Redstate

Remember the old Army saying:  when you don't have current orders to follow, then move to the sound of firing. Sounds like good advice for the aviators--and their friends--to follow

This sounds like a great opportunity for the Protest Warriors to meet Team Sheehan, on equal ground.

I suspect that a military airshow audience will lean toward supporting the pilots whom they'll see flying that day, as opposed to the media-seeking moonbats displaying faux coffins outside the airbase gates.

Perhaps the Anti-Defamation League would like to show up, as well.  I'll bet they have something to say to Mother Sheehan.

If the anti-Sheehan forces do indeed mass at the airshow, how much do you want to bet that Mother S. will have to cancel at the last minute?  And, who wants to bet that Al Sharpton and Martin Sheen will have other committments that weekend?

Can you say 'moonbat'?

Next stop for the Cindy Sheehan "It's all about me now" Tour - Walter Reed.

Fenton Communications, Inc.  That's all you need to know.

It's the frame, man.  The frame, God save the Frame!

member of the loony moonbat left.

What exactly is there to protest at a blue angels show?

Is simple.  It's a liberal, Northeastern stronghold and the airshow is:

"This is the largest single event in the state," James said Monday. "It is an opportunity for the military to demonstrate its missions and capabilities to taxpayers of America and to entertain families and individuals."

I think the overall strategy is to rebuild the grassroots war protest movement so that in March of next year, when Jane Fonda does her bus tour, the grassroots will be pumped up enough to turn out en masse.  One of the things they're hoping to do as the midterm elections approach is to rebuild the protest machine to generate mass demonstrations on the scale of the ones that took place prior to the war, but which flagged and sputtered badly afterward.  This is an important Sheehan photo-op and networking opportunity in the liberal Northeast.  She'll get to meet a lot of people she hasn't met up until this point, and the people in the Northeast will get to know her name.  It doesn't really matter what the content of the protest is, there are so many themes they could choose from.  She could just go there and protest it because "it's a celebration of the military while people are dying in an illegal war."  It's about building name and media recognition and grabbing eyeballs.  She's becoming a jetsetter.

The left wing in partnership with the liberal media as always have no idea how they are perceived by the silent majority...Let her protest the Blue Angels in front of airbases...Let her make her silly comments to a fawning media...Let Martin Sheen and Al Sharpton grab photo ops with her. When your enemy is destroying itself, You get out of the way and let them do it. These people think that Cindy Sheehan is responsible for President Bush's Sagging poll numbers. By the way, Are these polls being coordinated by the same people who did exit polling last November? Ya'll remember those exit polls? Those were the exit polls that gave the state of Mississippi to Kerry along with other red states. Libs always look so shocked after the results of national elections are known and I personally find that tastier than New York cheesecake with cherries on top. The point I am making is that it is a great time to be a red state-er...Thank you Mother Sheehan.

...how she'll take it when the media is not swarming her as much. After all, the John Roberts confirmation hearings will be in full swing, Congress will be back at work bickering and President Bush will be working on how to reactivate dormant volcanos so that Haliburton can get the contract for rebuilding a city....

I think we will witness her starting to crack up a bit. The less attention she gets, the more shrill she will get. It won't be pretty.

the next two Blue Angels shows are at Oceana NAS, VA, and at Gainesville, FL. I don't think they'd find the environment there very welcoming.

Asked and answered: it's because (you simple-minded non-moonbat follower of Chimpy McBushitlerburton) they are protesting against "The Gods of War" - at least that's what it said in my local paper this morning, as quoted by two different people (Mama Sheehan and the guy from Maine Vets for Peace) - must be the new talking point.  I've looked for the link in the electronic edition but cannot find it - it WAS in my morning print edition.  If I find it, I'll update.

Nice touch, don't you think?  They get to protest and stick-in a religious reference at the same time.

This woman, like much of the modern left and "anti-war" movement (same thing, actually), is simply beyond parody.

Please fly it up to Brunswick and start circling over the Sideshow.  The godawful slap-slap-slap of the rotors will cause the old hippies to have flashbacks to the time they watched "Apocalypse Now" and the downdraft will play hell with reporters' hair and microphones.

As much as I hate to add to Cindy Sheehan steamroller, I need ot post some thoughts. As a 23-year Navy veteran, I continue to be appalled by the dishonor Ms. Sheehan shows her son's honorable service. She has gone from the sympathetic mother figure to her true identity... a political tool of the "Looney Left" in their continued hatred of our President. Her innocent vigil to speak to the President has turned into a mindless barrage of anti-war and anti-semitic retoric we hear from her on a daily basis. Though I tend to agree with some conservative commentators that Sheehan, like Dean and others, continue to prove the point on how "out-of-touch" the Left is with America, someone needs to put her in her place. She has gone from protesting the war in Iraq to protesting Israel to now protesting an air show. An air show??? It's not a showcase of "military might who worship at the altar of war" as I've heard some say. It's a chance for a local air station to give something back to the community who supports them by giving them a FREE demonstration of both civilian and military aircraft. I've organized a few air shows in my time so I know what I'm talking about. The community they are going to protest in will not welcome her because they want the military there because they know how important that base and those servicemen and women are to them. Are air shows used for recruiting, asbsolutely, but again, we have a VOLUNTEER military, there is no secret police forcing young men and women to join. One fact Ms. Sheehan seems to forget in all her tirads is that the men and women of the armed forces WANT to be in Iraq, they WANT to serve their country and the proof is in the high reenlistment rate among our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. But of course, you don't hear about that in the liberal media. You'll hear about drops in retention or enlistments when it happens but not the overall story about how much our military wants to stay in the fight. Again, sorry to add to the Sheehan media circus but I needed to have my say.

The mission of the Blue Angels is to enhance Navy recruiting, and credibly represent Navy and Marine Corps aviation to the United States and its Armed Forces to America and other countries as international ambassadors of good will.

Here come the flames and accusations, but ... the Blue Angels put on shows to help recruiting and to encourage favorable public and international opinion of the Armed Forces.  That is their own stated purpose.  It is entirely in keeping with Sheehan's stated purpose to protest their shows, since she 1. thinks no more recruitment should happen, and 2. has an unfavorable impression of our Armed Forces' mission in Iraq.  If you disagree with her purpose, as I do, or disagree with her methods, as I strongly do, fine.  But she is not crazy nor inconsistent to join a protest of the Blue Angels.

she is on mission does not mean she is not the whacked out, child betraying, nation hating, enemy supporting witch she is.

Let her bring it on.

She is a worthles tramp beneath contempt.

she is not crazy nor inconsistent to join a protest of the Blue Angels.

That is true. We should give her credit for having the courage of her convictions. The left already condemns motherhood and Chevrolets. They might as well go for the trifecta and denounce apple pie.

In all fairness, she is simply protesting an organization which makes things she hates seem nice.  Disagree with her all you want but it is disingenous (and unhelpful to the larger discussion about how to deal with Sheehan) to ridicule her for protesting organizations which directly oppose her stated objectives.

I'm sorry that this story includes some profanity. It was Cindy Sheehan, who used such language, not me. She doesn't like the questions asked by Talk of the Nation host Neal Conan, so she cuts the interview short. As she does, you can hear her say to someone on her side of the line, "This guy's a D---."

Cindy Sheehan: This guy's a XXXX.

Someone give this a listen, and tell me I'm not imagining things.

She's protesting people just like her son: volunteers in our military.

It's inexcusable what she's doing in his name now.

But see, it is not disingenuous to ridicule her for protesting something that the vast majority of the American people keep in the same box in their heads where they keep motherhood and apple pie. If she is dumb enough to position herself that way, then I see great merit in pointing at her and laughing.

exactly anti war friendly.

She is only dangerous if she isn't subject the ridicule she so richly deserves. We allow her a patina of crediblity at our peril.

Of course, between the Al Sharpton hug and the photo  of the bearded hippy giving her a foot massage and her idiotic pronouncements she makes ridicule fairly easy.

What, exactly, is Ms. Sheehan's goal?

If it is to win people over to her way of thinking, then protesting the Angels is foolish.  

[A]  No one attending the show will be there against their will - that's at least a 'marker' for believing the Angels are a good thing and having a favorable opinion of the military.  No converts there.

[B] Joe & Josephine Average, who are in the middle (to the extent they exist), are likely to respect our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen, etc. and believe protests should be directed at THE LEADERSHIP, not the troops.  Negative impression is more likely than not.

[C] This tactic will also turn off some in the 'anti-war' crowd because they'll think it is 'over the top' and makes them look like nuts or, as tacticians, because they'll realize that it alienates them from the middle they have to convert to have any chance of accomplishing their goals.

This isn't about Casey or getting out of Iraq - this is about leftist god (small 'g') #1, Ego, as in, "I am a better person than you because I'm doing something (totallyandcompletelyineffectualbutresultsdon'tmatter,intentionsdo) about it!"

spins it as "Peace Mom Hates Airshows," people will point and laugh.  And we should make every effort to get it spun that way.  But she is not protesting airshows, she joining a preplanned protest of an organization which promotes military recruitment.  And being blind to that can lead to such efforts to control the story backfiring.  Bear in mind my original point was in response to the incredulous question What exactly is there to protest at a blue angels show?  If the subject can change to "how can we get people to talk about the peace mom who hates airshows," more power to it!

[A] Most are there to see an airshow, regardless of political stripe or support.

[B] Very good point.  Sheehan has said her beef is with the leadership, not the troops.  But this is definitely an example where she will come off against the military and the "boots on the ground" (or in the plane, as it were) instead of the civilian leadership she says she's angry with.

[C] I'm not sure anything will seem over the top to them.  

As for her goals and motives, well, they are far from crazy.  She simply cannot see past her own son's death to see the larger purpose of the Iraq mission.  She seems sincere, but of course the ego comes in when the left-wing machine comes in and tries to capitalize on her grief.

Will someone please double check this for me?

I hear Cindy calling an NPR radio host a "d-ck" in the middle of an interview.

If you want to spin something. Spin this. If I'm wrong let me know. I'm starting to feel like a kook.

Cindy Sheehan: This Guy's a D-ck

I know this is not an NPR crowd, but the whole set of interviews shows how calm, proud, and determined military families are.

If the Loony Left is to be consistent, they should support the Blue Devils, not protest them.

The lack of anti-war protests during the Kosovo engagement should lead one to be able to logically conclude that the Loony Left was okay with that war.  Unless, of course, I missed that huge protest rallly and sit in complaining about the illogical war in Kosovo.  (And, iirc, isn't that area still a mess and troops are still there???  I guess that's okay since it was started by Bubba.)

Right?

So a war fought solely with planes, not ground troops, should be okay.  After all it was vaunted as the huge success of the Philanderer in Chief and General Wesley 'Opportunist' Clark.

So, I guess the Loony Left has decided to expose the lie that they 'support the troops and not the war' and that they really just oppose the idea of having a military at all.

I better brush up on my Mandarin.

No, you're not imagining it. I listened to the interview. She did say it.

Given that her entire 15 minutes of fame has been based on the fact that she has been waiting in vain for a second meeting with the President, I am somewhat puzzled by this planned protest.  I thought that Bush and the Joos were at the root of this whole thing, and it was all about taking Bush down a notch or two.  Passing the joint around the campfire in Crawford must have really gotten the creative juices flowing, once the fog lifted and they realized they were just spinning their wheels in the ditch.  So now they have decided to take their show on the road to bother the benighted folk wherever they may live and tell them the traditions they enjoy and the institutions they trust are evil?  I thought at first that it was all about Bush flew Planes, Bush is Bad, so Planes are Bad.  Then I thought that maybe she was just fascinated by shiny metal objects. Surely this can't be a caper planned by her PR handlers.  I guess we can expect a protest in front of the Israeli embassy some time soon.

All kidding aside, can you link me to her stated purpose?  Just so I can keep up.  This week's version would be satisfactory.

Good. I've been trying to get some of the conservative bloggers to notice this.

This should be a big mistake.

Sheehan makes herself unquestionable by virtue of her grief.

The short segments on cable go too fast for her to drop her plaintiff tone. Here the interviewer asks her some softball questions,  and she reverts to a curt, rude, media prima-donna, who won't deign to have a conversation about her experience.

NPR might not be popular with this crowd, but the host goes on to speak with polite, proud military families, who speak eloquently about their sacrifice, and the contrast could not be more stark.

If you want to expose the patronizing hostility of the Sheehan movement, direct people to this excellent NPR segment. It is National Public Radio, not The O'Reilly Factor. You can't accuse Talk of the Nation of right-wing bias.

fire up my old Def Leppard 'Hysteria' CD

the left supports Cindy Sheehan, check

the left want those who support the war to sign up (chickenhawks), check

one of the goals of the Blue Angels is to recruit people, check

The question is, are the lefties going to acknowledge their hypocrisy in supporting Cindy as she tries to suppress recruiting?

i feel really bad for this women.  she is being manipulated by the anti war left wingers.  she has lost her son.  she has lost her husband and her family.  i hope she can just get on with her life instead of trying to become the female michael moore.

That's how 'Mother' Sheehan has smeared the mothers of OTHER KIA military members at Huffington Post and dKos who have the audacity to disagree with her.

Can you feel the love?

The quote and my own photoshop of this new Miss American Doll can be found here

LA Weekly Marc Cooper, a man of the Left himself, has said that much of the protests and activism is based on "activism-ism" a therapeutic activity designed to make the participant "feel good" rather than actually accomplishing anything.

I'd take it further and add that it's the noxious legacy of the 1960's. Hence Union building and organizing campaigns are neglected in favor of "peace and justice" rallies which turn off regular folks.

If you look at Sheehan that way, her idea of protesting an air show makes sense. Nevermind that it makes her actively anti-Military; objectively there is no way to spin that other than what it is. Sheehan and her folks hate the military and want (like the "hippies" on South Park) to feel good about that. Actual policy and public opinion is another thing.

I had thought that she'd be dropped as the force of various news organizations looking for unique angles focused on her anti-American, anti-Semitic, and conspiracy laden statements, or her noxious associates like Lynne Stewart, Medea Benjamin, ANSWER, Moveon etc but I guess not.

Which is a danger for the Dems; getting tagged with Medea Benjamin and Lynne Stewart as the face of the Party along with Sheehan is as bad as Pat Buchanon was in 1992. Perhaps even worse since there is no sitting Democratic President and Clinton while generally well liked is also frankly laughed at. He is for all intents and purposes no longer a real person but a sitcom character (the reverse Al Bundy from Married with Children) hence the laughter.

I had thought that she'd be dropped as the force of various news organizations looking for unique angles

No, and this is increasingly a problem for Democratic officeholders. As much as we on the right rant about the biased "left-wing media," there is a downside to it. Increasingly, the lefties in the media who try to "help" the Democrats and "promote progressive politics" are falling into the orbit of loudmouthed moonbats, who are more exciting and do more interesting stuff than actual politicians.

Moonbats think that Cindy Sheehan is out there doing Great Work. You don't see too many Democratic officeholders embracing her, though. Meanwhile, the media "helps" them by parading her around on everybody's television screen. They do that to promote 'progressive politics' and 'the Democratic agenda.' In other words, their agenda. But Moonbat Politics can never be the agenda of more than a handful of actual Democratic officeholders. All other Democrats are harmed by this; their party is being painted as the Moonbat Party by their own supposed "friends" in the media.

I think this is just hilariously funny to watch.

"Which is a danger for the Dems; getting tagged with Medea Benjamin and Lynne Stewart as the face of the Party along with Sheehan is as bad as Pat Buchanon was in 1992. "

Heck, if they're not careful about maintaining distance the Democrats will end up getting tagged with old Pat; he's getting better and better press from the antiwar movement, and may I take a moment now to say that I wish them joy of each other?

I do listen to NPR quite often, although I didn't today. Neal Conan is about as nice a guy as you would want to talk to, very fair and polite. If this is true, I really believe Cindy Sheehan has gone completely off the deep end. Completely.

the protest is being put on by veterans for peace

Cindy Sheehan is a guest.