Date: August 14, 2005 8:18:26 AM PDT
Subject: Re: [NewPacifica] A Report From Crawford
"...she said the decision to come to Crawford had come to her while she was
typing to her email list about some event she was going to in Austin... and
that she just sort of saw her fingers typing... 'and then from Austin, I am going
to Crawford to ask to talk to Bush.' "
I got goosebumps up my spine as I read that: I couldn't help but think of
Rosa Parks, and her sudden decision *not to give up her seat* on that bus
in Birmingham.
This is a turning point.
Cindy Sheehan is our Rosa Parks -- and this is our Greensboro lunch-counter sit-in.
People are flocking to Crawford from all over the country. The news media
are finally running with the story, putting that essential human face on the
anguish felt by so much of the nation.
And the man who taunted the insurgents to "bring it on" is clearly seen
for the coward that he is.
Craig Gingold
Date sent: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 09:11:31 -0500
Subject: [NewPacifica] A Report From Crawford
hello all,
lee taylor and i just got back from crawford a few hours ago and i want to try to convey a little of
the feeling of what is going on there with cindy sheehan's courageous stand outside of the
bush ranch.
we drove up yesterday and arrived about 10 pm into downtown crawford where we easily found
the Crawford Peace House, purchased in 2003 by a group of people who decided rather than
driving to crawford every couple of weeks to demonstrate, they would just buy a property
there...to balance out the energy in the area due to w's purchase shortly before just down the
road. it was night and it was raining. we had heard of the ditches and the fireants, and,
anyway, we didn't know where the actual camp site was, so the warm welcome we received
when we walked in the door was almost overwhelming. Food and water were abundant, a
delicious vegetarian soup was available to everyone, volunteers in the house were fielding
phone calls for cindy from all over the u.s. and all over the world, directing parking places,
assigning floor space for anyone wanting to sleep there. an entire table was full of gorgeous
flower arrangements that had been sent to cindy and to the other gold star families who were
joining the vigil.
after only 15 minutes, who should walk in the door but cindy sheehan herself. as lee and i
were standing near the front door, she came to each of us and hugged us and thanked us for
coming. she had some soup and made sure she was back at the campsite for 12:01 am
when it had been rumoured that they would arrest her. she didn't want to disappoint them by
not being there.
intimidated by the rain, the fireants and a tent i had never set up before, we sensibly opted to
drive 7 miles into macgregor and rent a motel room. we were rested and fresh and back at the
peace house just after 8 am today. volunteers were offering to shuttle people the 5 miles or so
back and forth to the camp site, since the law enforcement agencies were restricting all kinds
of no trespassing zones and parking was limited.
i had my trusty little handycam with me and started filming as soon as we got near the
camp...a colorful cluster of banners, tents, people, cars up ahead. i was able to kneel in front
of the many, many media people documenting the press conference, so i got close ups of
each of the people who spoke...in front of the main tent with a peace sign
embroidered/painted on it, bouquets of flowers everywhere, a cross with casey sheehan's
name on it, crosses with all the other fallen soldiers' names on it stretching out in both
directions, 3 rows deep, between the ditches and the road.
cindy spoke first, simply and gently, saying she would not leave until she saw bush and asked
him why her son had died, what was the noble cause that he had died for. she said if he
would not see her and if she were not arrested, then after august 31 she would go camp out in
d.c. until he would speak with her. she spoke of her son, of her family's devastation and of
their support for her taking this stand, even casey, she was sure. she said the decision to
come to crawford had come to her while she was typing to her email list about some event she
was going to in austin...and that she just sort of saw her fingers typing..."and then from austin,
i am going to crawford to ask to talk to bush".
after cindy, bill mitchell spoke. he lost his only son, the baby of the family, on the same day as
cindy's son, in the same battle. cindy's son had only been in iraq 5 days when he was killed.
bill's son, michael, was scheduled to return home just a few days later. bill said he had been
against the war in the beginning and had protested on the first anniversary, carrying a sign
saying bring our boys home now. he said that 4 days later his son was killed and 2 weeks
later his boy did come home, in a coffin, in one of the coffins in the photo that caused that
woman to loose her job.
after bill, celeste spoke. her younger son stood beside her. her older son was killed in iraq.
then, a young woman named jean, in a green shirt, spoke. her son had been killed also. next
a couple spoke who had 3 sons and 2 grandsons in iraq, none of whom have yet been killed,
but they explained the anxiety they live with every day. later in the day, a woman named
barbara from arkansas arrived who had lost her only child. she was interviewed later. a
number of veterans for peace and even one young guy eligible for being called back in were all
there, making signs, participating in whatever was going on.
i felt honored to be able to just be in the presence and lend the little support i could to these
brave parents who stand straight and talk to the cameras about their losses and their grief,
thru their tears, or remaining calm, just that they can keep on going. it was evident that they
gave each other tremendous support...lots of hugs, and sitting around talking with each other
later, sharing photos of their sons.
i was able to speak with and film ann wright, the woman who resigned from her 16 year
position in the state department because of her disagreement with the iraq war. no one, not
even the gold star families, minded being filmed or interviewed by me. i hope i can edit it all
and get it onto a dvd to make available for anyone who wants to see it. there was a fantastic
folk singer from oklahoma named peggy who sang her own political songs, accompanied by
some congos (our very own heather, at times) and other instruments.
a woman named diane (not diane wilson, who was in her 5th day of a hunger strike and who i
missed seeing somehow), a minister from dallas, was walking around having people sign a
guest book. there were 250 names in it just from today. people came and went all day. cindy
and a few others slept in tents (or tried to) during the nite. heather and katie said it got pretty
scarey about 4 am with large cars driving by really fast, just beside the tents, and honking.
but, our experience spending the day at the campsite and back at the peace house, was
uneventful with police. the few sheriffs at either place were friendly and easy to speak with.
about mid afternoon, 3 helicopters flew over us, apparently condi and donald and maybe bush
on their way to a fund raiser on the other side of us from the ranch.
there was a great feeling of solidarity, compassion, vulnerability, thoughtfulness, hopefulness,
sorrow, joy, gratitude, devastation, but, above all...connectedness. we all had a feeling that
this was something really important happening and that maybe now there was going to be the
shift we so desperately need in stopping this horrible and wrong war. we overheard at the
camp someone saying that john conyers and maxine waters were on their way there.
our hitched ride back to the peace house was with the san francisco chronicle reporter, joe
garofoli. he said his piece was on the front page today in san francisco (as another reporter's
article was on the front page of the houston chronicle) and to look for the next one tomorrow.
i'm sure we can find it online. he was intrigued with some of our texas bush stories and
hearing a little of what's going on politically in texas.
at the peace house, as we said our goodbyes and packed up for houston, david van oz and
his wife rachel arrived, on their way out to the camp.
i believe cindy arrived to camp out on either saturday or sunday and the idea and event has
kept growing. it seems people come and go from all over (we met people from montana,
illinois, georgia, ecuador and more) and stay as long as they can. then it seems like more
people come to take their place and even multiply. they were pretty desperate for donations of
food, money, medical supplies, but i think they have had a generous response. the crawford
peace house is making it all possible and i think they could use some financial help.
but, most of all, i encourage all of you who are able to, to go join these brave and tender
people. go for the day or for longer. cindy plans to stay til aug. 31 unless??? take whatever
you can to share. help the numbers swell until bush cannot possible continue ignoring this
mother's request for an answer to her question of just exactly why her son died.
sorry, i feel i've rambled and still not said what i wanted to say. it's late and i'll leave it at this.
there are lots of places you will be able to get more precise and timely news, but maybe some
of you will be able to get a little of the feeling from this.
let's keep on....
with all hopes for an end to this war,
rochelle
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