The Protest That Wasn't

UPDATED: more lies below; revised Sept 24.

1) This is the Washington Post headline (emphasis mine throughout): "Sheehan, Supporters Descend on The Capital"

2) This is the first two paragraphs of the WaPo story:

They were cheered and jeered in blue states and red states. Gas station clerks gave them quiet thumbs up and truck stop waitresses gave them snarls. And when the three busloads of military families arrived in Washington yesterday, the reception was just as divided.

Three weeks after leaving their dusty outpost in Crawford, Tex., and touring the country, several dozen families brought their antiwar message to the U.S. Capitol and the White House. They plan to join thousands of protesters Saturday at a march and rally on the Mall.

3) These photos of the event were in newspapers and distributed by wire services; this one is typical:



(source: Reuters via Yahoo)


4) This is another protest photo, this time uncropped:



(source: Reuters via Yahoo)


5) This is the first two paragraphs of the story about the same event, in a more truthful paper, the Australian Herald Sun:

Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed fighting in Iraq and who camped for weeks outside US President George W. Bush's Texas ranch to protest against the war, took her message to Washington today with rallies and lobbying ahead of a larger demonstration this weekend.

Mrs Sheehan was joined by about 30 supporters in her march down Pennsylvania Avenue to deliver a letter to Bush urging him to pull the troops out of Iraq.

6) This is Confederate Yankee's analysis:

That's all, folks. I count 29 people. This is her entire protest party. Including Cindy.

After a carefully stage-managed vigil by liberal PR firm Fenton Communications, and a pair of 3-week long national bus tours to drum up support for her cause, "Mother Sheehan" managed to bring with her just this tiny gaggle with her to the gates of the White House.

The organizers backing her show hope to draw "ten of thousands" of fellow protestors this weekend, but if this sad crowd and last night's turnout of just 150 in New York are any indication, the fledging anti-war movement of Cindy Sheehan is all but dead.

7) Any questions?

More:

8) This is the headline of today's WaPo story: "Antiwar Rally Will Be a First for Many."

9) This is the first six paragraphs of that story:

The seasoned protesters who organized tomorrow's antiwar demonstration are well-versed in many other causes. They have marched and rallied against police brutality, racism, colonialism and the policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

But their message on the Mall tomorrow will be singular: "End the war in Iraq."

Because of that sharp focus, they will be joined by novice protesters such as Patrice Cuddy, 56. Interviewed by phone yesterday, the former public school teacher in Olathe, Kan., said she had to pull off her gardening gloves each time a neighbor interrupted her yardwork to ask about joining the bus she had chartered to go to the nation's capital.

"It's small and it's quiet here in Johnson County, but more and more people are becoming part of the group that doesn't agree with this war," said Cuddy, who was planning to load about 45 people onto the bus in a Home Depot parking lot this morning for the 20-hour ride to Washington.

Organizers say that similar busloads of teachers, nurses, housewives and others with little experience in mass protest are coming from Wisconsin, New Mexico, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Ohio and many other states.

"This demonstration will reflect, by far, the most diverse group of antiwar protesters since before the war began," said Brian Becker, national coordinator for the ANSWER Coalition, one of the event's sponsors. "We have people coming from all political persuasions, including a very large number of people who have never before been part of the antiwar movement or protest activity."

10) This is a quote from "antiwar protester" Patrice Cuddy-Lamoree, printed in the Kansas City Star on January 16, 2003, two months before the invasion of Iraq: "As a former schoolteacher and a mother, I know that Iraqi children are going to die. . . .They are going to be crushed by American bombs." She also protested the war with the National Organization for Women in Brookside, Kansas, on March 15, 2003 and contributes to Missouri Pro Vote--a "a grassroots political coalition of unions and community groups working to fight the extremist right-wing agenda through issue advocacy, voter mobilization, and progressive electoral strategies."

11) This is Patrice Cuddy's leftist blog, part of the Greater Kansas City Democracy for America organization. According to that group, Ms. Cuddy "will be supervising Bus organizing" for this weekend's protests. Cuddy had the same role for United for Peace & Justice. Another group, Revolucinario Democratice de Cuba, lists Cuddy as transport contact for the "Mass Demonstrations and Grassroots Peace Congress," held in January 2003--with a contact email in the "InternationalAnswer.Org" domain!

12) This is a picture of Patrice Cuddy picketing the Kansas City Star in late July of this year:



Original caption: "Activist Patrice Cuddy-Lamoree protects herself from the heat beneath an umbrella in front of The Kansas City Star"

(source: eKC online)

13) Questions: does the left-wing media still employ fact checkers? If so, does the job description say "ignorance of Google essential"? With such staggeringly undemanding duties, can I get that job? I promise never to Google again.

Still More:

The Discerning Texan and Stop the Bleating also can Google, thus foreclosing any mainstream media career.

(via LGF, NewsBusters and Google)