Taking a Stand Against Taking a Stand

Conventional wisdom tells us that those who oppose the war in Iraq are all dirty, rude creeps and that those who support the war are all upstanding, gentlemen patriots.

So I have no doubt that this Sun-Times account of Cindy Sheehan's speech at St. Xavier University will be completely disregarded:

Sheehan was hired by the university's student activities board to give a speech titled "One person can make a difference, not one more," aimed at getting people involved in the peace movement. ***

Sheehan suggested she was going to stay away from politics on this night, telling an audience of more than 300 -- including protesters who stood on the bleachers with their backs to her -- the story of why she became involved in the anti-war effort and how one person can make a difference.

She talked about how her son shared a birthday with John F. Kennedy and died in Iraq on April 4, 2004, the same date Martin Luther King was killed. That's when the protesters in the crowd started heckling her.

When she started reading her daughter's anti-war poem, something that spurred her to the peace movement, about 20 protesters inside the gym walked out, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and screaming at her. ***

She said, "Let's talk about supporting the troops," and went on to list the problems such as poor quality body armor and having soldiers eating rotten food. "Let's talk about cutting VA benefits for when they come home. Let's talk about kids committing suicide because they're not being treated for post-traumatic stress."

She went on to say: "If you care about the troops, do more than carry a sign or put up a bumper sticker . . . if you support this war and President Bush, march to your recruiter's office and sign up."

Oh yeah, one more thing -- the invasion and occupation of Iraq is costing the U.S. the better part of FOUR HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS.