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Dueling Protests Square Off Near Bush's Dallas Home

by: Anna M. Tinsley  |  The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Dallas - Eighth-grader Steven Rasansky had a front-row seat for a government lesson Monday.

    Sitting at his friends' lemonade stand across the street from former President George W. Bush's new home, he watched anti-war protesters and Bush supporters square off with only a city street dividing them.

    Front and center in the sweltering 90-degree heat was Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who drew national attention in recent years with her protests near Bush's Crawford ranch as she demanded to speak to him about her son's death in Baghdad.

    "George Bush and his administration are mass murderers," she told the crowd, using a loudspeaker. "People say, 'Cindy, get over it.' Well, there are still two wars raging. I don't have an option of getting over it. . . . We have to keep it up so things like this don't happen again."

    Anti-war protesters say they want Bush and his administration investigated and prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Sheehan has also demonstrated against President Barack Obama because the Democrat has continued the wars.

    During the more than half-hour protest, which included a nearly mile-long march to the neighborhood, protesters yelled, "Don't wait, investigate." Pro-Bush supporters chanted "USA" for the former president whom they say did a good job.

    "I think this is crazy," said Rasansky, 13, whose friends had hoped to make some money selling pink lemonade and chocolate chip cookies. "I didn't think it would end up like this."

    Bearing signs with slogans ranging from "No war criminals in my neighborhood" and "W = War Crimes" to "Don't Mess with Bush" and "They did not die in vain," more than a hundred people turned out on both sides of the issue.

    Dozens of police officers and Secret Service agents blocked the entrance to the Bush neighborhood and patrolled the area. An officer who declined to give his name said there had been no arrests and no problems.

    Erika Davis drove from Fort Worth to join the protest against Bush.

    "Just because we have a new president, people say you should forget about it," said Davis, a 62-year-old counselor in Fort Worth. "I don't believe anyone is above the law."

    Charlotte and Chuck Herman of Dallas turned out to support Bush, holding a sign that read "Bush saved you cowards."

    "We think he made a great president and we're glad he moved back here to Dallas," said Charlotte Herman, 64. "We want him to retire in peace."

    Marla Kilday, who lives near Bush in Dallas, was also there to support him.

    "I think this is inappropriate," she said. "The man has given his eight years in office and we just want the neighborhood to be peaceful and quiet."

    Sheehan's son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, died in a 2004 ambush in Baghdad. She said she can't allow Bush's "crimes" to be forgotten just because he is no longer in the White House.

    "You can bet your whatever that every time I'm in Dallas, I'll be out here holding a picture of my son."

  

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Offer that Kilday & Herman

Offer that Kilday & Herman families haven't had any unnecessary deaths in their families?

Perhaps those still

Perhaps those still supporting Bush are still reaping the profits from his wars. It really is sad to see support for someone like him. It's really sad so many support a gov't that doesn't give a $#!^ about them. Is the American public so bloody stupid? Oh, right. As long as the have the Bachelorette and footbal, the American public is happy. 'Tis so sad to watch.

Please keep it up as long as

Please keep it up as long as you have the energy Cindy. I know that what you are doing is not only for your son Casey, whom you miss deeply, but it's for all those who's lives have been wasted or ruined from their efforts fighting a war that we should not have been engage in, including the children, men, and women in Iraq and other places we are at war whose lives and homes will never be the same. Another young man died just a few days ago, but he won't be listed as a war casualty, and his family will not receive death benefits for his having served in this tragic war. His tour of duty ended, and he was honorably discharged. He returned home, but, in his father's words, he was plagued by demons from the atrocities he witnessed in war. He hung himself in the backyard of his childhood home on June 3, 2009. He was 24 years old.

I recall back in 2004 when I

I recall back in 2004 when I sent an e-mail to Cindy Sheehan supporting her for her efforts and Cindy responded back to me with a "thank you." I never met Sheehan, but she represents to me a mother that knows the truth and continues to fight for the truth. My husband and I protested on corners for years against the war in Iraq and we were "put down and slammed to the ground" by individuals like Kilday & Herman type families. Have they ever walked in Sheehan's shoes losing a son in an illegal and immoral war? Did these families at least try to find the truth about Iraq and Bush? Or do these families accept anything the leader of our country says to be true as right? Have they questioned the many deaths of soldiers and innocent Iraqis? Bush deserves the treatment imposed on him by Sheehan and no less. People like the Kilday, & Herman families reflect the ignorance and denial that exists in our country today.

Only in America would W.

Only in America would W. still be free and overall well treated after committing the heineous crimes he has. Anyway, it does no harm for him to be reminded every so often of just what a fool he was.

Everyone PLEASE continue to

Everyone PLEASE continue to write your representative and Senators, and encourage your friends to do the same. It's a bit of pressure we can all do to encourage them to stop making wars. I don't know the current figures, but under Bush, total military expenses were $775 Billion a year. That's almost $2 Billion per day - not the lower figure that's usually kicked around. All that adds up to our current national debt. (Source: Gov't Accounting Office, as reported by WarResisters dot org)

Mrs. Sheehan, I wish

Mrs. Sheehan, I wish President Bush had come out of his Crawford ranch to greet you - it would have been the decent, presidential thing to do. He should have thanked you for your son's service and acknowledged your loss (as one parent to another). He should have thanked you for reminding him and the American public of the cost of war. I will focus my attention on the current President, on the message to bring our troops home as soon as possible, and help prepare for their arrival because their need for support and care will be tremendous.

We are suffering hugely from

We are suffering hugely from the Bush administration's policies and actions. Many thousands of innocents have died, lost their total way of life because they had to escape to safety, lost their family members, their health, their incomes. The administration members are struggling to spin the media justifying their actions. Accountability for these devasting actions must be pursued and I applaud Cindy Sheehan for all her efforts.

As the parent of a son who

As the parent of a son who is in Iraq for a second tour, I whole heartedly support this. This was an administration that will be remembered for corruption, death and sorrow. The war was the brainchild of a few elites who NEVER served in a war and made their cronies rich while bankrupting the nation. THE ACTS OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE MUST BE INVESTIGATED and the PERPETRATORS MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE or else THESE DEEDS WILL CERTAINLY BE REPEATED.

Cindy is a teacher as well

Cindy is a teacher as well as a mother, both may be synonymous anyway.

Even though Bush & Co. got

Even though Bush & Co. got us into so many places we shouldn't be, especially Iraq, I don't see what is being accomplished by protests in front of his home in Dallas. All I can see is that it will further escalate the current ranting of the far right and people like Cheney, who unlike Bush, can't keep quiet of late anyway. It's not going to do anything to address the errors of the past or work on seeing that such mistakes aren't repeated in the future.

We love you Cindy!!

We love you Cindy!!

I agree with Cindy Sheehan.

I agree with Cindy Sheehan. If the neighbors want a "quiet neighborhood" why don't they ask the Bushes to move? That would solve the problem. Really annoys me to see taxpayer dollars paying for Secret Service protection for Bush & his family for the rest of his life. He's rich & certainly he made enough of his friends rich, why don't' he & his "cronies" pay for his protection, given that his incredibly short sighted, war mongering, anti-regulation & pro-corruption administration were largely responsible for racking up the huge deficit that existed by the end of his administration. Taxpayers shouldn't be paying for a pension for him, Cheney, or any other member of the Bush administratiion, or their health care coverage. They're rich, they can pay for it. That's one reason I'd like to see Bush, Cheney impeached--so they're stripped of their unearned benefits & privileges.

W should never be allowed to

W should never be allowed to rest, or to forget what he and his lackeys did to this country, for the remainder of his natural life. His speeches should be picketed, his books boycotted, his statues defaced. Let his name go down in history as an object of scorn and derision.

This is very simple. Bush,

This is very simple. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Addington, Yoo, Bybee, Haynes, Bradbury, and other officials established a policy of torturing detainees. The illegality of this is not in question and those people must all be prosecuted for committing war crimes. The law is blind-- rich American politicians and officials are just as culpable as a Lynndie England and a Charles Graner, who went to jail for following orders-- even more so since they gave the orders. I'm proud to know Cindy Shehan, who I regard as a national hero for walking her talk. Here in Berkeley I'm protesting at John Yoo's house for his role in providing legal cover to Bush and Cheney for inhumane treatment of detainees, many of whom are completely innocent of any wrongdoing, including torture. Cindy Sheehan makes me proud to be American. Cheney and Bush make me so ashamed.

The president's neighbors

The president's neighbors need to understand that a president who killed hundreds of thousands of people does not deserve to live in peace and quiet. He deserves to be in jail just like ordinary people who commit mass killings.

So the neighbors and

So the neighbors and supporter want Bush to retire in peace!?!? Bush does not deserve one moment of peace for the havoc he left behind and the lives that were ruined. But then he is not the only one in his administration that deserves jail and condemnation. THANK YOU CINDY SHEEHAN.

I imagine those kids across

I imagine those kids across the street sold a heck of a lot of lemonade.

To me Cindy Sheehan was like

To me Cindy Sheehan was like the little dog Toto in the Wizard of OZ. She pulled the curtain aside and let people see that behind the great presence, and roaring voice and the scary face was a small time con man. George W was never smart enough to do all those things. He was the puppet on a stick that put on a public show while his crew corrupted and injured everything we believe in as Americans. I don't think he will ever understand that he did bad things. Apparently, his Dallas neighbors are equally stupid. They deserve George W as a neighbor.

Thank you Cindy, Love you!

Thank you Cindy, Love you!

I don't think it was

I don't think it was appropriate to demonstrate at his home, whatever my feelings about his violations of human rights and trampling of the US Constitution while President. How is this different from anti-choice groups violating the privacy of physicians, their families, and neighbors?

Yeah Cindy. You go, girl!!

Yeah Cindy. You go, girl!!

Thank you, Cindy. Cheney,

Thank you, Cindy. Cheney, the Republicans, and the corporate media are continuing to whitewash history. The cards are stacked against those who believe in accountability and the rule of law (not to mention the Constitution) and creative methods like this are useful. The people - not the elites - are sovereign and our government must be accountable to us.

I was proud to march with

I was proud to march with Cindy all those years ago in Crawford, and I only wish I could have been there to support her in person this time. As many others here have already observed, this "man" deserves NO peace for his crimes, he deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life, along with his cronies.

I hear they have some nice

I hear they have some nice rooms at Guantanamo that could house George more appropriately than in Dallas, and his neighbors there would love to see him and have a chat.

Thank you to those who stood

Thank you to those who stood up to oppose injustices of the Bush admin. To bad it didn't stop with his administration. Mr. Obama, the resistance knows you are no friend to the people!

Bush is a failure as a human

Bush is a failure as a human being. Cheney took advantage of this, to his great, illegal benefit. It always amazes me to hear people defending the good job Bush did -- at anything -- and how happy they are that HE was President after 9.11.01. I will always wonder whether the day would not have been like any other if they had not been there. I believe that someday, someone somewhere( I hope it will be here in the United States) will have the courage to take prosecutorial action against them, and that they will end their lives behind bars.

"How is this different from

"How is this different from anti-choice groups violating the privacy of physicians, their families, and neighbors? Physicians are doing something within the law, it would seem that Bush has broken the law and to this day nothing has been done about it. He has yet to answer for war crimes and there has yet to be any investigations into what went on within his administration for 8 years. Comparing physicians to Bush is just a bad comparison.

George Bush held a public

George Bush held a public office and he was supposed to answer to the American people, for which he never did. Although he is currently out of office Cindy and thousands of people like her across the country still want questions answered. If he really feels deep down that what is did was right and justified in 'keeping America safe", then why not meet her and have discussions with her? He's never had to answer for anything, and yet people have been asked to sacrifice their lives, their family members lives, they deserve some justice, if not that, at least some answers.

Cindy is correct in pursuing

Cindy is correct in pursuing her protest. There should be much more protest. The American public has allowed Bush and Cheney and associates to make a mess of this country over the last eight years. It is time to get involved and object to the shenanigans of the federal government.

The Seven Sisters,

The Seven Sisters, horrendous corporations that htrive on profite figures, would surely endorse the sign that said they did not die in vain. Bush and his gang served - and still serve - them well. It would do Americans much good to see these mass murderers prosecuted and jailed. The pressure to see this happen should never stop. Congratulations to those who have the courage to stand up to Bush and his mobsters.

Bush had no business being

Bush had no business being president. He should have been impeached for his actions and he probably would have been, had it not been for the Republican-controlled Congress that backed him up for most of the time he was in office. I, too, hope that Bush, one day, will end up answering for what he did. I also await the day when I see headlines saying that Karl Rove, an incredibly sorry excuse for a human being, is indicted.

Yes, protest. Tell Obama you

Yes, protest. Tell Obama you want the possibly criminal acts of members of the Bush administration exposed - whether by a truth commission or in the courts or both. But protest in DC. Not in front of W's house. He is not the one who will decide that his actions should be investigated. Obama is. Or the US Congress. That is where you demonstrate. In DC.

retire in peace? isn't what

retire in peace? isn't what this is all about? Thank you Cindy Sheehan. You are my hero.

Thank God there are still

Thank God there are still people who remember and know about the hell the bush Boys created in this world,, and the many thousands of totally innocent people killed and wounded. This world needs more protesters,, not less.

I'm deeply ashamed of Bush

I'm deeply ashamed of Bush and Cheney and the evil they brought into the world. I believe they did it to enrich and empower their mega-wealthy right-wing industrialist supporters. The Bush-Cheney policy of torture was put in place to force captured Muslims to support administration propaganda linking Saddam Hussein to Al-Qaida, thus justifying their war. If Bush and Cheney and Rove and Yoo and all the other criminals go unpunished we invite this kind of thing to happen again. Consequences are the only method we have to instill respect for the rule of law. Let there be consequences. P.S. Cindy, if you ever read this, God Bless. s

I find it astonishing that

I find it astonishing that anyone would still support the worst president ever. Bush saved nothing but his own ass and had laws written to protect said ass, along with all of the other asses! Only in America can people like this get away with murder and crimes of this magnitude. Meanwhile "daddy bush", the other criminal goes skydiving! And the dumbed down Amerikan sheeple continue to elect criminal, after criminal, after criminal... Amerika deserves what it "votes" for. Just leave me out of it.

This is crazy. Why are Bush,

This is crazy. Why are Bush, Cheney, and company not in a court on trial or behind bars in a maximum security prison? This represents a failure in the US justice system, which is quite dysfunctional today (especially now that lobbyists can give judges money too). On a somewhat unrelated note, this is one of the reasons why I firmly oppose conscription. Why should people who firmly oppose Bush and the elites have to go and die for such people? The only people that need to be conscripted are the elites themselves (and their families), like Dick Cheney's daughter. Maybe they'll be a bit more hesitant about recklessly waging wars.

Peacefully protesting is not

Peacefully protesting is not inappropriate. It is a guaranteed right under the U.S. Constitution. It seems that most have forgotten that. Politicians aren't here to be protected from public opinion or shielded from the people. They are here to SERVE the people. It's not the other way around.

I hope that Cindy Sheehan

I hope that Cindy Sheehan reads this. Every time that I read something about that woman I get goosebumps, a tear comes to my eye over the suffering that she has endured and I swell up with pride knowing that she is an integral part of the anti-war movement. She is so right, she doesn't have the option of "getting over it" with these wars still going on and other parents losing their children in these illegal wars. And to those who tell Ms. Sheehan to get over it, to you I say, "Shut the blank up, you cowards!" Cindy keep at it, from down here in Guatemala I'm pulling for you and supporting you. And sorry about the emotion of my comments, but that's exactly how I feel!

What? Every treasonous war

What? Every treasonous war criminal president deserves a welcoming committe in his new home. Besides, Cindy's simple question has never been answered: "what did her son die for?"

Dear Sandra: You and the

Dear Sandra: You and the Dixie Chicks are right.