thedrifter
05-03-06, 06:44 PM
Peace Mom' Sheehan brings message to Canada
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Wed. May. 3 2006 2:01 PM ET
Cindy Sheehan, an American whose son was killed serving in Iraq in 2004, has brought her anti-war message to Canada.
She's visiting Canada for the first time and plans to speak in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver, to urge Canadians not to let the new Conservative government back the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Sheehan became an icon for activists protesting the U.S. presence in Iraq after she camped outside U.S. President George Bush's Crawford, Tx. ranch last summer, demanding a meeting with him. The request was never granted.
The 48-year-old former Catholic youth minister staged the protest after 20 Marines were killed in Iraq in two days and Bush described their deaths as "noble."
"I didn't want another family to go through what we did," Sheehan told the Toronto Star. "My son died for lies."
Sheehan, who had lost her own son in Iraq, said something inside of her snapped. She left for Crawford to kick-off a campaign that has now lasted nine months and led to her being arrested four times for civil disobedience.
The protest, dubbed "Camp Casey," after her late son, grabbed headlines around the world and drew many supporters to her cause.
"The importance of Camp Casey was enormous," she told The Star. "It let Americans know an anti-war movement existed. Generals have spoken out against the war, as have congressional representatives. They tell me the grassroots peace movement gave them the courage to do so."
But Sheehan, who is perhaps better known as the "Peace Mom," has also become a target for those who call her campaign unpatriotic and anti-American.
Some have even called her a fraud and accused her of turning her son's death into a career, while other parents of fallen soldiers have made it clear Sheehan doesn't represents them.
Yet despite the criticism, Sheehan told CTV's Canada AM that her resolve is stronger than ever.
"When you bury a child, there's not much else that can hurt you," Sheehan said. "That's the worst thing a mother can do -- bury a child, and if people think that calling me names or lying about me or twisting my words is going to stop me, they're wrong, because we're just trying to save lives."
Sheehan believes so strongly in her cause she severed ties with her in-laws after they "voted for the person who killed their grandson."
And that's not the only cost for Sheehan. Her marriage of 28 years ended because she refused to back down. She said her ex-husband believes in what she is doing, but disagrees with the intensity with which she pursues it.
Sheehan believes momentum is still building for the anti-war movement.
"The support is overwhelming in the States and around the world," she said.
"Most people, even if they disagree with me, they believe that I have the right to say what I'm saying because that is one of our rights as citizens ... to speak our mind whether we're agreed with or not."
"If I have to be called a traitor or whatever, if it saves one person's life in the end it will all be worth it.
Ellie
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Wed. May. 3 2006 2:01 PM ET
Cindy Sheehan, an American whose son was killed serving in Iraq in 2004, has brought her anti-war message to Canada.
She's visiting Canada for the first time and plans to speak in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver, to urge Canadians not to let the new Conservative government back the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Sheehan became an icon for activists protesting the U.S. presence in Iraq after she camped outside U.S. President George Bush's Crawford, Tx. ranch last summer, demanding a meeting with him. The request was never granted.
The 48-year-old former Catholic youth minister staged the protest after 20 Marines were killed in Iraq in two days and Bush described their deaths as "noble."
"I didn't want another family to go through what we did," Sheehan told the Toronto Star. "My son died for lies."
Sheehan, who had lost her own son in Iraq, said something inside of her snapped. She left for Crawford to kick-off a campaign that has now lasted nine months and led to her being arrested four times for civil disobedience.
The protest, dubbed "Camp Casey," after her late son, grabbed headlines around the world and drew many supporters to her cause.
"The importance of Camp Casey was enormous," she told The Star. "It let Americans know an anti-war movement existed. Generals have spoken out against the war, as have congressional representatives. They tell me the grassroots peace movement gave them the courage to do so."
But Sheehan, who is perhaps better known as the "Peace Mom," has also become a target for those who call her campaign unpatriotic and anti-American.
Some have even called her a fraud and accused her of turning her son's death into a career, while other parents of fallen soldiers have made it clear Sheehan doesn't represents them.
Yet despite the criticism, Sheehan told CTV's Canada AM that her resolve is stronger than ever.
"When you bury a child, there's not much else that can hurt you," Sheehan said. "That's the worst thing a mother can do -- bury a child, and if people think that calling me names or lying about me or twisting my words is going to stop me, they're wrong, because we're just trying to save lives."
Sheehan believes so strongly in her cause she severed ties with her in-laws after they "voted for the person who killed their grandson."
And that's not the only cost for Sheehan. Her marriage of 28 years ended because she refused to back down. She said her ex-husband believes in what she is doing, but disagrees with the intensity with which she pursues it.
Sheehan believes momentum is still building for the anti-war movement.
"The support is overwhelming in the States and around the world," she said.
"Most people, even if they disagree with me, they believe that I have the right to say what I'm saying because that is one of our rights as citizens ... to speak our mind whether we're agreed with or not."
"If I have to be called a traitor or whatever, if it saves one person's life in the end it will all be worth it.
Ellie