by Sari Gelzer
Monday, Sep. 12, 2005 at 2:46 PM sareye@aol.com
Sheehan and supporters continue to protest the war in Iraq and support Hurrican Katrina Survivors.
September 9, 2005
CULVER CITY, Ca. – The anti-war movement has found its leader, declared California Congresswoman Maxine Waters and News Analyst, Ariana Huffington, as they spoke Friday at the AGAPE church introducing Cindy Sheehan. Sheehan’s question to the president of “What was the noble cause that my son died for?"” was asked a month and a half ago as she camped out in front of his vacation home in Crawford Texas. The anti-war movement has broadened Sheehan’s question in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as unnecessary deaths occur not only in Iraq, but domestically in New Orleans.
Huffington concedes that necessary death is a part of a life, but it’s the unnecessary deaths that are not acceptable. Iraq and New Orleans are human disasters as opposed to natural ones, characterizes Huffington, because both are resulting in deaths that exist due to government decisions. “Now is the time to point fingers,” declares Huffington in response to politicians’ desires not to play the “blame game.”
The New Orleans tragedy was a wake up call, said Waters, it forces Americans to look at “the poorest of the poor” and face the denial they are in about America’s current policies. Waters said that the billions of resources sent to war have reduced the aid to domestic issues while simultaneously increasing the profits of Halliburton, who have been contracted to rebuild both Iraq and New Orleans.
“My son was killed by his policy’s,” Sheehan said of George Bush as she continued to connect the government’s actions in Iraq and New Orleans as focused on profit rather than security or humanitarian motives.
Sheehan has taken her beliefs to the street in a recent Bring Them Home Now tour across America. By addressing citizens and political officials of the goals of the anti-war movement Sheehan and volunteers hope to remove American Occupation from Iraq as soon as they can. Sheehan sees this as the solution to ending American military deaths and supporting Iraq in rebuilding itself. Soon after Hurricane Katrina, volunteers of Bring Them Home Now drove to Covington Louisiana with water, food, and satellite communication. They are continuing to raise funds for hurricane survivors and encourage America to bring the troops home.