William Rivers Pitt (TruthOut): Every Mother's Son

[Jack Rabbit]

From TruthOut.com
Dated Monday August 8

Every Mother's Son
By William Rivers Pitt

George W. Bush hauled stakes for Texas and a vacation a few days ago. Cindy Sheehan followed. She got off a bus Saturday afternoon and started walking to the Crawford ranch. She wanted some answers and was going to get them.

Sheehan had met Mr. Bush once before. On April 4, 2004, just shy of a year after Bush stood on an aircraft carrier beneath a banner that read "Mission Accomplished," Cindy Sheehan's son, Army Specialist Casey A. Sheehan, was killed in Iraq when his unit was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire. He was 24 years old.

After Casey's death, Cindy Sheehan was invited to the White House for a visit with Mr. Bush in June of 2004. Her first memory of Bush's appearance that day was when he walked into the room and said in a loud, bluff voice, "Who we'all honorin' today?"

"His mouth kept moving," Sheehan later recalled of her meeting with Bush, "but there was nothing in his eyes or anything else about him that showed me he really cared or had any real compassion at all. This is a human being totally disconnected from humanity and reality. His eyes were empty, hollow shells." Bush called her "Ma" or "Mom" throughout the whole meeting, and never got around to learning her name.

Read more.

[Hapameli]

1. Thank you. nt

[djeseru]

2. My grandmother said the same...

...concerning his eyes/face: "His eyes were empty, hollow shells."

She met him twice here in Texas before his role-play game of governor, said that after shaking his hand at the first fund-raiser she immediately felt like washing hers.

[AuntieM1957]

9. In stark contrast to Bill Clinton

when I saw him speak in Houston BEFORE he was elected -
I was struck by just how much he really cared.

He was so touched by the turnout of people volunteering for his campaign - pretty early on - right after he chose Al for a running mate.

And he remembered everyone he'd met in prior campaigns and their actual names (no stupid ass nicknames).

[phantom power]

3. There's a reason his handlers don't allow him to interact with people.

Get too close to him, and you see what's behind the eyes.

[Hapameli]

4. This needs to be on the greatest page. One more vote please!

[ginnyinWI]

5. done. n/t

[Raster]

10. And behind those eyes is dark, void, blank space. No humanity, no soul.

[jarnocan]

6. petition for Cindy

<http://www.radioleft.us/petitions/cindysheehan>/ petition to support Gold STAR MOM Cindy's and the others in Crawford TEXAS, and an address you can send a postcard or other support and don't forget



Petition Cindy has singed and has copies with her...mentions LIES and the Downing St. Memo. Please sign. <http://elandslide.org/elandslide/petition.cfm?campaign=iraq1>

<http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Sept24WDC> just for anyone who wants to add helpful info on WDC Sept ralley and actions. It is a care 2 group for supporting and encouraging folks to attend.

[sunnystarr]

7. Beautifully done Mr. Pitt (nt)

[babylonsister]

8. Hey, Will, did anyone ever

tell you you can write? That was heartwrenching and heartwarming all at once.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. William Pitt's Sheehan / Crawford article makes front page of Google News

William Pitt's Sheehan / Crawford article makes front page of Google News topping 653 articles. Good work:



http://peacejournalism.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=4557

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"His mouth kept moving," Sheehan later recalled of her meeting with Bush, "but there was nothing in his eyes or anything else about him that showed me he really cared or had any real compassion at all. This is a human being totally disconnected from humanity and reality. His eyes were empty, hollow shells." Bush called her "Ma" or "Mom" throughout the whole meeting, and never got around to learning her name.

"The whole meeting was simply bizarre and disgusting," Sheehan said later. "designed to intimidate instead of providing compassion. He didn't even know our names. I just couldn't believe this was happening. It was so surreal and bizarre. Later I met with some of the other fifteen or sixteen families who were at the White House the same day and, sure enough, they all felt the same way I did."

That was it. Cindy Sheehan, who had never been politically active in her life, became an activist. She traveled the country to speak to whomever would listen, she told the story of Casey's life and death, and she threw fire at George W. Bush with the passionate anguish of a mother who was forced to bury her son.

"Casey was told that he would be welcomed to Iraq as a liberator with chocolates and rose petals strewn in front of his unarmored Humvee" Sheehan wrote in February. "He was in Iraq for two short weeks when the Shi'ite rebel 'welcome wagon' welcomed him to Baghdad with bullets and RPG's, which took his young and beautiful life. Casey was killed after George Bush proclaimed 'Mission Accomplished' on May 1, 2003. Hundreds of our young people and thousands of Iraqis have been needlessly and senselessly murdered since George Bush triumphantly announced an end to 'major combat' almost 2 years ago now. All of the above events have been heralded by this administration as 'turning points' in the 'war on terror' - or as wonderful events in the 'march of democracy.'"

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