on August 11, 2005

Interesting how guilt by association is a Republican thing, but "noble Leftists" can be in bed with the anti-zionist/communist/anarchist crowd and it means nothing.
I didn't think you were that stupid--name one leftist who said "fuck the jews". Name one leftist who is a communist. Name one leftist who is an anarchist.

I can name hundreds of rightists--not just rightists but influential GOP members--who are thieves, liars, benedict arnolds, hypocrites, obsessive gamblers, CCC members, who praise the neo-nazis and abortion clinic bombers, closetcase gays who co-sign anti-gay legislation, and who hire fake closeted reporters (Williams and Gannon/Guckert), state office holders who squander the state pension fund on "rare" coins, but still have tons of money to help Shwarzenegger get elected, and so on. I could go on for days this way. You, on the other hand, have shown that you don't care who dies for lies, and that you don't care about anything other than keeping in power people who think you're damned, but useful. You think you're safer than me, but you're so very not--i grew up being warned about people like you, who parrot the official line and go along to get along.

I guess i have to coin another term: Uncle Hymie instead of Uncle Tom.
posted by amberglow at 8:16 PM on August 11, 2005

amberglow: hopelessly radically, pathologically liberal. He should be locked up in Metafilter. Oh. .....
posted by ParisParamus at 8:44 PM on August 11, 2005

The longer Bush refuses to meet with her, the more powerful her argument becomes.

Really? Explain that to me in more detail?

name one leftist who said "fuck the jews"
How about the Crawford Peace House people with their map of the state of Israel as labled as "Palestine"? Seems like a big 'fuck the jews' to me.

Name one leftist who is a communist
How about the nuts associated with A.N.S.W.E.R. ?

etc, ad nauseum
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:30 PM on August 11, 2005

Steve, Israel does not equal Jews. We've said it before. It's not right to reduce all Jews to Israel. And it's insulting.
ANSWER is mildly socialist at best, and has no power at all. They talk socialism, but don't practice it.

Bad Politics: The thing about the Right Wing noise machine is that it only has one tactical mode. Full bore attack. Which against a woman who lost her son, is a bit fucked up. Just a bit. ...
The wingnuts are scared. They think the script is that she is supposed to be greatful for Bush getting her son killed. And she is anything but.
They are so scared of her that they are doing oppo on her. So scared, the machine is trying to discredit her. ...
posted by amberglow at 7:11 AM on August 12, 2005

Amberglow: only in your distorted imagination. Many people, perhaps even most people who vote Republican aren't "Republicans"; they're people who evaluate the issues and make a decision as to whose views, on balance make more sense.

But I welcome your comic book approach to political thought--I'll keep the Deans and Kerrys out of meaningful power forever.
posted by ParisParamus at 7:54 AM on August 12, 2005

Maybe that's not so bad PP. If Dean and Kerry stay out of meaningful power we'll just put up another candidate, one with personality but also the ability to keep schtum when necessary. One that will appeal to those voters sick to death of the way the current government acts.

It's not a contest with an end you know. Maybe the next Democrat to stand will have policies even you agree with. I am sure we'd all welcome you back into the fold. I'd love to see how ferocious you'd be on our side Paris, I'd willingly pay to see that in fact...
posted by longbaugh at 8:09 AM on August 12, 2005

Longbaugh, I usually vote Democrat or independent on the local and state level. I just have no tolerance for the Democrat's abrogation of a serious foreign policy. So, I don't really think I need that welcoming committee. Bush may not be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he's a whole lot better than the of the Democrats' foreign policy idiocy.
posted by ParisParamus at 8:23 AM on August 12, 2005

From a conservative blog on winger smear tactic mouthpieces like stevie and PeePee:

Friday, August 12, 2005
Decency Is Not In Them
Even when something really outrages me, usually that outrage gives way to a bit of calm, measured thinking. With the Cindy Sheehan story, that's not the case.

If one needed any further proof that this incarnation of "Republicans" and alleged conservatives includes a faction that has gone completely and tragically over the edge, the smear campaign against Cindy Sheehan is it. For those who might not be familiar with the details of this and are looking for an accurate, factual account, a good summary appears here.

The essence of the right-wing smear machine's "outing" of Cindy Sheehan is her supposed flip-flop from supporting President Bush in 2004 to disapproving of him in 2005. As details of this have become clearer, it's obvious the flip-flop is nothing more than a canard. But setting aside the Sheehan story for a moment, have any of the shameless smearsters seen the public opinion polls recently? Here's some breaking news for them: a whole lot of Americans who supported Bush a year ago---including an increasingly large part of his "base"---have turned against him. And that includes many millions of people who haven't lost a parent, child, or sibling in Iraq.

There are so many side issues of shamelessness and crass opportunism in this story it makes my head spin. Think about the gall of a political and media machine "accusing" a private citizen of changing her mind (imagine that!) about an elected and supposedly accountable public official. When did a private citizen supposedly changing her opinion about something rise to the same level as a flip-flop about firing anyone involved in the leaking a CIA agent's name? At what point did the ability to change one's mind about a politician become something to be ridiculed and accused of instead of cherished as a basic right? And it's not as if in the past year we haven't learned anything about the pre-war manipulation of intelligence, as well as the incompetent planning, that resulted in the death of Cindy Sheehan's son and thousands of others like him.

Something else about this story that infuriates me is the vision of feckless, smarmy smearsters and cowards hiding behind keyboards in cities like Washington and New York (and yes, Miami), punching out electronic missives in a pathetic and desperate attempt to impugn the integrity of a woman sitting in the dust and August heat of Texas---a woman who, along with her dead son, embodies everything that's right about this country. The growing division between the professional class of spinning punditry and the vast expanse of Middle America that actually does the working, the fighting and the dying so the pundits can spend their time chattering has never been more clear than with this story.

If I had lost a parent, child or sibling in Iraq, I'd be right next to Cindy Sheehan sitting in that dust and heat. And I wouldn't budge until the president---ensconced within that reassuring bubble of faith, brush-clearing and mountain bike-riding---found a few moments to come listen to me. I hope as many people as possible join her protest and offer her food, water, and whatever legal or media assistance she may need.

In the meantime, it behooves the rest of us to do our part and engage in some "outing" of our own. That includes identifying and relentlessly shaming those who have become so unmoored from morality that not only have they abandoned the uniquely American ideals of accountability and sacrifice, they openly ridicule them.

posted by The Cunning Realist at Friday, August 12, 2005
posted by nofundy at 9:34 AM on August 12, 2005

The Cunning Realist - incredibly well said.
posted by ericb at 12:36 PM on August 12, 2005

yup.

even Wonkette got serious today about the call from the right for a competing pro-war protest in Crawford. ...The Bush administration knows all about exploiting tragedy for its own causes, including re-election. Whatever arguments there are against the war in Iraq, let's not make "I have more despairing mothers on my side" one of them. The only way to win a grief contest is for more people to die. ...
posted by amberglow at 8:16 PM on August 12, 2005

...Nobody can explain to her -- or to any of us --- why we invaded Iraq and why people are dying. They said it was to protect us -- but it wasn't a threat. Then they said it was to liberate the Iraqi people, but Saddam and his government are a memory and yet the Iraqi people are still fighting us and each other. Our invasion of iraq has inspired more terrorism, not less. Oil prices are higher than they've ever been. The country is swimming in debt. People are being killed and maimed with the regularity of the tides.
And everybody knows this. Deep inside they know that something has gone terribly wrong. We were either lied to or our leaders are verging on the insanely incompetent. That's why when Cindy Sheehan says that she wants to ask the president why her son died --- in those simple terms --- it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It's not just rhetorical.
She literally doesn't know why her son had to die in Iraq. And neither do we.
posted by amberglow at 10:57 PM on August 12, 2005

...There are 50-60 counter-protesters set up on the other side of the road, the police have been joined by Secret Service who have their vehicles parked in between the two groups in the triangular area that was made off limits.

Tracy says they are chanting WE DON'T CARE!!
posted by amberglow at 11:38 PM on August 12, 2005

Why mothers push for peace--BBC
posted by amberglow at 8:58 AM on August 13, 2005

That noble cause?
posted by amberglow at 9:31 PM on August 13, 2005