Casey Sheehan

Dit kruis is ter nagedachtenis aan Casey Sheehan, een Amerikaanse soldaat die op 4 april 2004 in Bagdad bij een granaataanval in de buurt van Bagdad op 24-jarige leeftijd gedood werd. Zijn moeder Cindy kreeg in august 2005 landelijke en zelfs internationale bekendheid door haar langdurig verblijf in een vredeskamp net buiten de ranch van George W. Bush in Texas, waar ze tegen de oorlog in Irak protesteerde. In Truthout schrijft Cindy Sheehan nu: 'From Camp Casey, to Katrina, to use of chemical weaponry and extraordinary rendition, to illegally spying on American citizens without due process, BushCo has miserably failed our country and the world. We as Americans said "enough is enough." We sacrificed a lot when we showed up in DC and other cities around the country in the hundreds of thousands to protest and show that we withdraw any consent to be governed by murderous thugs. We started to peacefully but forcefully resist the notion that this government has any right to govern us when they have betrayed their offices and their sacred trusts as "defenders" of the Constitution so horribly. This was also the year that we also began to hold such Republicans in Democratic clothing like Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, Joe Biden, and Diane Feinstein (list is my no means all inclusive) accountable for their support of what George is doing in Iraq. When we as Democrats elect our leaders we expect them to reject and loudly repudiate the murderous and corrupt policies of this administration, not support and defend them... In 2005, we learned that we have the power. We learned that we can't rely on the propaganda media or the empty promises of most of our elected leadership. We learned that we need to be the change that we desire to see. We learned that one person can and does make a difference. We cannot relax in 2006. We cannot slip back into the evil of apathy and complacency that the neocons rejoice in. We need to keep pounding, working, and fighting. We need to support organizations like Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans for Peace, Code Pink and Iraq Veterans Against the War, or the Peace organization of your choice so we can continue our struggle for peace with justice. We need to support true American patriots like John Conyers who is calling for an investigation and censure for the lies that have cost us so much of our national human treasure. 2006 will be a great year for the people of our country. I know it. It won't be easy, but we will prevail and the struggle will be worth it.' Lees Verder: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122805A.shtml Dit jaar heeft de diepe kloof in de VS zichtbaar gemaakt tussen de mensen die zich bedrogen voelen door de Amerikaanse beleidsbepalers en de mensen die blind achter hun leiders aan blijven marcheren. De onthullingen over het grootschalige bedrog heeft dit jaar vele goedgelovige Amerikaanse burgers de ogen geopend. Dat is de eerste stap op weg naar een verandering in de oorlogszuchtige politiek van onze machtige bondgenoot. Nu wij nog. Alvast een gelukkig nieuwjaar voor u en de uwen.