Cindy Sheehan. Comments from visitors to Crawford

Down in Crawford with Cindy Sheehan. My friends in Texas sent me the photo and reports from the scene in Crawford. The father and daughter were generous enough to give me permission to post their comments and the picture here. These are from August 14th, 2005.

From Holly: I'm proud to say that I was part of something that will hopefully be reflected on in the future as something great. It really inspired me to start a revolution. ...Maybe not as far as that, but it really got me motivated to want to do something. I didn't get a chance to actually shake her hand and thank her due to the large amounts of people wanting to do the same thing. However, I did pat her shoulder and thanked her. My dad got a picture of me attempting to ask her to get a picture with me. On our way to the ranch, right in the middle of downtown Crawford, we saw the ickiest thing I have ever laid my eyes on. It's a Texasy-looking building that turned out to be a gift shop. The 10 commandments were displayed on the outside along with a replica of the Liberty Bell. From Louie, her father: Rather than another misspent Sunday, we took a drive to Crawford, TX. It was a very gratifying experience. Cindy Sheehan was very approachable and kind. We visited with her and at one point Rep. Maxine Waters came by which created a joyous stir. You will recall it was she who "starred" in Fahrenheit 911 as the one the Congress told to sit down and shut up. I took several pictures and we will savor the memory. I have a feeling Cindy Sheehan is about to become very very big indeed and will require a phalanx of protection. She threatens the entire RIGHT WING. They are in absolute orbit about her. One of them will try to kill her. The atomsphere there was one of reverence. The woman lost her son,after all. People didn't grab at her or raise their voices in the camp-- they gently deferred to her. The camp was generally serene. She is highly articulate and clear in an odd sort of inarticulate way. I hope you are reading her daily blogs. Her presence is one of great power, derived from the fact that she lost a son in Iraq. Across the street stood 7 or 8 "opponents". Two or three of them were children wearing campflauge and toting toy machine guns. They were very quiet and caused no trouble whatsoever. I fear that is about to change. The man who shot his gun was a complete fool. He seemed harmless enough but the signal he sent via this act is frightening, what with his reference to dove hunting and all. These images are seen around the world via CNN. There are a lot of kooks on the right and sooner or later they're coming to Crawford. To crawl through Crawford, TX is to witness an orgy of Bible-thumping, flag waving, Ten Commandment erecting, gun toting excess. In the center of town stands two--that's TWO, 8 foot high tablets of the 10 Commandments. They are large enought to see the words from a block away. OF course all of this is for the benefit of the tourists but the place is creepy to say the least. The big irony is that in the middle of this place is the Crawford Peace House which is currently serving as the nerve center of the protest. It is also the home of a newspaper which endorsed John Kerry. How they got away with that and still sell newspapers there is beyond me. It was worth the drive. A generation from now, history is going to recall a woman named Cindy Sheehan. She started a revolution.