Bring Them Home Now Tour Comes to Raleigh

[fivecats]

Cindy Sheehan in Raleigh #1
September 2005 Raleigh, NC
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Those of you who are not aware of the anti-war subculture of American politics these days may not  know who Cindy Sheehan is.  Cindy is the mother of a young soldier, Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq in April 2004.  After the shock of Casey's death started to subside, Cindy got angry at pResident George Bush and started asking for a meeting with him.  She simply wanted answers to some tough questions, wanting to know why her son had died, what the war was for and why we, as a nation, needed to invade Iraq. 

Bush refused to even acknowledge her request and, instead, set out for his ranch in Crawford, TX for a 5-week vacation.  Sheehan, angry at being snubbed, decided to follow Bush to Crawford.  Her cause became a counter-culture peace movement ralling cry and she soon found herself down in Crawford with hundreds of other people.  There, they set up "Camp Casey" and waiting for Bush to meet with them.  They became media savvy, giving interviews to news outlets around the world clearly stating their love for their country and support for the soldiers in the Gulf region, just not for the leadership that is supposed to be guiding everything.

When Bush left Crawford, Sheehan decided to go to Washington.  It was eventually decided to turn the trip to Washington into an event.  The Bring Them Home Now Tour  has three branches, with Sheehan jumping between the branches.  Today was her last stop on the Southern Tour and was in the downtown Raleigh area.

I stopped off on my way home from work to get some images and to get her autograph for Bonn. 

Sheehan is a strong, caring woman who is smart, tenatious and determined.  She's also given hope to hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been looking for someone to start the rallying cry with a voice that won't go away.

Sheehan arrives in DC next Saturday and there's a big protest march against the war that afternoon in DC.  We'll be there.






Cindy Sheehan in Raleigh #2
September 2005 Raleigh, NC
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Cindy Sheehan in Raleigh #4
September 2005 Raleigh, NC
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Speaker at Bring Them Back Home Now Tour Rally in Raleigh
September 2005 Raleigh, NC
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Cindy Sheehan in Raleigh #3
September 2005 Raleigh, NC
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Comments

[drood.livejournal.com]

Great photos! I love that you were there for this.

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

There was only a small crowd there, say 150+ people or so. For a Thursday afternoon, just after work and on short notice, that was about what I had expected. Still, I knew I could take an alternate route home and be right there, so adding my one number to the crowd was important.

I started taking pictures at a distance, then approached Sheehan tentatively. I was somewhat embarrased to just ask her for her autograph, but I knew it would mean a lot to Bonn, so I was looking for an opportunity. Turned out, once she was approached by people in general Sheehan gave them her full attention and energy. She seems like a genuinely caring and appreciative person who is willing to give all of herself over to this unplanned, swelling movement.

That's a hero for ya.

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