by Ellen from the IL Tenth
Ellen's Illinois Tenth Congressional District Blog
Dear Mrs. Sheehan,
Thank you for your sacrifice. I know the U.S. government won't thank you, so I will. I know when made, when Casey signed up, it was earnest, honest and hopeful. I am sorry it ended so badly and I am also terribly sorry for your loss.
You say you are in Crawford to ask Bush a question: for what noble cause did Casey die? [1] Bush said the dead soldiers died for a noble cause [2], but I agree with you that he wasn't too clear on what exactly that was. You deserve an answer.
I have an answer, but I am not sure you are going to like it.
I think ultimately, Casey died in Iraq because the world needs a truthteller who can grab the attention of the nation. The world needs a Rosa Parks or Ed Murrow and until you took your place on the world stage in a ditch in rural Texas, we haven't had one. Not John Kerry; he abandoned his "how do you expect a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" persona years ago. Not Colin Powell who lied before the UN and knew it and knew better. Not John McCain who should know better than most, but let the lies continue and fielded concerns on behalf of the administration abandoning the American people for the sake of his political future. Not Mark Kirk. He just knew there were WMD in Iraq [3] without knowing or caring that he did not know. Jerry Rubin and Abbey Hoffman are gone and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are no longer singing for folks to please come to Chicago.
Casey died because we need you. We need you to humanize the face of the war when pictures of dead soldiers in Iraq and coffins coming home are hidden from public view. We need you to symbolize the loss and sacrifice that most Americans are not feeling or even seeing. We need you to call into question the lies of the Bush administration when the press will not.
I am sorry Mrs. Sheehan, but Casey died so you could be our leader and symbol of truth, conscience and strength.
I am sorry Casey died, but I am not sorry that you have risen to the occasion.
With love and support,
Ellen from the IL Tenth
Help Goldstar Families for Peace [4].
Donate to the Crawford Peace House [5].
Ask Bush to meet with Mrs. Sheehan [6].
See the latest Casualty Numbers [7].
See the latest Cost of War [8].