Cindy Sheehan: Turn, Turn, Turn

I wish I could say I thought of something profound as I saw the picture of the president and his wife's on that billboard on Highway 317 in my rear view mirror on my way out of Crawford, Texas, today. I will be back for the final weekend farewell to Camp Casey on July 6, but I won't be back as the owner of property there, or as a leader of the American peace movement.

The protests that were Camp Casey I and II that evolved into the five acres on Highway 317 (Lone Star Parkway), which was known as Camp Casey III, definitely were effective and served a relevant purpose in the national discourse of the pros and cons of the Iraq war. In an occupation that was and still is kept far from apathetic American eyes, summer '05 was one of the first times the cost of BushCo's Iraq fiasco was made public, and many people sympathized and resonated with and some even traveled for miles to be with the Mom in the ditch.

When I announced that I was going to put my five acres up for sale in Texas, the horrible anti-peace, anti-American group, Move America Forward, announced it would buy it to erect a "Memorial." This group still cheer-leads and supports a war where our troops are clearly being misused and maltreated by their civilian leadership, and celebrates each death as a sacrifice for the neocon, obscene and Orwellian idea of "freedom." Move America Forward is still collecting money for the memorial, which will never be built on my old property, and if they really wanted to buy it, they wouldn't have sent out a press release. They just wanted a few more minutes of fame off of my misery!

Into all of the drama, radio talk show host Bree Walker enters. She could not bear the thought of Move America Forward or any other right-wing fascist group buying Camp Casey, so she cashed in her corporate buy-ins and bought my land to leave as a legacy to peace - a true memorial to our children and the people of Iraq who have been killed for corporate and political greed. Bree is putting her money where her mouth is, too, and we Camp Casey-ites were relieved and overjoyed when she purchased it!

I was in Crawford this past week to transfer the deed to Bree and to take care of some last-minute business. Selling my land and kicking the Crawford dirt off of my flip-flops was bittersweet. I have had some of my highest highs in that horse town, but also some of my lowest lows.

August '05 was the happiest, yet the second-most-stressful time of my life. The people who saw my sunburned face, wild hair and chapped lips every time they turned on their TV never saw me tossing and turning in my tent or trailer on a nightly basis, totally stressed out about the Rovian smear campaign and worrying about what lies were going to be told about me or what attack was coming next. It seemed like everyone with an agenda from "Israel is the culprit" to "9/11 was an inside job" flocked to Crawford to have a moment in the blazing hot sun with me. Soldiers came from Fort Hood to secretly be in solidarity with me, and parents of live and dead soldiers also came: mostly to stand in solidarity with me, but some to try to take Camp Casey over to mold it to their own agendas.

I fell in love at Camp Casey and had my heart broken again there. I found true friends and learned how to distinguish between true friends and people who only pretend to be your friends until your usefulness to them is over. I smiled more than I frowned; I laughed more than I cried; I danced badly and sang out of tune; I received more love than animosity, and I think thousands of us were given renewed hope and energy because Camp Casey existed.

I will always be grateful for this experience that did have an intense and positive effect on the world, but I am also content I have chosen a new direction and can rest easily in the fact that we did do good. It's time for someone else and something else to manifest itself in Crawford, and time for some of us to ride into the beautiful Texas sunsets that I definitely will miss.

I think when one is heading in the wrong direction, it is always prudent to change direction - even if you have to pull over and ask the way to go, and very imprudent to stay a ridiculous and mistaken course.

I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, support, and financial help that has come my way since my resignation from the peace movement. My medical bills will be paid off, and, because of Bree's generosity, I have a financial cushion to help me on to the next phase: helping humans who have been hurt by US corporate imperialism. I want to also thank everyone who has helped me along the way so far and to encourage people to stay their courses if they think they are being productive and supported.

The millennia-old season of war is getting tiresome and, while never good, is growing in evilness as the people who run the wars become more corrupt, callous and as far removed from their conflicts as they can possibly get.

There is a season for peace. I hope for all of our sakes we reach it soon.

Cindy would like to invite everyone to her 50th Birthday Party and Camp Casey final celebration the weekend of July 6 to 8 at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas. RSVP to CampCaseyMom@ yahoo.com or Tiggerloli@ aol.com.

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