War Backers Start Camp Near Bush Ranch

[darrels joy]

War Backers Start Camp Near Bush Ranch By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer
54 minutes ago

CRAWFORD, Texas - A patriotic camp with a "God Bless Our President!" banner sprung up downtown Saturday, countering the anti-war demonstration started by a fallen soldier's mother two weeks ago near President Bush's ranch.

The camp is named "Fort Qualls," in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, who died in Iraq last fall.

"If I have to sacrifice my whole family for the sake of our country and world, other countries that want freedom, I'll do that," said the soldier's father, Gary Qualls, a friend of the local business owner who started the pro-Bush camp. He said his 16-year-old son now wants to enlist, and he supports that decision.

Qualls' frustration with the anti-war demonstrators erupted last week when he removed a cross bearing his son's name that was among hundreds the group had put up along the road to Bush's ranch.

Qualls called the protesters' views disrespectful to soldiers, and said he had to yank out two more crosses after protesters kept replacing them.

Cindy Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, died last year in Iraq, started the anti-war demonstration along the roadside on Aug. 6. "Camp Casey" has since grown to about 100 core participants, and hundreds more from across the nation have visited.

Sheehan vowed to remain there until Bush agreed to meet with her or until his monthlong vacation ended, but she flew to Los Angeles last week after her 74-year-old mother had a stroke. Her mother has some paralysis but is in good spirits, and if she improves, Sheehan may return to Texas in a few days, some demonstrators said.

In her absence, the rest of the group will keep camping out for the unlikely chance to question the president about the war that has claimed the lives of about 1,850 U.S. soldiers.

Bush has said he sympathizes with Sheehan but won't change his schedule to meet with her. She and other families met with Bush about two months after Casey Sheehan died, before she became a vocal opponent of the war.

Large counter-protests were held in a ditch near Sheehan's site a week after she arrived, and since then, a few Bush supporters have stood in the sun holding signs for several hours each day.

Bill Johnson, a local gift shop owner who created "Fort Qualls," said he wanted to offer a larger, more convenient place for Bush supporters to gather.

He and others at "Fort Qualls" have asked for a debate with those at the Crawford Peace House, which is helping Sheehan.

It's unclear if that will happen. But a member of Gold Star Families for Peace, co-founded by Sheehan and comprised of relatives of fallen soldiers, said her group would not participate.

"We're asking for a meeting with the president, period," said Michelle DeFord, whose 37-year-old son, Sgt. David W. Johnson, was in the Army National Guard from Oregon when he was killed in Iraq last fall. "We don't want to debate with people who don't understand our point of view."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050821/...ltBHNlYwM3MTY-

I talked to a local Army recruiter today. His office gets protested about once a month. He closes the office and watches from across the street.

He said that the best part is the protests bring in new recruits. Shhh. Don't tell them.
Joy

[Jerry D]

Hmm It appears that the Anti-war protesters aren't above misusing the Name of the deceased and even the Honorable Title "Gold Star MoM" for a Gold Star Mom is the Mother of a recognized by their peers Hero, for fighting to protect Our Rights and Privileges

[39mto39g]

The guy that lives next to these protestors is getting feed up with there being there and has fired his shotgun on his property, Police came, the media said, to calm him down?
Now getting people away from your land on a country road in Texas shouldn't be much of a problem. Lets see, You dig a hole On your property by the fence next to the road. The you get a couple of dead cows and place them next to the hole , like your going to bury them. Next you rig (boobytrap) a air cylinder to send out a blast of air under the cows if they are moved, and you fence off the cows to keep opossums out. Now you wait for the maggets to set in and the odor to come. The odor from a dead cow with maggets goes upwind.
One night some protestor will try to bury the cow and when he does he wont be hard to be picked out in a croud. No tresspasing charges would have to be filed.


Ron

[SuperScout]

A slight meteorological correction: the dead odor will travel DOWN wind! Anywho,it's a great suggestion on how to get rid of pests.

[39mto39g]

I used to own cows and there was no error, Odor from a dead cow gows up wind. A heard of skunks would also work.

Ron

[Andy]

Two quick points, Ms. Sheehan has had a falling out with her family. Apparently most of the family isn?t speaking to her and her husband is divorcing her. Yes, she is the mother but it doesn?t seem like she?s speaking for her son?s family.

Secondly, in Ms. Sheehan absence Joan Biez a name from the past, is entertaining the peace demonstrators. Seems like that?s happened somewhere before.

Stay healthy, stay sane,
Andy

[frisco-kid]

Whether you agree or disagree with Sheehan, she's DEFINATELY wrong on one point: That she speaks for, and represents, all military families like she has claimed. And now they are starting to step forward and say so. And that's a good thing.

I've stated before that it offends me that people that protest a war use the dead for their agenda, and try to pawn them off as nothing more than victims. It's okay to be against a war, and to come out and say so. As Americans, that's our right. But if you're going to argue the right or wrong of it, stick to the politics of it; the basis for it; the logistics of it; the handling of it; or whatever. And if, like Sheehan, you want to call your son a "victim" when he's no longer around to speak for himself, that's your business. But don't feel free to highjack the memories of other people's sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers, nieces, nephews, and cousins, and turn them into victims to validate your personal opinions. If you highjacked the memory of my kid, even if I shared your views on the war, I'd be in your face, and maybe in your ass.

[Arrow]

Well, there it isTom!Everything you stated iswhy I was so pissed with *name unmentionable without starting a world war* when he painted my husband as a victim in his testimony before Congress in 1971.

Arrow>>>>>

[b3196]

If its still going on in April, Maybe we can all go there for choir practice. $HIT!!!! That would be a newsworthy moment. everyone standing around in their psycovet shirts, Larry in his midevil armor, Hal holding a dead armidillo, Paco with an enema bottle hanging out of his mouth, John selling (at a profit) weed to all the left wingers. Gracie reading tarot cards to the left wingers with predetermined message " Your going to die in a nuclear blast detonated by a Muslim terorist" And the rest of us basically wasted.
Bob K

[exlrrp]

I guess I'm right in saying you guys back the war? SO its all going your way and youre all happy with it? You should be: the people you voted for started it and have run it all along been in complete control. You should be insanely happy with the results, never before has a war been so tied to one political party. This is where we disagree.
whats the plan now? C'mon, you can let me in on the secret--hows this going to turn out good for the US citizen? I still can't see it.
So far, this is where its gotten to:
Iraqis are now debating a new Constitution for their country that they can't agree on. Its either going to federalism--with powerful autonomous states(the Kurds and Shiites want this) or a more powerful central government (The Sunnis)
The Sunnis, being in the minority and being Saddams people, who largely boycotted the election, who comprise most of the "insurgency,"wouldn't even be represented except at the insistence of the US. SO here we have ourselves supporting people who don't like us and are trying to kill our troops. Pardon me but I see this as a real f-ckup, a really bad move.
Now why are we doing this? Because our "ally": Saudi Arabia is a Sunni nation and we need that Saudi oil-- Bush has a relationship with Saudi Arabia going back decades?
But the majority of the country is Shiite, a bunch of folks who have hated us for decades. Remember who the largest Shiite nation is? Iran? Go to the head of the class. They have hated us for decades too.
Have you understood the arguments so far? Primarily the one where the Shiites want to make Iraq an Islamic State? If they can't make the whole country an Islamic State, under federalism they'll make the part they control into an Islamic State. Did I say this state backs up to their brothers, Iran?
Did you know that almost all the oil is in the Kurdish and Shiite areas and none in the Sunni's? So if it goes federal the Sunnis don't have jack but the Baghdad museum and thats already been looted. And these are the people with most of the money who know where all that 100 tons of explosives went that were taken out of that ammo dump, and other events.
The reason we didn't take over Iraq during the first Gulf War was that the leaders were smart enough to understand the Pottery Barn rule. Now we broke it--now we bought it. we created these circumstances like we created our way into Vietnam.
So the high hopes for a liberal democracy that we once had are not going to happen. In the most likely case here we get Iraq divided into semi autonomous regions with a large or major part --with most of the oil and the main ports--coming under the control of Shiite fundamentalists who will adopt the sharia as law no doubt and pally up with their kin next door in Iran.
In the best case these people are supposed tol all be friendly and grateful to us. Do you thinkthis is going to turn out? (hint: ROTFLMAO)
Do you war backers see any other end in sight than this? An Iraq split 3 ways divided among people who started out not liking us,whose loyalties and ties are elsewhere? And with a sizable minority, who are are also the wealthier ones but are now dispossessed, blowing themselves and others up at every opportunity?How's this going to turn out good for us? Its obvious there won't be a strong central government (The people in charge of our country philosophically lean this way too)
So is this a good endpoint for you? whats the good endpoint?

Now: tell me what's the plan for all this--
A) if they approve a constitution (likelihood: not good)
B) If they don't approve a constitution--don't forget: the Sunni's are underrpresented in the current government because of boycotting the election and only have support at the US's insistence.
How's this: Iraq spit 3 ways with the best part uder Sharia and allied with Iran-- going to turn out good for us?
You must have a plan for this--or it sure was dumb for your side to start the war!

Um--excuse me--this never looked good to me from the start--and its starting to look way bad. Cindy Sheehan, a truly courageous American, should have started earlier. And what she does with her dead son's memory is her business.
Stay good--welcome to $3/gal gas
james