Carly Sheehan, left, begins to read a poem as her mother, Cindy Sheehan, looks on near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Saturday, April 15, 2006. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Sheehan's daughter visits Crawford war protest camp
CRAWFORD, Texas -- Cindy Sheehan's oldest daughter joined her Saturday for the first time at a war protest near President Bush's ranch.
Carly Sheehan, a college student in California, read a poem she wrote after her older brother Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004."Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother's grave? They say that he died so the flag will continue to wave. But I believe he died because they had oil to save," she read to the crowd of more than 300 people under a large tent on a private one-acre lot.Bush was spending Easter at Camp David.Cindy Sheehan said Casey's death has been hard on her three surviving children."That's too much to ask of anybody to adjust to that," Cindy Sheehan said. "But now, they have to adjust to the fact that their mom is always gone. But they know that they are sacrificing and we are sacrificing to bring the troops home and to make sure it never happens again."Sheehan started the protest near Bush's ranch in August, drawing thousands, and returned for another vigil the week of Thanksgiving. Bush was at his ranch both of those times, and protesters returned this week because Bush has spent every Easter since he was elected at the ranch except this one.Earlier Saturday, the rally was briefly interrupted by about 100 Bush supporters driving by on motorcycles, including one carrying a lifesize cardboard cutout of Bush, and seven people on horseback holding American and Texas flags."Peace ain't free," Bob McDonald, whose horse had the message "Cindy go home" written on its hindquarters," angrily told about a dozen of the protesters who stood at the edge of the camp, holding their fingers in the "V" peace symbol. "I stand up for what I believe. I don't like war, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do."Some returned to a pro-Bush camp set up in downtown Crawford by a souvenir shop. Other Bush supporters and their children also gathered at a park and had an Easter egg roll similar to one at the White House.
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, left, greets Cindy Sheehan after he spoke at a war protest near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Saturday, April 15, 2006. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
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