Hungry Blues

In The Blogosphere

One year ago today, on August 13, 2004, Winston "DeRoyal" Carter was found hanging from a tree on County Road 65 in Tuskegee, AL. DeRoyal was 29 years old. DeRoyal was an African American man.

The story wasn't going to get outside of Tuskegee, except a brave individual got the matter to the attention of Scott B. Smith, Jr., who conducted his own investigation. By chance, I ended up in touch with Scott B. and blogged his account of what happened to DeRoyal.

Carter's body was found at 6:15 a.m. last Friday, August 13. Before the police arrived on the scene, the news got out to the community and a substantial crowd gathered and saw Carter's body, still hanging from the tree. Observers noticed that Carter's shoelaces had been tied together and used to hold his pants up instead of his belt, which was used to hang him from the tree. Community members also saw that there was no available surface for Carter to step off of in order to hang himself. Rather, he would have had to have climbed up the tree with no laces in his shoes and straddle the branch, in order to attach himself to it by his belt, and then lower himself down with his own arms from that position. As a method of suicide this seems highly improbable if not physically impossible.

Before there had been an autopsy or any substantive investigation, the Tuskegee Chief of Police, Lester Patrick, was "leaning toward suicide." I was determined to make sure the story would spread, so I enlisted a number of higher traffic bloggers to join me in posting on DeRoyal's mysterious death. For about a week, the story flew around the blogosphere. About ten days after my initial post, on August 31, DeRoyal Carter's aunt found my blog and left a comment:

My name is Kathy Fetterman and I live in Northern Virginia. Winston Carter, "DeRoyal" as we lovingly called him, was my nephew - more like my little brother since he was raised by my parents (his paternal grandparents). I have major concerns about the nature of DeRoyal's death. People want to say he committed suicide, but I have trouble believing that. The officers in Tuskegee are so quick to rule it a suicide because it's easy. They never allowed us, his family, to see the crime scene pictures as they promised and these pictures were taken with a digital camera supposedly. I don't know how thoroughly they investigated the crime scene or anything. There are so many unanswered questions. I just don't believe my nephew would have done that to himself.

A lot of other deaths have been covered right away - why has it taken so long for this to make the news, especially when there were so many people at the scene? I don't understand that either.

On September 7, Scott B. returned to Tuskegee and spoke with other members of DeRoyal's family, who confirmed Kathy Fetterman's statement. Furthermore, they

raised some concerns about the police investigation of his death. Mr. Carter's family reports that the crime scene was never sealed off. The scene, where Mr.Carter was found hanging from a tree by County Road 65 in Tuskegee, was contaminated by passers through, making it impossible for anyone to cull proper evidence from the area. It has been distressing to Winston Carter's family that the Tuskegee Police does not seem interested in a true investigation.

A number of people, including Kevin Hayden, contacted the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC's response was deeply disappointing.

Another affecting moment was when it turned out that Jeff had known DeRoyal.

Learning More

Over time I learned about further problems with the police investigation and some more things about the circumstances surrounding DeRoyal's death. I'm not at liberty to write about these things at present. What I can say, however, is that last fall I obtained a copy of the coroner's report on DeRoyal Carter. The coroner's report is publicly available, under Alabama's Public Records Act . I think it is time I mentioned some troubling details in the report:

• I received an initial letter, dated Oct. 27, 2004, acknowledging receipt of my request for the report. In the letter it stated, "As of this date, the report(s) has not been completed. Upon completion, a certified copy of the report will be forwarded to you." In the third week of November I received the report with a cover letter from the Legal Custodian of Records , dated Nov. 15, certifying that the attached report is "true and complete." The report itself has a cover letter, from the State Medical Examiner, dated Sept. 21, 2004. It was strange that the letter dated Oct. 27 said the report was not complete, though the report itself was dated Sept. 21.
• On page 4 of the report, on the line for Toxicology, it reads: "Specimen collected, but not submitted." I would wonder about this in any case, but I was particularly struck by it because Scott B. had said he heard that, at first, the police were insinuating that DeRoyal's death was drug related. Even if the police backed away from this assertion, why wouldn't they want a toxicology report if they had suspicion of this?
• Also on page 4, on the line for Clothing, it reads: "One of the sneaker laces has been removed and is used as a belt on the pants." Scott B. had told me about the laces having been taken out of DeRoyal's shoes for use as a belt, and how this made his climbing up the tree even less probable. What I find odd now is that they say it was only one of his shoe laces. I don't know what kind of shoes DeRoyal wore, but that would have to be a pretty long shoe lace to go around his waist. I read that he was not a large man (5' 9", 140 lbs), but I still had to wonder about this.

I wish, for the sake of DeRoyal Carter's family, I had something conclusive to say.

May his soul find rest.

The Cunning Realist identifies as "a lifelong conservative with a strong independent streak." The Cunning Realist's assessment of the the right wing anti-Cindy Sheehan campain is that Decency Is Not In Them.

The essence of the right-wing smear machine's "outing" of Cindy Sheehan is her supposed flip-flop from supporting President Bush in 2004 to disapproving of him in 2005. As details of this have become clearer, it's obvious the flip-flop is nothing more than a canard. But setting aside the Sheehan story for a moment, have any of the shameless smearsters seen the public opinion polls recently? Here's some breaking news for them: a whole lot of Americans who supported Bush a year ago---including an increasingly large part of his "base"---have turned against him. And that includes many millions of people who haven't lost a parent, child, or sibling in Iraq.

There are so many side issues of shamelessness and crass opportunism in this story it makes my head spin. Think about the gall of a political and media machine "accusing" a private citizen of changing her mind (imagine that!) about an elected and supposedly accountable public official. When did a private citizen supposedly changing her opinion about something rise to the same level as a flip-flop about firing anyone involved in the leaking a CIA agent's name? At what point did the ability to change one's mind about a politician become something to be ridiculed and accused of instead of cherished as a basic right? And it's not as if in the past year we haven't learned anything about the pre-war manipulation of intelligence, as well as the incompetent planning, that resulted in the death of Cindy Sheehan's son and thousands of others like him.

Something else about this story that infuriates me is the vision of feckless, smarmy smearsters and cowards hiding behind keyboards in cities like Washington and New York (and yes, Miami), punching out electronic missives in a pathetic and desperate attempt to impugn the integrity of a woman sitting in the dust and August heat of Texas---a woman who, along with her dead son, embodies everything that's right about this country. The growing division between the professional class of spinning punditry and the vast expanse of Middle America that actually does the working, the fighting and the dying so the pundits can spend their time chattering has never been more clear than with this story.

Early this week I was saying to friends that Reps and Sens should go stand with Cindy. Three cheers for Maxine Waters! I often find myself thinking the members of the Congressional Black Caucus are the only Reps who consistently have the courage to say and do the right thing. I know there are others, but still, thank God for the CBC...

Unlike George Bush, Cindy has the mandate of the American people. Surely there are more members of Congress who will stand with her.

Via AfterDowningStreet.org.

Contact: Mikael Moore (202) 225-2201

Los Angeles, CA - This weekend, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) will travel to Crawford, Texas to lend her support to Ms. Cindy Sheehan who is attempting to meet with President George W. Bush during his month long vacation at his ranch. Ms. Sheehan's son, Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed in Baghdad on April 4, 2004, less than a week after arriving in Iraq. Ms. Sheehan wants to meet with the President to ask him why her son died and to voice her concerns about the war in Iraq.

Congresswoman Waters will bring books, food and other supplies with her to help sustain Ms. Sheehan during her time in Crawford.

"I am traveling to Texas this weekend to support Ms. Sheehan and her efforts to meet with the President," said Congresswoman Waters. "I have met with Ms. Sheehan in my Washington, DC office and found her to be a wonderful and kind person. She is a grieving mother, who has lost her son, and deserves the respect and admiration of all Americans."

"Ms. Sheehan is very brave and should be commended for her trying to get the President to answer two very simple questions: 'Why are we in Iraq?' And, 'Why did her son have to die?' The President has not offered satisfactory answers to either of these questions. Unfortunately, there appears to be no end in sight to our involvement in Iraq and American soldiers continue to die each day in Iraq because of his decision to go to war."

"Earlier this week, I sent a letter to the President, which was cosigned by 37 Members of Congress, urging the President to meet with Ms. Sheehan. That letter has apparently fallen on deaf ears, so I am traveling to Texas to join Ms. Sheehan's vigil. I hope that the President will reconsider his position and agree to meet with Ms. Sheehan. I also hope that all Members of Congress will meet with the families of fallen soldiers if they are asked. Spending a few minutes with these families is the least we can do to honor their sacrifice."

Congresswoman Waters is a Founder and Chair of the 'Out of Iraq' Congressional Caucus. The Caucus was formed to pressure the Administration into developing a plan that would conclude our involvement in Iraq. The 'Out of Iraq' Congressional Caucus has 64 members.

Just last night John Conyers posted a reminder on his blog that the House and Senate are on the verge of reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT Act. He also linked to an article he wrote for PDA about misuses of the Act by the Justice Department.

Losing the War Against Terror

July 29th, 2005

Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee

Nearly four years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 tragedy, many of us warned that we should not let our anger over an attack against our nation be used as an excuse to undermine our fundamental liberties. Unfortunately, today, as the USA PATRIOT Act comes up for renewal, it seems increasingly clear that we have failed in the task of balancing our nation’s need for security and our citizen’s freedoms.

While the PATRIOT Act may not deserve all or even most of the ridicule that is heaped against it, there is little doubt that the legislation has been repeatedly and seriously misused by the Justice Department. Consider the following:

* Its been used more than 150 times to secretly search an individual’s home, with nearly 90% of those cases having had nothing to do with terrorism.

* It was used against Brandon Mayfield, an innocent Muslim American, to tap his phones, seize his property, copy his computer, spy on his children, and take his DNA, all without his knowledge.

* Its been used to deny, on account of his political beliefs, the admission to the United States of a Swiss citizen and prominent Muslim Scholar to teach at Notre Dame University.

* Its been used to unconstitutionally coerce an Internet Service Provider to divulge information about email activity and web surfing on its system, and than to gag that Provider from even disclosing the abuse to the public.

* Because of gag restrictions, we will never know how many times its been used to obtain reading records from library and book stores, but we do know that libraries have been solicited by the Department of Justice - voluntarily or under threat of the PATRIOT Act - for reader information on more than 200 occasions since September 11.

* Its been used to charge, detain and prosecute a Muslim student in Idaho for posting Internet website links to objectionable materials, even though the same links were available on the U.S. government’s web site.

Even worse than the PATRIOT Act has been the unilateral abuse of power by the Administration. Since September 11, our government has detained and verbally and physically abused thousands of immigrants without time limit, for unknown and unspecified reasons, and targeted tens of thousands of Arab-Americans for intensive interrogations and immigration screenings. All this serves to accomplish is to alienate Muslim and Arab Americans - the key groups to fighting terrorism in our own county - who see a Justice Department that has institutionalized racial and ethnic profiling, without the benefit of a single terrorism conviction.

(Whole thing.)

Headline is from Bob Fertig at Democrats.com. He writes:

In order to trash Cindy, [FOX's John] Gibson called on Ira Stoll, editor of the rightwing New York Sun and author of "Cindy Sheehan's Crowd." Stoll attacked Cindy for working with "extreme groups and individuals":

Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, and Military Families Speak Out all have representatives on the steering committee of United for Peace and Justice, an anti-war umbrella group. They share that distinction with the Communist Party USA.

Though red-baiting her is no worse than any of the other vile attempts to smear Cindy Sheehan, this particular tactic enrages me in a special way. I've been working on another post that relates to red baiting, not in connection to Cindy Sheehan, but I'm going to talk a little about it now.

In the late 50s the FBI's New York Field Office decided that my father should be investigated for possible inclusion on the Security Index. What was the Security Index? That was the 1950s and 60s version of the Custodial Detention Program (CDP), whose purpose was

to enable the government to make individual decisions as to the dangerousness of enemy aliens and citizens who might be arrested in the event of war.

( Book III of the Final Report of the US Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations With Respect To Intelligence Activities, 1976)

The Security Index was the new name given the CDP after Attorney General Francis Biddle issued a directive to abolish the program in 1943 because

The evidence used for the purpose of making the classifications was inadequate; the standards applied to the evidence for the purpose of making the classifications were defective; and finally, the notion that it is possible to make a valid determination as to how dangerous a person is in the abstract and without reference to time, environment, and other relevant circumstances, is impractical, unwise, and dangerous. (Ibid.)

The primary basis of the investigation of my father for inclusion in the Security Index was his membership on the executive committee of the Socialist Unity Forum and his attendance at meetings of the Young Socialist Alliance. He had committed no crimes, but he associated with socialists.

What did the investigation entail? Here's a partial list, gleaned from my father's FBI file, released to my family under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts:

• Trips by FBI agents to the NYC Marriage License Bureau and to the NYC Board of Elections to gather data on residences, employment and family
• Reports from a neighbor in my parents' apartment building who was spying for the FBI
• Bogus phone call to my mother from an FBI agent claiming to be a NY County Clerk's Office Representative. In the guise of being interested in empanelling my father for a jury, the agent grilled my mother about my father's place of employment.
• Bogus phone call from an FBI agent to my father's place of employment. Pretending to be an insurance company representative, the agent verified my mother's information about my father's employment.
• Agents who attended political meetings and made leading statements to provoke others in attendance to go on record with views that could make them eligible for further investigation or otherwise "incriminate" them.
• A surprise visit from two Special Agents who started asking questions first and identified themselves second: "After the SAS identified themselves GREENBERG remarked 'No, I have nothing to say to you!' He refused any further approaches to conversation including possibilities for a later appointment."

A significant basis for conducting these invasive and harassing procedures was information about my father's affiliations and activities provided by civilian informants whose information was not necessarily reliable and whose intent was discernibly vindictive.

When we talk about invasions of privacy associated with the Patriot Act it is important to remember what the stated purpose of such practices were in the past: to create "a suspect list of individuals whose arrest might be considered necessary in the event the United States becomes involved in war" ( Book III of the Final Report of the US Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations With Respect To Intelligence Activities, 1976).

If one qualified for the Security Index, one's name was placed on a special Security Index card. If the FBI found that a subject did not qualify for the Security Index and his or her card should be canceled,

[t]he cancelled Security Index cards on individuals taken off the Index after 1955 were retained in the field offices. This was done because they remained "potential threats and in case of an all-out emergency, their identities should be readily accessible to permit restudy of their cases." These cards would he destroyed only if the subject agreed to become an FBI source or informant or "otherwise indicates complete defection from subversive groups."(Ibid., emphasis added)

The practice of red baiting has had terrible ramifications in the lives of thousands of innocent Americans whose only crime was holding views or having political associations that challenged the status quo. In many cases the only evidence of their crime was unsubstantiated allegations that they held views or had political associations that challenged the status quo.

Please read the rest of Bob Fertig's post and join him in telling Fox to stop smearing Cindy Sheehan and her allies.

Okay, let's lighten up for a few minutes. Here's the first ten that came up on a random play of my mp3s on iTunes:

• Antony and the Johnsons, Man Is The Baby
• Nina Simone, Work Song
• Bright Eyes, Train Under Water
• Pete Seeger, Little Boxes
• Damon and Naomi, While My Guitar Gently Weeps
• Giant Sand, Classico
• Ray Charles and Gladys Knight, Heaven Help Us All
• Iron and Wine, Naked As We Came
• M. Ward, One Life Away
• Elliott Smith, Punch And Judy (live)

I got some fan mail today. Since Barbara doesn't want to back up her assertions with factual evidence, I figure the point is that they will speak for themselves—as well they do.

From: Murphey, Barbara L - xxxx, NM <xxxx@xxxx.gov>

To: minorjive@gmail.com

Date: Aug 12, 2005 1:03 PM

Subject: Cindy Sheehan

Talk about MISINFORMATION….You sir are a font of misinformation….shame on you …and shame on Cindy Sheehan for dishonoring the memory of her son…and the other patriotic and brave Americans fighting to keep this country free….you sir are a blight on this country……..SHAME on you for using this poor woman’s grief to further your own selfish goals…you are a disgrace and ought to be ashamed of yourself…you disgust me..

Thanks, Barb

I did attempt to reply respectfully and invite some dialogue:

From: Benjamin Greenberg <minorjive@gmail.com>

To: "Murphey, Barbara L - xxxx, NM" <xxxx@xxxx.gov>

Date: Aug 12, 2005 1:09 PM

Subject: Re: Cindy Sheehan

Dear Barb,

Could you please prove your assertion about misinformation coming from me? If I am misinforming, then there must be facts I am suppressing. Without some facts to back up your assertion, you are merely hurling insults.

Ben Greenberg

Oh well . . .

From: Murphey, Barbara L - xxxx, NM <xxxx@xxxx.gov>

To: Benjamin Greenberg <minorjive@gmail.com>

Date: Aug 12, 2005 1:56 PM

Subject: RE: Cindy Sheehan

You have merely to go to Rush or Drudge to get the REAL facts….I don’t have time to list them all here….don’t be saying Drudge is misinforming the public….I have NEVER known Drudge or Rush to misinform in ANY way, shape, or form,…perhaps it’s your left leaning mindset that makes you think that anyone on the right is “misinforming” the public…..while in fact you leftist “propagandists” are the ones doing the real misinforming …or more like NEGLECTING to report pertinent FACTS, which then slant the story to suit your agendas. …..I have seen what the “mainstream” media has tried to do the Bush administration and it sickens me …and I assure you sir…millions of Americans feel the same way…MILLIONS…witness November 2, 2004…..Hey, we are not the same” ignorant, kept in the dark” by the mainstream leftist media, silent majority, anymore…we now have Rush, Hannity, Fox and Drudge among all the conservative blogs, and talk shows all over America to keep us informed CORRECTLY now,…and mind you , yes every story has two sides….at least FOX gives BOTH sides…unlike the leftist blogs, and the mainstream media ….sorry, but take your war protesting, lame propaganda, and spew it to your brain washed little leftist groupies…I am not buying it….nor is America….

Thanks, Barb

It was tempting to publish which government agency Barbara works for, and in which city, but a person could probably lose their job doing stuff like this on the nickel of their Federal employer.

Drudge has this letter up on his site from members of Cindy Sheehan's family who object to her actions.

According to Cindy, the attack comes from her in-laws, who have always disagreed with her on politics. She says her father-in-law used to call her Meathead and she would call him Archie, a sort of affectionate antagonism. When the in-laws voted for Bush after Casey was killed in his war, it caused an irreparable rift, and they are no longer speaking. Most relevant, I think, is that Cindy says her husband and her other children support her and agree with her.

Cindy also responds strongly to earlier allegations from Drudge about supposed changes in her account of her family's meeting with Bush last summer.

In typical Drudge style, there are no email headers to give the "Sheehan Family Statement" proper credibility, nor do any of the "Sheehan Family Members" sign their names. How about a little transparency, Drudge? What's the matter? Are you afraid your lies and manipulations won't hold up if you're honest about your sources and your methods?

I must say I also wonder why the Sheehan(s) who sent the letter would send it to Drudge and not to a reputable news outlet.

Go to Crooks and Liars to download and watch the video in Windows Media format.

It's great when Republicans find a cause they can really get behind:

Shocking news alert: Conservatives are now almost rushing to embrace the Minutemen even as evidence mounts that the funny smell coming from their ranks isn't just a case of bad tamales.

The latest Republican politician to do so (following in the footsteps of Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a Texas congressman named John Culberson of Houston, who has introduced legislation that would give official sanction, for the first time, to "border militias":

The Border Protection Corps Act, introduced on July 28, would authorize access to $6.8 billion in unused Homeland Security funds to form volunteer border militias that report to their respective county sheriffs.

I just love the way they are all for preserving the vital American heritage of white supremacism in al its violent, hateful glory:

At Station Two, Minuteman volunteers grilled bratwursts and fantasized about murder.

"It should be legal to kill illegals," said Carl, a 69-year old retired Special Forces veteran who fought in Vietnam and now lives out West. "Just shoot 'em on sight. That's my immigration policy recommendation. You break into my country, you die."

Carl was armed with a revolver chambered to fire shotgun shells. He wore this hand cannon in a holster below a shirt that howled "American bad asses" in red, white and blue. The other vigilantes assigned to Station Two included a pair of self-professed members of the National Alliance, a violent neo-Nazi organization. These men, who gave their names only as Johnny and Michael, were outfitted in full-body camouflage and strapped with semi-automatic pistols.

Earlier that day, Johnny and Michael had scouted sniper positions in the rolling, cactus-studded foothills north of Border Road, taking compass readings and drawing maps for future reference.

"I agree completely," Michael said. "You get up there with a rifle and start shooting four or five of them a week, the other four or five thousand behind them are going to think twice about crossing that line."

Whole thing is over at Orcinus.

That last block quote comes from the new SPLC Intelligence Report, Arizona Showdown: High-powered firearms, militia maneuvers and racism at the Minuteman Project.

From David Swanson, at AfterDowningStreet.org:

I spoke with Ann Wright for quite a while, and she gave the following report.

It's raining for the third night. There are 70-80 people on site and another 80 out in hotels or houses. Another 50 or 60 stopped by during the day to spend some hours.

The rain let up around noon and they had a very pleasant afternoon. A crew came and filmed an ad to air on local TV in Crawford (I'm trying to get a digital copy).

"There's been an incredible outpouring of donations," Ann said. People are driving for hours and staying a while and driving home, and they're bringing cases of water and other supplies. "We've got people here from Georgia, Montana, California, Alabama, New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pennsylvania….The enthusiasm is amazing. People have driven 12 hours to be here.

Tomorrow, Ann said, they will be putting up 500 crosses "to symbolize the unnecessary deaths of Americans and the unnecessary deaths of Iraqis."

Where will they put them?

They will have to put them in the two slivers of roadside ditch permitted them, each about 12 by 300 feet according to Ann, and the two making up sides of a triangle. The center of the triangle would be better for a demonstration, but the local owner had the police kick everyone off.

"Now," said Ann, "the cops are always coming through to clear out cars with an inch of tread on the road or people with chairs with one leg on the road. It's not the best place if we had planned – but this wasn't planned, and that is why it's so successful."

Ann enthusiastically recounted the power of Cindy's speech on Friday night at the Veterans for Peace Convention in Dallas.

The speech:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/1226

"Cindy announced she was going and said 'Who can drive me?' and people looked around and then all the hands in the room went up….We had a caravan of 15 cars and a bus at 8:30 the next morning. And it had spread like wildfire on the internet, so 40 or 50 activists from Dallas and Austin came out."

Slowly the assemblage has acquired tents and chairs, through purchase or donation. Someone supplies everyone with sub sandwiches every lunchtime. About 50 flower arrangements have arrived and been arranged in a "beautiful flower memorial," Ann said.

Ann expressed ongoing amazement at the energy coming to the site. "People are diverting vacation trips to come here instead. People on business trips in Austin and Houston are staying an extra day to come here. Texans who have never been to Crawford and never wanted to come to Crawford are here. And the military families that are here find it so heartening to be supported by all these people."

Ann described a wife of a soldier preparing to ship out to Iraq, the mother of another who died, and an active-duty Sergeant from Fort Hood who's been to Iraq once and is going back again, but who has been speaking in uniform at Camp Casey about "the need for mothers to speak out to save their sons and daughters."

Ann was interrupted while we were talking, but came back and said, "Yeah, it really is powerful. The rain is letting up, and people are coming out of their tents. People all came here to be together and share ideas. And all because one woman came and said 'I'll sit here until the President of the United States talks to me.'"

Last night in a horrible thunderstorm, Ann said, she shouted over to Cindy's tent and asked "Are you awake?" The answer: "Are you kidding?" Cindy had a fever, a sore throat, and general exhaustion – at least that's what everyone says. She sounds anything but exhausted on the phone and through the media.

All the latest news about Cindy:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=taxonomy/term/13

After Downing Street now has a section devoted to the posts on Cindy Sheehan.

truthout.org has video of William Rivers Pit interviewing Cindy Sheehan at Camp Casey:

Collective link

Quicktime 56K

Quicktime 512 K

Windows 56 K

Windows 512 K

RealMedia 56 K

RealMedia 512 K

The other day I meant to mention that she wrote about an important post by David Neiwert that I didn't have time to post on myself. In fact I didn't even have time to do a what she said post. They're talking about how the Minutemen and Save Our State in Laguna Beach, CA, vigilante defenders of our borders against illegal immigrants, are showing their true colors.

No point in adding my two cents right now. Just follow the links, above. And, no, you weren't seeing things in that first photo. Here's a better view:

The voices of American "morality" have begun parading around on a Cindy Sheehan smear campaign. Media Matters is tracking the evolution of the smear (via Brad Blog) and shows that it all originates with Matt Drudge's purposeful distortion. Numerous people have shown that Drudge deceptively quoted Sheehan out of context. Diane Barney, editor of the The Reporter, which published the 2004 story that Drudge used in his smear, has denounced Drudge's claim and said, instead:

We don't think there has been a dramatic turnaround. Clearly, Cindy Sheehan's outrage was festering even then.

The truth is on the record. The right wingers who repeat the smear lie knowingly in order defame Cindy Sheehan and the love she has for her son. The m.o. is the same as always, but in this case it particularly loathsome.

Bitch PhD hits the right chord, posting the picture of Casey Sheehan at right and noting that her son is about the same age as Casey is in the photo and that

If my idealistic little boy ever joined up, only to be sent to his death under false pretenses in a war of aggression, you're damn right I'd want to hold the person that sent him and lied about why accountable.

And heaven help anyone who tried to impugn my love for my child because of it.

For up to minute updates on Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, TX, and on the news coverage of Cindy, see AfterDowningStrreet.org. UpbeatDefiance also has frequent updates on Cindy Sheehan's vigil. That last link is via Shakespeare's Sister, who has called for blogswarm to drown out the drone of the right wing echo chamber.

I almost forgot to mention: Clear Channel is sponsoring an anti-Cindy Sheehan barbecue in Crawford this Saturday: free coke and burgers and Cindy bashing. Soldiers from the Fort Hood area have a special invitation to get in on the Cindy bashing action.

Meanwhile, Cindy's demand for justice and accountability continues to inspire and draw people to Crawford, TX to support her. There are plain civilians, like these two women (via Body and Soul):

The idea of making a spontaneous trip to President Bush's vacation ranch was born when Julie Decker read a newspaper article a couple of days ago and immediately called her good friend Tiffany Strause.

The story was about a Northern California woman whose son had been killed in Iraq and who subsequently decided to camp out in front of Bush's Texas ranch until she got a face-to-face meeting with him.

Yesterday morning, a day after reading the piece, Strause, who lives in San Marcos, and Decker, who lives in Carlsbad, were on a plane to Crawford, Texas, to join the woman in her vigil.

They intend to stay, they said, until Bush – who is on vacation at the ranch for the next five weeks – agrees to meet Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville in person.

Neither of the two women knows Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son, Casey, an Army specialist, was killed in Baghdad in April 2004. Neither has a child, much less one who has been killed in Iraq. And neither had been active in the anti-war movement. They hadn't attended any "protests or peace rallies or anything like that," Strause said. "Both of us are very busy."

But they share with Sheehan the firm belief that the war is a colossal mistake. And when they heard about Sheehan's story, "it was like the straw that broke the camel's back," said Strause, 29, who works as a consultant in the computer industry.

And military families are arriving in Crawford, from all over the country, to stand with Cindy.

Members of Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak Out are beginning to arrive in Crawford, Texas to add their voices to Cindy Sheehan’s, calling for a meeting with President Bush and for troops to be brought home now.

The following Gold Star and Military Families Speak Out members are available for interview:

Celeste, Dante and Raphael Zappala of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Celeste and her son Dante arrived in Crawford on Tuesday August 9; son Raphael will arrive Friday night August 12. Celeste's son Sgt. Sherwood Baker (Dante and Raphael’s brother) was the first Pennsylvania National Guardsman to die in combat since World War II. He was killed in action in Baghdad on April 26, 2004 while searching for non-existent WMD's. Celeste is a co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace.

Tammara Rosenleaf of Belton, Texas arrived in Crawford on Tuesday, August 9th. Tammara's husband serves in the Army, stationed at Ft. Hood, and will be deploying to Iraq this fall.

Lietta Ruger of Bay Center, Washington will be arriving in Crawford Wednesday morning, August 10th. Lietta's son-in-law and nephew serve in the 1st Armored Division of the U.S. Army and are currently in Germany. They have both served extended 15-month tours of duty in Iraq; they are both under stop-loss orders and due to re-deploy to Iraq this fall.

Linda and Phil Waste of Hinesville, Georgia will arrive in Crawford Wednesday morning August 10th. Linda and Phil have 3 sons and 2 grandchildren (a grandson and a granddaughter) who are active-duty military. Together, they have already spent a total of over 57 months on tours of duty in Iraq. Several of these children/grandchildren are currently serving in Iraq, and have served extended and multiple deployments.

Jean Prewitt of Birmingham, Alabama will arrive in Crawford on Wednesday morning, August 10th. Jean’s son Private Kelly Prewitt was killed in action during the first few weeks of the war in Iraq, on April 6, 2003.

Valarie Fletcher of Seymour, Missouri is driving to Crawford and arriving Wednesday evening, August 10. Valarie's son serves in the Marines and will be deploying to Iraq at the end of this month.

Sherry Bohlen of Scottsdale, Arizona is driving to Crawford and arriving on Wednesday evening, August 10. Sherry’s son serves in the Army and deployed to Iraq on June 10, 2005.

Rebecca Bahr of Scottsdale, Arizona is driving to Crawford and arriving on Wednesday evening August 10. Rebecca's daughter serves in the Marines and is currently stateside.

Caryn Unsicker of Silvis, Illinois is driving to Crawford and arriving Wednesday evening, August 10. Caryn's son serves in the Marines, currently stateside.

Anne Sapp and her daughters Lydia (age 17) and Mary (age 8) of Billerica, Massachusetts will be arriving in Crawford on Thursday morning, August 11th. Anne's husband/Lydia and Mary's father is a Staff Sergeant in the Massachusetts National Guard and currently serving in Iraq.

Barbara Porchia of Camden, Arkansas will be arriving in Crawford on Thursday morning August 11th. Barbara's son, Army Reservist Private 1st Class Jonathan Cheatham, was killed in action in Baghdad two years ago, on July 26, 2003.

Sue Niederer of Pennington, New Jersey will be arriving in Crawford on Thursday morning August 11th. Sue's son, 1st Lieutenant Seth Dvorin, was killed in action near Iskandariyah, Iraq on February 3, 2004. Sue is a co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace.

Kristin Williams and Matthew Williams of Dallas, Texas will be arriving in Crawford this weekend (August 13-14). Matthew Williams is an Iraq War Veteran who served as a combat medic for one year in Iraq (2003-2004). He was honorably discharged from the Army. Kristin is his sister.

Bill Mitchell of Atascadero, California will be arriving in Crawford in the next several days. Bill's son Sgt. Michael Mitchell was killed in action in Sadr City, Iraq on April 4, 2004, along with Cindy Sheehan's son Spc. Casey Sheehan. Bill is a co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace.

Mimi Evans of Hyannis, Massachusetts will be arriving in Crawford on Tuesday, August 16th. Mimi's son serves in the Marines; he will be deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in the next two weeks.

Eric Blickenstaff of Portland, Oregon will be arriving in Crawford early next week. Eric's brother Spc. Joseph Blickenstaff served in the Army and was killed when his Stryker vehicle rolled into a ditch on December 8, 2003 in Balad, Iraq.

UPDATE: Anti-Cindy BBQ canceled (at least for now) "due to lack of local interest."

Via BuzzFlash.

(Also available in PDF version.)

Signers of Cindy Sheehan Letter

John Conyers, Jr.

George Miller

Maxine Waters

Corrine Brown

Dennis Kucinich

Carolyn Maloney

Jim McDermott

Jim McGovern

Barbara Lee

Zoe Lofgren

James Oberstar

John Lewis

Bernard Sanders

Bob Filner

Mike Honda

Raul Grijalva

Jan Schakowsky

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick

Frank Pallone

Major Owens

Xavier Becerra

Lynn Woolsey

Danny Davis

Jerrold Nadler

Elijah Cummings

Hilda Solis

Gwen Moore

John Olver

Pete Stark

Sam Farr

Julia Carson

Sheila Jackson Lee

Diane Watson

Chris Van Hollen

Lloyd Doggett

Betty McCollum

Henry Waxman

Peter DeFazio

UPDATE

Surprise, surprise. If it's on the money it must be John Conyers. Apparently, Representative Conyers is the person who circulated the letter to his colleagues.