Does my son have to die in Iraq...

so my differing opinion about Cindy Sheehan would be given serious consideration?

Maybe I'm just tired, but it seems to me this is a sick line of reasoning when it comes to our opinions about Cindy Sheehan. Yes, her son died and that is awful. I could never imagine that loss and don't want to. But why do some insist that because I haven't lost a child in Iraq that my opinion in regards to Cindy Sheehan means less because I don't agree with her?

I don't get it.

There have been plenty of those and non-sequiturs being batted about as of recent.

That's just the nature of us all.

If anybody is insisting that your son die in Iraq in order for your opinion to be equally valid, they're insisting upon impossible, rapacious, and arbitrary standards at any rate.

Thanks.

And, I have seen more than one post that resort to that tactic. It is sad really.

at least not while I'm around to challenge them.

And, again, I always ask if they would afford a freeper mother that same courtesy.

they want us to keep fighting until we "win".

who disagree with Miss Sheehan and her batshit crazy view of the Democrats, who ARE the Party of Slavery and started every war in the modern era--she clearly slept through history class...and let's not even go into her economic policies, which are far-right/libertarian and poorly thought out, like most of her pronouncements of late.

These are the words of a sick person, who does not know her history, IMO:

I was a life-long Democrat only because the choices were limited. The Democrats are the party of slavery and were the party that started every war in the 20th Century except the other Bush debacle. The Federal Reserve, permanent federal (and unconstitutional) income taxes, Japanese Concentration Camps and, not one, but two atom bombs dropped on the innocent citizens of Japan were brought to us via the Democrats. Don’t tell me the Democrats are our “Saviors” because I am not buying it especially after they bought and purchased more caskets and more devastating pain when they financed and co-facilitated more of George’s abysmal occupation and they are allowing a melt down of our representative Republic by allowing the evils of the executive branch to continue unrestrained by their silent complicity. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/7/9/92356/44191

Her son died, that's terrible. When she stuck to that subject, she had credibility. But when she ran off to hug Hugo and Chat Up Castro, she fucking lost me. I swear, I sometimes wonder if Rove is paying her--she's just a walking, talking moronic, PUPPET-CARTOON at this stage. She squandered all that powerful pain, and now she's just a pawn in the hands of a group of supporters-handlers who are probably busy squandering the eighty seven grand she got from the Camp Casey sale. Her words read like someone who's being USED and fed a load of bullshit to spit back out, like a trained monkey.

I feel sorry for Cindy Sheehan, in a way, though. I think she's sick and needs some significant help. Instead, she's got this crew who push her back into the public eye, she becomes more and more a marginal (read--WACKO) figure, and to make matters worse, her cheerleaders (who apparently don't see that she's falling apart before our very eyes) continually infest this DEMOCRATIC website and seem determined to tout her candidacy and insult those of us who are Democrats and support Democrats, in direct violation of DU rules.

It's irritating.

where no one else dare look and share. I too think she is being used and had become marginalized. What a damn shame, she could of been a leading activist with appropriate management.

It's the equivalent of "Why do you hate America?" for some circles on here. It's a childish tactic used by people that can't stand to have their righteousness challenged, and need to stifle debate.

It's hypocritical that the same people that spouted that bullshit are the ones crying "Nazis" because DU doesn't want them supporting Sheehan's candidacy.

"If you don't support Cindy, you support the war" sounds eerily close to "If you aren't with us, you are with the terrorists!" Actually, in essence, they are basically saying the same thing, the only difference is who the "terrorists" are in the two statements.

the declaration of candidacy (what a hideous joke that was). From the DU rules, the "How We Enforce" section:

Democratic Candidates and the Democratic Party

Constructive criticism of Democrats or the Democratic Party is permitted. When doing so, please keep in mind that most of our members come to this website in order to get a break from the constant attacks in the media against our candidates and our values. Highly inflammatory or divisive attacks that echo the tone or substance of our political opponents are not welcome here.

You are not permitted to use this message board to work for the defeat of the Democratic Party nominee for any political office. If you wish to work for the defeat of any Democratic candidate in any General Election, then you are welcome to use someone else's bandwidth on some other website.

Democratic Underground may not be used for political, partisan, or advocacy activity by supporters of any political party or candidate other than the Democratic Party or Democratic candidates. Supporters of certain other political parties may use Democratic Underground for limited partisan activities in political races where there is no Democratic Party candidate.

Do not post broad-brush smears against Democrats or the Democratic Party.

Seems pretty plain to me. These people who are making those sorts of declarations and spouting that horseshit might want to actually read the regs before they start shooting off their mouths.

We're never leaving Iraq.

It was his choice. She's milking it, imo.

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Did he volunteer or not?

Is that what you wanted to hear?

He volunteered to serve his country.

for a load of bullshit.

That doesn't justify anything.

You said he volunteered to die for a lie. I showed his first enlistment was under Clinton, while we were in a relative state of peace. He signed up for his country. When he re-uped, it was with the knowledge that his unit would end up in Iraq. I find your concluding that he "signed up to die for a lie" offensive. He signed up to serve his country! Yes, we know that the pretenses were a lie, we know the war with Iraq is one giant red herring, of sorts; but to say he signed up to "die for a lie" is an insult to his service to our nation.

He died for a lie.

Which was, in itself, A FUCKING INSULT to his service to our nation.

abuse of our troops is WRONG whether they volunteered or were drafted or WHATEVER

while her allies, the people we elected to fight for us, make half-hearted gestures.

Maybe if you lost a child, you'd be as pissed as she is about it all.

Not every decision she's making is the right one, IMO, but she's fully engaged. Dedicated her life to it.

Sometimes it's better to do the wrong thing than nothing at all. With some of the crap I've read about her here, I'm not too surprised she's fairly disgusted with those who she thought were her allies. I'd be pretty disgusted too.

so I'll be more like her. It's so weird to read things like this.

so why beat this to death.

just go to bed.

Or at least tried to?

The loss of her son is what drives her. You don't share that drive, nor its cause. I'm not saying you can't judge her--that would be stupid, since you obviously do. Too many people don't understand what "can't" means.

But understand what drives her? Intellectually, maybe. Emotionally? I seriously doubt it.

She's doing what she feels she HAS to do. She's a human weapon, of a sort. An idea made flesh. And it'll most likely kill her in the end. She'll burn herself up with it.

You're not her, you didn't lose what she lost, you have no idea what drives her.

If your son died in Iraq, for all I know, you'd fall into a heap and cry for months or years. Who knows. All we know is how SHE'S dealing with it. Whether you agree with her or not matters not. It doesn't change anything.

You don't because you don't know me.

When we voice our opinions, such as what happened at Conyer's office, we get 'you didn't lose your son' as if it's some kind of justification for her stunts. Her son's death is being used, unintentionally I think, as a justification for just about everything she does. Not by her, IMO. I haven't been around her to know that. But here at DU...Yes, I believe that is the case.

I don't know that it's what I would do.

But it sure as hell was what SHE did.

If she hadn't lost her son, she most likely wouldn't have done any of it.

after all your son could become a hated cop, a firefighter, a Good Samaritan who puts others' lives before his own, and worse yet, he could...OMG..join the military! But you've got a cause. Work it, with full and unadulterated indignation.

Lost credibility with the Democratic Leaders who have embraced her. In in all honesty, they elevated her to her status by their mutual support....such as John Conyers....he even gave the forward in her book....

what does he have to say about her NOW?

Does anyone know the answer to that question?

He will hold no grudge and still give her a hug if needed.

Every day there is another Cindy Sheehan...a mother who gets the call that her son has died in Iraq...sadly, it happens several times a day. I feel for all these people...no one more than another as we're all part of a collective tragedy. No one's death weighs more than any other...they were all lost...and why? When Cindy Sheehan asked this question, this is what connected...she spoke for many, not one. Her suffering is her own, but it's no more important than even the most freeperish family...a needless death is a needless death.

Around this country there are now thousands of walking wounded...physically and mentally...and with them famiy members who will remain victims for years to come. These people are some of the worst victims as besides being thrown into this meatgrinder, they've recieved substandard care and surely face years of hassles with the VA and the scorn of some in this country who will look at them, and not those that sent them into the war, as why we "lost Iraq". And who speaks for these people?

You aren't alone and many, many folks want impeachment but resent the way Cindy is going about things. She is hurting the party, she is dividing the party rather than uniting it. If she has handlers I would be suspect as to how loyal they truly are. They are not advising her wisely. What power does an independent have in office? Why would she want to be the left's Liberman?

She should have stayed true to her word and out of the limelight. She should have taken the rest she needs and she said she was taking. She is being used and for all the wrong reasons.

It is as if her supporters use that as a guilt tactic anytime someone disagrees with her tactics or something she says. I find it very unfair to the memory of her son.