Cindy Sheehan Arrested

[WDWHound]

__________________

Why is that hound?

~Amanda

Before I answer, let me say again that I respect the Lady's right to speak, especially in the light of the sacrifice her son made. I want to make it very clear that I am not NOT saying she should be slient.

OK, That said, There are several reasons she annoys me. First, she reffered to the troops in New Orlenes as "an occupation of New Orleans". Thats innacurate and inflamitory. Much of what she has to say seems to be inflamitory in nature, and I have a hard time respecting a person who reorts to that in any argument.

Second, I disagree with her on pulling the troops out. I can understand arguments regarding whether or not we should have invaded Iraq, but to go in there, destablize the country and then leave would be despicable in my view. Right or wrong, We made the mess and we must clean it up. We owe it to the people of Iraq. If we leave, the terrorists and seperatists willl take the country and it will be our fault. Thats not acceptable to me.

Third, she has placed this issue above her own family and the will of her deceased son. Her family begged her to stop, but she wouldn't. Everything I have heard about her deceased son tells me he would have been against what she is doing. Her husband has divorced her over it. I could be wrong, only she knows best here, but it still annoys me that she seems to going against the will of everyone she loves and therefore hurting them in the process.

There are other reasons, some of which are just the impressions I get that suggest to me that she is in this mostly for the media coverage. In the end, I dislike her techniques, her priorities and her views, and so she annoys me. However, I thank God that I live in a coutry where people with annoying things to say are allowed to speak, so I try not to comment on her very often.

 

[holycow]

I get sick of hearing that line in defense of the war. I will never believe that getting rid of him was worth 1900 American lives.

those men and women didn't die in vain...we make it so by being so disrespectful of their service to our country. By removing Saddam we saved another 400,000 children in his country from dying of starvation, lack of clean water etc....I'd say those soldiers didn't die in vain at all.


Sheehan doesn't deserve the attention she's getting. Her soldier knew what he was fighting for. It is a shame his mom is using this as a vehicle to her 15 min. of fame. shame, shame

Holycow

 

[richiebaseball]

I don't see how being anti-war is anti-American.

Neither do I. But I also don't see why someone can't have a pro-war opinion without donating one of their adult children.

But if you have no trouble with one, you shouldn't have any trouble with the other.

Richard

 

[ThAnswr]

Then please do rush to Washington and help Ms. Sheehan file a lawsuit in the District Court to have this incredibly unconstitutional law overturned immediately. Heaven knows, our right to free speech is in terrible danger of being completely and utterly revoked by this staged media event.

I don't have to rush to Washington, I can do it right from here.

If this law is so very threatening to our way of life then why has no one stepped up to the plate to have it overturned? Could it be that the law is not unconstitutional at all, except in the minds of those who have allowed their hatred for the current administration to overwhelm their thinking?

So in other words you have no problem with elected officials telling you how, when, where, and why you should exercise your First Amendment Constitutional right to petition your government? That is what happens when an elected official sets up a designated protest zone.

My right to protest trumps Presidential protection?

Presidential protection does not include violating someone's Constitutional rights. Presidential protection can be carried to the nth degree and is something that feeds on itself until it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

Put your politics aside and understand what's happens when some gives you a "designated protest" zone.

 

[disney4us2002]

In the picture I saw she was obviously not too upset about being arrested because she has a HUGE grin on her face.

It was a planned arrest. I'm home today with my ill son and caught the noon news and the newscasters were reporting that the anti-war movement group led by Cindy were planning a civil disobedience and expected to be arrested this afternoon. How considerate of them to let the police know to have add'l officers on hand to make the arrests.

 

[C.Ann]

When did peacefully protesting in front of the WH now subject one to arrest?

Cindy Sheehan maybe annoying, but I do believe we still have the right of assembly and the right to redress our government..........or has that all changed on planet Bush?

-----------------

My thoughts as well.. Is it against the law to sit on the sidewalk there? I could see if she were laying down in front of traffic on the street; if she were armed; etc. - but it sounds like it was a peaceful protest that was not endangering anyone else, so I really don't understand why she was arrested..

 

[ThAnswr]

Politicians of every type don't want protesters near them - both for selfish and security reasons. Period. So they create places that are off-limits and arrest people who cross into them.

And this isn't a problem to you? You don't see how inherently dangerous this is? Politicians creating "designated protest" zones because they don't want to hear the message doesn't bother you?

It should, because for every inch you give, the politicians will take a mile.

 

[Bob Slydell]

It was a planned arrest. I'm home today with my ill son and caught the noon news and the newscasters were reporting that the anti-war movement group led by Cindy were planning a civil disobedience and expected to be arrested this afternoon. How considerate of them to let the police know to have add'l officers on hand to make the arrests.

...and make sure the media had enough advance notice.

 

[ThAnswr]

It was a planned arrest. I'm home today with my ill son and caught the noon news and the newscasters were reporting that the anti-war movement group led by Cindy were planning a civil disobedience and expected to be arrested this afternoon. How considerate of them to let the police know to have add'l officers on hand to make the arrests.

This country was founded on civil disobedience and not going along with the powers that be because it's convenient for them.

 

[ThAnswr]

-----------------

My thoughts as well.. Is it against the law to sit on the sidewalk there? I could see if she were laying down in front of traffic on the street; if she were armed; etc. - but it sounds like it was a peaceful protest that was not endangering anyone else, so I really don't understand why she was arrested..

And I don't understand what's happening to this country when people are perfectly all right with their elected officials telling them how, when, where, and why they should exercise their Constitutional rights.

 

[toto2]

By removing Saddam we saved another 400,000 children in his country from dying of starvation, lack of clean water etc....I'd say those soldiers didn't die in vain at all.
Holycow[/QUOTE

Childreen were dying in Irak partly because of UN sanctions on the country , and the US were big advocates for the sanctions : This from a 1997 article on the BBC website

"Nearly one million children in Iraq are suffering from chronic malnutrition, according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund.

The Unicef report said children are bearing the brunt of economic hardship in Iraq. The number of malnourished children represents an increase of 72% since international sanctions were imposed on Baghdad.

The Unicef representative in Baghdad, Philippe Heffinck, said: "What we are seeing is a dramatic deterioration in the nutritional well-being of Iraqi children since 1991."

"It is clear that children are bearing the brunt of the current economic hardship. They must be protected from the impact of the sanctions. Otherwise, they will continue to suffer, and that we cannot accept."

The Unicef survey came out shortly before the Security Council considers improvements to the programme, which allows Iraq to sell limited amounts of oil to buy food and medicine. The aid-for-trade agreement is aimed at alleviating the impact of UN trade sanctions.

TV crews asked to film suffering

The Iraqi cabinet are holding an emergency meeting to discuss the impact of sanctions on children.



Iraqi authorities invited foreign television crews into a hospital to film women grieving over children who th"ey say died as a result of the sanctions.

Unicef reports that 32% of children under the age of five -- a total of 960,000 -- are undernourished. The problem is far greater than in neighbouring Jordan or Turkey.

The study is based on an Iraqi government survey last year of 6,375 households in the country and two follow-up surveys this year.

"What concerns us now is that there is no sign of any improvement since Security Council Resolution 986 came into force," said Mr Heffinck, referring to the document that set up the oil-for-food plan which came into effect a year ago.

UN to increase oil sold for food

Even before the current crisis with Iraq, UN officials were advocating an increase in the amount of oil Iraq could sell to buy humanitarian goods, with some wanting to double the figures to $4 billion every six months.

The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, is to present a report by the end of November reflecting this view. But he may not suggest a specific figure, leaving it up to the Security Council, which has to make a decision early in December.

The United States has been the chief advocate of the oil-for-food programme, which gives the UN control over goods arriving in Iraq."

 

[AllyandJack]

And this isn't a problem to you? You don't see how inherently dangerous this is? Politicians creating "designated protest" zones because they don't want to hear the message doesn't bother you?

It should, because for every inch you give, the politicians will take a mile.

I didn't say I agreed with it. I got to walk by the "Protest Pen" a few times. It was nowhere near where any of the politicians were going to be. They wanted it that way...Kerry...Kennedy....supposedly champions of people's rights. They were literally blocks away from the site of the Convention, but it was deemed a security issue to allow them to be closer and none of the democrats stood up....the mayor of the city, a democrat, organized this Protest Pen.

I was just pointing out that this attitude crosses party lines.

 

[DawnCt1]

And I don't understand what's happening to this country when people are perfectly all right with their elected officials telling them how, when, where, and why they should exercise their Constitutional rights.

So would it be alright with you if I decided to protest in the movie theatre that you just paid $10 to get into? How about if I decided to protest in front of your house after you went to bed? Could I protest at the end of your driveway and obstruct your way to work? What don't you understand? BTW. Cindy doesn't look very "distraught". She was grinning ear to ear as she was being hauled away.

 

[WDWHound]

This country was founded on civil disobedience and not going along with the powers that be because it's convenient for them.

OK, fine. But with that comes a price. If you are going to commit an act of civil disobedience, expect to be arrested. Its really very simply.

She went out there attempting to be arrested and she succeeded. Mission accomplished. She could have protested there, all she needed to do was walk back and forth and not sit down. Instead, she chose to be arrested. Sorry, I have no sympathy on this one.

 

[mum4jenn]

Sheehan arrested in front of White House
Civil disobedience meant to protest Iraq war

Monday, September 26, 2005; Posted: 2:46 p.m. EDT (18:46 GMT)


Members of the protest group Code Pink demonstrate outside of the White House gate. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who has used her son's death in Iraq to spur the anti-war movement, was arrested Monday while protesting outside the White House.

Sheehan and several dozen other protesters sat down on the sidewalk after marching along the pedestrian walkway on Pennsylvania Avenue. Police warned them three times that they were breaking the law by failing to move along, then began making arrests.

Sheehan, 48, was the first taken into custody. She stood up and was handcuffed, then led to a police vehicle while protesters chanted, "The whole world is watching."

Others who were arrested also cooperated with police. Sgt. Scott Fear, spokesman for the U.S. Park Police, said they would be charged with demonstrating without a permit, which is a misdemeanor.

Park Police Sgt. L.J. McNally said Sheehan and the others would be taken to a processing center where they would be fingerprinted and photographed, then given a ticket and released. The process would take several hours, he said.

Sheehan's 24-year-old son, Casey, was killed in an ambush in Sadr City, Iraq, last year. She attracted worldwide attention last month with her 26-day vigil outside President Bush's Texas ranch.

Sheehan was among several hundred demonstrators who marched around the White House on Monday and then stopped in front and began singing and chanting "Stop the war now!" Organizers had said some planned to be arrested.

The demonstration is part of a broader anti-war effort on Capitol Hill organized by United for Peace and Justice, an umbrella group. Representatives from anti-war groups were meeting Monday with members of Congress to urge them to work to end the war and bring home the troops.

The protest following a massive demonstration Saturday on the National Mall that drew a crowd of 100,000 or more, the largest such gathering in the capital since the war began in March 2003.

On Sunday, a rally supporting the war drew roughly 500 participants. Speakers included veterans of World War II and the war in Iraq, as well as family members of soldiers killed in Iraq.

"I would like to say to Cindy Sheehan and her supporters don't be a group of unthinking lemmings. It's not pretty," said Mitzy Kenny of Ridgeley, West Virginia, whose husband died in Iraq last year. The anti-war demonstrations "can affect the war in a really negative way. It gives the enemy hope."

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I don't have to rush to Washington, I can do it right from here.

Then please keep us all up-to-date on your filing and the status of the suit. It should be quite interesting.

So in other words you have no problem with elected officials telling you how, when, where, and why you should exercise your First Amendment Constitutional right to petition your government? That is what happens when an elected official sets up a designated protest zone.

I have no problem with the DC police enforcing the laws of DC as pertains to protests held in front of or nearby the White House. I also have no problem with providing sufficient protection for the President, regardless of any qualifiers, at any location he/she may be present.

Presidential protection does not include violating someone's Constitutional rights. Presidential protection can be carried to the nth degree and is something that feeds on itself until it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

No one's constitutional rights were violated today. Ms. Sheehan had plenty of opportunity to protest. She chose to break the laws of the District of Columbia and after being advised that she would be arrested 3 times, she made a choice to remain where she was.

She chose to break the law and apparently was pleased with the consequences. As I said before, it is all just a big media event to keep her name in lights.

Put your politics aside and understand what's happens when some gives you a "designated protest" zone.

I would say the same thing had Ms. Sheehan been a Bush supporter and doing the same thing while supporting the war in Iraq. Doesn't matter who does it, what their message is, what their political affiliation is... you are not allowed to park your posterior in front of the White House. Until your potential lawsuit has that law declared unsonstitutional, it is the law and everyone is expected to obey it or get arrested for breaking it.

 

[Geoff_M]

Give the indignation a rest.... Newsflash: If you and a bunch of your buddies stage a sitdown strike in front of the perimeter fence of the White House and/or then mass around the fence and refuse to move away, your're going to get arrested. That ain't a post-9/11 things, that ain't a Bush thing, that ain't anywhere nearly a new thing. If you want to protest, you're more than welcome to... just take it across the street! The fence is the first line of security for the White House.

 

[JoeThaNo1Stunna]

Eh, I don't blame her. I think I'd act the same way if I had a son die in a war that we had no business fighting.

I missed the part where he was forced to join the military.

You are never going to have a war that 100% of the military supports, however when you sign up for the military you know you might fight for a cause you don't believe in.

Mr. Sheehan knew this.

What a joke Sheehan is. Did she expect Bush to change his course of action because a hippie mother didn't agree with the war her son was fighting?

 

[swilphil]

Could I protest at the end of your driveway and obstruct your way to work? What don't you understand?

Come on over and try. This could be fun. I'll warn you that I just ran into my trash can that was at the bottom of my driveway.

 

[ThAnswr]

So would it be alright with you if I decided to protest in the movie theatre that you just paid $10 to get into? How about if I decided to protest in front of your house after you went to bed? Could I protest at the end of your driveway and obstruct your way to work? What don't you understand? BTW. Cindy doesn't look very "distraught". She was grinning ear to ear as she was being hauled away.

What part of "private citizen" in their "private home" do you not understand?

I'm not an elected official and the WH isn't a private residence. When you protest me, a private citizen, it's called disturbing the peace. When you protest your government, it's called exercising your First Amendment rights.

The Constitution doesn't guarantee your right to protest a private citizen, but does give you the right to petition your government.

As far as the $10 movie, protest all you want. Knock yourself out.