Cindy Sheehan, the proud mother of one of our brave fallen in Iraq, has taken the time to do something that even the politicos in the White House and the war hawks that started this war haven’t bothered to do: take a moment to reflect on and mourn for the 3,000th soldier to die in Iraq.

The Iraq war has at this point extended longer than American involvement in World War II, and has cost more lives than lost in the tragic attacks of Sept. 11, 2001-and there’s still no end in sight; in fact if the recent press is to believed we can expect more violence and death in the near future is the conservatives who started this farce get their way again and send more troops into Iraq, to “surge” to their deaths. I have to admit though, I’m confused-why would we trust the same people who got us into this mess to get us out of this mess? Why would President Bush and his cabal of conservatives completely dismiss the reccomendations of the Baker-Hamilton commission report (which called for a political solution to the crisis by giving all sides of the violence a stake in the new Iraq rather than relegating them to the sidelines, and an emphasis on training and equipping Iraqi security forces to take responsibility for their own security) for essentially nothing more than more of the same? It boggles my mind.

Even so, Sheehan writes from prison, like many great activists have, and puts the newest grave milestone from Iraq into perspective:

On December 31st, our 3,000th child was killed for the lies of another president. While Gerald Ford lies in state, our 3,000th troop will be brought home on his final airplane flight in the cargo area. This fine young example of humanity will be sneaked into the US as if he, and not his commander in chief, were a criminal. His family will be left to mourn alone, and his body will not be guarded night and day. After the funeral (which Bloody George will not attend), he will be forgotten by the country that sent him to die in a war that is as corrupt as the day is long, but his family will never be able to recover from his loss.

The news channels are infusing us with coverage of Ford’s pomp and circumstance. CNN Headline News gave 10 seconds to the 3,000th American casualty of the Iraq bloody blunder. Why is a soldier’s life less honorable than a president’s? If our soldiers are worthless to the American people, where do the 655,000 innocent Iraqis who have been slaughtered by Bloody BushCo fit into daily consumeristic consciousness?

Yesterday, Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas, placed 3,000 American flags down Prairie Chapel Road. The flags, which we planted 12 to 16 inches apart, extended for approximately a mile on each side of the road. The visual was somber, touching, and very reverent. We decided that yesterday was not a day for politics, but a day to honor our young people who have been so dishonored by the man on that same road, who spends his days clearing brush while contemplating signing more death orders and his nights sleeping like a baby.

Being a peace activist is not a very safe position in Crawford, Texas. One of our neighbors came out with a shotgun and threatened to shoot if we put flags in front of her property. Since the ditches are public property, and we believe that we are honoring the brave souls who are brave and dedicated, we put some in front of her home. When one of our Camp Caseyites went back this morning to pick up the flags, she had broken every one of them that we had put in front of her house. We already knew that many people in Crawford hate the sight of crosses, but we thought that the American flag would be a safe symbol that all of us, being patriotic Americans every one, could agree upon. Apparently, some people don’t like to visualize a number that was made possible by their support of serial killers.

The behavior of the people of Crawford doesn’t surprise me one bit-their first reaction to anyone different in any possible way is to get their gun, and if the gun doesn’t work then to stab them in the back, but the fact that the mile-long memorial is only getting longer is what truly upsets me. How many more miles of flags do we need before we decide that this “liberation” isn’t worth it anymore? How many more miles of flags are necessary before we begin to make the hard decisions about this war, turn the onus of security and governance over to the Iraqi people who so desperately want to run their own country, and begin to bring our brave men and women home, to be honored as heroes and given the rest they so very much deserve?

[ A Mile of Flags ]
Source: TruthOut