[Sosfbay-discuss] Eyewitness report from Sheehan arrest in Texas

[JamBoi]

From: "Joni LeViness" <myths16 at cox.net>
To: <peace at lists.gp-us.org>
Subject: RE: [GPUS-PAX] Eyewitness report from Sheehan arrest in Texas
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 16:29:44 -0600
Reply-To: peace at lists.gp-us.org

Wow! Intense! We should have some spiritual counselors etc... Stationed
on a rotation basis at Camp Casey.

Cruel times!

I applaud these Patriots to place themselves continually in opposition 
to this increasingly fascist govt.!
Peace and Perseverence!,
joni 

Subject: [GPUS-PAX] Eyewitness report from Sheehan arrest in Texas

Report From Mikal Hutto of Military Families Speak Out in Texas on the
arrest of Cindy Sheehan and Friends just before the new year:

The three of us, Jon Axford with Vets for Peace, Suzette Mouchaty with 
Code Pink and myself left Houston about seven pm and drove up to Camp
Casey in Crawford, Texas.  When we arrived there were some old friends
sitting around a campfire smoking and talking, we stayed a visited
awhile then drove the five or six miles to McGregor to the motel.  No
one was there that we could see, but we were dead tired and went to
bed.

Got up the next morning at seven headed out for Camp Casey, it was a 
cold and windy day misting rain at first, but the sun came out later
and was bright.  We had to shuttle to the (First) check point out in
the middle of nowhere because they will not allow you to park your cars
along the road anywhere near there.  We all got out there were about
fifty of us total.  It seemed weird to be protesting out in the middle
of the prairie with only secret service and local law enforcement to
have for an audience.  They were waiting for us.

Usually there are only SS men there, but there were several local law
enforcement men with their squad cars lined up down the road there when

we arrived.  They already knew we were coming.  Several government
white 
vans drove through the check point and there were maybe five or six
tourists that tried to sight see and of course were told to turn around
and leave by the SS.

It was so windy several times one of our signs got away from us, 
someone had brought their little grandson with them he was about eleven
or twelve, he was the sign fetcher when one of the signs blew away he
would have to go and politely ask the law if he could fetch the signs. 
Most of the time they said yes, but a couple of times they refused to
let them get them.  I had the idea that the wind was SO strong we
should all line up and just let go of those signs they were like
missiles and would have whapped them all in the face. LOL  I wished so
much I had brought kites, we could have written stuff on them and it
would have been seen for miles.  Next time I am doing that.

Soon Gerry, Cindy's friend decided it was time to make something 
happen, Karl Risingmoore, with Vets for Peace agreed.  He and Gerry lay
down blocking the road to the "ranch" and refused to get up.

Cindy had been on the bull horn yelling "Bloody George" and various 
other things, she handed me the bull horn and went over and lay down on
the road with them.  Soon five in all were there.  They told them to
get up and of course they refused.  So they cuffed them and then they
all refused to get up so they had to carry them. It made them mad and
they got a little rough with them men.  To their credit they were
careful not to hurt the women.

They put each one of them in individual squad cars and took them off.  
All the time I was on the bull horn telling the law they were arresting
the wrong people, and alternately chanting.."what do you want? PEACE!
when do you want it?  NOW, and Tell me what Democaracy looks like?
This is what Democracy looks like!"

I also made it personal and confronted them asking them how they could 
work for a murderer and that the KNEW what he was doing was wrong.
There were several black men there, I brought up Katrina, etc etc. I 
would say..HEY I KNOW TIMES ARE HARD, but hey can't you find a better
job?  I  told them they were arresting the wrong people, they should
arrest "W". LOL

We stayed a couple of hours after they were arrested then headed to the
jail.  Normally this is a misdemeanor and you are out in two three 
hours with a ticket.  We got to the jail and I walked in and asked
about 
Cindy Sheehan, they lady went in on her computer and said, "She's not
here."
  
I was shocked, it's the McLendon County jail that is where they always 
take them, Waco is the county seat and that is where we were.  It had
been hours and it is only a thirty minute drive at MOST.  People
started calling  other local jails.  The law at the jail told us we had
to get out of the building we could not stay there.  So we go outside
in the parking lot and then a guard came out to me and said we had to
leave.  I said, "Why?"  He said that's my orders, he looked very
sheepish and he said, "I'm sorry."  I  felt he meant it.  So, I said..
"look sir, we aren't criminals we are just protesting this war, it's
our right, our friends are missing we need help. We can't just LEAVE
until we know what has happened to them."

First he said, "Well they are probably holding them in vans somewhere, 
we do that sometimes until we have them all rounded up." (like animals
right?)

I replied, "Sir it's been hours, you do not understand, please we can't
leave until we know the whereabouts of our friends."

He agreed to make some phone calls and try to find out where they were.
 
He went inside and called someone, then came out and said, "Look this
is 
going to sound really weird.  You won't understand it, but I have to
tell you anyway.  Your friends are here but not here, I do not have
their names, but they are here and it will be at least five pm before
anything happens."  (it was about one pm)  His demeanor was very
sheepish, I could tell he hated being part of it, and was apologetic
about it.

When we went back at five pm, we were told that our friends would have 
to spend the night in jail.  In essence what they did was hold them 
without booking them until they missed the Judge's last session of the
day.  I feel they did this because they had been ordered not to let
them go in case they would just return and repeat the action.

They were treated very nasty at the jail, they had to suffer delousing 
and the "anus exam".  They kept moving them around from cell to cell
and
although it was a cold day outside had the a/c on full blast so they 
were freezing the whole time.  They were served baloney sandwiches and
when nigh time came given one thin blanket to lay on the cold cement
floor.  Cindy repeatedly asked for more blankets because they were
cold.  They told them they did not have any. There was only one little
short ledge in the cell to allow one person to sit at a time, other
than that it was the floor.  They kept the a/c on full blast all night
long.

The three of us made the decision not to go home until we got them out 
of jail, as it did not seem that had proper backup, and we really had
no 
idea what would actually happen the next day as we knew we'd been lied
to, AGAIN.

To the press Local Law Enforcement claimed the reason they had to spend

the night because they had "missed" the Judge's last session of the
day.

Just another lie in a sea of lies we have all been dealing with ever 
since George Bush has taken office.

So that's the Crawford story.  LOL  I got back home to find television
broadcasting Americans "celebrating" and broadcasting the hanging of 
Saddam Hussein, then the announcement that just while we were
protesting three more soldiers had been killed.  Suzette's husband is
Syrian he says after the Adha (a muslim holy time that last three days)
is over there will be a rampage in Iraq due to the death of Saddam.

I still can't believe we killed Saddam, televised it and "celebrated"
it.  It seemed so horrible, even though I know he is a bad man and had
killed thousands, I could not help but compare his sins to George 
Bush's sins, Saddam pales beside the sins of Bush.  They should have
hung them together, if they were going to hang anyone.   Then you
would have seen some REAL celebrating.

When I was watching CNN it was so weird..an eerie feeling seeing Saddam
alive on tape and then dead.  Then another eerie feeling knowing that 
what we were watching in Iraq (people "celebrating") was propaganda and
contrived.  At one point a reporter actually said..you should tell the
audience this is NOT actually people in Iraq celebrating the hanging 
but another event in Lebanon.  LIES LIES and more LIES.

I wonder if that reporter got reprimanded for saying that, and if any 
other American even picked up on that.  I doubt many of them did. They
will actually believe that film of people dancing in the street
happened yesterday and in Iraq celebrating the death of Saddam.

This is scary.  Each day I become more and more aware of the dangers of
being a public person that disagrees with the government.  Each day I 
become more and more aware of how we are not safe anymore.  Jorges,
Suzettes husband was admonishing us, telling us how dangerous
everything we are doing is, and that it is futile.  Maybe it is.  I
said, "Jorges it is just as dangerous to walk to the grocery store
these days, you just do not realize it.  We can't roll over for it, no
matter what the dangers are, or soon they will be dragging us from our
homes putting us into camps."  For the first time last night, I felt
strongly this is true and realize more and more how we can't talk on
the phone or on here freely anymore.

How did we get to be in this place?

I can no longer control my tears - anytime I think of the dead troops I

am overcome, tears come into my eyes and my throat hurts so bad trying
to stop it.  I feel so fucking out of control.  Even typing it makes it
happen. How will I ever get through this memorial we are going to do on
Jan. 14?  I told Sherry I can't speak.  I won't be able to.  I don't
even know how I will function.  I left Suzettes's house in tears last
night overly tired and because on CNN they announced three more had
died just while I was away.

I don't understand why regular people don't feel this emotion, I 
alternate between feeling very angry at them and confused.  I guess it
doesn't matter, they don't.

(written by Mikal Hutto of Military Families Speak Out)

___________________

JamBoi
Jammy The Sacred Cow Slayer

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com

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