Friday, February 03, 2006

Cindy Sheehan coming to Chicago's St. Xavier University follow-up

I posted here Tuesday night that Cindy Sheehan is coming to speak at Chicago's St. Xavier University in mid-February.

Here is the entire press release, courtesy of St. Xavier's web site:

U.S. peace activist Cindy Sheehan will give a lecture titled "One Person Can Make a Difference, Not One More" at Saint Xavier University’s Shannon Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16. This will mark Sheehan’s first lecture on a college campus and in Illinois.

Sheehan won nationwide attention with an anti-war vigil outside President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch after her son, Army Specialist Casey A. Sheehan, was killed in action in Iraq. Sheehan has become one of the best-known figures calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq since she protested for several weeks outside Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas in August 2005.

Sheehan has been invited to speak at Saint Xavier University by the Student Activities Board. "We wanted to provide for a public discourse on this topic," said Tina McPherson, president of the Student Activities Board at Saint Xavier University.

The lecture is open to the public and free to Saint Xavier University students, faculty and staff. For all others, admission is $5. The event will take place at Saint Xavier University’s Shannon Center at 3700 W. 103rd St., Chicago. For tickets, call the Student Activities Board at 773-298-3138.

The press release lists Deborah Snow Humiston, the Assistant Director of Media Relations of St. Xavier, as the contact for this event.

Tuesday night I e-mailed these questions to Ms. Humiston:

Is Ms. Sheehan being paid to speak at St. Xavier? If so, how much? And if so, is tuition money funding her speaking fee?

Ms. Humiston hasn't responded yet.

Yeah, I know, St. Xavier is a private institution, and it doesn't have to disclose such information to the public, unlike a state-funded college. But if tuition money is funding the "Peace Mom's" visit to Chicago, much of that money comes from federally guaranteed student loans. So it matters to a taxpayers such as myself.

Especially since Sheehan has come up with some with some comments that many Americans find reprehensible.

Matriotism, by Cindy Sheehan, January 22, 2006

The neocons exploited patriotism to fulfill their goals of imperialism and plunder.

Friends Don't Let Friends Commit War Crimes, by Cindy Sheehan, January 2, 2006

The Mayor of London held a reception in honor of our peace efforts at the new and very modern City Hall, near the impressive and intimidating Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Mayor Ken Livingstone has always been an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and the war crimes of Tweedledum and Tweedledee…Bush and Blair…the corrupt, yet sadly comical, mis-leaders of two of the most powerful countries on the planet. I believe Bush and Blair are too far gone for redemption. They both need to be removed from their power and tried for their war crimes and betrayals. Until they are removed, the murder and the mayhem will continue.


2006: The Year the Chickenhawks Will Go Home to Roost, by Cinday Sheehan, December 28, 2005

For the Love of God, Can't you Make Him Stop? Recently, it was revealed that George only interacts with four people: Laura, Condi, Karen Hughes and his Mom. His Mom, the Ice Queen who didn't want her "pretty mind" burdened with the images of flag draped coffins coming home, lives in Houston. On President's Day, (Feb. 20) we will be demonstrating in front of her house to implore her to forget about the obscene profits that her family and their friends are making off of this occupation and to beg her to finally do the right thing and make her son stop this insane war OF terror against the world. George and Dick are defiling the highest offices of the world and they need to resign. On President's Day, when we have the day off, we need to demonstrate against the ones who are illegitimately in power, anyway. If you can't make it to Houston, organize your own President's Day protest.


Open Letter to George's Mama, by Cindy Sheehan, November 18, 2005

On April 04, 2004, your oldest child killed my oldest child, Casey Austin Sheehan.

Unlike your oldest child, my son was a marvelous person who joined the military to serve his country and to try and make the world a better place. Casey didn't want to go to Iraq, but he knew his duty.

Your son went AWOL from a glamour unit. George couldn't even handle the Alabama Air National Guard. Casey joined the Army before your son became commander in chief. We all know that your son was thinking of invading Iraq as early as 1999. Casey was a dead man before George even became president and before he even joined the Army in May of 2000.


"The Peace Mom" replying to a question from CBS's Mark Knoller, August 8, 2005

But now that we have decimated the country, the borders are open, freedom fighters from other countries are going in, and [U.S. troops] have created more terrorism by going to an Islamic country, devastating the country and killing innocent people in that country. The terrorism is growing and people who never thought of being car bombers or suicide bombers are now doing it because they want the United States of America out of their country.


That's right, freedom fighters. Not exactly something a "Peace Mom" would say.

According to that press release from St. Xavier University, this will be Sheehan's first college lecture. I hope there is a question-and-answer session. It'll be interesting how Cindy explains the above statements. Especially the one about freedom fighters.

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