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Pro-Bush Demonstrators Mount “I Give a Sheet” Campaign

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Bush supporters also made their way to Crawford this weekend. About fifty people delivered sheets with messages of support written on them, a local business-owner started a pro-Bush camp, motorcyclists rode past Crawford to show support for the president, and mainstream media commentators continued to attack Cindy Sheehan. [includes rush transcript]

Bush supporters also made their way to Crawford this weekend. A local business-owner started a pro-Bush camp, motorcyclists rode past Crawford to show support for the president, and mainstream media commentators continued to mount attacks against Cindy Sheehan. Two weeks after Cindy Sheehan began her vigil, Bush supporters also made their way to Crawford last weekend to show support for the President’s policies in Iraq. On Saturday, about fifty people held a rally and then walked to the gates of Bush’s estate and dropped off thirty-two white bed sheets signed with names and messages of support for the president. The effort was dubbed the “I Give a Sheet” campaign and this time a White House aide at the secret service checkpoint accepted the messages, in contrast to the letter delivered by grieving military family members.

A pro-Bush camp was also started by a local business owner in downtown Crawford. The camp was named “Fort Qualls” after Louis Wayne Qualls–a soldier who died in Iraq last fall. Last week, his father, Gary Qualls removed a cross bearing his son’s name that was among the hundreds that the anti-war protestors had put up along the road to Bush’s property. Gary Qualls called the protesters views disrespectful to the soldiers.

Also on Saturday, a caravan of motorcyclists rode past Camp Casey to show their support for Bush.

  • Kathy Warren Miller and Harold Miller, American Legion Post 170. They were setting up to meet the motorcyclists half-a mile down the road from Camp Casey.

A few Bush supporters also set up camp on the opposite side of the road from Camp Casey. Democracy Now’s Yoruba Richen caught up with Staci Glick who came from Dallas to show support for President Bush and the war in Iraq.

  • Staci Glick, counter-protester outside Camp Casey

Meanwhile the right-wing attack on Cindy Sheehan has continued in the media. Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly called Sheehan’s actions treasonous; Fred Barnes a Fox News commentator and the editor of the Weekly Standard, labeled her a “crackpot” and said that if her son could speak now he would say that he was embarrassed by his mother’s actions. And on his radio program, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh cast doubt on the truth of Cindy Sheehan’s story.

  • The Rush Limbaugh Show, August 15:
    I mean, Cindy Sheehan is just Bill Burkett. Her story is nothing more than forged documents. There’s nothing about it that’s real, including the mainstream media’s glomming onto it. It’s not real. It’s nothing more than an attempt. It’s the latest effort made by the coordinated left.

Also this week, an attack ad produced by a Republican strategist will start airing on CNN and Fox. It features Deborah Johns, whose son is serving in Iraq. Johns explicitly attacks Sheehan in the ad saying “Cindy Sheehan certainly does not speak to me.”

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Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: We caught up with two of the organizers of the demonstration, Kathy Warren Miller and Harold Miller of the American Legion. They were setting up to meet the motorcyclists half a mile down the road from Camp Casey.

KATHY WARREN MILLER: We’re here today to show our support for President Bush and our troops. We have several motorcycle riders coming in. We have the American Legion riders. We have several of the HOG chapters. We have the Southern Cruisers, Christian Motorcycle Association. They’re all coming in to help show their support for President Bush and our troops.

HAROLD MILLER: Well, everybody’s got their own opinion. During this day and time the way our world is and everything, we no more longer have a draft in the military. It’s all volunteer. Unfortunately, her son was one that volunteered and went in, and some of us lose our lives, and some of us come home. I was a lucky one. I came home. But I know several of my friends, very good friends, that were lost during the Vietnam era. So, I don’t think that — I don’t want to — I’m not trying to be ugly, but I just — I just think it’s a fact of this world that there’s going to be wars. People are going to lose their lives in it supporting our country, because it is the greatest in the world.

AMY GOODMAN: That was Kathy Warren Miller and Harold Miller of the American Legion. A few Bush supporters also set up camp on the opposite side of the road from Camp Casey. Democracy Now!’s Yoruba Richen caught up with Staci Glick who came from Dallas to show support for President Bush and the war in Iraq.

STACI GLICK: I feel saddened for Cindy Sheehan’s loss, but I feel like this is a disgrace for our president to, you know, name him, saying that he killed her son and killed all these people, because he didn’t.

YORUBA RICHEN: What do you — what would you like to say to the mothers who are here and to the people who are watching this who, you know, are kind of galvanized by what’s going on here?

STACI GLICK: The mothers that have lost their sons?

YORUBA RICHEN: Yeah, the mothers here at the —

STACI GLICK: I mean, I feel so sad. My heart breaks for them. I really do, but this is a time that we need to be united, not divided. And there’s a way to go about this. If you disagree with the war, fine, but to, you know, say that George Bush himself killed all these soldiers and it’s blood for oil is ridiculous. It is a ridiculous statement. And I just — I really do feel bad, and I really have sympathy for their loss. I really do.

YORUBA RICHEN: And they’re also asking for answers, and saying that there were lies, that weapons of mass destruction were never found and, you know, what is your response to that?

STACI GLICK: My response is that when the war started, and Saddam Hussein — this is my understanding, they had given him warning after warning that they were coming in and that they were going to, you know — he needed to clean up his act. Well, he had plenty of time to move weapons of mass destruction across the border to Syria. And I believe that that’s possible. We don’t know the intelligence reports that George Bush receives or his advisers receive. So, we have no idea of knowing what actually happened. I believe that they are there or they were there, but I don’t — I have a hard time believing that he lied, that this was all in vain. I have a very difficult time believing it.

YORUBA RICHEN: Why is that? Why do you have a hard time believing that?

STACI GLICK: Well, because, I just — to me, well, you know, he’s a man of faith, and I just don’t think that if he is what he says he is, I don’t think he would do that. And he’s, you know — there’s no reason. There was no reason. I don’t think this was something to divert attention away from Afghanistan. I mean, this was — you know, our — if we didn’t fight today, my son, who is two years old now would have to fight in the future and other people’s sons would have to fight in the future for, you know, the Iraqis. They’re bringing their children up to hate us and to, you know, make weapons of mass destruction, whatever, and you know, it was going to come to this no matter what. And it had to be taken care of immediately.

AMY GOODMAN: That was Staci Glick of Dallas, Texas. Meanwhile, the rightwing attack on Cindy Sheehan has continued in the media. Fox News host Bill O’Reilly has said that actions like Sheehan’s border on treason. Fred Barnes, a Fox News commentator, editor of Weekly Standard, labeled her a “crackpot,” and said if her son could speak now, he would say he was embarrassed by his mother’s actions. And on his radio program, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh cast doubt on the truth of Cindy Sheehan’s story.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: Her story is nothing more than forged documents. There’s nothing about it that’s real. Including the mainstream media’s glomming onto it. It’s not real. It’s nothing more than an attempt, it’s the latest effort made by the coordinated left.

AMY GOODMAN: Right wing radio host, Rush Limbaugh. The conservative attack on Cindy Sheehan and her supporters is continuing. This week, an attack ad produced by a Republican strategist will start airing on CNN and Fox. It features Deborah Johns, whose son is serving in Iraq. Johns explicitly attacks Sheehan in the ad saying, quote, “Cindy Sheehan certainly does not speak to me.”

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