Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan | |
---|---|
Independent (2007–2010) (2010–present)Peace and Freedom | |
Children | 4 |
Cindy Lee Sheehan (
Sheehan was the 2012 vice-presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party,[4] and received 1.2% of the statewide vote in the 2014 California gubernatorial election.[5]
Personal life
Cindy Sheehan was born Cindy Lee Miller in
Casey Sheehan
Casey Austin Sheehan (May 29, 1979 – April 4, 2004) was a specialist in the United States Army who was killed during combat action while serving in the Iraq War.
Military service
In May 2000, Casey Sheehan enlisted in the
Near the end of his active service, the
Burial
Casey Sheehan is buried in Vacaville-Elmira Cemetery in Vacaville, California. In May 2006, the tombstone that Casey's family had been designing and commissioned was finally ready and placed at Casey's grave. Cindy Sheehan paid for the tombstone herself, which is normally the case, stating, "It is important for the rest of Casey's family to have one.... I guess the pain of seeing it etched in marble that he is dead is another pain I will have to deal with." Cindy Sheehan maintains that the U.S. government "should have paid for it because of its responsibility for his death." The Sheehan family did not want the furnished monument that the government provides because it didn't reflect Casey's entire life or personality.
Legacy
Casey Sheehan was awarded the
Antiwar campaign
Sheehan has said she initially questioned the urgency of the invasion of Iraq but did not become active in the antiwar effort until after her son's death.
For the
Sheehan gained international attention in early August 2005, when she traveled to President Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch, just outside Crawford, Texas, demanding a second meeting with the President.[19][20] She told members of Veterans for Peace, "I'm gonna say, 'And you tell me, what the noble cause is that my son died for.' And if he even starts to say freedom and democracy, I'm gonna say, bullshit. You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich.... You tell me that, you don't tell me my son died for freedom and democracy." She also vowed not to pay her federal income tax for 2004 because that was the year her son was killed.
Tax position
In 2012, Sheehan was sued by the federal government for failure to pay back taxes. "I feel like I gave my son to this country in an illegal and immoral war. I'll never get him back," Sheehan said. "And, so, if they can give me my son back, then I'll pay my taxes. And that's not going to happen."[21] Sheehan appeared in court on April 19, 2012 and in IRS offices on May 9, 2012, refusing to provide information on the basis of the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment.[22][23] The government dropped its case against her in February 2013.[24]
Camp Casey
On August 6, 2005, Sheehan arrived at the
Sheehan spent most of the next four weeks in Crawford. On some days as many as 1,500 supporters visited Camp Casey,
Gold Star Families for Peace, of which Sheehan is a founding member, released a TV commercial featuring Sheehan, broadcast on Crawford and Waco cable channels near Bush's ranch.[28] The group conducted a walk to a police station just outside Bush's ranch and delivered a bundle of oversized letters written by them to First Lady Laura Bush, appealing to her as a mother to support their movement.[29]
On August 16, Sheehan moved her camp closer to the Bush ranch after being offered the use of a piece of land owned by a supporter, Fred Mattlage.[30]
In late August, Sheehan stated that she would continue to campaign against the Iraq war even if granted a meeting with Bush. She also announced the Bring Them Home Now Tour, to depart on September 1 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on September 24 for three days of demonstrations. The tour, which covered 42 cities in 26 states, was publicized by the Mintwood Media Collective, and garnered international media coverage. On the third day, Sheehan and about 370 other antiwar activists were arrested for demonstrating on the White House sidewalk.[31]
Sheehan's actions led supporters such as Rev. Lennox Yearwood, CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, to describe her as "the Rosa Parks of the antiwar movement."[32] Sheehan also gained the label of "Peace Mom" from the mainstream media.[33][34][35]
Political activism
In September 2005, Sheehan moved into the
On October 24, 2005, Sheehan said that she planned to speak at the White House and then tie herself to the fence.[46] She and 28 others were arrested in a sit-in at the White House on October 26.[47]
Sheehan visited London in early December 2005 and was interviewed by
On January 31, 2006, Sheehan wore a T-shirt reading "2,245 Dead. How many more?" to Bush's State of the Union address and was removed and arrested by Capitol Police.[52]
On March 7, 2006, Sheehan was arrested in New York "after blocking the door to the U.S. Mission to the
Sheehan and Gold Star Families for Peace were awarded the 'Domestic Human Rights Award' by Global Exchange, an international human rights organization based in San Francisco.
Several organizations planned a
On May 26 and May 28, 2007, Sheehan posted two messages to
In August 2009, Sheehan protested at Martha's Vineyard during President Barack Obama's stay there. According to ABC News: "Sheehan invoked Senator Ted Kennedy's passing as part of her message, noting that he was firmly antiwar and how he said his proudest vote as a senator was his 2002 vote against the Iraq war."[58] On October 5, 2009, Sheehan was arrested with 60 others at the White House protesting President Obama's continuation of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She told CNN: "I think the mood of the country and the mood of our movement is getting a little bit more desperate, and [that] this will be the time to be able to translate our tireless activism and work for peace."[59] On December 10, 2009, Sheehan protested on the streets of Oslo, Norway, as President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.[60] In 2009, she was awarded the US Peace Prize by the US Peace Memorial Foundation for “extraordinary and innovative antiwar activism."[61]
On March 20, 2010, Sheehan was again arrested in front of the White House, along with seven others, after they refused to listen to orders by officers of the
On May 2, 2011, Sheehan released a statement indicating that she considers the
In October 2011, Sheehan was arrested in Sacramento as part of an anti–Wall Street movement.[65]
Although Sheehan agreed to run as the vice presidential nominee of the Socialist Party USA for the 2012 elections, the party's national convention voted on October 15, 2011, to block her candidacy, on the official grounds that she was not a member of the party.[66] The nomination went to Alejandro Mendoza, of Texas.
In 2017, when the U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce the sending of thousands of additional troops, Sheehan feared that more opposition to the war would be only because of who occupies the presidency, stating, "If Trump announces that there will be a continued U.S. military presence or an increased presence, I am afraid any opposition from the 'left' will only be anti-Trump, because, of course, Obama escalated in Afghanistan and maintained that illegal war for the entire eight years of his presidency with not a peep from those same pro-DNC forces." Additionally, she believes "nothing but total withdrawal to give the people of Afghanistan autonomy over their own country will be acceptable" but said that she's concerned about the sincerity of possible protests.[67]
Sheehan hosts a weekly radio show which began in 2009. She has interviewed activists and world leaders, including Howard Zinn, Ray McGovern, Ann Wright, and Hugo Chávez. Sheehan maintains a blog, "Cindy's Soapbox."[68]
Congressional election campaign
In July 2007, Sheehan announced that she would run against
Sheehan ran on a platform of
2012 vice-presidential candidacy
In the summer of 2012, television personality
2014 California gubernatorial candidacy and campaign
On March 12, 2013 Marsha Feinland, state chair of California's Peace and Freedom Party, made the announcement that the central committee of the party had unanimously endorsed Cindy Sheehan for Governor of California in the 2014 election, should Sheehan choose to run. Sheehan formally announced her campaign for Governor of California at a news conference Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at the State Capitol in Sacramento.[citation needed]
Sheehan said she planned to unseat incumbent Gov.
Political positions
Sheehan has, through her own blog, described herself as a socialist.[76] She has also criticized capitalism.[77] In 2010, Sheehan changed her voter registration in California and became a member of the Peace and Freedom Party.[78] Sheehan has expressed opposition to Covid-19 restrictions, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates.[79][80][81] She published a paper about former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's nursing home controversy.[citation needed]
In 2024, Sheehan signed an open letter in support of a trans-exclusionary activist who was excluded from a Jewish Voice for Peace action for opposing trans rights.[82]
Published works
- Dear President Bush (2006) ISBN 0872864545
- Peace Mom (2006) ISBN 074329792X
See also
- Views on the 2003 invasion of Iraq
- Movement to impeach George W. Bush
- List of peace activists
References
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- ^ "Cindy Sheehan, Truther". The Atlantic. 28 September 2010.
- ^ Lewis, Matt (24 October 2017). "Cindy Sheehan: 'Bush Was No Better' Than Donald Trump". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ a b Yoon, Robert (August 5, 2012). "TRENDING: America one step closer to President Roseanne". CNN. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ York, Anthony (2013-08-27). "Cindy Sheehan announces run for California governor". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "The Smoking Gun". The Smoking Gun. Archived from the original on 2009-10-03. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
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- ^ For Some, a Loss in Iraq Turns Into Antiwar Activism: Gold Star Families Band Together to 'Make People Care', The Washington Post, February 22, 2005
- ^ Cindy Sheehan Has an Agenda Archived 2017-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, American Chronicle
- ^ "Inside the ambush known as Black Sunday". ABC News.
- ^ Army Specialist Casey Sheehan - Someone You Should (Have) Know(n), Blackfive blog
- ^ Mother's Vigil Recalls Quiet, Dedicated Son Archived May 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, August 13, 2005
- ^ a b "Cindy Sheehan Is Working To Bring Our Troops Home: "Mr. President. You have daughters. How would you feel if one of them was killed?"". BuzzFlash Interviews. BuzzFlash. 2004-10-07. Archived from the original on 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Henson, David (2004-06-24). "Bush, Sheehans share moments". The Reporter. Vacaville, CA.
- ^ a b Sheehan, Cindy (2005-02-28). "1492 Empty Pairs of Boots". BuzzFlash Reader Contribution. BuzzFlash. Archived from the original on 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "Anti-war memorial stirring passions among parents". Catholicpeacefellowship.org. 2005-03-10. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Garofoli, Joe (2005-03-26). "Empty boots are silent testament to war's toll". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Michael A. Fletcher, Cindy Sheehan's Pitched Battle, Washington, August 13, 2005.
- ^ "Mother of Fallen Soldier Protests at Bush Ranch". The Washington Post. 2005-08-07. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan Address Veterans For Peace Convention, August 5, 2005". Archived from the original on 2006-11-01. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan won't pay back taxes". CNN. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (2012). "Sheehan Case Update" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ Sheehan, Cindy (2012). "Conscience and the Constitution: They Fought on their own Battlefield". Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (2013). "Congratulations, Cindy Sheehan" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ "Mom of soldier killed in Iraq stages protest near Bush's ranch". Archived from the original on June 24, 2007.
- ^ "Grieving mom may have worn out welcome outside Bush's ranch". Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "Tuscaloosa News". Tuscaloosa News. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ MacCallum, Alex (2005-08-12). "Gold Star Families For Peace Launches New Ad Supporting Cindy Sheehan". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "Please Convince the President, First Lady Laura Bush". English.donga.com. 2005-08-20. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Brown, Angela (2005-08-17). "Neighbor Allows War Protesters to Camp on his Land". Common Dreams.org / AP. Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ "White House Sidewalk Protest Leads to Arrest of About 370", Washington Post, September 27, 2005
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan's Iraq War Protest: A Woman Scorned". Archived from the original on 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- ^ Meucci, Jason, Bash, Dana (2005-08-19). "Sheehan leaves antiwar camp". CNN. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sean Alfano (2005-08-22). "Joan Baez Joins Peace Mom's Cause". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "'Peace Mom' returns to Texas to continue anti-war protest". Usatoday.com. 2005-08-24. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ California, Berkeley Daily Planet, Berkeley. "Cindy Sheehan Moves to Berkeley, Joins Call for National Guard Return By RICHARD BRENNEMAN. Category: Features from The Berkeley Daily Planet".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Haddock, Vicki (19 March 2006). "THE DEFIANT WAR / When it began three years ago, few people could have anticipated that the combat in Iraq would last so long or that the enemy would become a stubborn and resilient insurgency / Cindy Sheehan's year of living famously". Sfgate.
- ^ "Law.com". Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ House, Billy. "'Peace Mom' Assails McCain". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- ^ "SN&R > Local Stories > The Cindy Sheehan show > 11.02.06". Newsreview.com. November 2006. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ semp (2005-10-15). "Anti War Pics from Sacramento 10 15 05". Indybay. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Pearcy, Stephen (2007-01-15). "Cindy Sheehan to attend two BIG events Friday in Sacramento". Indybay. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "SN&R > Columns > Bites > The party's over > 01.25.07". Newsreview.com. 24 January 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Pearcy, Stephen (2007-05-06). "Sheehan and Others Converge Upon Matsui's Home : Indybay". Sfbay.indymedia.org. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Pearcy, Stephen (2006-10-30). "Democratic Congressional Candidate's Wife Asks Sheehan Not To Protest Iraq War". Indybay. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Kristen Lombardi (2005-10-18). "Mother of All Protesters". Villagevoice.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Henri E. Cauvin, Sheehan Found Guilty In White House Protest; Federal Judge Fines 29 Antiwar Activists, The Washington Post, November 18, 2005.
- ^ "On her son's death and meeting Mr Bush". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Duncan Campbell (2005-12-09). "'I feel I'm carrying the world on my shoulders'". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "PDF" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "Belfast Telegraph". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2006-02-20. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "Activist Sheehan arrested in House gallery". Cnn.com. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan arrested during NYC protest". NBC News. 2006-03-07. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "troopshomefast.org". troopshomefast.org. 2006-07-04. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for July 5". NBC News. 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Cindy Sheehan (May 26, 2007). "Dear Democratic Congress". Daily Kos.
- ^ U.S. Conflicts in the 21st Century: Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror [3 volumes]: Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror, Spencer C. Tucker, ABC-CLIO, 2015, p.787
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan Brings Anti-War, Anti-Obama Message to Martha's Vineyard - Political Punch". Blogs.abcnews.com. 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- UPI, October 5, 2009.
- ^ Thousands Protest Obama Outside Nobel Ceremony, Democracy Now!, December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan awarded 2009 US Peace Prize". US Peace Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Barakat, Matthew (21 March 2010). "Thousands rally on anniversary of Iraq invasion". Marine Corps Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ^ "Sheehan cleared in D.C. protest case". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 13 July 2010.
- ^ "Osama photo decision fuels conspiracy theories". International Business Times. May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
- ^ "Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, 18 other Wall Street protesters arrested in Sacramento". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "How the SPUSA 2012 Ticket came to be". www.socialist-tea.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012.
- ^ "Antiwar activists seek boost from Trump's Afghanistan announcement". Washington Examiner. 21 August 2017.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox". cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Sheehan arrested while calling for Bush, Cheney impeachment". CNN. Associated Press. July 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 23, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ^ "Sheehan weighs run against Pelosi". NBC News. July 8, 2007.
- ^ "Sheehan considers challenging Sen. Feinstein". USA Today. January 28, 2006.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan For Congress". Cindyforcongress.org. Archived from the original on 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "SFGOV". SFGOV. Archived from the original on 2013-07-04. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ Bankoff, Caroline (August 5, 2012). "Roseanne Barr Finally Won a Presidential Nomination". New York. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ "California Democratic Primary, 1934". Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ "A Socialist's Response to The Greatest American Scoundrel Show (Debate)". Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox. 4 October 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan: Socialism For The Ill-Informed – OpEd". Eurasia Review. February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Cindy Sheehan Joins Peace and Freedom Archived 2017-02-10 at the Wayback Machine. Peace and Freedom Party.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan: Open the schools". Times-Herald. March 1, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "Cindy Sheehan: Youth deserve better". The Reporter. August 2, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "DC Mayor Says No Digital Learning, Giving Unvaccinated Black Teens Zero Alternative Option". August 25, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "OC/DRL". Retrieved 25 February 2024.
External links
- Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Radio, blog and action page
- Former blogs at Crawford Update, DailyKos and Huffington Post
- Cindy Sheehan Sets Up "Camp Out Now" in Antiwar Protest - video report by Democracy Now!
- Cindy Sheehan On "Peace Heroes: Albert Einstein". 18 May 2010.
- Dissent in the age of Obama - an article by Cindy Sheehan, 5 October 2010
- Injustice in the age of Obama - an article by Cindy Sheehan, 16 October 2010
- Bush was No Better Than Donald Trump - an interview between Cindy Sheehan and The Daily Beast, Oct. 23rd 2017.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Cindy Sheehan Papers, Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University Special Collections