Revolution Interview with Cindy Sheehan
Revolution, October 29, 2005, posted at revcom.us
The Revolution Interview
A special feature of Revolution to acquaint our readers
with the views of significant figures in art, theater, music and literature,
science, sports and politics. The views expressed by those we interview are,
of course, their own; and they are not responsible for the views published
elsewhere in our paper.
Travis Morales: On behalf of Revolution and its
readers, I wanted to express appreciation for the important stand you've taken.
Could you please talk about why you are here at the White House?
Cindy Sheehan: On the occasion of the 2000th death in Iraq
of an American solider, we decided to do vigils every day. We've been doing them
from 12 to 8, and we have just been trying to call attention to the fact that
our country is waging an illegal and immoral war in Iraq. And every night we've
had a die-in, to symbolize the losses that we've suffered in our country. So
that's what we're trying to do. Everything I do just tries to build awareness,
so the American people will try and force their elected officials to bring the
troops home.
TM: And why were you here this particular week?
CS: Because the 2000th soldier was killed on Tuesday.
TM: When you started in Crawford -- you talked about this
when I saw you speak a few weeks ago in Oakland -- I think you said you started
with very few people with you, and with some lawn chairs and a flashlight. So
you were practically by yourself when you started. What kept you going?
CS: I didn't just start this on August 6th. I started it
July 4th, 2004. And what keeps me going is the knowledge that there are people
in harm's way for the lies and betrayals of our government. People -- Iraqi
people and American people -- who are in harm's way for nothing. And so that's
what keeps me going every day, is trying to get up and trying to save their
lives.
TM: What have you learned over these months since the ranch,
the bus tour, and now being at the White House? What lessons would you want to
share with people?
CS: For one thing I've learned that I'm a much stronger
person than I would have imagined -- that's personally what I've learned. And
I've learned that the American people really care about what's going on in our
country, and they're willing to put their lives on…I don't want to say their
lives on the line, but they're willing to sacrifice to make this world a better
place. I mean, people like you, who've dropped everything, and you come across
the country to do this. And I have met so many amazing people who have given up
so much to make our country a better place. Congressman Rangel said today that
history will record us as the true patriots, and I believe that that's true.
TM: What is your view on the need for people to stand up and
stop this war in Iraq?
CS: I think that it is imperative that we invest everything
we have into this, right now. That we invest our time, our talents, our
resources. People say, "Well, you know, you're spending your own money,
what about your future?" and stuff like that. And I'm just thinking, if we
don't invest everything we have now, what guarantee is there that we're going to
have a future? And I would rather spend the rest of my days in poverty knowing
that I made the world a better place for my children, and their children that
haven't been born yet. I'd rather invest all the time, talent and money right
now, than to have it later and leaving my children such a messed-up world. So
that's what I believe. I believe it is mandatory for all of us to be doing the
same thing.
TM: As you travel across the country, what have you been
hearing from people with whom you talk?
CS: Well, you know, I get a lot of support. Very little
opposition. People are just sick and tired of what's going on. And when I sat
down in Crawford and said "Enough is enough," I believe that
galvanized them to do the same thing. So that's just what I'm hearing: We're all
just sick and tired of what's going on, but now we're willing to raise our
voices to try and stop it.
TM:I remember one of the points you made at the Grand Lake
Theater (in Oakland), about when you first started in Crawford. You made a point
about how you made that decision on three days' notice, but that you knew a lot
in terms of the potential out there.
CS: Like I said, by August 3, 2005, when I made the decision
to go to Crawford, I had been working in the peace movement for over a year, and
I knew I had a lot of support. I was pretty well known in the progressive peace
community. You know, I surprised a lot of people on August 6 when I just showed
up in Crawford, but they're the people who just get their news from cable news
networks or network news, you know, so Middle America didn't know about me. So I
knew when I went down to Crawford I was going to have some support. And by the
time I got home the night I sent the email that said I was going to go down to
Crawford, I already had hundreds of responses. It had been passed around --
people saying, "What can we do to help?" So I knew it was going to be
a very significant event -- but I had no idea it was going to be so
significant.
TM: You have endorsed the call for The World Can't
Wait--Drive Out the Bush Regime! Mobilize for November 2nd! How do you see that?
Why do you think people should be involved, and why should they come out on
November 2nd? What difference is it going to make?
CS: Well, it makes a lot of difference. We can't let them
continue to make us believe that our voices don't make a difference. And it's
not just coming out once on November 2nd, but it's over and over and over again.
It's really important for a lot of things -- to show the media that we mean
business, to show our government that we mean business, to show the world that
not all Americans are robotic idiots. So it's just really important, and it's
really important not to sit on your couch and think that “I can't make a
difference,” because one person can make a difference.
TM: Right, and I think we've seen that out at the White
House, with all the people who come there from all over the world, people from
all over the country. Our experience of being out there with the World Can't
Wait White House encampment is that there's tremendous agreement among not just
people from other countries but a lot of people from this country. But, of
course, as you know there's a big gap between agreement and people actually
acting. What would you say to people that you meet like that, people who agree
but aren't really active at this point?
CS: I believe if you aren't doing something about it, then
you're apathetic. I really think that, if people are pro-war, they need to do
something about it by enlisting to go fight, to let other people come home that
don't want to be there. Or encouraging their children to do the same thing. But
I believe that people who are anti-war or for peace, they as much as the pro-war
people need to get out. They need to let their voice be heard, and they need to,
just like I said, invest everything we have right now in peace, so we make sure
our children have a future.
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