Target Centermass

Sheehan to Protest at U.S. Posts in Germany in March

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Ah, Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan, you should certainly be able to get a good attention fix with the plans you’ve got in the works now.

Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and the woman who protested the war last summer outside President Bush’s Texas ranch, is scheduled to bring her anti-war message to U.S. military installations in Germany next month.

“[We’ve already heard] that Cindy Sheehan is like Hanoi Jane [Fonda] coming here,” said Elsa Rassbach, an event organizer with American Voices Abroad, which is supporting Sheehan’s trip.

But, she said, “We’re here to just democratically talk about U.S. policy.”

The Hanoi Jane comparison sounds about right for Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan. To denounce our government policy and lie about America on our soil, however disgusting in this case, is her right. To do it abroad, as she will, is beyond vile.

On March 11, protesters plan to walk from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to a parking lot just outside Ramstein Air Base, where Sheehan will be at a “camp,” paying tribute to those who have died in the Iraq war.

“Cindy will be with us at Camp Casey Landstuhl/Ramstein to call attention to the fact that Germany is Europe’s logistical hub for the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and others threatening Iran and the Middle East,” according to an event flier. “Germany has the power to stop the further use of U.S. bases in Germany for illegal wars and criminal methods of warfare — the power and the right to just say no!”

Organizers are hoping to erect the camp — known as Camp Casey for Sheehan’s son — in a parking lot outside Ramstein Air Base’s west gate. The parking lot is under German jurisdiction, said Erin Zagursky, an Air Force spokeswoman at the base. Protest organizers are meeting with city officials in Ramstein and Landstuhl to gain permission for their event.

[…]

Sheehan’s goals are to bring the troops home and have peace on earth, she said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

She also wants to teach the world to sing in freakin’ perfect harmony. And everybody gets a pet bunny.

Her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004.

Snark aside, SPC Sheehan was honored by Blackfive in a manner far, far better than anything than anything Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan has done or will continue to do in her constant quest for notoriety.

Sheehan said in an e-mail she was too busy for a phone interview with Stars and Stripes.

“I don’t know anything about the visit,” she wrote. “It is being arranged by some people in Germany.”

With the Kaiserslautern military community home to more than 50,000 Americans with military ties, Sheehan could face a rough welcome. When asked for comment Wednesday on Sheehan’s upcoming visit, several soldiers in Kaiserslautern asked if they could be quoted anonymously.

One soldier, who recently returned from Iraq, did give his name but didn’t have much to say about Sheehan.

“Anything I would have to say about her, you couldn’t print,” Army Staff Sgt. Mark Genthner said.

SSG Genthner speaks — or rather diplomatically refuses to speak — for a great many of our troops. Here’s hoping Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan will have a grand opportunity for a great deal of interaction with those she’s trying to save.

Certainly, friendly confines and adoration await Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan on much of her European vacation.

Beginning March 9, Sheehan’s European visit will take her to Frankfurt, Aachen, Landstuhl and Ramstein in Germany. On March 13, Sheehan is scheduled to have a news conference in Paris, and the following day will address the European Union parliament in Strasbourg, France.

A protest organizer in Landstuhl said he was asked by others, including some of the 732 members of the European Union parliament, to arrange the protest involving Sheehan.

“The meeting with Cindy Sheehan is coming to us by an offer of members of the European Union in Strasbourg,” said Detlev Besier, a Protestant reverend in Landstuhl. “They asked whether it was possible or not to visit Ramstein Air Base and the hospital. It was not our idea. We were asked whether it was possible or not.”

Yes, the tripe of Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan will play very well in France and before the EU parliament. Perhaps she may even call for an end to the American military occupation of Germany, as she has previously of Iraq and Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.

Rassbach said she did not know what response servicemembers would have to Sheehan’s appearance outside Ramstein Air Base.

Oh, I have some guesses. Hat tip to Greyhawk and the Gunn Nutt, who weigh in with their thoughts on the plans for Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan’s Euro adventures.

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