Home > Cindy Sheehan honored here Anti-war activist among 4 hailed at synagogue
Cindy Sheehan honored here Anti-war activist among 4 hailed at synagogue
by Open-Publishing - Saturday 11 February 2006Movement Wars and conflicts USA
By REGINA MEDINA
LAST TUESDAY, peace activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested, handcuffed and removed from the U.S. House gallery shortly before President Bush’s State of the Union Address.
She was wearing a T-shirt alluding to her anti-war sentiments - "2245 Dead. How many more?"
Yesterday, Sheehan had the same basic message, but wore a long black dress with a large photo of her fallen son, Army Spec. Casey A. Sheehan, hanging from a ribbon around her neck.
This time, her 250-strong audience at Congregation Mishkan Shalom in Roxborough was much more receptive to her words than Capitol police. (Authorities later dropped charges and apologized to Sheehan.)
"Every day I wear this," said Sheehan, referring to the photo. "I don’t want anybody to see me without him."
Sheehan and three others - progressive activist and writer Jeffrey Dekro; White Dog Cafe owner Judy Wicks; and Celeste Zappala, a fellow Gold Star Families for Peace activist - were honored by the Shalom Center for their social-justice endeavors.
Sheehan, the California activist, gained national attention last summer when she set up a mock graveyard, Camp Casey, near the entrance to Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Yesterday, she was the keynote speaker and is close with Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director of the Shalom Center. Waskow introduced her, calling her a "prophet."
Teacher Lynn Robinson, who was handing out fliers at the event about an upcoming Presidents’ Day demonstration, said Sheehan has "the spirit of Martin Luther King."
"I’m so glad that I got to see her speak in public, finally," said Robinson, 51, of Erdenheim. "The media has not relayed the essence of her message very accurately. They marginalize her as a sentimentalist."
In her talk, Sheehan demanded an investigation into "the lies" that led to the war in Iraq.
Sheehan referred to Bush as "King George, our tyrant King George III." When she said Bush should be "impeached and removed from office," the crowd responded with loud applause.
"I want to accept this honor in Casey’s memory, Sherwood’s memory and Seth’s memory," she said.
Army Sgt. Sherwood Baker is Zappala’s son, killed on April 26, 2004. Army 2nd Lt. Seth Dvorin, killed two years ago this past Friday, is the son of activist Sue Niederer, who attended yesterday’s event.
Space was rented at the synagogue on Freeland Avenue near Shurs Lane by the Shalom Center organizers.
The Bush administration is "creating new damaged veterans" who return from Iraq with emotional problems and suicidal tendencies, Sheehan said.
"Everyone who leaves, goes over there and dies," she said. "Not one of them comes back the same person who left."
Sue Niederer strongly agreed on that point, saying after Sheehan’s speech that families are being torn apart by the war.
Niederer was arrested in Hamilton, N.J., before the 2004 presidential election when, she says, she asked First Lady Laura Bush, "If the war is justified, why aren’t your daughters enlisted?"