Sheehan shirking taxes why again?

More lies of Limbaugh exposed by David Brock

mediamatters.org

Is Rush on drugs?


Limbaugh lashes out at Media Matters: "little pimple-faced kids that are working at wannabe websites"
Listen to this audio clip

Apparently stung by criticism and inundated with what he calls "far more hate mail than I usually get" over comments he made on August 15, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh lashed out, apparently at Media Matters for America, describing us on his August 18 show as "little pimple-faced kids that are working at wannabe websites." On August 16, Media Matters first reported that Limbaugh compared the actions of war critic Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, to Bill Burkett, the retired Texas Air National Guard officer who provided CBS' 60 Minutes with unauthenticated documents regarding President Bush's National Guard record. Asserting that Sheehan's "story is nothing more than forged documents," Limbaugh said, "Cindy Sheehan is just Bill Burkett."

Limbaugh claimed on August 18 that his comments were taken "out of context" and that he simply meant that "[t]he whole event [Sheehan's protest] is staged" and that "all she is is an opportunity like Bill Burkett was an opportunity, to bash Bush." But in our initial report, we provided the full August 15 Limbaugh quotation:

LIMBAUGH: I mean, Cindy Sheehan is just Bill Burkett. Her story is nothing more than forged documents. There's nothing about it that's real, including the mainstream media's glomming onto it. It's not real. It's nothing more than an attempt. It's the latest effort made by the coordinated left.

Limbaugh did not seem to think the comments were out of context when he posted a shorter version of the statement as a stand-alone quotation in the "members only" section of his own website.

As he did on his August 17 show, Limbaugh on August 18 again backed away from his comparison, playing a recording from his August 12 show in an apparent effort to demonstrate that he had previously expressed sympathy for the death of Sheehan's son.

But by August 16, he told listeners that he was tired of expressing sympathy:

LIMBAUGH: And frankly -- I'm also fed up -- not fed up. I retract that. I'm weary, ladies and gentlemen, of even having to express sympathy. "Oh, she lost her son" -- well, yes. Yes. Yes. But you know, this is [sigh] -- aaah. We all lose things. I mean -- Snerdley thinks the red flags are going up, so I should shut up now. Right?

No. I'm serious about this. At some point, you know, people have been bending over backwards to understand her, and give her the benefit of the doubt. But now she's starting to complain that the media's turned her act into a circus. Uh, and you know, I'm sure -- to make this even funnier. I'm sure you've got some of these non-factor little liberal radio shows out there thinking they're responsible for the crowd down there. And they're probably -- they can't wait to go down there and broadcast live from the place. You know, to extract their pound of flesh and make it look like they're the ones responsible for this. It's just a joke! It's a flat-out joke in practically every which way.

From the August 18 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: Folks! Everybody takes shots at the guy at the top of the mountain. If all I did, if I responded to these little ankle biters, these yipping little Chihuahuas out there, it would be all I would do. And all I would do would be elevate them in importance. There are other things to do here far more important than dealing with a bunch of inconsequential wannabe power brokers.

But there are exceptions to everything. And this has been going on all week, and I wanna set the record straight once and for all. Now, I don't expect this to work because the people who are making erroneous, fallacious, lying comments about things I've said about on this program don't even listen to this program and don't even go to my website to find out what I say. They rely on little pimple-faced kids that are working at wannabe websites who excerpt this program and others, take them out of context, and that's what they use as their source material.

Yesterday afternoon on Wolf Blitzer's new show, The Situation Room on CNN, the Forehead appeared, Paul Begala. Jump to audio sound byte number three. Let's start first with what the Forehead had to say. They were talking about the Cindy Sheehan story and Wolf said to the Forehead, "Do you think Cindy Sheehan's going too far?"

BEGALA (clip): No. She has a perfect right. She has absolute moral authority. She's a Gold Star mother. She gave her son's life for her country. And she has the most position, most pristine position to speak about these things. I think the conservative activists that they talked about are overplaying this in a terrible way. They could be having a legitimate debate over America's role in Iraq. Some people think we should do more, some less; it's an honest debate. Instead, they're attacking her personally. Rush Limbaugh, who is very close personally to George W. Bush and very close to the White House, has gone on his radio show and alleged that she's making this up. He said, 'Oh, she's just like the guy who forged documents, allegedly, about President Bush in the National Guard.' That's not true. She's not making this up. Her son actually died --

LIMBAUGH: Now, is this not patently absurd on its face? I'm making it up, she doesn't have a son? She doesn't have a son who died in Iraq? Begala will read this on some third-rate partisan website and will believe it? Will not even check it out? Wolf Blitzer said, "Making what up?" And Begala came back with this:

BEGALA (clip): You gotta ask Rush. He's suggesting that she's making it up that her son died. I mean, he's, they're attacking her personally instead of attacking her position on the war. You cannot ever win attacking a Gold Star mother personally."

LIMBAUGH: And [Situation Room guest] Bay Buchanan, of course, also clueless, agreed with Begala that you cannot attack a Gold Star mother personally. Let's go back, I'm gonna play for you the excerpt, I've got two excerpts here and then other comments. Let's go back to August 12 on this program, and when I first discussed Cindy Sheehan -- I had not even discussed it prior to then, prior to that moment. Because I think the woman is -- I think it's a sad situation all the way around, what's happened to her. And the influences that have been exerted on her and the way she is being used, I think it's despicable on the part of the left the way they're doing. I avoided it.

But I got a phone call about it. I got a phone call about it, the guy wanted to, told me what he thought about Cindy Sheehan and wanted my reaction. This is August 12, and here's what I said:

LIMBAUGH (clip): I find it difficult to be critical of Cindy Sheehan. I think she's a woman who lost her son. And I know that there have been a lot of people lose their kids in war. And I don't care who they are, it's not easy. And people deal with it in their own ways. I think the real shame here is her exploitation by the Democrats, by [Rep.] John Conyers [D-MI] -- John Conyers dragged her to his impeachment meeting over the Downing Street memos.

They have made her a star in her own mind and this attention that she's getting I'm sure is helping to assuage her loss. And it's just, to me it is -- and the media is exploiting her like she is a genuine spontaneous eruption. They are not telling the truth about how this woman has been shepherded by [former ambassador] Joe Wilson. There are pictures of her with Joseph Wilson. Yes, of Valerie Plame fame. She has showed up at all these anti-war rallies, she was an anti-war mother before any of this began to happen.

LIMBAUGH: And speaking of [outed CIA operative] Valerie Plame, I think the Valerie Plame story flamed out, and they had to have something come up and replace it. Just like [former National Security Council counterterrorism coordinator] Richard Clarke failed. And he flamed out. And then the Jersey Girls flamed out, and now, after that Valerie Plame flamed out, they had nothing on [White House senior adviser Karl] Rove, so they gotta fill the vacuum. It's right out of the playbook. They gotta fill the vacuum. Bill Burkett -- it's all part of the same playbook. It's all part of the same strategery employed by the left. But there you heard it, August 12: "I think she's a woman who lost her son. I don't care who they are, it's not easy." OK, so there it is, August 12. I find this patently absurd, this is even necessary.

Now here is a byte from August the 15th, three days later. And this is the byte that I contend is being taken out of context because I first said on August 12, and in the ensuing days, acknowledge she lost her son, talked about it, was even sympathetic and then went on to make the point that all she is is an opportunity like Bill Burkett was an opportunity, to bash Bush, like the Jersey Girls are an opportunity to bash Bush. Like Valerie Plame is an opportunity to bash Bush and bash Rove. Like the Jersey Girls were. She's just the next in line. And here's what I said on August 15:

LIMBAUGH (clip): The fact that they are too eager, I mean, Cindy Sheehan is just Bill Burkett. Her story is nothing more than forged documents. There's nothing about it that's real, including the mainstream media's glomming onto it. It's not real. It's --

LIMBAUGH: Stop the tape! That is what is being taken out of context. When they -- I say "Cindy Sheehan is just Bill Burkett; her story's nothing more than forged documents; there's nothing about it that's real including the mainstream media's glomming onto it." Meaning, the whole thing is staged! The whole event is staged. I have just said three days earlier and every day hence that she lost her son. And anybody who cares to research my website, listen to this program, knows it. To then put out a message that I think she's lying about her son, even being alive, that she didn't have a son. That she didn't have a son that died in Iraq, shows the desperation and the depths to which the people on the left will go to discredit people like me who they consider are their enemies.

Because they cannot beat us in the arena of ideas. They cannot answer what I am saying about Cindy Sheehan. They cannot answer what my accusations about the way she's being used are. They don't deal even go there, dare even go there, so they have to try to discredit me in the eyes of people who may not listen to this program or other people in the media, who are supposedly reporters, who are supposedly curious, who supposedly would wanna get to the bottom of something. If something like that's really being said, find out about it. But no, just accept what happens to be written in other places on the World Wide Web.

The real interesting thing to me is, these people are totally ignoring what Cindy Sheehan is saying. She is apparently their story, she is their God gift that's just been handed to them to keep the Bush bash up and in rhythm and they ignore what she is saying. And they wanna focus on everybody who's criticizing the whole element of movement that surrounds the Cindy Sheehan story. And to me, they're missing all of that on purpose. They don't want any scrutiny of what Sheehan's saying. That's why they come up with this asinine, indefensible phrase that she has absolute moral authority because she lost a son in Iraq, she can criticize anybody and lie and say whatever she wants as can her supporters.

But nobody can call attention to her lies or the way she's being used because she has absolute moral authority. Is that what we've come to now? You lose a son or a daughter in Iraq and you are insulated from criticism and you have a license to lie, as long as you're doing it about George W. Bush. What is this absolute moral authority business? These people are tattering, folks. They're shredding, they're coming apart intellectually, emotionally, and every which way. They have no substance whatsoever that buttresses them, that backs them up. They're standing in quicksand, as I've always been saying, and they know it. And they're lashing out -- the thing that's got them upset is that Sheehan is not working. It's not affecting anything. It's not changing public opinion. It is not affecting Bush's policy one way or another, one iota. And so, they just continue to get more extreme and outrageous and try to discredit the critics.

Source of Tico's unverifiable transcript.

You make the call!

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/


http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/viewGroups.asp?catId=9

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/viewGroups.asp?catId=111

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/viewGroups.asp?catId=10

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/viewGroups.asp?catId=19

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/viewGroups.asp?catId=10

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/viewGroups.asp?catId=19

http://www.moonbatcentral.com/wordpress/

Here is the best link of all, enjoy

Cindy Sheehan, Anti-American Radical!

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individual.asp

I need to listen to Limbaugh more. That was great. Thanks.


You post those last three posts, apparently thinking you've made your point (whatever that might be), and have the nerve to question whether Limbaugh is on drugs?

Well fer Chrissake, what makes you think she is NOT being truthful?

How hard is this to grasp? She lost a son in Iraq. The reasons the president gave for her son being in Iraq she finds entirely unsatisfactory. So at great personal expense, she goes to Crawford and "calls out" the President to give his reasons, who ignores her.

When you call somebody out, two things can happen. They might respond, at which point you can point out to them they are wrong. Or they can ignore you, which can bring shame upon them.

As the president continues to ignore her, many people have come to believe that he has brought that shame upon himself for not responding to a bereaved mother. You might not be among them. But a lot of people have begun to see it that way.

That's what "calling out" is all about.

There is nothing dishonest about it.

Her point is that the website is one which is set up to "track" liberals, and is extremely partisan, and which gives no indication of being anything but an opinion site which has no particular reporters on the payroll who would be able to get a copy of Cindy's transcript when real news organizations cannot.

So in the absence of any indication that this website does any actual on the ground reporting, how do they end up with transcript and real news organizatons do not?

Hey, maybe the transcript is real. I just don't see how this non-news website came to possess it, when nobody else has. It looks suspicious, to say the least.

Wow, Limbaugh is a real dick. And the way he's talking, it sounds sort of like he's calling this whole thing a "vast left wing conspiracy". Poor, poor Rush...stealing from Hillary Clinton now...that's just sad.

So her point is there are no reporters to get the transcript? Well, it appears the rally was recorded by reporter Jane Shahi of FrontPageMag.com ...



There, that's a little more information on how the transcript came into being. It won't satisfy Chrissee, of course. Hell, Sheehan comes out in her blog entry and doesn't deny making the comments, just complains the focus is being diverted to her not her cause, and all Chrissee can do is continue to whine about the source of the transcript. Even Sheehan isn't denying making those comments.

Does this tarnish your image of the leader of your movement, Chrissee?

VETERANS FOR PEACE
Veterans Working Together for Peace & Justice Through Non-violence. Wage Peace!

Cindy Sheehan's son Casey was killed in Iraq. She helped start Gold Star families for peace and afterdowningstreet.org, and has been speaking for peace all around the world.

She has been sitting outside Bush's ranch in Crawford Texas waiting to speak to the President.

This has attracted international media attention, and supporters are gathering to join her vigil.

Cindy Sheehan Address Veterans For Peace Convention, August 5, 2005
Cindy Sheehan:

It's so great to be here.

Last year when you guys had your convention in Boston, my son had only been dead a few months, and we were really honored because the Santa Barbara chapter took my daughter's poem A Nation Rocked to Sleep, (and they did it again this year), and I remember Michael Cervantes, he brought the booklet over to our house and showed it to us, and I never dreamed in a year I'd be standing here in front of you as one of the speakers at your convention, I never dreamed I'd be doing this at all, but isn't it weird what life hands you.

I never heard about Veterans for until, I can tell you the exact day I heard about VFP, it was May 4th, 2004, and my son had been dead exactly a month, and I was watching CNN, and something came on, it was a report on Arlington West in Santa Barbara, and we lived about 6 hours north of Santa Barbara, and it was the May 4th before Mother's Day, which was May 8th, and VFP was going to put it up on Sunday, every Sunday, so I called my husband and I said, "There's only one place I want to be on Mother's Day this year, I want to be at Santa Barbara. I want to go and see Arlington West."

When we went, the first time we went, there was a little over 700 crosses, now there's over 1,800 crosses.

And I'm glad to hear everybody else's words, because somebody's gotta stop those lying bastards. Somebody has to stop them.

I got an email yesterday - - If you guys heard I just had a story published that talks about - - it's called Where Do I Live?, it talks about an Iranian-American who got the shaft because a recruiter liked him, and the recruiter falsified his paperwork, so he ended up in prison.

He's been in prison since November without due process.

Another mother whose son was found dead in Iraq, they told her that he died from a drug overdose. Three months later, they got the toxicology report; no drugs. She was devastated, she said, "I know my son, he did not do drugs." She was told that her son's wife and his battle buddies said in a report that yes, her son abused drugs in Iraq. But when she got that report it said categorically that no, he did not abuse drugs. So how did her son die?

And then there's Kevin and Monica Benderman. Kevin did exactly the right thing and got 15 months in prison. Whereas like Dahr said, the war criminals in Washington, D.C., they don't even lose a night's sleep.

Then we have this lying bastard, George Bush, taking a 5-week vacation in a time of war. You know what? I'm never going to get to enjoy another vacation, because of him.

My vacation probably - -this is really sad because I have a really cute dress I was going to wear to the banquet tomorrow night, but I'm either gonna be in jail or in a tent in Crawford, waiting until that jerk comes out and tells me why my son died.

Anyway, I got an email, I kinda got off track, a man emailed me yesterday, I get contacted by all kinds of people with their stories, and he said Cindy, I read everything you write, I read it on LewRockwell.com, he said, "I get tears in my eyes, but today I cried real tears, and I screamed, because my dear sweet nineteen ear-old cousin was killed in Iraq."

And he said, "Cindy, why didn't I save him? Why didn't I knock him out, why didn't I take him to Canada?" and I wrote him back and I said, "You know what? We all think that."

I said to my son not to go. I said, you know it's wrong, you know you're going over there. You know your unit might have to kill innocent people, you know you might die. And he says, "My buddies are going, I have to go." He said, "If I don't go someone's going to have to do my job, and my buddies will be in danger."

So what really gets me is these chickenhawks, who sent our kids to die, without ever serving in a war themselves. They don't know what it's all about.

30 of our bravest young men have already died this month, and it's only the 5th of August. And the tragedy of the marines in Ohio is awful.

But do you guys remember back in March when we were having our 2nd year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq which was pre-empted by Terry Schiavo, so that's all that was on the news, not 5,000 of us in Fayetteville, Wolf Blitzer said it was insignificant, but they put Terry Schiavo on, and I wrote something then called The Amazing Hypocrites and I asked why does she deserve life more than my son, and the Iraqi people? And more than the other people that this war has killed.

But do you think George Bush will interrupt his vacation and go visit the families of those 20 marines that have died in Ohio this week? No, because he doesn't care, he doesn't have a heart. That's not enough to stop his little playing cowboy' game in Crawford for 5 weeks.

So, as you can imagine, the grieving parents who lost - - lost, I don't like to use that word, whose child was murdered, it's extremely difficult, you can't even get a small scab on our wound, because every day it rips open. Every day, I don't know why I do it because I already know that war is ugly, I already know that war is hard. But I open up the DOD site to see, who became an angel, while I was sleeping.

And that rips my heart open, because I know there is another mother whose life is going to be ruined that day. So we can't even begin to heal.

So anyway that filth-spewer and warmonger, George Bush was speaking after the tragedy of the marines in Ohio, he said a couple things that outraged me.

Seriously outraged me.

And I know I don't look like I'm outraged, I'm always so calm and everything, that's because if I started hitting something, I wouldn't stop til it was dead. So I can't even start, cause I know how dangerous that would be, but George Bush was talking, and he never mentioned the terrible incident of those marines, but he did say, that the families of the ones who have been killed can rest assured that their loved ones died for a noble cause.

And, he also said, he says this often, and this really drives me crazy, he said that we have to stay in Iraq and complete the mission, to honor the sacrifices of the ones who have fallen.

And I say, why should I want one more mother to go through what I've gone through, because my son is dead. You know what, the only way he can honor my son's sacrifice is to bring the rest of the troops home. To make my son's death count for peace and love, and not war and hatred like he stands for.

I don't want him using my son's death or my family's sacrifice to continue the killing. I don't want him to exploit the honor of my son and others to continue the killing. They sent these honorable people to die, and are so dishonorable themselves.

So, as many of you have heard, and I didn't mean to cause any problems with the convention, but I was writing an email to everybody, and I was so mad, like I said, and I just had this brainstorm, I'm going to Dallas, I don't know where Crawford is. I've been in Texas, Casey was stationed at Fort Hood. I drove from northern California to Fort Hood one time, it took like, 30 hours. And I thought, I could be driving for days to get from Dallas to Crawford!

But I don't care, I'm goin'. And I'm gonna tell them, "You get that evil maniac out here, cuz a Gold Star Mother, somebody who's blood is on his hands, has some questions for him."

And I'm gonna say, "OK, listen here, George. #1, you quit, and I demand, every time you get out there and say you're going to continue the killing in Iraq to honor the fallen heroes by continuing the mission; you say, except Casey Sheehan.'"

"And you say except for all the members of Goldstar Families for Peace' cuz we think not one drop of blood should be spilled in our families' names. You quit doing that. You don't have my permission."

And I'm gonna say, "And you tell me, what the noble cause is that my son died for." And if he even starts to say freedom and democracy' I'm gonna say, bullshit.

You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich. You tell me my son died to spread the cancer of Pax Americana, imperialism in the Middle East. You tell me that, you don't tell me my son died for freedom and democracy.'

Cuz, we're not freer. You're taking away our freedoms. The Iraqi people aren't freer, they're much worse off than before you meddled in their country.

You get America out of Iraq, you get Israel out of Palestine
(massive round of applause)

And if you think I won't say bullshit to the President, I say move on, cuz I'll say what's on my mind.

So, what's gonna happen? I started this, I thought it was gonna be just me and my sister driving to Crawford, but it kind of mushroomed and people from as far away as Dayton, Ohio are coming, to help us, to stand behind us, because I travel all over the country, I speak, I write, I get feedback on my writing, and just in the little over a year that I've been doing this, I've seen a major turnaround in this country.

People don't just want to hear it, they want to know, what can we do?

What can we do to get him out of power? And I'm gonna say the I' word. Impeach. And we have to have everybody impeached that lied to the American public, and that's the executive branch, and any people in congress, and we gotta go all the way down and we might have to go all the way down to the person who picks up the dogshit in Washington because

We can't let somebody rise to the top who will pardon these war criminals. Because they need to go to prison for what they've done in this world. We can't have a pardon. They need to pay for what they've done.

So anyway, I'm gonna go to Crawford tomorrow, and I'm gonna say I want to talk to him, and they say, he's not coming out, I'm gonna set up my tent there until he comes out to talk to me.

And I have the whole month of August off, just like him. It's just the way it worked out, I was supposed to go to England tomorrow to do some Downing Street things, but Conyers cancelled, so hey, I have a lot of free time on my hands, and I'm gonna stay until he comes out and talks to me. And if he quits his vacation and goes to D.C., I'll pull my tent up, I'll go to D.C., and put it on the White House lawn, and I'll be waiting for you guys when you get there September 24th.

Another thing that I'm doing is - - my son was killed in 2004, so I'm not paying my taxes for 2004. If I get a letter from the IRS, I'm gonna say, you know what, this war is illegal; this is why this war is illegal. This war is immoral; this is why this war is immoral. You killed my son for this. I don't owe you anything. And if I live to be a million, I won't owe you a penny.

And I want them to come after me, because unlike what you've been doing with the war resistance, I want to put this frickin' war on trial. And I want to say, "You give me my son, and I'll pay your taxes."

I live in Vacaville, come and get me if you can find me there and put me on trial, because like Camilo (Mejia), Camilo knew what was right. And he went to prison for that. And Henry David Thoreau he went to prison, he refused to pay his poll tax, and Emerson, I call them HT and RW, and RW came to visit HT and said what are you doing here, buddy? And HT said, why aren't you here? This is the only place for a moral person in an immoral world.

It's up to us, the people, to break immoral laws, and resist. As soon as the leaders of a country lie to you, they have no authority over you. These maniacs have no authority over us. And they might be able to put our bodies in prison, but they can't put our spirits in prison. And I know that Camilo came out a much stronger person, he's one of my heroes, it's great a row of heroes in front of me here.

And everyone gave such great testimony this evening, I have to wonder, why do we keep doing this to each other? Why do we let this continue time and time again, why do let it happen? And it's because our country, is so good at demonizing people, I still have relatives from WWII that still call Japanese people Japs'. And we demonize the Iraqi people, where, most of this country doesn't even think we're killing innocent people.

Because, "Oh Cindy, don't you remember what happened on September 11th?"

"Yeah, but, were any of those people in Iraq? And the people who flew those planes into the Trade Center, where they from Iraq?"

When I was growing up, it was Communists'. Now it's Terrorists'. So you always have to have somebody to fight and be afraid of, so the war machine can build more bombs, guns, and bullets and everything.

But I do see hope. I see hope in this country. 58% of the American public are with us. We're preaching to the choir, but the choir's not singing, if all of the 58% started singing, this war would end.

I got an email the other day and it said, "Cindy, if you didn't use so much profanity there's people on the fence' that get offended"

And you know what I said? "You know what? You know what, god-damn-it? How, in the world is anybody still sitting on that fence'?"

"If you fall on the side that is pro-George, and pro-war, you get your ass over to Iraq, and take the place of somebody who wants to come home. And if you fall on the side that is against this war and against George Bush, stand up and speak out."

But whatever side you fall on, quit being on the fence.

The opposite of good is not evil, it's apathy. And we have to get this country off their butts, and we have to get the choir singing.

We need to say, bring our troops home now.

We can't depend on the people in charge bringing our troops home.

Because you don't plan on bringing the troops home when you drop so much of the reconstruction money into building permanent bases.

I was hoping to come to the banquet tomorrow night, but unless George comes out and talks to me, I'll be camping at Crawford.

Thank you.
_______________
She later lied to Anderson Cooper 360, and said she never said the Get Israel out of Palestine line.

She's obviously mentally ill. No wonder her family has disowned her behavior and statements and her husband has filed for divorce.

Source

And he still has nothing.

More fun blog reading ... and more denials of what she said/wrote, this time from Sheehan herself.

More lies and smears from the lying liars who lie. Ho hum. Well, whatever helps you throught the night. Pretty sad, really.

Two can play this game:

mediamatters.org

The Angry (angry"apoplectic is more like it, incensed?) Right smears Cindy Sheehan ...

Last week, Media Matters noted, "With her vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, gaining more and more attention, Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq, has become the latest target of the right wing." Little could we have known that the attacks and insults from the Angry Right would only get worse.

Then the often confused and reliably offensive David Horowitz emerged from wherever it is the David Horowitzes of the world go to replenish their stockpiles of bile and hate. Horowitz claimed "it's very hard to respect" Sheehan because she "doesn't respect her own son's life," adding "I haven't heard one word out of Cindy Sheehan's mouth that respects what her son did."

Syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer did his best to keep pace, claiming that Sheehan's protest is "hurting our troops and endangering our troops." Washington Times columnist Frank Gaffney agreed, saying that "enemies of this country ... will be emboldened and hardened" by Sheehan. Rush Limbaugh claimed Sheehan "is just Bill Burkett. Her story is nothing more than forged documents." Then he claimed "I've never said" that. Then, apparently frustrated at being held accountable for his angry rhetoric, he attacked Media Matters as "little pimple-faced kids that are working at wannabe websites."

G. Gordon Liddy appeared on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes (apparently, on Fox, being a felon convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and bugging Democratic headquarters is enough to earn you an invitation to appear on-air), where he called Sheehan an anti-Semite. Remember: this is coming from a guy who has said listening to Hitler made him "feel a strength inside I had never known before."

... but remains oddly quiet about desecration of flags, crosses at protest site

While conservative pundits wasted little time displaying their scorn for the grieving mother of a slain serviceman, they haven't had much to say about the desecration of flags and crosses at the site of Sheehan's protest. As Reuters reported,:

A pickup truck ran over wooden crosses erected at antiwar protester Cindy Sheehan's campsite on Monday night in the latest sign of tension over the peace vigil outside vacationing President Bush's Texas ranch.

Larry Northern, 46, of nearby Waco, Texas, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief in connection with the incident, Crawford Police Chief Donnie Tidmore said.

[...]

The small, white wooden crosses erected at the site are hand-painted with the names of soldiers killed in Iraq.

Northern's desecration of the crosses and flags hasn't drawn the scorn you would expect from right-wing pundits who are usually quick to loudly denounce anyone opposed to making it illegal to burn a flag as "anti-American." Apparently, to conservative commentators, it's un-American to defend someone's right to desecrate a flag, but OK to actually do it - as long as you're doing it to intimidate peaceful anti-war protestors led by the mother of a man who died for his country.

Speaking of intimidating protestors, just try to imagine the media and pundit outrage if a liberal had done something like this:

President Bush might have made his peace with the antiwar encampment outside his Texas ranch, but his next-door neighbor has taken up arms.

The incident occurred Sunday morning as activists gathered for a prayer service in the tent village set up by Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq and who is demanding a meeting with Bush to discuss the war.

On the other side of Prairie Chapel Road, Larry Mattlage hopped into his pickup, barreled across his pasture and pulled up to a fence within a few hundred feet of the protesters. He climbed out of the cab, retrieved a shotgun from the back and fired at least one blast into the air.

Mattlage insisted he was shooting at birds. But he said the activists had worn out their welcome, and he wanted them to go away.

"I done made my case. It's over," he said as he shooed away a reporter from the gated entrance to his ranch.

Mattlage later said he was preparing for dove-hunting season, then -- in case that was too subtle -- told reporters who asked if he had some other motivation, "Figure it out for yourself."

More than a year and a half after an individual unaffiliated with MoveOn.org submitted an ad to the group that compared President Bush to Nazis, we're still hearing outrage from conservative pundits like Terry Holt, who said on CNN on July 18, "We're talking about the wacky left, we're talking about the group of people that ran ads against the president, accusing him of being a Nazi. If they were serious about this, they would maintain a modicum of decorum and of seriousness. But every passing day, it gets more ridiculous."

But a lunatic pulls up to a fence near some peaceful anti-war protestors and fires a gun into the air in an obvious attempt at intimidation the day before another lunatic ran a pickup truck over white crosses and flags commemorating casualties of war, and there isn't nearly as much outrage.

The next time Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman sneers at the "Angry Left," remember that it's the Right, not the Left, that is running around saying a war widow "doesn't respect her own son's life." The next time some pundit or journalist buys into Mehlman's spin and refers to the "angry left-wing base of the Democratic Party," keep in mind that it isn't the left destroying crosses, desecrating flags, and firing guns to intimidate peaceful protestors.

... keep in mind that it isn't the left destroying crosses, desecrating flags, and firing guns to intimidate peaceful protestors.

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Yes hell it is. Just not in Crawford.

Show me where the Left walks up to conservative demonstrations, and fires guns in the air for intimidation purposes.

Show me how that one local rancher constitutes "the Right" and I'll show you whatever you like.