The print edition of the P-I has their story in big headlines on page one: "Galvanized by the grief and grit of a soft-spoken woman on a quest for answers, more than 1,500 Seattleites Wednesday night fell silent, sang and lit candles in her honor.
At almost 20 neighborhood vigils, dads and moms, kids and grandparents turned out to honor Cindy Sheehan, the California mother on a campaign to meet one-on-one with President Bush at his Texas ranch. Her soldier son, Casey, 24, was killed in Iraq in April 2004. She said she wants to know why."-from the P-I story. The online version also has a very good Photo Gallery, here, on page one. The story in the Seattle Times covered more locations, including Bellevue, where they put the 20 "counterprotesters" into the story. The Times story also covers "the other side of the debate": "On the other side of the debate is Issaquah grandmother Nadine Guilt.
For nearly two years, Guilt has been organizing rallies in support of the troops, attending soldiers' funerals and updating the Operation Support Our Troops Web site. The 74-year-old, who has one grandson in Iraq and two en route to the region, seethes with anger when she talks about Sheehan." Update: Ray Minchew adds this personal anecdote: "I know Nadine Gulit (they got her name wrong - interesting Freudian slip on their part). She's a very nice woman, and I worked with her during the Patty Murray campaign to get Democrats to her rallies with one requirement which we both agreed to: It wasn't about politics or support (or opposition) for the WAR, but about support for the TROOPS.
Her organization (www.operation-support-our-troops.org if you're curious) has done a lot for the troops overseas, sending care packages and especially Christmas packages - sending trees, decorations and gifts to units. They have also raised money for soldiers who've come home with permanent disabilities.
Unfortunately, the supporters in her group are rabid, and she was honest that she could not guarantee the safety of anti-war individuals who joined them. It seems in the last two years, her supporters have bent her ear and she has become very much opposed to an anti-war stance, and some vicious language started to appear on her website, so I've cut off the professional relationship between her group and Patty Murray. We have spoken once about the change in tone, and she's very unapologetic that she blames us for the deaths of soldiers. She, and her family, have a lot of skin in the game with family members in Iraq, and of course has every right to her opinion, although I've let her know I wish she'd tone down the rhetoric so there could be a civil debate. It makes me sad that on this, she's as unwilling to bend as many on our side are.
I write this so that everyone here will have a little better understanding of the other side of this debate, and there are two sides. Nadine is an honest, caring woman who disagrees and is just as angry as we are, but has become convinced the problems are our fault, not Bush's. While her attitude towards the anti-war movement in general may be frustrating, or even infuriating, her organization has made the time in Iraq much easier for many soldiers, and that is as worthy of praise as her new, frankly hateful stance towards us is worthy of criticism.
For a time, Nadine and I were in absolute agreement that there were two, separate issues: The war, which we disagreed on completely, and the troops, on which we agreed. I think it's important that we continue to keep these separate and realize that whatever our views on the war, there are real people in Iraq who are afraid and lonely, and really do look for and appreciate support from back home. Quite honestly they're getting more personal, tactile support from war supporters like Nadine.
I hope this has shed a little light."
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