What did our sons die for?

Vacaville, Calif. resident and mother of a fallen U.S. soldier, Cindy Sheehan, is now being intimidated by Not-My-President's Secret Service in an effort for her to cut short her protest.

Sheehan's son was killed in Iraq a year ago. And now Sheehan has vowed not to leave her designated protest spot until Not-My-President agrees to meet with her. So far, he hasn't. Instead, he sent two of his Yes Men, two senior officials (Stephen J. Hadley - National Security Adviser and Joe Hagin, deputy White House chief of staff) to do his dirty work for him.

Last week, 20 Marines from a single battallion were killed in Iraq. Dubya's approval rating is still low. There is still no viable exit strategery coming out of the White House. Sixty-one per cent of people polled by Newsweek say the disapprove of how Dubya is handling the war.

And the longer he waits to meet with Sheehan, the louder Sheehan's voice - and other mothers like her - will become.

For those of you who don't remember Sheehan, you my remember this story of how Not-My-President handled himself behind closed doors while visiting with bereaved families of soldiers. Emphasis mine:

The White House has released few details of such sessions, which Mr. Bush holds regularly as he travels the country, but generally portrays them as emotional and an opportunity for the president to share the grief of the families. In Ms. Sheehan's telling, though, Mr. Bush did not know her son's name when she and her family met with him in June 2004 at Fort Lewis. Mr. Bush, she said, acted as if he were at a party and behaved disrespectfully toward her by referring to her as "Mom" throughout the meeting.

Some have said that Sheehan's son isn't any different from the 1,800 plus soldiers that have since been killed during the war. And while I respect that opinion - and people's right to be of that opinion - I also think that if Sheehan's camping out at Dubya's Crawford, Texas ranch is what it takes to draw media attention and to put a human face to this war overseas, then so be it. Perhaps many more mothers, like Sheehan, will come forward and tell their stories. It may be one mother's struggle to get answers, but this one woman's fight for answers will hopefully ensure that her son - and the the 1,800 plus sons and daughters of America - did not die in vain.

Then perhaps, many will finally see that we are in the wrong war, for the wrong reasons, and at the wrong time.

And until that happens, we will continue to support her.

(photo credit: jonschwarz at After Downing Street)