February 26, 2006

“[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.� [Translation: talk about how U.S. policy sucks without listening to other viewpoints. Isn't democracy grand?]

More:

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. [We support the dead soldiers, not the live ones.]

“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!� [Fine. I say pull them all out now and let the Germans fend for themselves. They've let us know in no uncertain terms what they think of us. Why waste our time and energy there?]

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. [Peace on earth? Tell that to the likes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is hoping to fulfill his first campaign promise of wiping Israel off the face of the map. Oh wait, Israel doesn't count.]

Her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004. Sheehan said in an e-mail she was too busy for a phone interview with Stars and Stripes. [Too busy to talk to a publication that speaks to the very people she claims to represent?]

“I don’t know anything about the visit,� she wrote. “It is being arranged by some people in Germany.� [Talk about an overwhelming sense of self-importance. Has she hired a personal assistant yet, like other famous celebs?]

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. [I'm sure Sheehan's supporters wouldn't argue with that kind of "self censorship."]