Dear Siobhan

My son, Spc Casey A. Sheehan was KIA in Iraq on 04/04/04. Are you aware that when a soldier enlists in the service, he/she swears an oath to protect the Constitution of the United States of America?

Article one of the Bill of Rights (In the US Constitution) reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

You and your organization may not agree with what the family in Sacramento are doing, but whether this war was moral or immoral, my son and thousands and thousands of other brave Americans have died for the Pearcy's right to do what they are doing at their own home. If they want to burn the American flag, that expression is also protected by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. If you protest the Pearcy's right to their peaceable protest, then you are demeaning my son's sacrifice and I don't appreciate that.

Please, don't say that you respect their 1st Amendment Rights, because you don't. You just disagree with their message.

It is your 1st Amendment Right to peaceably protest. But if you are doing it because you think the Pearcy's are undermining the safety of the troops by their statement...you are being hypocritical. The Bush Administration and what it is doing in Iraq undermines the safety of the troops and the safety of innocent Iraqis. Turn off Fox News and then you will realize this war is based on lies.

My son would be proud of what the Pearcy's are doing to save his buddies. Please have some self-respect and cancel your protest. If not, I will be there, exercising my First Amendment right to MY Freedom of Speech and to peaceably assemble with a poster-sized picture of MY SON which says: Bush Lied, I Died. Who knows...I may even hang Bush in effigy...which is also my right.

Cindy Sheehan

Vacaville Ca