When Cindy Smiles
Allan J. Ashinoff
September 29, 2005
There are times in life when things happen and its hard not to notice that Shakespeare’s ‘As you like it’ was right all along in stating “All the world’s a stage.” The bright lights of the media are enough to seduce anyone into doing just about anything to get their ’15 minutes’ of fame; just ask John Bobbit, Louis Farrakhan, or the always regrettable and unfortunately unavoidable Cindy Sheehan.
Sheehan the anti-war sell-out mom is at it again in Washington D.C. It appears her grief hasn’t slowed her travel itinerary. Her sincerity and conviction to her son’s memory hasn’t prevented her from diversifying her ‘cause’. This time the war-ghoul has found her way into the news by getting arrested. Her sorrow filled mug can be found, in full and unnecessary color, beaming a big ‘my sons dead so you have to listen to me’ smile just about anywhere on the web as the patrolmen carried her off from her protest outside the Whitehouse. Judging from her smile one can conclude that war was the best thing that happened to Cindy next to her son’s death. Yes, Cindy everyone is seeing you and there are those who are listening to what you have to say.
To call this media event a protest is laughable. Cindy, to protest you need a following. Cindy’s show, much like her Crawford debacle, consisted of ‘several dozen’ people and some of those were just riding the bandwagon for media exposure. How can Cindy’s Traveling Liberal Circus be considered a newsworthy protest by the media when a mere 84 people showed up (and you know the press was generous)? Yet the media covered this event in full and graced us with another picture of the ever sad, bitter and grieving Sheehan…..[i]smiling[/i]. Yes America, we are meant to believe that for every person in Sheehan’s group there are a million people who who believe just as they do and either didn’t bother to attend or didn’t know about Cindy’s latest road performance. I’d hardly be surprised to find out that the press was called to be informed that Cindy was doing something or that the reports were treated afterward to dinner complements of Cindy’s benefactor.
One has to ask what makes this woman tick. Certainly her son’s death isn’t on her mind these days with the exception of those times he’s needed to validate her authority to speak on any issue she chooses for the press. If this were about her son’s death her ‘cause’ would have remained constant. How can ‘you killed my son’ and ‘I want to meet the President again’ evolve into ‘Bush must resign in disgrace’ or ‘Bush must get our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq’ and ‘this war is a Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel.’ Surely anyone, including those who were once sympathetic, can now see what this woman was all about all along.
It’s not hard to envision Sheehan in the 1960's in a tent full of reefer smoke wearing a tie dyed t-shirt, love beads, and florally decorated bell bottom jeans? Equally it’s no stretch to see her actions and words as either a pitiful attempt to not forget her son, a disgusting attempt to affirm her worth, and/or a pathetic attempt to relive her youth.
What’s next Cindy? A benefit concert? You could call it ‘what-a-crock 2005' and invite the Dixie Chick’s and Springsteen. Will you get your photo-op putting daisies in National Guard rifles? If you hurry to New Orleans I’m sure you can find a few before they are re-deployed. Will you chain yourself to the Whitehouse gate? Perhaps what you need is a coveted Photo-op with Osama while he’s in seclusion? Yes, Cindy there is work to do before you can stand on the hallowed ground of Fonda. You never know you may get your own nickname similar to Hanoi Jane.
Cindy Sheehan is so far away from her son’s death at this point that she’s simply confirming that the entire matter had scarcely anything to do with her son from day one. She affirms that it’s all an act for the camera to promote her puppeteers causes. In the spirit of P.T. Barnum Cindy understands that a sucker is born every minute and she doesn’t mind being the bearded lady.
When Cindy smiles look for a camera and when Cindy speaks look for a microphone. After all these days Cindy is getting paid to speak to people all across America. I guess the ‘cause’ wasn’t enough notoriety on her son’s death. For a liberal Cindy sure understands capitalism. I guess that will mean no more free protests outside the Whitehouse and no more tent campouts in Crawford.
One could only hope.
Sheehan the anti-war sell-out mom is at it again in Washington D.C. It appears her grief hasn’t slowed her travel itinerary. Her sincerity and conviction to her son’s memory hasn’t prevented her from diversifying her ‘cause’. This time the war-ghoul has found her way into the news by getting arrested. Her sorrow filled mug can be found, in full and unnecessary color, beaming a big ‘my sons dead so you have to listen to me’ smile just about anywhere on the web as the patrolmen carried her off from her protest outside the Whitehouse. Judging from her smile one can conclude that war was the best thing that happened to Cindy next to her son’s death. Yes, Cindy everyone is seeing you and there are those who are listening to what you have to say.
To call this media event a protest is laughable. Cindy, to protest you need a following. Cindy’s show, much like her Crawford debacle, consisted of ‘several dozen’ people and some of those were just riding the bandwagon for media exposure. How can Cindy’s Traveling Liberal Circus be considered a newsworthy protest by the media when a mere 84 people showed up (and you know the press was generous)? Yet the media covered this event in full and graced us with another picture of the ever sad, bitter and grieving Sheehan…..[i]smiling[/i]. Yes America, we are meant to believe that for every person in Sheehan’s group there are a million people who who believe just as they do and either didn’t bother to attend or didn’t know about Cindy’s latest road performance. I’d hardly be surprised to find out that the press was called to be informed that Cindy was doing something or that the reports were treated afterward to dinner complements of Cindy’s benefactor.
One has to ask what makes this woman tick. Certainly her son’s death isn’t on her mind these days with the exception of those times he’s needed to validate her authority to speak on any issue she chooses for the press. If this were about her son’s death her ‘cause’ would have remained constant. How can ‘you killed my son’ and ‘I want to meet the President again’ evolve into ‘Bush must resign in disgrace’ or ‘Bush must get our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq’ and ‘this war is a Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel.’ Surely anyone, including those who were once sympathetic, can now see what this woman was all about all along.
It’s not hard to envision Sheehan in the 1960's in a tent full of reefer smoke wearing a tie dyed t-shirt, love beads, and florally decorated bell bottom jeans? Equally it’s no stretch to see her actions and words as either a pitiful attempt to not forget her son, a disgusting attempt to affirm her worth, and/or a pathetic attempt to relive her youth.
What’s next Cindy? A benefit concert? You could call it ‘what-a-crock 2005' and invite the Dixie Chick’s and Springsteen. Will you get your photo-op putting daisies in National Guard rifles? If you hurry to New Orleans I’m sure you can find a few before they are re-deployed. Will you chain yourself to the Whitehouse gate? Perhaps what you need is a coveted Photo-op with Osama while he’s in seclusion? Yes, Cindy there is work to do before you can stand on the hallowed ground of Fonda. You never know you may get your own nickname similar to Hanoi Jane.
Cindy Sheehan is so far away from her son’s death at this point that she’s simply confirming that the entire matter had scarcely anything to do with her son from day one. She affirms that it’s all an act for the camera to promote her puppeteers causes. In the spirit of P.T. Barnum Cindy understands that a sucker is born every minute and she doesn’t mind being the bearded lady.
When Cindy smiles look for a camera and when Cindy speaks look for a microphone. After all these days Cindy is getting paid to speak to people all across America. I guess the ‘cause’ wasn’t enough notoriety on her son’s death. For a liberal Cindy sure understands capitalism. I guess that will mean no more free protests outside the Whitehouse and no more tent campouts in Crawford.
One could only hope.
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