COUNTERPOINT: Full story on Sheehan not being told
BY TONY MOSCHETTI
I feel compelled to respond to Nathan Golden's misguided plea for President Bush to "face grieving mom" Cindy Sheehan. Mr. Golden, as with most of the left, is either vastly uninformed or being blatantly dishonest concerning Mr. Bush and Ms. Sheehan.
Bush met with Sheehan, and other families of fallen soldiers, at Fort Lewis, Wash., in June 2004. After the meeting Sheehan told a local Vacaville, Calif., reporter, "I now know he's sincere about freedom for Iraqis." She followed with, "I know he feels pain for our loss" and added that Bush "gave us the gift of happiness of being together."
Why has no major publication, reporter, columnist, editorial writer or news organization on the left reported those pertinent facts? I think we all know why. The truth does not support their anti-Bush, anti-war and sometimes anti-America agenda.
Simply look at the protagonists pushing this, who say, "Why won't the president meet with this poor woman, and answer her questions." Not a single, supposedly reputable news organization (except for Fox, of course), during their endless hand-wringing, has mentioned the previous meeting or Sheehan's words afterward.
Also gone unreported (surprise) is that the remainder of the Sheehan family is on the opposite side of this issue. Though her husband Patrick has declined to comment publicly, his family issued the following comments: "We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son 's good name and reputation."
They added, "The Sheehan family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq war, and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. The rest of the Sheehan family supports the troops, our country and our president, silently, with prayer and respect." Casey's Aunt Cherie, on behalf of his paternal grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, signed this e-mail.
It is incomprehensible that any legitimate news organization could report endlessly on this issue and not even mention the salient facts stated above. Why anyone in our country today would trust any information coming from our "elite" media without verifying it through other reliable sources is beyond my comprehension. I ask those of you on the left, if the truth is on your side, why are you compelled to continually misreport and distort so many issues dear to your hearts?
The writer lives in High Point.
News & Record
August 18, 2005
