Another Grieving Mother...Another Dead Son...Even More Irony

Elton John Had It Right. Sorry Is The Hardest Word.

Published on August 26, 2005 By kingbee In Politics

like cindy sheehan, linda will mourns a dead son.

like ms sheehan, ms will wants something she's not gonnna get from the older men whom she considers responsible for her son's death.

like ms. sheehan's son, ms will's boy believed he was doing the right thing. casey sheehan was a volunteer who'd re enlisted. ms will's son had to do more than merely volunteer. he had to compete against thousands of others in order to prove himself one of a relative handful who are accepted for training.

like ms sheehan, ms will blames the men at the top of the organization--who devised the strategy, approved the mission and delegated responsibility to the men to whom her son reported--for his death.

like ms sheehan, ms will might easily be seen as irrational for refusing to accept less than she demanded. like ms. sheehan, ms will would not just sit down and shut up. like ms sheehan, there have been suggestions ms will was purposely being intransigent and badly served by those who support her.

like ms sheehan, ms will has exhausted her legal options. hoping to force officials to apologize, she'd been demanding a jury trial and a memorial to her son.

on august 15, 2005, a judge ordered her to accept the $16 million dollar settlement ms will had previously refused when offered without an apology from northwestern university.

there will be no apology from northwestern's executive, its directors, heads of several athletic departments, the coach who ordered her son, rashidi wheeler, to engage in a drill outlawed by the ncaa, other coaches who continued to time wheeler's team members rather than stop to help him, the doctor who somehow 'accidentally' destroyed rashidi's final physical examination results nor is there going to be an apology from the trainers who knew wheeler was asthmatic but were seeming unable to recognize he was having a deadly asthma attack until it was too late.

northwestern spokesperson al cubbage, speaking for the university, said "We are truly sorry this unfortunate, tragic incident occurred"

cubbage then opined, ""That, in my mind, is an apology."

that. in my mind. is the statement of someone who's really fulla shit.

like cubbage, president george bush may suffer from the same condition.

jak sie masz

Comments (Page 1)

ParaTed2k

on Aug 27, 2005

great article, well written and engaging.

There are a few holes in your comparison though...

Casey Sheehan was not showing signs of an emergency that went ignored by those who are trained to notice such things. The life-threatening emergency was the mission, not the exception.

As far as I know, Linda Will has yet to express an allegience to the cause of those who ignored the warning signs as her son died, then blame the NCAA President for murdering her son.

Linda Will refused the money offered and only accepted it under court order. From what I've heard and seen so far, Cindy Sheehan hasn't refused a dime... even when the money came from organizations run by people who openly support those who put an RPG round into her son's HMMWV.

Both deaths are terrible tragedies the have fallen on men who were far too young to die. The difference is in the mothers of the two men.

kingbee

on Aug 27, 2005

Casey Sheehan was not showing signs of an emergency that went ignored by those who are trained to notice such things. The life-threatening emergency was the mission,

the mission to which casey sheehan was dispatched wasn't purposely ignored by those who might have kept it from becoming close to the life-threatening enterprise it has been. they were dismissed in favor of sycophants.

even when the money came from organizations run by people who openly support those who put an RPG round into her son's HMMWV.

to which organization are you referring? that's quite an insinuation about the parent of anyone sent to serve in iraq without sufficient body or vehicle armor. (yeah i know you dont pick the war you fight...only it's not applicable to the side that plans an invasion)

Both deaths are terrible tragedies the have fallen on men who were far too young to die.

amen

ParaTed2k

on Aug 27, 2005

The fact that SPC Sheehan was part of a volunteer Quick Reaction Force was evidence that his unit took the threat very seriously... I've been on a few QFRs and none of them were put together because the situation might be too peaceful.

Oh the old "body armor" argument.... show me what body armor can repel a direct hit to the HMMWV (up armored or not) from an RPG round....

But anyway... To which organization do I refer... "Code Pink", Michael Moore Inc, to name a couple...

Protesting any war is as constitutional as fighting in it, but once you cross the line from "pacifist" to active player in the enemy's goals, you are no longer merely protesting, you are participating. Just think, Cindy Sheehan is accepting money and support for a group that sent $600,000 to the bacteria in Falluja in support of their mission to kill Coalition servicemembers and Iraqi civilians. Talk about being in bed with the enemy. Cindy Sheehan is cuddling right up with people who consider those who killed her son "Freedom Fighters".

I'm sure he would be SO proud of her.

kingbee

on Aug 27, 2005

The fact that SPC Sheehan was part of a volunteer Quick Reaction Force was evidence that his unit took the threat very seriously...

you may have misconstrued my observation (the mission to which casey sheehan was dispatched wasn't purposely ignored by those who might have kept it from becoming close to the life-threatening enterprise it has been. they were dismissed in favor of sycophants). what i meant was that the people who knew what should have been done in iraq were edged out when they spoke out.

To which organization do I refer... "Code Pink", Michael Moore Inc, to name a couple...

Just think, Cindy Sheehan is accepting money and support for a group that sent $600,000 to the bacteria in Falluja in support of their mission to kill Coalition servicemembers and Iraqi civilians.

c'mon ted. which group collected the $600,000 to fund the insurgents.

i suspect you're talking about money that was to be distributed to women and children caught in the middle of the battle of fallouja. i can't say for sure that's where it went. i doubt you can prove it didn't.

let's presume the worst...that deluded peaceniks were duped into giving the entire amount to the insurgents who then used it to buy weapons they used against our troops.

in your mind is that as bad or not nearly so bad or worse than the us handing the insurgents enough rifles to arm a battalian, 25-27 vehicles, 2000 uniforms and a buncha radios before shutting down the first battle of falloujah?

cuz i can document that.

"We gave them a battalion's worth of rifles, about 800 rifles, I think," Gen. Conway said later. "Probably 25 to 27 trucks, probably 40 or 50 radios, and about 2,000 uniforms."Link

Dr Guy

on Aug 27, 2005

Nice try at a totally irrelevant comparison. Now show me the illegality (proof, not accusation) of Sheehan's deployment.

This is the worst stretch I have ever seen. It really is beneath you on this one.

kingbee

on Aug 27, 2005

Now show me the illegality (proof, not accusation) of Sheehan's deployment.

? who said it was illegal?

dabe

on Aug 28, 2005

The expression "Sorry don't walk the dog." comes to mind.

ParaTed2k

on Aug 28, 2005

Kingbee:

let's presume the worst...that deluded peaceniks were duped into giving the entire amount to the insurgents who then used it to buy weapons they used against our troops.

If Code Pink were run by a person who was relatively new to the whole protest scene, I would grant you this one. However, Medea Benjamin is no tenderfoot when it comes to backing people who kill U.S. Troops. From Vietnam to Nicaragua to Iraq... If any group is willing to put bullets in our men and women in uniform, "Medusa" Benjamin is hot to jump into bed with them.

Code Pink, the group organizing the anti-war demonstrations in front of the Walter Reed hospital, has a controversial leader and affiliations. As Cybercast News Service previously reported, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin has expressed support for the Communist Viet Cong in Vietnam and the Nicaraguan Sandinistas.

In 2001, Benjamin was asked about anti-war protesters sympathizing with nations considered to be enemies of U.S. foreign policy, including the Viet Cong and the Sandinistas. "There's no one who will talk about how the other side is good," she reportedly told the San Francisco Chronicle. Link

Judging by her actions, if the slime had been oozing the earth in the 40s, she would have had a major case of jealousy for Eva Braum.

in your mind is that as bad or not nearly so bad or worse than the us handing the insurgents enough rifles to arm a battalian, 25-27 vehicles, 2000 uniforms and a buncha radios before shutting down the first battle of falloujah?

cuz i can document that.

"We gave them a battalion's worth of rifles, about 800 rifles, I think," Gen. Conway said later. "Probably 25 to 27 trucks, probably 40 or 50 radios, and about 2,000 uniforms."Link

I'd be the last person to try to convince anyone that there haven't been mistakes made in Iraq... Mistakes that have cost lives. Yes, arming the people of Fallujah, in blind faith was a mistake.

Reading your link though, I can see that you are willing to throw out any semblence of a Chain of Command in order to Blame Bush. It is not the job of Sec. Rumsfeld to meet with field commanders before making a decision. Field Commanders brief their next highest echelon commander of their units' situation and capabilities. Those Commanders make decisions and brief Gen. Abizaid (CENTCOM Commander) and make their recommendations. Gen. Abizaid then makes his decision and passes it up the chain.

All commanders at all levels get to make recommendations to their superiors. That doesn't mean their commander has to accept all recommendations... in fact there is no way he or she could. Command is about making decisions and giving orders based on the decisions made.

The commanders are not stifling the recommendations of the junior commanders when their decisions run contrary to one or another's recommendation, neither is Gen. Abizaid or Sec. Rumsfeld. I don't know why people who think so little of Prs. Bush always seem to want him micromanaging this war.

If you ask me, just knowing that those weapons and uniforms did end up in the hands of the enemy is enough to warrant an operation to get them back. All the IEDs, the Car bomb factories and other weapons and ordnance our troops took out of the hands of the bacteria only goes to reinforce the argument.

Cindy Sheehan has come out in support of those who killed her son... plain and simple. Any comparison to her or her situation has to take that into consideration, or it just doesn't fit.

bakerstreet

on Aug 28, 2005

It's an interesting comparison. It is crass of me, but in terms of negligence, I don't think that there is any standard to apply to Sheehan, though. How many militaries around the world provide body armor? How many armor their humvees? Not going above and beyond the standard isn't negligence, is it? The point for Will is that coach in question didn't even give reasonable treatment to her son.

Sure, both were volunteers, but if I am not mistaken ms. will's son could have been saved. When someone is shooting at you, there is a conflict. Some third party is trying to take your life in a time of war. The expectation is there, you go there knowing you could die.

I don't think that expectation is there in college football. Sure, you know that you could get your neck broken in a game, but I think the normal expectation is that the coach, seeing that you are in hardship, will seek to prevent your death. In this case they apparently didn't.

So I don't think "My son died in a war" and "My son died during football practice because the coach didn't care" are equitable. People don't volunteer for football with the understanding that they might come back in a body bag. I doubt seriously anyone signs that enlistment form without the understanding that your life is on the line.

kingbee

on Aug 28, 2005

even tho i don't wanna take this discussion too far off topic by turning it into an investigation of code pink, you claimed that a group or groups (presumably code pink) provided $600,000 to the insurgents in fallouja with which to buy weapons for use against our troops there.

while anything's possible, you've yet to substantiate your claim. if true, the people involved should be investigated, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to the full extent of the law.

i'm not aware of any such investigation. why not? you think it's cuz the administration sympathizes with ms benjamin or she has friends in high places? the patriot act surely provides the tools to bring this group to justice...if there was some basis for doing so.

as to the quote/link you provided, am i incorrect in remembering the several times you've condemned journalists for substituting opinion for fact? have you subsequently lowered the bar or is cns immune to your criticism? cuz this is a perfect example of the kinda garbage reporting i thought you found so distasteful.

Code Pink, the group organizing the anti-war demonstrations in front of the Walter Reed hospital, has a controversial leader and affiliations. As Cybercast News Service previously reported, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin has expressed support for the Communist Viet Cong in Vietnam and the Nicaraguan Sandinistas.

In 2001, Benjamin was asked about anti-war protesters sympathizing with nations considered to be enemies of U.S. foreign policy, including the Viet Cong and the Sandinistas. "There's no one who will talk about how the other side is good," she reportedly told the San Francisco Chronicle

"enemies of us foreign policy" means exactly what? neither the viet cong nor the sandinistas were 'nations'. furthermore there were/are many loyal americans who felt the us was acting in violation of its own laws and principles as well as international law in both vietnam and nicaragua.

evoking the spectre of disrespectful "demonstrations outside walter reed hospital" is purposely inflammatory considering code pink's motivation as described in a truly objective article in stars & stripes
Link

it appears, btw, that many of the 'facts' cited by cns originated in an article about code pink by...guess who?....jeff gannon.

it also ignores the larger irony of walter reed's closure in favor of keeping ellsworth afb alive.

kingbee

on Aug 29, 2005

I can see that you are willing to throw out any semblence of a Chain of Command in order to Blame Bush. It is not the job of Sec. Rumsfeld to meet with field commanders before making a decision. Field Commanders brief their next highest echelon commander of their units' situation and capabilities. Those Commanders make decisions and brief Gen. Abizaid (CENTCOM Commander) and make their recommendations. Gen. Abizaid then makes his decision and passes it up the chain

you musta not noticed i didn't write the article.

while i've no personal experience with military management structures or strategies, i'd hope you're wrong because there is a serious flaw in the model you've described.

rumsfeld and abizaid (or any top-level executives anywhere) did not serve their boss well by providing him with a single option. conversely, if i needed additional convincing of bush's lack of management skills, learning he didn't ask for any other options or whether all the top commanders on the ground were in agreement with the single option presented by curly and moe would suffice.

considering the magnitude of the problem and the number of ways it could play out, only a fool would show up with a single plan of action...and only a bigger fool would accept it.

that really wasn't my point, however, in bringing up the chain of events that led to providing the insurgents with weapons, ammo, radios, uniforms and vehicles.

i doubt anyone would ever be able to convince you the intent was to provide the insurgents with the means with which to kill american military personnel.

for good reason. it was, at worst, a very foolish decision, but not a malicious one.

if--and it's an if because so far i can't find any evidence of where that $600k actually went--it didn't end up being used to aid non-combatant women and children, how can you reasonably assert it was intended to provide the insurgents with weapons with which to kill americans.

no organization holds a monopoly on stupidity.

kingbee

on Aug 29, 2005

Cindy Sheehan has come out in support of those who killed her son

not at all.

kingbee

on Aug 29, 2005

Seems to me they were both volunteers

casey sheehan was a volunteer who'd re enlisted. ms will's son had to do more than merely volunteer. he had to compete against thousands of others in order to prove himself one of a relative handful who are accepted for training.

kingbee

on Aug 29, 2005

It is crass of me, but in terms of negligence, I don't think that there is any standard to apply to Sheehan, though. How many militaries around the world provide body armor? How many armor their humvees?

considering how much money the us spends on military technology compared to the rest of the world in total as well as individually, there's no basis for comparison is there?

the invasion could have as easily taken place 6 months later if that was the amount of time required to do it properly. you can call me equally crass, but perhaps the timing was influenced by election expectations?

People don't volunteer for football with the understanding that they might come back in a body bag. I doubt seriously anyone signs that enlistment form without the understanding that your life is on the line.

that's the point at which the similarity ends (on one level anyway).

how many 20-year-olds are capable of imagining their own mortality except for the moment just before the bullet or the bus hits them?

why didn't northwestern apologize or why hasn't george bush agreed to meet with ms sheehan?

i'm afraid i know the answer to both questions is gonna be 'it wouldnt be the smart thing to do.' just like it isn't the smart thing to admit fault if you're involved in a traffic accident. northwestern woulda still had to pay ms will something--maybe even the full $16 million; how much will its refusal cost them in credibility and prestige? bush coulda defused this whole thing by agreeing to talk to ms sheehan. how much will his refusal cost him--and yall--in 2006?

kingbee

on Aug 29, 2005

The expression "Sorry don't walk the dog." comes to mind

i doubt it walks the fish either

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!