Cindy Sheehan, the mother of slain Army Specialist Casey Sheehan who died in Iraq in 2004 and who gained notoriety by camping outside then-President George W Bush's ranch during that summer, has announced her candidacy to challenge California Governor Jerry Brown for the Democrat nomination next year. She is a vocal critic of President Obama's foreign policy. Her memoir, "Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey Through Heartache to Activism", was published in 2006.
Previously, she had run in 2012 with Roseann Barr for Vice President on the Peace and Freedom Party line and as an independent in 2008 for Nancy Pelosi's seat, coming in second ahead of the Republican candidate.
Sheehan, who rode her bike to Sacramento from Davis, admitted that her campaign had not secured a permit for the event. Instead, she decided to piggyback on a news conference held by critics of the Brown administration's handling of prisons.
Since her son's death, her life has been in turmoil, first when her husband, Patrick Sheehan, filed for divorce and obtained it for irreconcilable differences, and then being sued by the IRS for not paying taxes, which she refuses to do, stating, " I feel like I gave my son to this country in an illegal and immoral war. I'll never get him back. And, so, if they can give me my son back, then I'll pay my taxes. And that's not going to happen."
Previously, she had run in 2012 with Roseann Barr for Vice President on the Peace and Freedom Party line and as an independent in 2008 for Nancy Pelosi's seat, coming in second ahead of the Republican candidate.
Sheehan, who rode her bike to Sacramento from Davis, admitted that her campaign had not secured a permit for the event. Instead, she decided to piggyback on a news conference held by critics of the Brown administration's handling of prisons.
Since her son's death, her life has been in turmoil, first when her husband, Patrick Sheehan, filed for divorce and obtained it for irreconcilable differences, and then being sued by the IRS for not paying taxes, which she refuses to do, stating, " I feel like I gave my son to this country in an illegal and immoral war. I'll never get him back. And, so, if they can give me my son back, then I'll pay my taxes. And that's not going to happen."
Sadly, Ms Sheehan has been made the butt of jokes by comedians for years, and by certain members of the media. She is a sincere individual, truly against war, certainly since her son's death.
There are many people who are against war, including me. But I am sure none of us have been put into the position where we have lost a child and have apparently been unable to cope with the loss.
Hopefully, someday, Ms Sheehan will find help and be able to put her life back in some semblance of order. Until then, she will continue to appear to be a kook, a whack-job, a crackpot. It's not fair that she is labeled this way.
She needs help for her depression, a severe mental illness that is ignored until it is too late.
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