The couple's eldest son, Casey, was killed in April 2004 in Iraq while serving in the U.S. Army. His mother has emerged as a leading critic of the war in Iraq by pitching a tent near the Bush ranch and refusing to leave until he speaks to her.
Pardon me. I'm just setting up camp by a copy of the Iliad. A few nights of this and I'm tenure-bound. A Sather Lecture awaits.
The latest meme, that of one grieving and noble woman's rise against heartless tyranny, is kept alive in a piece assuring us that Cindy Sheehan's impending divorce has nothing to do with her lunacy heroism but rather stems from the grief which 'pulls families apart': implicitly the murder of her son by George W. Hallibush and his thievish cronies.
The ancien régime is fond of narrating the present [1] and is loath to footnote or hyperlink, and this constant barrage of undocumented factoids masquerades as experience and truth in much the same way that mimesis allows us to experience any range of false realities in art.
This is the way you—or at the very least everyone but you—felt. And this is the story of Cindy Sheehan, updated daily without all the filler!
[1] Near-contemporary history is also a favorite: consider how often we read about the nation's reaction to the fall of the towers or the last election, or the tidy binary oppositions created for any number of issues. And all the while we feel left out of the narrative which in time can be overwhelming.
posted by Dennis on 08.15.05 at 11:21 PM
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The only narrative I listen to is that of Judge Narragansett.
I wrote this comment in Dean's World:
"I agree with Mark Noonan completely. She now chooses to spit on her son's grave, so I spit on her. She is a traitor. Harsh, I know. That's the way I am. I have had it.
An Objectivist made an excellent point that had not occured to me at all. This Cindy Sheehan, or "Mother" Sheehan as the Kos crowd are now calling her, is exactly like "Ma" Chalmers in Atlas Shrugged, who was similarly made into a "sainted" authority figure by the collectivists after her son's death. The only difference is that Casey Sheehan was a brave soldier who died fighting for his country, while "Kip" Chalmers was merely a corrupt politician who died in a train wreck that he himself caused."
Seems to me the two sentences by the unnamed Reuters writer (say that five times, fast) state information that isn't in dispute.
You dispute them? Something inaccurate about the first sentence about her son dying? Are you arguing that she hasn't become a leading symbol for war critics? Can you support a claim that she achieved this national notoriety prior to planting her flag in Texas and obdurately refusing to be removed?
In addition, since Cindy Sheehan was labeled a "hero" by many on the left *before* she was labeled a "whore" and "traitor" by Steven and you and much of the rest of the right, you are wrong to say that the latest meme is "that of one grieving and noble woman's rise against heartless tyranny."
In point of fact, the latest meme is one authored by the right and which you have been preaching in so many words, that she is a lunatic and a traitorous whore.
Nash · August 16, 2005 12:38 PM
I am a Right-Wing Extremist -- proudly. As a great Conservative once said: "Whatever is not extremely right is not right. Whatever is not right is wrong." I support America, Israel, and our Western civilization 100%. I hate and despise America-hating, West-hating, Israel-hating, Jew-hating, Commu-Nazi traitors like Cindy Sheehan and everybody who supports her. I admire ONLY her son Casey and every one of our brave soldiers who have given their lives or who are standing ready to give their lives for our freedom. This War Against the Muslim Terror Masters is a noble cause, a Crusade to save all that makes life worth living. We must fight to win.
In case you're really at such a loss, that opening statement from the Reuters piece is downright comical. A leading critic of the war? By regurgitating the trite tripe that passes for truth on the radical left? 'Tell me why you murdered my son' does not constitute criticism of any kind.
Now show me where I called anyone a whore and I'll donate a million dollars to the DNC. It's a weak tactic, putting words in the mouths of others.
You might try removing your prejudices and looking at things objectively. It's helpful too to take people as individuals.
For example, I wouldn't call this a crusade, nor would I label Cindy Sheehan a traitor. There are more than two sides.
As it stands I'm a hawkish libertarian atheist from a working class family and I have no allegiance to or love for the Judeo-Christian tradition.
And that's a rare bird.
Try asking yourself how a person who doesn't fit your right wing stereotype might take this or that position.
Of course it may just be easier to have faith that those who disagree with you are mindless agents of evil.
To the degree that I turn this into a simple binary equation, you are correct Dennis. In polite or reasoned company, I would not even consider making it that simple.
However, I don't see anything coming from this site except a facile reliance on stereotypes.
That usually makes me respond in a facile, if not very helpful, fashion.
And, it is hardly worth arguing such trivia, but the Reuters two sentences are factual. You are entitled to decide that Ms. Sheehan is not an effective critic. You are not entitled to ignore the apparent fact that many people disagree with you. If she weren't by definition a powerful critic, she would not be getting any attention and we would not be hearing quotes from Bush insiders that they are concerned about her effects on the dialog.
I'm guessing, on the other hand, that her power to shape the dialog has peaked and is on the decline. The more anyone talks, the more they give their listeners things to disagree with.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
Don?t bang your head!
The only narrative I listen to is that of Judge Narragansett.
I wrote this comment in Dean's World:
"I agree with Mark Noonan completely. She now chooses to spit on her son's grave, so I spit on her. She is a traitor. Harsh, I know. That's the way I am. I have had it.
An Objectivist made an excellent point that had not occured to me at all. This Cindy Sheehan, or "Mother" Sheehan as the Kos crowd are now calling her, is exactly like "Ma" Chalmers in Atlas Shrugged, who was similarly made into a "sainted" authority figure by the collectivists after her son's death. The only difference is that Casey Sheehan was a brave soldier who died fighting for his country, while "Kip" Chalmers was merely a corrupt politician who died in a train wreck that he himself caused."