This is a quick diary to update everyone about Drudge’s latest smear tactic on Cindy Sheehan today. As most are probably aware, he posted a letter on his site, that was supposedly written by an aunt and godmother to Casey, begging Cindy to stop what she was doing.
William Rivers Pitt (of truthout.org) was live blogging from the sit-in today. He asked Cindy about the letter, and posted the following on his page, One Mother’s Stand:
Thursday 11 August 2005
8:05 PMI spoke to Cindy about the “so-called” family who attacked her today. This godmother, according to Cindy, did not know Casey at all. They saw each other maybe once a year. As for the other family members, they have always been at political loggerheads, so their response is no big shock.
Cindy treated it with a shrug. Her husband will send out a more detailed response soon. In the meantime, Cindy says the letter is to be treated as little more than bad, dumb noise.
The vigil goes on.
Here are a few other links (for posterity’s sake).
Via Crooks and Liars via Atrios: Does Cherie Quartarolo speak for Casey Sheehan? And via that link: Cindy Sheehan II, where the author posts an email confirming the identity of the aunt, Cherie Quartarolo.
Another day, another smear addressed. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Keith O. asked her about it tonight on Countdown. She explained that it was her in-laws and that they had joked around before about politics. But since the election, she hasn’t spoken to them because she can’t forgive them for voting for George Bush, whom she blames for the death of their grandson.
The last thing I caught was that she had spoken to her husband and that he told her that his sister doesn’t speak for him. Good for Cindy and her clear explanations on tv! The more they smear, the more power they give her.
… for the update. I don’t get Countdown, so have to get all my KO updates online.
I was telling susanhu that the first attempt to smear her (changed story re: Bush) didn’t work, now they’re trying to make her look disconnected from her family. I’m more in awe of her every day. I can’t imagine standing up to the kind of pressure she’s facing … and the death of her son being the most horrible situation for any parent.
They can do nothing else to her that matters. They killed her son.
She is brave, and she is free. More free, with nothing to lose, than I would wish on my enemy.
I was in my car at noon and heard the ABC radio news carried on the local station…. they reported that Sheehan and her husband have separated over her “activities” and that the rest of her family is opposed to what she’s doing.
I asked someone on the scene who said that there may be some truth in that, but that it’s being distorted. Anyone know more?
ALSO: Nice story at MSNBC — I think we should EMPHASIZE that she was a youth minister for EIGHT years — make that a PROMINENT FACT over and over and over —
Brinnaine just sent me this via CNN:
That’s cool. GOD, I hope her three kids join her!
I had read that Cindy and her husband had separated d/t stress of losing their son, but that he was still supportive of Cindy, and her children are as well. I’ll see if I can remember the link where I read it … I’ve read so many Cindy stories over the last few days!
she referred to him as her husband on Keith O and that he was supporting her 100%. They’re separated but not divorced.
Have you all seen the ad she is running in Crawford? Wow…
I just watched it Man E! I cried a little.
God, how disgusting is it that these people are personally attacking her? She lost her son to war, and she might lose her husband because of the stress, and all she wants is an answer to “Why?” from the man who’s fucking responsible.
I love this woman. Here’s the link to the full update.
“We have always been on separate sides of the fence politically and I have not spoken to them since the elections when they supported the man who is responsible for Casey’s death.”
How’s that for a powerful push back? Her message is so simple and so honest, that they cannot make her look worse than they do. I’m with ya Man E – I love her. She’s the best example of a mother protecting her children I’ve ever seen. Casey’s not here physically to protect anymore, but she’s still going to protect his name and his character, and may end up saving us all in the process!
Love her.
Next up, Drudge posts a letter from Cindy’s milkman. (The Repugs are playing with fire here, at their own peril.)
Some very entertaining and interesting articles at the Huffington Post in support of Cindy. The top 4 articles:
How Does He Manage Those Giant B**ls?
Simple Actions That Can Change the World
What Little George should do about Cindy, tactially speaking.
Cindy Sheehan Is My Hero
… and they go on and on and on.
Just wow.
Did you guys imagine that this would be the result of Cindy’s simple post on dKos, We Are Going to Crawford to stop the killing?
Go Cindy!
I love the Bob Cesca link (“Giant B**ls) where he calls Bush our “Struggle President.” If it wasn’t all so serious, I’d giggle.
Thanks, Olivia.
has more grace in her little finger than George can ever muster up in a lifetime. She handles each smear with dignity and love for Casey. She is so focused and an inspiration to us all. I just called someone to see if they can cover for me the 26th so I can go down there. I just know that I want to be there to say enough along side of the real Patriots of this country.
She is quite an inspiration.
I hope that things work out for you to be able to go. I know many of us would love to be there in body, but we’ll have to settle for spirit. It’s exciting to have some of the BTers representin’!
This is an excerpt from Amy Goodman’s interview with Sheehan:
AMY GOODMAN: Cindy Sheehan, the Drudge Report has been leading a campaign against you, along with Bill O’Reilly. And one of the points they make is that when you first met with President Bush, you came out with a very different impression, satisfied with the meeting, they say. And then you changed your tune. And they also talk about dissent within your family about what you’re doing.
CINDY SHEEHAN: Well, for one thing, June of 2004 and August of 2005 are two different months. They’re 14 months apart. And in June of 2004, we had buried Casey nine weeks before when we met with the President. I was still in a deep state of shock and a deep state of grief. And I’m still in a deep state of grief, and I will be for the rest of my life, thanks to George Bush, but I’m not in shock anymore, and I have informed myself. And I have known that four different reports have come out proving that this war was based on deceptions and lies, and it’s for greed. And not one person should be dead. My son shouldn’t be dead. And the killing shouldn’t continue. Every day, people are dying, and we need to get our troops out of there right now. And dissent within my family — the members of my family that wrote that letter are my in-laws. We have never been politically on the same page. But you know what? These people, I think, are using Casey’s death, because they didn’t know Casey, they didn’t have a relationship with Casey, they didn’t go out of their way to get to know him. They never spent time with him. And they can’t speak for Casey. I can speak for Casey. My children and Casey’s father, the five of us are all on the same page, united in our message of this war was a mistake, and we need to bring the troops home.
——————-
How many of us here are diconncected from friends and family because of this “election”? Bush… the great uniter my ass.
Great diary!
How many of us here are disconnected from friends and family because of this “election”?
Well maybe I’m the exception but I can give you a glimpse of the bright side. I didn’t have very many friends before the election, but now I have a lot of them, and they’re the best group of people I’ve ever met. I ran into most of them at the Brad Blog, and the rest here, and I am very happy to know all of you!
I’ve followed your stuff – at your site, ghandi’s, and Bradblog. And your whispering campaign is a great idea. It’s good to see you posting here. I think a whole lot of us found solace online … I know that’s my story. The world was going insane, and then I found kos and americablog and Boo and etc. And while I wasn’t a big commentor then, just reading other like-minded individuals was very restorative.
Thanks, Olivia. Very kind words indeed. It’s nice to see you here too! 😉