The room is packed to capacity with students, professors, and media. Cindy launches into her usual stump speech. War is bad; Bush is a terrorist; bring the troops home now; blah, blah, blah.
Then, foolishly, she takes questions.
MAN: I had a specific question with regards to the memorial you have erected in Crawford, and I believe one that you're going to be doing in Germany. You indicated that you were being supported by Gold Star... Gold Star Families, if I remember correctly. However, there were hundreds of military families that specifically requested that you remove their children's names from the memorial. However, you refused, and they actually had to come out to Crawford to remove them. When you erect memorials in the future, do you plan on using any names, or only names from the families that you have...
CINDY SHEEHAN: OK...
MAN: ...received support from.
CINDY SHEEHAN: My organization is Gold Star Families for Peace, and... and your facts aren't correct. We had a few people request that their children’s' names be removed, and if they requested, we removed their names. And.... a memorial in Germany, I don't really... understand what you're talking about.
MAN: You... indicated... I believe it's the family of Derek Lee, which indicated... the mother emailed you specifically, or contacted you specifically, and asked you to remove it, and you told her to come to Crawford.
CINDY SHEEHAN: No, I did not!
MAN: Are you saying that she, in fact, is not telling the truth?
CINDY SHEEHAN: I didn't hear from any mother in Crawford. Number one, I didn't check any email while I was in Crawford. Maybe, somebody who was checking my email, you know, wrote back, but I didn't check my email in Crawford. And I would never, ever, ever go against the wishes of another Gold Star Mother. Ever.
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, my name is Deborah Johns.
CINDY SHEEHAN: Oh. Hi, Deborah, I don't speak for you!
DEBORAH JOHNS: No, you don't.
(laughter)
WOMAN: Aw, crap.
DEBORAH JOHNS: And this gentleman is absolutely correct, because it's Debbie Argel. The Williams... I have over 1200 families that have sent you requests...
CINDY SHEEHAN: Sent me requests? I'm not in charge of those memorials.
DEBORAH JOHNS: ...California, spoke with you personally, on the telephone, and demanded that you stop using her son's name. So did Joe Williams...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I'm not using anybody's son's name.
DEBORAH JOHNS: You have used their names in Crawford, Texas, Cindy. I was there. And I removed their sons' names. And the sheriff down there took the list of the names from me, because he said in the middle of the night, you and your people go back up and put the names back up...
CINDY SHEEHAN: You're...
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, you have used their names in the newspaper.
CINDY SHEEHAN: You know what... Deborah, that's not the truth.
DEBORAH JOHNS: You have used their names in the newspaper...
CINDY SHEEHAN: No, I haven't used anybody's name in the newspaper.
DEBORAH JOHNS: USA Today, Cindy...
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: What... what newspaper have I used their names in?
DEBORAH JOHNS: USA Today, Cindy, when you took out ads across the United States...
(crosstalk)
CINDY SHEEHAN: ...I can't take that. I'm not the only person who does this stuff...
DEBORAH JOHNS: ...and you know what, you don't speak for me, and you don't speak for the majority...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I never said I spoke for you, Deborah.
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: I never said I spoke for you. When did I say I spoke for you, Deborah?
DEBORAH JOHNS: Anderson Cooper...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I need to... I need to answer this.
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, Anderson Cooper, when you did an interview, a radio taped interview with Anderson Cooper, when you were in Crawford, Texas, Cindy. You specifically said you were there to ask the questions for "all of America." And you don't speak for me, Cindy, or for the majority of Americans.
(applause, crosstalk)
CINDY SHEEHAN: I need to answer... I need to answer this.
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, you also, you also...
CINDY SHEEHAN: You talked, can I talk now?
DEBORAH JOHNS: I am not finished. You have also made the statement, that our military men and women who don the uniform and carry the weapon are the "ultimate terrorists and murderers..."
CINDY SHEEHAN: Oh my God! I have never said that!
DEBORAH JOHNS: Yes, you did!
CINDY SHEEHAN: Let me answer what you're saying.
DEBORAH JOHNS: ...time and time again...
CINDY SHEEHAN: Let me answer what you're saying.
(grumbling and applause)
WOMAN: Sit down!
MARJORIE COHN: OK, you've made your point, Deborah, and now Cindy's going to respond.
CINDY SHEEHAN: I've never called our military people "terrorists."
DEBORAH JOHNS: Yes, you did...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I have not! And you let me talk!
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: I never called them "terrorists." My son was in the Army. I love the troops. I support the troops. Their government doesn't support them. They send them over there with defective body armor. They send them over there without the proper training. They send them over there to a mission that makes no sense. Their own... and then when they get back, their own government cuts back the VA funding. Our own government doesn't support them. This is a wrong war. The only way to support them is to get them out of Iraq...
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: And I would never, ever say that. Whenever I talk about the troops, I say that they are doing the best they can over there under terrible circumstances. Do you know who I call a terrorist? George Bush!
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: And do you know what? I expect everybody in here to speak for themselves, no matter if their opinions are misinformed, like Deborah's.
(laughter)
CINDY SHEEHAN: We all need to speak for ourselves. And you know what? I am not in charge of any memorials in this country. The Veterans for Peace do memorials, the American Friends Service Committee do memorials. And I would never, ever, tell another Gold Star Mom what to think, how to feel, or how to honor her child's memory.
AUDIO CLICK HERE
MAN: ...received support from.
CINDY SHEEHAN: My organization is Gold Star Families for Peace, and... and your facts aren't correct. We had a few people request that their children’s' names be removed, and if they requested, we removed their names. And.... a memorial in Germany, I don't really... understand what you're talking about.
MAN: You... indicated... I believe it's the family of Derek Lee, which indicated... the mother emailed you specifically, or contacted you specifically, and asked you to remove it, and you told her to come to Crawford.
CINDY SHEEHAN: No, I did not!
MAN: Are you saying that she, in fact, is not telling the truth?
CINDY SHEEHAN: I didn't hear from any mother in Crawford. Number one, I didn't check any email while I was in Crawford. Maybe, somebody who was checking my email, you know, wrote back, but I didn't check my email in Crawford. And I would never, ever, ever go against the wishes of another Gold Star Mother. Ever.
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, my name is Deborah Johns.
CINDY SHEEHAN: Oh. Hi, Deborah, I don't speak for you!
DEBORAH JOHNS: No, you don't.
(laughter)
WOMAN: Aw, crap.
DEBORAH JOHNS: And this gentleman is absolutely correct, because it's Debbie Argel. The Williams... I have over 1200 families that have sent you requests...
CINDY SHEEHAN: Sent me requests? I'm not in charge of those memorials.
DEBORAH JOHNS: ...California, spoke with you personally, on the telephone, and demanded that you stop using her son's name. So did Joe Williams...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I'm not using anybody's son's name.
DEBORAH JOHNS: You have used their names in Crawford, Texas, Cindy. I was there. And I removed their sons' names. And the sheriff down there took the list of the names from me, because he said in the middle of the night, you and your people go back up and put the names back up...
CINDY SHEEHAN: You're...
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, you have used their names in the newspaper.
CINDY SHEEHAN: You know what... Deborah, that's not the truth.
DEBORAH JOHNS: You have used their names in the newspaper...
CINDY SHEEHAN: No, I haven't used anybody's name in the newspaper.
DEBORAH JOHNS: USA Today, Cindy...
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: What... what newspaper have I used their names in?
DEBORAH JOHNS: USA Today, Cindy, when you took out ads across the United States...
(crosstalk)
CINDY SHEEHAN: ...I can't take that. I'm not the only person who does this stuff...
DEBORAH JOHNS: ...and you know what, you don't speak for me, and you don't speak for the majority...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I never said I spoke for you, Deborah.
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: I never said I spoke for you. When did I say I spoke for you, Deborah?
DEBORAH JOHNS: Anderson Cooper...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I need to... I need to answer this.
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, Anderson Cooper, when you did an interview, a radio taped interview with Anderson Cooper, when you were in Crawford, Texas, Cindy. You specifically said you were there to ask the questions for "all of America." And you don't speak for me, Cindy, or for the majority of Americans.
(applause, crosstalk)
CINDY SHEEHAN: I need to answer... I need to answer this.
DEBORAH JOHNS: Cindy, you also, you also...
CINDY SHEEHAN: You talked, can I talk now?
DEBORAH JOHNS: I am not finished. You have also made the statement, that our military men and women who don the uniform and carry the weapon are the "ultimate terrorists and murderers..."
CINDY SHEEHAN: Oh my God! I have never said that!
DEBORAH JOHNS: Yes, you did!
CINDY SHEEHAN: Let me answer what you're saying.
DEBORAH JOHNS: ...time and time again...
CINDY SHEEHAN: Let me answer what you're saying.
(grumbling and applause)
WOMAN: Sit down!
MARJORIE COHN: OK, you've made your point, Deborah, and now Cindy's going to respond.
CINDY SHEEHAN: I've never called our military people "terrorists."
DEBORAH JOHNS: Yes, you did...
CINDY SHEEHAN: I have not! And you let me talk!
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: I never called them "terrorists." My son was in the Army. I love the troops. I support the troops. Their government doesn't support them. They send them over there with defective body armor. They send them over there without the proper training. They send them over there to a mission that makes no sense. Their own... and then when they get back, their own government cuts back the VA funding. Our own government doesn't support them. This is a wrong war. The only way to support them is to get them out of Iraq...
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: And I would never, ever say that. Whenever I talk about the troops, I say that they are doing the best they can over there under terrible circumstances. Do you know who I call a terrorist? George Bush!
(applause)
CINDY SHEEHAN: And do you know what? I expect everybody in here to speak for themselves, no matter if their opinions are misinformed, like Deborah's.
(laughter)
CINDY SHEEHAN: We all need to speak for ourselves. And you know what? I am not in charge of any memorials in this country. The Veterans for Peace do memorials, the American Friends Service Committee do memorials. And I would never, ever, tell another Gold Star Mom what to think, how to feel, or how to honor her child's memory.
AUDIO CLICK HERE
2 comments:
Notable at the Indepundit site are the links throughout Sheehan's statements that clearly show she is bold-faced lying. I said it back when this shameful woman first hit the national stage: democrats are making a big mistake with her. She will eventually prove to be more detrimental than helpful come election day.
I always find it interesting how two individuals can see and hear the same thing and come away with such different opinions. I thought Ms. Sheehan came across quite well here. This "verbal ass whoopin" you speak of seems a bit harsh.
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