NYC Letter: Grieving For Attention Redux

Do you have a complaint with the current administration? Policy positions or appointments you feel strongly about? A parking ticket that needs to be fixed? Demand face-time with the president. Are there days you awaken to find life less than a picnic? Demand that the president get on it pronto!

Yes, if you can attract a television camera you can demand the small circuit of your opinions be considered at the highest levels of government. Anything less is insensitive. Cindy Sheehan has proved with little more than a placard ideology and a dead son to exploit and a generous dollop of self-importance, oh, and several network television cameras, well, that people had better listen. The president had better listen.

Of course, if one believes the president to be a smirky chimp, or Hitlerian atavar, or a fascist, or a murderer, or a maniac, or a liar, then really, Ms. Sheehan, why speak with him at all? Then again, Ms. Sheehan has come to enjoy the company of smirky chimps and liars in her "peace camp" outside Crawford.

UPDATE 08.14.05 (Hat tip: Valerie of Texas):

August 13, 2005 (KLIF) - About 400 KLIF listeners peaceably assembled with morning host Darrell Ankarlo as they lined up directly across from the Sheehan group and about three miles from the gates to the presidents Western White House in Crawford, Texas in an effort to show the mainstream media, and our president, that he has a lot of support and to send a message that we should stay the course and avoid pulling out of Iraq prematurely. Even reporters from NBC, Rolling Stone Magazine and the Associated Press were amazed that so many people made the trek from all across North Texas on a spur-of-the-moment request from Ankarlo during the last 15 minutes of his Friday morning show. Said one, “This crowd is the biggest we have ever seen out here!”

Elsewhere, the left weighs in with advice for Ms. Sheehan's handlers (Hat tip: LGF):

FRAMING CINDY SHEEHAN - WE ARE MAKING ERRORS

August 13, 2005, by dataguy - We are making errors with references to Cindy Sheehan.

What are we trying to accomplish with promoting her?

1. Emphasizing her sacrifice.

2. Emphasizing her stating truth to power.

3. Emphasizing her plain speaking, clear statements.

4. Relate her vigil over her dead son to universal archtypes of all vigils over dead children killed by dictatorial rulers throughout all history.

My suggestions below:

1. We should call her "Mother Sheehan". We should never call her Cindy; I don't know her. "Mother Sheehan" is her title, and expresses her ceremonial status as a bereaved mother, calling forth over the dead body of her son. She is not a person now, she is a mother, which is not an expression of her individuality, but rather the expression of her eternal character: the mother, the bringer of life who has been wronged by state power.

...

4. We should not use the name of her son. Her son is a symbol of all sons who have been sacrificed for this useless and criminal war. [See below.]

...

7. If there are any persons who are theatre professionals at the Sheenan vigil, they should arrange things much more theatrically.

8. If I was there, I would not let Mother Sheehan talk to the press, but I would have her talk only through a spokesperson. In particular, I would not allow her to argue with critics, and would allow no critics to approach her. Her dignity must be preserved. If lesser emissaries from the ruler arrive (C Rice, etc), these should not be allowed to speak to Mother Sheehan.

[All emphases added.]

By "framing", Mr. dataguy appears to mean "packaging". As for his title and lede, well, to be fair, Mr. dataguy is a sort of think-on-the-fly guy and suggestion No.1 probably had yet to pop into his head.

Mr. dataguy is a considerate media strategist. Though he encourages theatrically juicing up this little circus -- trivializing Casey Sheehan's death -- Mr. dataguy insists that "Mother" Sheehan's dignity be preserved. That's some trick!

Then there is this from Laura D, who is very upset at the KLIF folk. Careful she "wanted to hurt someone" until a dry heave slowed her down. She may be back in form. Careful:

THE UGLIEST THING AT CAMP CASEY

August 13, 2005, by Laura D - I'm so completely flummoxed by these people. And no, the ugliness isn't the physical appearance of the people in the photos; while not the most pleasant of forms, I am not a shallow, callous, mean-spirited person - unlike them. I really thought no one could stoop so low as to using the pictures of a dead soldier AGAINST his own MOTHER! No shame, no decency, no empathy - just sheer heartlessness. I'm not normally a violent woman, but when I saw this I wanted to hurt someone - after I nearly vomited.

[Emphases in original.]

Imagine were Laura D mean-spirited. The gloves would be off and none of her reasoned discursus between you and she! But reason seems to have spent her and her post gutters into picture captions.

Here are a couple of the other signs waved about - there was also one that said, "Don't be the tool of Michael Moore" or some such nonsense. As if Cindy can't come up with an original idea on her very own, and then can't share the idea where ever she sees fit.

Jerks.

Laura D may want to check in with Mr. dataguy at No.8 above.