Cindy Sheehan: The Soul Of The US Peace Movement

It seems that Americans spent most of the summer “debating” health care, of course it was not much of a debate but more an irrational screaming contest duly orchestrated by various media megaphones and echo chambers. Between that, the death of Michael Jackson, the absence of Paula Abdul on American Idols next season, and trying to pay their bills, most Americans couldn’t  really focus on anything else; especially depressing topics such as the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the Bush years, the peace movement was alive and in the spotlight. However it has faded since the election of  President Obama. One exception is Cindy Sheehan.

Last week, the relentless peace activist and 2005 nominee for the Nobel peace prize was in Martha’s Vineyard organizing protest against the war and promoting peace. Just like she was confronting George W. Bush during his vacations at  the Texas ranch, she is now confronting President Obama on his engagement in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and, what she views, as his continuation of war policies around the globe.

Cindy Sheehan is currently working on what she calls an “International declaration of peace”. This is Cindy in her own words:

“One thing that the Obama presidency has put into even sharper focus for me, is that most of the leaders of the world do not want peace. People can try and fool themselves that unlike Bush (or Clinton, or Bush, or Reagan, or Carter, or Ford, or Nixon…etc) Obama truly wants peace. The reality of facts on the ground dispute this. We are deceiving ourselves if we think otherwise. Obama is fully on the trajectory of the Empire, there is no denying this….I do not place the blame for imperial violence on any president: It is the system. Government of almost every countries are in on this. What can the people do to counteract our governments that don’t have our best interests in mind?”

Cindy Sheehan says “the people of the world must unite for peace in an unprecedented and historic move.” This is some of Cindy’s ideas for an international declaration of peace:

“We will not send our children to kill other people children; We will not fund our disparate country’s penchant for violence with our tax dollars; We will recognize the intrinsic value of each human; We will proclaim that no person is better than any other person irrespective of race, religion, gender, gender preference, age, or national origin; We will demonstrate or protest war, violence or economic oppression no matter who, or what governs our nations.”

To stay updated on Cindy Sheehan’s activities and writing click here.