Sometimes several pictures are worth several thousand words:

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan waits for people to show up at her book signing near President Bush’s ranch on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005 in Crawford, Texas.

Frankly I’m amazed the DNC/AP allowed these photos to see the light of day.

Usually their photogs do their (un-level) best to angle their cameras and crop their pictures to make Mother Sheehan always appear to be at the center of a worshipful swarm.

I’m afraid someone is going to be in hot water for letting us glimpse the truth.

  Update!

As if to drive home my point, this is the photo from this series that Reuters decided to run with:

Again, note the bizarre angle and the severe cropping. In Hollywood this is called "protecting your star."

Giving new meaning to the phrase, graven image. But it is kind of fitting that it looks almost like a tombstone — which is certainly where Cindy likes to dance stand.

But will it never stop? What’s next, canonization? Well, some of us would like to put her in a canon.

The DNC’s Associated Press is just relentless in their coverage of all things Sheehan.

(Except for doing any reportage on what Mother Sheehan actually says about this country, the Jews, etc. Or even spilling any details such as how much our hero mother is making with each of her little Valley Girl speeches and her book deals.)

Monument to war protest unveiled in Crawford

ANGELA K. BROWN

CRAWFORD, Texas – Anti-war demonstrators, back in Crawford to protest during President Bush’s holiday vacation, unveiled a stone monument Friday with the words "Sheehan’s Stand" in honor of the woman who inspired their efforts.

Cindy Sheehan, who staged a 26-day protest outside Bush’s ranch in August, cried when she saw the 2-foot-high sandstone marker.

On the other side of the rectangular slab is the word "Why!" and names of more than two dozen soldiers whose families were part of the vigil. The name of Sheehan’s 24-year-old son, Casey, is among them.

"Nobody knew what was going to happen, and we made up Camp Casey as we went along, and it grew and grew and grew," said Sheehan, of Berkeley, Calif. "We’re here to say that the killing has to stop, that we’re not going to justify any more killing on our losses."

The artist who carved the 1,200-pound monument, Ron Teska of Wind Ridge, Pa., drove to Crawford the last week of the protest with the stone slab in the back of his pickup. He spent about 45 hours carving it.

The marker was placed at the Crawford Peace House, which opened downtown a month after the war began in March 2003. An anti-war rally was planned for Saturday and an interfaith service Sunday.

Several Bush supporters also gathered in Crawford on Friday with a sign reading: "The price of freedom is not free." Hundreds were expected to attend a pro-Bush rally Saturday.

"I disagree with her claims that the president is a murderer and a liar," said James Vergauwen of Windthorst. "When you’re at war, you need to be at war as a whole country and not as a divided country."

It is fitting that there would be such a monument to Mother Sheehan at the preposterously named Crawford Peace House. Since the place is owned and operated by an America-hating, anti-Semitic money-grubbing Iraqi.

It’s only right that Cindy should be honored by her peers.

And leave it to the DNC/AP not to know that this crime against art was hacked out last September, whilst al-Cindy was gracing the ditch during her first go-around.

But come to think of it, the DNC/AP probably did know, but seized upon this excuse to scribe yet another fawning spread on their most favorite spokesperson ever.

Can anybody make this out?

It looks to me almost like Gordon Soderberg is setting himself up as an independent griftercharity. And yet this is posted on what I guess is still the mothership, the Veterans For (A) Peace site (such as it is):

Gordon Soderberg

A Veteran For Peace in New Orleans

As you know, members of Veterans For Peace have been working on Katrina relief since September, 2nd. We have raised over $500,000 to cover the costs of tools, food, fuel, supplies, building materials and housing for volunteers. We have donated over 300,000 to partnering organizations so they may build on their efforts and these donations to continue their work.

What you might not know, National Veterans For Peace Inc, Board of Directors controls the money and they as do we, want to make sure that it is put to use in the communities we have been serving. However, their is still a great deal of work to do, years in fact. And the money raised so far, was intended for supporting victims of Katrina, not the long term needs of VFP volunteers.

In order to continue to deliver long term support for the communities we serve and our partnering organizations, members of Veterans For Peace need to raise new donations to cover the costs of their housing and living expenses, buy their own equipment, and pay for transportation costs.

This money will be used to pay for the costs of rental housing, food, utilities, car insurance, fuel, equipment, and a $200 per month for entertainment for each volunteer Veteran For Peace who continues to serve the communities and organizations in and around New Orleans.

Please help veterans, help the gulf coast.

Housing rental costs: $12,000 (one year)

To house four veterans doing volunteer work in New Orleans, Alabama, and Mississippi areas.

Food and Entertainment $4,000 (one year)

Utilities & Food: $4,000 (one year)

Car Insurance, Maintenance, and Fuel Costs $10,000 (one year)

Media production tools and Internet access: = $20,000 (one year)

http://www.neworleansvfp.org/node/add/blog

Computers, software, digital still and video cameras.

The commercial media has stopped telling the stories of residence and the lack of federal aid to many of them. Veterans For Peace members realize that these stories need to be told and the ongoing recovery efforts by partnering organizations in documentaries, websites, and in the news. Commercial media won't and can't do these stories justice, veterans can!

Please send what you can to:

A Veteran For Peace in New Orleans
C/O Gordon Soderberg
513 Patterson Dr #3
New Orleans, LA, 70114

Gordon Soderberg
Veteran For Peace

I wonder who proofread this for Mr. Soderberg. I also wonder if the Veterans For (A) Peaceare aware he is throwing around such numbers, admitting that they have raised $500,000. (Though they probably have raised much, much more.)

Especially since there is still no evidence of the VFPhaving spent more than a couple thousand or so on hurricane relief — and only then because the Spells tricked them into it.

I also have to wonder if the charity 501c-3 tax exempt status Veterans For (A) Peace(wrongly) enjoy is endangered by Gordo asking for money for rent and food and even entertainment? Something tells me it is.

Something also tells me that asking for such things in the name of helping the Katrina victims is probably going to attract the interest of the FBI's Kartina Fraud investigators, who are almost certainly already on the job.

But you just can't keep a Veteran For A Peacedown.

Gordo is determined to  find somebody to pay for him to live, and to supply him with the computer and media equipment he has been begging for since years before Katrina struck.

You can't expect him to get a job or anything. Come on. He's a vet!

Thanks to eagle-eyed reader, JohnX, for the heads up.

Update!

JohnXhas noticed some big changes at Gordo's begging bowl site.

It looks like the VFPhonchos have thought better of lending their name and already dodgy tax exempt status to Mr. Soderberg's latest grift efforts:

New Orleans Voices for Peace!

We have a new name, New Orleans Voices For Peace has been formed after a request by the board of directors of Veterans For Peace to stop representing our goals and actions as members of Veterans For Peace. We are members of that organization. However, we understand their intent not to associate with this project is justified as we are moving far to fast for them to control us.

Therefore, we have changed the name of our site and the requirements for membership and participation in this new "Not for Profit". Which means, we can not accept tax exempt donations.

Those of you who feel the same as national Veterans For Peace and no longer want to participate we understand and will remove your account and all your posts to this site. Just let admin@neworleansvfp.org know you are not interested in continuing your association.

We thank you for your participation and know that we welcome anyone from Veterans For Peace who feels it is necessary to break the bonds of military association to achieve a real peace in our own lives and in the world.

Veterans and non veterans from anywhere in the world are welcome as long as they do not want war or violence to be used as a means of settling disputes between countries, communities, organizations, businesses, schools, religions, or individuals.

Gordo seems a mite confused about the whole tax exempt thingy anyway.

By the way, what do you suppose Mr. Soderberg figures war should be used for? (And how would he have handled Hitler?)

Stop the presses! Her Thanksgiving Dinner family emergency over, Mother Sheehan has decided it is safe to return to her attention whoring grieving for the cameras.

From her fanboys at the AP:

Sheehan Back in Texas for War Protest

By ANGELA K. BROWN Associated Press Writer

CRAWFORD, Texas – The mother of a fallen soldier whose vigil against the war in Iraq outside President Bush's ranch returned to Texas, saying she is "heartbroken" that the troops are not home.

When Cindy Sheehan arrived at the Waco airport Thursday, three dozen supporters erupted into cheers and tears and grabbed her for lengthy embraces. Before they whisked her back to Crawford, the group chanted, "Stop the war! Bring them home now!"

"I feel happy to be back here with all my friends… but I'm heartbroken that we have to be here again," said Sheehan, who hoped to arrive earlier in the week, but was delayed by a family emergency. "We will keep pressing and we won't give up until our troops are brought home."

Sheehan asked protesters to return to Crawford this week during Bush's family Thanksgiving gathering. She was unknown when she set up camp outside Bush's ranch during his August vacation, but as the vigil drew thousands, she attracted national attention.

Friday, Sheehan's itinerary included attending a dedication of a garden at the Crawford Peace House in honor of her 24-year-old son, Casey, who died in Iraq last year. An anti-war rally was scheduled at a downtown park Saturday.

A few miles away in a field beside the main road leading to Bush's ranch, a Bush supporter set up camp Thursday with a tent and signs saying "A Noble Cause" showing pictures of smiling Iraqi children.

The war protesters' camp this week is at the same 1-acre private lot that a landowner let them use in August when Sheehan's original campsite became too crowded. The grassy lot is about a mile from Bush's ranch.

Before Sheehan's arrival, more than 100 protesters at the camp ate a traditional Iraqi meal for Thanksgiving salmon, lentils, rice with almonds and a salad of parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers and bulgur wheat. They said they wanted to call attention to the innocent Iraqi victims in addition to the more than 2,100 U.S. soldiers killed since the war began in March 2003.

"It's significant because the people of Iraq are suffering under our occupation, and for people in America it's business as usual stuffing themselves on fat turkeys," said Tammara Rosenleaf, whose husband is an Army soldier to be deployed in a few weeks.

I know she doesn't look "heartbroken, but give her a chance to get back into the mood.

I guess we'll never hear what al-Cindy's family emergency was from our "watchdog" media. Or even what city she was in.

If I had to guess, it was she got a gig to give one of her $30,000 a pop speeches, and couldn't pass it up.

Update! In their never ending quest to keep the news of Mother Sheehan front and center, the DNC/AP have sexed up their story, which I have reposted to reflect.

Notice the charming quote from Tammara Rosenleaf at the end of the article. Remember her? Tammara's the comely lass who married a lad twenty years her junior.

(We covered the heart-rending saga of these star-crossed lovers in considerable depth here.)

I'm amazed they are still married. If he ever gets there, Iraq will be child's play for him. — If you'll pardon the expression.

Gosh, what a heart-warming story, from the Waco Tribune-Herald:

Anti-war protesters celebrate Thanksgiving with Iraqi meal

By Emily Ingram Tribune-Herald staff writer

Friday, November 25, 2005

The Thanksgiving Day meal meant a helping of tabbouli, a traditional Middle Eastern dish, and lentils for 80 anti-war protesters in Crawford on Thursday. The group celebrated the holiday with a relatively quiet Iraqi meal a day after a dozen of their members were arrested for defying a county ordinance near President Bush's ranch where he is spending the holiday.

“ The idea is that it's an Iraqi-style meal to eat in solidarity with the Iraqi people who are dying there,” said Linda Foley, a protester from Azle. “We're not having the traditional indulgent American dinner.”

With plates piled high with rice, fish, lentils, feta cheese and salad, protesters ate and talked at the site known as Camp Casey II, where Cindy Sheehan's supporters camped in August on private property leased by a local landowner. Although smaller in number from this summer, protesters were resolute in their opposition to the war in Iraq.

“There needs to be a stand taken against this war,” said Spencer Crowl, a University of Texas at Austin student. “The reasons for this war have been well documented as false. I just think it's important to stand up.”

Many of those who participated in the August protests were unable to come, having chosen to focus on relief efforts in New Orleans with Veterans for Peace. The group is aiding relief efforts in the Algiers district and the Ninth Ward, areas nearly destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Protest leader Cindy Sheehan was also absent from the dinner due to family illness but she was expected to arrive Thursday night. Sheehan became involved in the anti-war movement after the death of her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Baghdad on April 4, 2004. Sheehan gained national attention during the summer as she staged a protest near the president's ranch, demanding an audience with Bush.

Dede Miller, Sheehan's sister, came to Thursday's meal after being arrested Wednesday as a member of the group arrested for defying a new McLennan County ordinance prohibiting anyone from parking or residing along the country roads leading to the ranch. Along with solidarity for the Iraqi people, Miller said the protesters and her family were still waiting for the president to answer Sheehan's questions about the war.

“We're just here to let the president know we're still waiting for an answer,” Miller said. “I don't think he'll ever answer. Just by judging the Democrats last week, others are listening. I think he's a hopeless case, but we need to reach Congress and the American people.”

Another protester arrested Wednesday was Daniel Ellsberg, the government official responsible for leaking the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam war. Ellsberg, along with other protesters, said the protest in Crawford will not bring a quick resolution.

“I think even with this demonstration, we aren't going to end this war quickly,” Ellsberg said. “But we're doing the right thing.”

Protesters say they will come to Crawford every time the president visits his ranch.

“We will come down every time he comes,” Foley said.

President Bush's supporters feel the same way. Across the road from the Yellow Rose gift shop in downtown Crawford, Vietnam veteran James Vergauwen of Windthorst stood under a white tent bearing the words, “The price of freedom is not free.” Set up in the parking lot of a gas station, Vergauwen, 60, said he spent August in Crawford in support of Bush.

“I don't want these troops to come home to what (Vietnam veterans) came home to,” Vergauwen said. “I'm glad they're having an Iraqi Thanksgiving. This is America. They can do what they want.”

Waco resident Steve Harlan, 56, said as long as protesters were in Crawford, Vergauwen and others would be there supporting the president.

“As long as he's able to breath air, he'll be here,” Harlan said about Vergauwen.

Protesters' other plans for the holiday week include the dedication of the Camp Casey Memorial Garden at the Crawford Peace House on Friday, an anti-war rally Saturday and an interfaith service Sunday.

President Bush's supporters will also be staging a pro-Bush rally Saturday in Crawford.

They aren’t in solidarity with the Iraqi people.

Just the terrorists.

I've mentioned Washington's proclamation a couple of times around here, so I might as well post it in its entirety. It's just as applicable today as it was the day it was written:

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness :”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted’ for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank you, the readers of this site, for your support and contributions. You've made Sweetness & Light a joy to visit for me and hopefully many others.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. And God bless the United States, our brave soldiers around the world, our elected leaders (well, some of them), and people striving for freedom everywhere.

[A note of minor historical interest: Shortly after Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation was written, it was lost for 130 years. The original document was written in long hand by William Jackson, secretary to the President, and was then signed by George Washington.

It was probably misplaced or mixed in with some private papers when the US capitol moved from New York to Washington, D.C. The original manuscript was not placed in the National Archives until 1921 when Dr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress found the proclamation at an auction sale being held at an art gallery in New York. Dr Fitzpatrick purchased the document for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, in which it now resides.

It was the first official presidential proclamation issued in the United States.]

From the humor pages of the Jamaica Observer:

Mayor Nagin blames racism, class bias for slow Katrina response

MARK CUMMINGS, Observer staff reporter

NAGIN: I'm still shocked that this happened in America

MONTEGO BAY, St James – Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin says he believes that the slow pace of activity by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the immediate aftermath of hurricane Katrina that devastated the city in August was based on class and racism.

"I think that if this (New Orleans) was Orange County, California or South Beach in Miami, I do think the response would have been different," Nagin said. "I think it's a combination of racial issues and a combination of class," the mayor added.

Mayor Nagin who, along with his wife, Seletha, and three children – Jeremy, Jarin and Tianna – are vacationing in the island, was speaking to reporters in Montego Bay on the weekend.

The Nagins, who have been staying at a private villa owned by Sandals chairman Gordon "Butch" Stewart in the resort town of Negril, leave the island today.

"I have had the chance to think about this a lot, and I'm still shocked that this happened in America, a country with so many resources, where we can send battle ships around the world in 24 hours and yet you saw what happened in New Orleans," he added.

FEMA, whose mission is to "lead America to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters", has come under strong criticism since Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding that devastated New Orleans in August.

Created by President Carter in 1979, elevated to Cabinet level in 1993, and incorporated into the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, FEMA is charged with guiding the federal response to the nation's disasters – both natural and man-made.

But the delayed federal response to Hurricane Katrina along the US Gulf Coast, particularly in New Orleans has led many officials to question FEMA's preparedness for natural disaster.

It was argued that the US government's failure in preparing for and responding to the category four storm that devastated roughly 80 per cent of New Orleans allowed much human suffering and property destruction to occur than should have.

Nagin told the Observer on the weekend that the images that were shown in the media around the world showed primarily poor black people suffering.

"I think that (the images of poor black suffering) in our subconscious as a nation did not allow us to respond appropriately," Nagin said.

He said, however, that the experience had taught him the importance of disaster preparedness at the local level.

"I've have learned that you don't assume that the 'Cavalry' is going to show up at some point in time and that, instead of assuming, you need to prepare to take care of yourself, no matter what, even though you don't have all the resources," he said.

At the same time, the New Orleans mayor has issued a word of advice to Jamaica on how to prepare for disasters.

"Do a critical assessment of your disaster plans, from the standpoint of your evacuation techniques, make sure that you have them updated and that they are modern enough for the worst-case scenario," he said.

"I would also advise that in the event that a hurricane hits you, that you plan to take care of your citizens over the long haul and you make sure that you have multiple resources of getting food and supplies into the country," he said.

Additionally, he said, it is necessary to have someone at the "top" who is willing to make tough calls in the event of an emergency.

"You need someone at the top who can make the tough calls so you don't have a dance going on which we experienced in New Orleans, where the federal government was trying not to step on the toes of the state government and the state government was trying not to look like they were so weak that they needed help from the federal government," said Nagin.

He added: "You need somebody at the top making the calls and getting things done during that critical first week after the storm happens."

It's almost too much. Here is this clown vacationing in Jamaica, while his city is still in shambles.

He is staying in a villa belonging to a casino operator who wants to expand his operations in New Orleans.

And on top of that Nagin feels like he is in a position to lecture Jamaica on how to prepare for hurricanes.

I thought it was a satire when I first scanned it. How can anyone be so stupid — and so smug about it?

New Orleans needs someone at the top, all right. Let Nagin go back home to Dallas.

(Note to self: got to get me one of them there battleships that can go around the world in 24 hours.)

Christmas comes early, via the Democrat organ the Associated Press:

Dede Miller, sister of Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan, is arrested by McLennan County Sheriffs for camping in a county ditch, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005, in Crawford, Texas. A dozen war protesters were arrested Wednesday for setting up camp near President Bush's ranch in defiance of new local bans on roadside camping and parking.

Protesters Arrested Near Bush's Ranch

Nov 23 11:58 AM US/Eastern

By ANGELA K. BROWN

CRAWFORD, Texas – A dozen war protesters were arrested Wednesday for setting up camp near President Bush's ranch in defiance of new local bans on roadside camping and parking.

About four hours after the group pitched six tents and huddled in sleeping bags and blankets, McLennan County sheriff's deputies arrested them for criminal trespassing.

Another dozen or so demonstrators left the public right of way after deputies warned them they would be arrested.

The protest was set to coincide with Bush's Thanksgiving ranch visit.

The arrests were made by more than two dozen deputies who calmly approached the demonstrators in their tents and asked if they wanted to walk out on their own or be carried. Two chose to be carried. They were to be taken to jail for booking.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan wasn't among the protesters Wednesday because of a family emergency in California, but she planned to be at the camp later in the week.

"We are proud to be here," Dede Miller, Sheehan's sister, said hours before her arrest as she huddled in a blanket at the campsite. "This is just so important. What we did in August really moved us forward, and this is just a continuation of it."

In August, hundreds of demonstrators camped off the road during a 26- day protest led by Sheehan, whose 24-year-old soldier son Casey was killed in Iraq last year. But a month later, county commissioners banned camping in any county ditch and parking within 7 miles of the ranch, citing safety and traffic congestion issues.

Earlier this week, three demonstrators filed a federal lawsuit against McLennan County over the two local bans.

During the last several weeks of their summer protest, the activists had camped on a private 1-acre lot that a sympathetic landowner let them use. That land is about a mile from Bush's ranch.

My favorite part:

The arrests were made by more than two dozen deputies who calmly approached the demonstrators in their tents and asked if they wanted to walk out on their own or be carried. Two chose to be carried.

These people are so damn lazy. But you can bet Cindy really regrets missing that part. She's such a horndog.

Anyway, some turnout, huh? Weren't we promised hundreds of protesters? (Note the usual cropping to make it look like more of a crowd.)

All told, there were twelve dupes demonstrators. I guess they are Mother Sheehan's disciples.

Of course the real news is that Cindy can't even get arrested.

Update ! Some regular readers have naturally wondered about our hero Gordon Soderberg, and specifically, who shared his tent:

Anti-war protesters Dan Ellsberg, center, 74, of Berkley Calif. and Dan Myers, right, 74, of Edmond, Okla. are given a final warning by a McLennan County Sheriff before being arrested for camping in a county ditch, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005, in Crawford, Texas.

Well, you may or may not be surprised to see that it housed none other than the uber-traitor, Daniel Ellsberg.

I thought the members here would enjoy this email the site got from a reader:

To: Sweetness-Light.com
From: "XXXX XXXXX"
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 22:50:40 -0800 (PST)

XXXX XXXX wrote:

As the wife of a 18Z6 (United States Army Special Forces Sergeant Major),  I want to thank you for supporting our military. I know of quite a few soldiers’ wives who read your site and take comfort in your common sense approach with the occasional bit of wit thrown in.

The horrific antics of Soros and his ilk not only effect the troops–they effect the families of the troops as well. It’s absolutely disingenuous–nay–it’s a blatant lie–to claim you support the troops but do not support the troops missions, regardless of where those missions may be.

If the Democrats or liberals are that concerned about exit strategies, perhaps they should go back a few years and work on the Balkan’s exit strategy. You know, the one that Clinton said before his first election, He will never send our troops to the Balkans to solve a European problem and then after his election he sent our troops to the Balkan’s to solve a European problem. While getting ready for his second election–he then said, our troops would only be in the Balkan’s "one year". Of course this was back in the 1990′s. The Democrats have had us occupying the Balkan’s twice as long as WWII lasted.

Or we could try the Haiti exit strategy under Clinton. Go in and replace a murderous right wing dictator with a murderous left wing dictator. Spend several years there, declare a photo-op victory–and then depart ignominiously leaving Haiti worse than we found it. The point being, Clinton withdrew the troops early and let Haiti revert to savagery. Thank you for your time,

XXXX XXXXX

It’s always heartening to hear such kind words, especially from folks in the military.

And what she writes about the Democrats and Clinton is certainly true. They have the most convenient memories.

As we’ve noted previously, none other than that stalwart John Kerry (D-France) penned a screed for the New York Timesdemanding we invade Haiti and install a Communist dictator there.

The America-hating left has no problem using our military, risking the lives of our brave men and women, as long as it is notused in the interest of the United States.

They are that twisted.

Another entry in the never ending saga of the indomitable human spirit, from the DNC’s Associated Press:

Hurricane Katrina survivors face grim Thanksgiving

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Debbie Shifter faces the daunting task of whipping up Thanksgiving dinner for 18 in the tiny kitchen of her FEMA trailer.

Shifter, who lives in Bay St. Louis, Miss., had to drive 45 minutes to find a Wal-Mart that survived Hurricane Katrina. Downsizing the ingredients to fit her compact oven, she will serve a 13-pound turkey instead of the usual 20-pounder. Because of a lack of counter space, she will do the chopping and dicing on two wooden TV trays in her living room.

Guests will eat outside at a plastic table on her lawn, or in shifts at the kitchen table. Dinner will be served on paper plates with plastic utensils.

"We done lost everything we owned, just about – except for us," she said, standing next to the ruins of the larger trailer home she once called home. "We’re going to stick together at all of our holidays."

For many across the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast, this is going to be a grim Thanksgiving.

In New Orleans, where death and destruction still hang over the many empty streets and ruined neighborhoods, Eldon Robinson’s thoughts are on his five pieces of storm-damaged property, not a Thanksgiving Day spread.

"I’ll be eating no turkey," said Robinson, a 64-year-old landlord, as he picked up bottled water from a food distribution point. "I can’t afford to buy no turkey."

Instead, he will work on his damaged roofs, kick himself for dropping insurance on his rental property before Katrina struck Aug. 29 and wish his family could be together. His wife is going to north Louisiana, where their two daughters live.

Some hope the holiday season will help people in this hurricane-ravaged region reset their moral compass.

Volunteers, celebrities, churches and aid organizations are rallying to serve meals to the tens of thousands of displaced and penniless victims.

"I want to feed those who are homeless, out of work," said Heidi Bruno, a 47-year-old Slidell woman who is homeless herself. Her home still has no power, and she and her 30-year-old son have been staying with friends in New Orleans for the past month.

On the weekend after Thanksgiving, she will serve up food at her Pentecostal church. "I don’t know what we’ll be feeding them," she said, "but it will be hot and a blessing."

Albinas Prizgintas, a pipe organist at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans, said: "Despite the fact so many people have lost so much, there’s a sense we have so much to be thankful for."

Imagine having to serve a 13 pound turkey instead of a 20 pound one. Having to drive 45 minutes to do your shopping. The horror!

And someone should tell Mr. Robinson that turkey goes for about 25 cents a pound this time of year. You won’t find too many other foodstuffs that are cheaper.

But then again, it sounds like Eldon’s going to skip eating altogether and just work on his roofs. He’s too proud to eat with the rest of his family.

It’s all pretty damned heartbreaking, isn’t it? Why isn’t the government doing something about it? I mean, besides spending umpteen billion dollars for hurricane relief.

And where are the Veterans For (A) Peace? You can buy a lot of turkeys for $350,000.

George Soros’s paid stooges at MoveOn.org are dishing out another plate of hate America agit-prop just in time for Thanksgiving Dinner.

(I wonder if they, like Mother Sheehan, are planning a traditional Iraqi meal, in solidarity with their terrorist freedom fighting brothers.)

From Soros’s press release:

New TV Ad Attacks Republicans for Lack of Iraq Exit Plan; Begins Airing Wednesday through Holiday Weekend

11/21/2005 1:11:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Trevor FitzGibbon, Jessica Smith, Alex Howe, 202-822-5200, all for MoveOn.org Political Action

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ — MoveOn.org Political Action will begin airing a new TV ad over the Thanksgiving holiday that attacks Republicans for failing to offer a plan to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

The ad, which echoes Democrats’ calls for an exit plan, will run on CNN nationwide and on cable stations in the districts of GOP House Members who launched personal attacks on Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a decorated Vietnam veteran who last week called for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

The script of the ad follows.

MoveOn.org Political Action

TV:30

"Thanksgiving"

VIDEO — OPEN ON A FAMILY AT THANKSGIVING DINNER. SEATED AROUND THE TABLE THEY HOLD HANDS, THEIR HEADS BOWED IN PRAYER.

AUDIO — ANNOUNCER (VO): Some folks won’t be home this holiday season.

VIDEO — CUT TO SHOT OF FORLORN SOLDIERS IN IRAQ WITH MESS KITS.

AUDIO — ANNOUNCER (VO): A hundred and fifty thousand American men and women are stuck in Iraq.

VIDEO — CUT TO SHOT OF BUSH AND CHENEY, WALKING SIDE BY SIDE.

AUDIO — ANNOUNCER (VO): Their president misled America to send them in and has no plan to get them out.

VIDEO — CUT BACK TO DINNER TABLE. A WOMAN IN TEARS IS BEING COMFORTED BY FAMILY MEMBERS.

AUDIO — ANNOUNCER (VO): Democrats in Congress are leading the way home.

VIDEO — CUT TO THANKSGIVING TABLE SPREAD AND ONE EMPTY CHAIR.

AUDIO — ANNOUNCER (VO): Where are the Republicans?

VIDEO — STAY ON IMAGE OF EMPTY CHAIR. SUPER "CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE: (202) 224-3121."

AUDIO — ANNOUNCER (VO): Tell your representative. Support our troops. Bring them home.

VIDEO — AT SCREEN BOTTOM, SUPER FULL LEGAL DISCLAIMER: PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, WWW.POLITICAL.MOVEON.ORG. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE. MOVEOn.ORG POLITICAL ACTION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT".

AUDIO — ANNOUNCER (VO): MoveOn.org Political Action is responsible for the content of this advertisement.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Beta copies to be distributed on Tuesday, Nov. 22

People forget (and of course the foreign seditionist George Soros never knew) that Thanksgiving was started by George Washington to give the Almighty thanks for the ratification of our own Constitution:

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

…Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness "…

Something Soros’s lickspittles are now so eager to deny to others.

Of course the thought of fighting for their freedom, for a say in their future, is repugnant to them. They are natural born slaves. Dictator fodder.

If the MoveOn types ever do pray, as this ad pretends, it is only for the feel of the lash and the boot of the tyrant that they crave so much.

Once again, the same woman who constantly rails against President Bush's " incompetence " is a no-show for her own damn PR stunt.

From the Democrat Party's house organ, the Associated Press:

War protest resuming despite Sheehan's delay to Crawford

CRAWFORD, Texas — War opponents say their protest near President Bush's ranch will resume this week although the fallen soldier's mother who led a 26-day vigil this summer will arrive later than planned.

Cindy Sheehan of Berkeley, Calif., has a family emergency and is scheduled to arrive Friday in time for the dedication of the Camp Casey Memorial Garden at the Crawford Peace House. It is named for her 24-year-old son who died in Iraq last year.

Other peace activists have been arriving in Crawford and plan to return Wednesday to the roadside where Sheehan set up camp in August. They say they expect to be arrested, because in September county commissioners enacted two ordinances banning roadside parking within a 7-mile radius of Bush's ranch and prohibiting camping in any county ditch.

On Monday, three protesters filed a federal lawsuit against McLennan County, claiming the ordinances limit their free speech rights.

The demonstrators say they are returning to protest the war with Iraq to coincide with Bush's Thanksgiving ranch visit and that the county ordinances will not stop them.

"Our holidays will never be the same, so we want him to remember that," Sheehan's sister Dede Miller, who has already arrived in Crawford, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Protesters will hold a Thanksgiving meal and other activities on the same private 1-acre lot that a sympathetic landowner let them use for several weeks of the August protest. An anti-war rally is planned for Saturday in a downtown Crawford park and an interfaith service is planned for Sunday.

Sheehan's summer protest drew thousands but also spurred counter-protests of Bush supporters who said she was hurting troop morale. Bill Johnson, who started a pro-Bush camp beside his downtown Crawford souvenir shop in August, said he will hold a pro-Bush rally at the same site Saturday.

"Our goal is to get our story out because she'll get her story out," Johnson said Tuesday. "We see things differently than she does."

Once again Mother Sheehan resorts to "family emergency" when "cell phone trouble" won't quite cover it. And how convenient that this “family emergency” didn’t affect Cindy’s sister, who managed to be there despite the blow.

And speaking of family, I wonder whatever happened to Cindy's mother. Remember, she was at death's door back when Mother needed a break from camping out in the ditch. Last we heard, she was in a coma, right?

Well, I guess she got better, since al-Cindy hasn't spend one minute with her mother since that time. She's been much too busy saving the world — and making a lot of money.