I have been invited to speak to the European Union Parliament in March in Strassbourg, Germany. My message will be one of peace and non-violent unity against the out of control murderous and disastrous policies of the Bush Administration. I wrote extensively about meeting with other world leaders in my article, “Friends Don’t Let Friends Commit War Crimes.”
My message to the EU will focus on “we the people” forcing the leaders of all countries to work diplomatically and peacefully to solve problems. It is time we reach across artificial borders of lines drawn on a map to forge bonds of love and friendship with all members of humanity no matter what color, religion, language group or nationality that other person is. Killing other members of the human race is barbaric and abhorrent and should never be used to solve conflicts. This is so important with the current beating of the war drums against Iran – and we must not let off the President of Iran for his inflammatory and non-peaceful statements. The wonderful and innocent citizens of Iran don’t deserve the fate that the undeserving citizens of Iraq received and are receiving on a daily basis still.
In the frenzy and excitement of my trip to Germany, some well-meaning pacifists in the area have scheduled me to set up a Camp Casey outside of Landsthul, Germany, in front of the military hospital. I won’t agree to do that.
The Camp Casey movement is pro-peace and pro-soldier. We love our troops so much that we want them to come home alive from the fiasco in the Middle East.
Camp Caseys have been set up all over the USA and the world and they are set up in front of the seats of power. The politicians and the war machine got us into this war; our soldiers are trying to protect each other and do the best that they can do under horrifically difficult circumstances.
The Camp Casey in Germany could be moved to a place where people with decision-making power can see it. The soldiers have very little to say in their fates after they enlist (which is an entirely different subject) but especially the ones who have already been wounded in the service of their country…no matter how evil and greed-serving the phony mission is.
Let’s set up Camp Caseys in front of recruiter’s offices to stop our children from even enlisting to wear a uniform for the war profiteers. Let’s set up Camp Caseys in front of the Pentagon…Congress…Congressional offices…embassies…the White House…propaganda media centers…war profiteers…President’s vacation homes…Karl Rove’s DC home…the list for valid protest locations is endless…but not in front of our troops.
Our struggle is with the industrial military complex and the people who put our soldiers in harm’s way in the first place for no valid reason and who are keeping them in harm’s way despite all evidence that this war is a nightmare and a mistake.
Let’s leave our soldiers out of our protests. They have been put through too much by their commander in chief and his callous cronies already.
February 28, 2006
Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Austin Sheehan, KIA 04/04/04 She is co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace. She is the author of Not One More Mother’s Child and Dear President Bush.
