Q&A Sheehan vs. Rumsfeld BY ALEX IRVINE

Cindy Sheehan’s son Casey was killed in Sadr City, Iraq, on April 4, 2004. She has since become a prominent spokesperson for military families protesting the war; this week she’ll be at a Maine Veterans for Peace dinner in Bath, and on Thursday at 3:30 p.m., Portland state representative John Eder and the Maine Green Independent Party will host Sheehan in Room 201 in the Cross Office Building at the State House. Joining her will be members of Maine Military Families Speak Out.

The Phoenix interviewed Sheehan by phone on Monday.

Phoenix: What has provoked you to hit the road the way you have?

Sheehan: Just the realization that I can’t bring my son back, but hopefully speaking out against the war and trying to spread the truth will help end this war sooner and bring our other children home before it’s too late for them and their moms.

Q: Do you find that people are more sympathetic to you in certain places than others?

A: I’ve only been in one place that was really unsympathetic, and that was in north Florida, in the Panhandle. There were some very nice people there, but people said a lot of hateful things to me there, too. Most people find it in their hearts to listen to a mom who lost her son in the war even though they might not agree.

Q: What was your perspective on the war before Casey was killed?

A: I disagreed with it. I didn’t understand, and neither did Casey, why Iraq was an imminent threat to the United States and why we had to rush in to invade the country. After he was killed was really when all the reports and confirmations came out that there was no reason for us to do what we did.

Q: Have you had much contact with people in government?

A: No. We tried to get a meeting with Donald Rumsfeld this past week in DC. A lot of us Gold Star families tried for weeks, and then they quit even taking [our] calls. We tried to go to the Pentagon and were turned back by security guards. I’ve talked to my congressman, who’s trying to help us get this meeting, and I’ve had communications with my senator, Barbara Boxer, and she’s a real awesome lady. We just don’t know if we would get anything besides the lies they’ve already told, but we feel someone needs to be held accountable for our children’s wrongful deaths — and the people in Iraq who are dying by the thousands.

Q: You mentioned the Gold Star Families. Are they behind you, or are you doing this on your own?

A: I actually have started an organization called Gold Star Families for Peace, and we’re slowly building membership. There are many Gold Star Families, and I think most of them would still be supporting the war and supporting the president, just from my hearing other people and talking to other people. I believe that’s just their way of having to deal with their grief and making sure that their children didn’t die in vain. I believe my son died for nothing. My son died saving his buddies’ lives. He did an incredible act of courage and integrity, but I don’t believe any of them should have been there in the first place. So my way of making my son’s death meaningful is to bring peace, to end this war.

Q: What brings you up to Maine?

A: Jon [Olsen] got in touch with me after seeing something I’d written. He said Maine has an awesome peace-and-justice movement, so he scheduled some events for me. I was in DC, so it wasn’t that hard to get to Maine. I live in [Vacaville,] California, so I thought while I was over here anyway, might as well come up.

Q: Where else have you been?

A: Washington, DC, a couple of times, all over Florida, Philadelphia, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, all over California. After the election I stayed in California because I think we have to energize progressives who were so energized by the elections and kind of got let down; the peace movement’s going to come from energized progressives, and that will be a way for progressives to take back the Democratic Party. I’ve been in a lot of media, trying to organize progressives who have good hearts but not very good organizational skills.

Q: How does your family feel about you being so public?

A: They’re very supportive. They come with me whenever they can. I have three other children and my husband. Whenever they’re available, we go out together.

Q: Where does this all go? What happens over the next, say, six months or a year? What does your movement grow toward?

A: Gold Star Families for Peace is going to have a couple of regional meetings: one in California on February 19 and one in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on March 19; that’s coordinated with a big demonstration mourning the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. I think what us Gold Star Families for Peace are planning is just to get out into as many communities and into as many media as we can, just to start spreading the word about the human cost of war. It’s something we’ve already been doing since our sons were killed, but we’ve just been disjointed and working with other groups. We want to be able to control our own speaking engagements. Also Gold Star Families for Peace would like to start reaching out to families; after the war’s over, our loved ones are still going to be dead and we’re still going to need each other.

The military is so aggressive about recruiting our young people, and a lot of times they tell lies or exaggerate the benefits of being in the military. I firmly believe that we need a military, but the kids need to know both sides of the story before they enlist. So we’re trying to do something along with Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out along those lines.