They Are Not Numbers: Cindy Sheehan

They Are Not Numbers

by Cindy Sheehan

October 22, 2005
Truthout

I received this email today from a distraught Gold Star Mother:

How?
 
I have so many questions ... How I do I stop the vulgar pain in my chest? How do I do this? How I do I continue to breathe but cannot live? How do I do this? How do I keep my soul in my body? How do I do this? How do I close my eyes wondering if sleep should come but yet knowing if I sleep I will awaken to know this is not a nightmare but my life? How do I do this? How do I love someone with my very being but cannot ever hold him again? How do I do this? How do I go on without that sweet face that brought more joy to my life than I ever deserve -- never to be seen by my eyes again? How do I do this? How do I stop the scream that no one hears but me? How do I do this? PLEASE TELL ME ... how do I live without my child, my son, my heart, my soul, my joy, my validation to my life ... Please tell me ... how do I do this? How does the world go on without Steven ... how do I do this?

<snip>

Our young people aren't numbers. Our young people are confined to early graves because of criminals who should be confined to prison, who are profiting handsomely from the undeclared mess in Iraq. The Iraqi people are less than numbers. If they are counted or thought of at all, they are very often wrongly counted as "insurgents," when they are children and women.

    If mere numbers will wake America up, think of Dr. and Mrs. Death (Donny and Condi) when they say that this occupation could last at least a dozen or more years.


http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=8976
 

Count them out and think while you are counting. Think of this woman being 1, Cindy 2, someone else 3, on and on and on.

Now make several more piles, then several more, and several more, and on and on and on and ask us if we are angrier or sadder.

I don't want them taken out of power, I want them at least imprisoned. At least.