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One person CAN make a difference and one person IS making a difference!
Organized and sponsored by the MN Alliance of Peacemakers [MAP—see below], on Tuesday, January 30th Cindy Sheehan, a peace activist and co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace [http://www.gsfp.org] and mother to Casey Sheehan, who died on his fifth day as a soldier in Iraq, spoke to a packed gym at SJA. Her remarks were preceded by a social hour at 6:30 in the Hospitality Hall where over 25 table displays of peace organization and resources were displayed.
The evening began with a peace song by Sara Thompson and a welcome by Marie Braun, SJA parishioner and peace activist for over 40 years. After introducing Dick Bernard, President of MAP, Marie introduced former MN Senator Becky Lourey(right) whose son Matt was killed in Iraq during his second tour. Ms. Lourey recognized Cindy Sheehan as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and the founder of the Camp Casey Peace Institute.
Cindy Sheehan’s comments were free-flowing, wide-ranging and in her own words “off-the-cuff.” Some of them are below.
She explained “matriatism” [vs. patriotism]—as a primary and unconditional love of humanity—a love of all God’s children!
And described the conflict in Iraq as an “illegal and immoral war”
Cindy shared that at the time of his “murder” her son Casey was still going to Mass, wanted to be a chaplain’s assistant in Iraq and upon return, a Catholic deacon.
As a self-described “recovering Catholic,” Cindy stated, “If the Catholic hierarchy really believed in womb to tomb spirituality every Catholic cardinal and bishop would be marching with us.”
Cindy Sheehan: “George Bush is NOT pro life!”
When speaking in Venezuela, Cindy assured her audience that there are “millions in America are working to have George Bush impeached, removed from office AND imprisoned.”
Cindy stated that the Army recruiters lied to her son promising him that he would never see war and would be a chaplain’s assistant and she proposed peace actions to counter recruitment.
She wondered why “it takes four weeks to train US troops and four years to train Iraqi troops?” and in referring to the people in Iraq “...when you kill innocent people and their children they’re going to be pissed with you.”
Cindy is publicly supporting Dennis Kucinich for president, who proposes an “immediate end to occupation in Iraq.”
In wrapping up her comments, Cindy shared with the audience that on March 5th the state of Vermont will hold a statewide caucus to discuss the possible impeachment of George Bush.
In her final remarks, Cindy extended an invitation to the audience to come to Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas for an Easter protest from May 5th through May 8th. During the protest Annie and William Nelson will receive the first Camp Casey Peace Award for their lifetime efforts for world peace. And Ava Lawry, a 16 year old from Alabama will receive the first scholarship to be awarded annually by Camp Casey to a young peace activist. Ava Lawry will be recognized for establishing the organization Peace Takes Courage [see www.peacetakescourage.org].
After her comments, and a final peace song by Sarah Thompson(right), Cindy was available for book signing either of her two books Peace Mom: A Mother’s Journey through Heartache to Activism and In Search of Peace.
Possibly the best way to sum up the central message Cindy Sheehan presented to the audience can be best stated by the words of the gutsy reporter Molly Ivins, who wrote just a week before she died, "We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. Every single day every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. We need people in the streets banging pots and pans and demanding, 'Stop it now!' "
Founded in 1995, the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers [www.mapm.org] is a coalition now comprising over sixty organizations with a collective membership of many thousands of concerned citizens. Nearly half of its institutional members are faith-based. Since its inception, MAP organizations have focused on issues relating to peace, justice and the environment. Periodically, MAP issues position statements on numerous issues of current and long-term concern that are of importance to its members.
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| We have both audio and audio/video recordings of Cindy Sheehan's presentation in our archive files: |
