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Cindy Sheehan and Ruhal Ahmed at Shannon
 international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
 Wednesday May 23, 2007 23:04 by Edward Horgan
Courage and Conviction
Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq while serving as a US soldier, and Ruhal Ahmed, who was taken from Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay prison in a Hercules US military plane, for the purpose of torture, visited Shannon airport on 23 May 2007 in solidarity with local Irish peace activists.
 US Hercules at Shannon 23May07 Casey Sheehan passed through Shannon airport on a chartered US troop carrier shortly before he was killed in Iraq. His mother Cindy, instead of quietly morning the loss of her beloved son, decided to stage an anti war protest at US President George W Bush's ranch in Texas, so that other parents might not suffer similar losses. She has become one of the most persistant and dedicated anti war activist in the United States. However, she is not only concerned at the loss of American lives in Iraq, she is also very concerned at the loss of so many innocent Iraqi lives.
Ruhal Ahmed was arrested in Afghanistan in 2003, bound, gagged and blindfolded, and transported to Guantanamo Bay Prison camp in Cuba on a US military aircraft, probably a Hercules C130 like that photographed above at Shannon today. He has not yet established the exact route of his journey from Afghanistan to Cuba, but there is now a strong likelihood that he may have been transported through Shannon airport. Most of the investigations into the US extraordinary rendition for torture programme have focused only on the use of chartered or CIA executive jets for the transport of the prisoners for torture. However, US military aircraft were also extensively used for prisoner transport especially in 2002 and 2003, and many of these Hercules C130s passed through Shannon airport. I should know, because I was arrested unlawfully for taking a photograph of one at Shannon in 2005.
The evidence that Shannon was used to transport prisoners to and from Guantanamo is growing, and with the release of more prisoners such as Ruhal from Guantanamo proof of the Irish Government's complicity in crimes of torture will emerge.
At Shannon today Cindy spoke movingly of the loss of her son, and how he wrote in a letter that she only received after his death that staff at Shannon airport had commented on his Irish name, and his Irish connections as he passed through on his way to Iraq.
Ruhal confirmed that he may have been taken through Shannon as a prisoner and he spoke of the abuse and dispare that prisoners suffered in Guantanamo.
Gardai and Airport security tried to disrupt the reception party that went to Shannon to meet Cindy and Ruhal. A large number of extra Gardai has been drafted in for the day. Conor Cregan arrived at the security barrier on his motor-bike and was refused entry and effectively detained at the security barrier for about an hour. Security was so effective that Edward Horgan, and Fiona Wheeler, two well known protesters and peace activists at Shannon were simply waved through as Conor was been questioned.
Conor was falsely told by a Garda that the reason he was not being allowed up to the airport was that Cindy Sheehan was not on the Aer Lingus flight from Dublin.
At the terminal building, Cindy and Ruhal did arrive as scheduled, and Fiona Wheeler presented Cindy with a bouquet of flowers.
A press conference was held just outside the arrivals entrance.
Speakers at the press conference included Cindy Sheehan, Ruhal Ahmed, Edward Horgan PANA and Liam Kilgallen of the Irish Anti War Movement.
Because Connor Cregan was still held at the security barrier about a mile from the airport, the group of peace activists and their guests of honour travelled out to the barrier and spent some time with Connor. Some disruption was caused to traffic due to the Garda and security handling of the Conor Cregan detention issue.
The purpose of this and other protests at Shannon airport has never been to inconvenience anyone, especially workers and civilian travellers through Shannon. Our only purpose to the do all we can to prevent the taking of innocent lives in unlawful wars, and expose the complicity of the Irish Government in these unlawful killings.
We are very grateful for the effort that Cindy Sheehan and Rhuhel Ahmed made to come to Ireland and to come to Shannon airport especially, to show solidarity with Shannon peace activists.
It was emphasised at the press conference that protests at Shannon will continue and will be stepped up with the change of Government in the comming days. We will never accept that Ireland's participation in unlawful wars should become 'custom and practice' by default.
We call on all peace activists to renew their efforts to end US military and CIA use of Shannon airport. This Summer should become a summer of discontent and protest at Shannon airport. Peace protests at Shannon will continue for years to come if necessary. Action must be taken to bring to justice all those who have been complicit in the deaths of over 262,000 children in Iraq, and the deaths of thousands more children in Afghanistan.
Cindy Sheehan, Rhuhel Ahmed at Shannon
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Comments (17 of 17)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Please note Irish army and Garda protection provided for US Hercules warplane at Shannon today 23 May 2006, in gross breach of Ireland's fraudulent international claims to be a neutral state.
The question must be asked, are these Hercules C130 aircraft still being used to transport prisoners to and from Guantanamo for torture?
The Irish army and the Gardai have already been complicit in the US rendition for torture programme, and in the crimes against humanity committed by US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
As one who has been invited on to 99% of all C130 Military aircraft and other private aircraft listed by you and your mis-informed friends as either CIA or Renditioned flights, for the record I'm stating that no aircraft landed @ Shannon in the past 6 years carrying prisoners. I know this for a fact as I would not be allowed on board if there was anything to hide from the public. Contrary to your writings, Irish Police have been on board and as a result the Irish Government are confident that all the flights are bona fide.
No proof has appeared anywhere to contradict the above statement except for "so called witnesses" in other countries. Please Mr Ed ( couldn't resist it ) get off the magical bandwagon and attack the Irish Government directly for your grieveniences and although you threw back your medals, an insult to all who served the Irish Honour abroad, now it's time to give back your BIG PENSION and get more handouts from the Lefties who are handing it out to the rest of "RENT A MOB".
Bring on the personal attack, I've given you more "real" info than anything you received either from home or abroad.
I don't expect to be believed but ........................
To Irish worker @ Shannon
You're really unique - I will leave aside all your personal gripe and vitriol againct Ed Horgan - his tireless efforts to highlight our government's criminal complicity in allowing Shannon to be used by the US and its variety of seditious organisations must be really pissing some of you off. big time Great !
However your assertion that you have been, personally, "invited" to board 99% of flights passing through Shannon, and you have seen nothing untowards when in those planes, is really a bombshell. What kind of job do you have in there good man? Joke.
Out goes Dermot Ahern's statement that we wouldn't go anyway near those flights because that would damage our relationship with the US Government, out go the Gardai statements that they wouldn't go onto any planes without authorisation, out goes the Aer Rianta manager's Court statement during the Ploughshares trial that he, or any of his colleagues, would not go anywhere near any flights because they're told by the 'Authorities' there is no need!! You're right there with Bertie whosaid he looked into Bush's eyes and he knew the bollix was telling the truth!!
But YOU have also seen the truth friend - you're on record!! You have seen no weapons being transported to Israel, you have seen no Apache helicopters ....we're all mis-informed, lefties anyway, what else would you expect from people like us - rent-a-mobs - right?
The only problem you, and those who pay you to tell lies, have is that we, along with friends like Ed, and Mary Kelly, and the Ploughshares, and all our comrades in Shannon and the Clare region, and in Limerick, and in Galway, and in Tralee, in Cork, in Derry and Belfast, and the hundreds of thousands abroad, we will continue our struggle. You can take it from me - on the record!
Until the new Government stops this criminality, stops this collusion, until our neutrality and what you call 'Irsh honour' live again. And we can cleanse our hands from blood money. We can tell our children and granchildren we fought injustice, we did all we could, and that's how we won at the end. Like we did when the Empire attacked Vietnam, like we did when the squaddies were running the streets of the 6 Counties......On the record!!
Irish worker @Shannon, you say you have been invited to go on board 99% of all US aircraft at Shannon and you saw no prisoners on board. First I doubt very much about your 99% figure. Secondly, since there have been many thousand US flights through Shannon, military, chartered and CIA, even the 1% you say you were not allowed go on board, that still makes adds up to a significant number of planes you were not invited on board - more than enough to transport dozens of prisoners throug Shannon. Do you work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? I think not. From your posting above, I take it you work at a senior level with the aircraft servicing company FBO or whatever name it goes under at present. I suggest you also know a lot more of what is really passing through Shannon, but are staying silent, because you might endanger your job.
You mention the word honour as if honourable behavior means something to you, and I hope it does.
You seem to consider trinklets such as medals to be items of honour, yet you seem to think that participating in the killing of innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan, and facilitating torture (even if the torture planes were empty when they were refuelled at Shannon) to be honourable or acceptable behaviour. Medals are simply public acknowledgement of past distinguisned behaviour. I know that my past behaviour for which I was given these medals was honourable, and I dont need either publich acknowledgement of this, or memorabilia to remind myself.
An estimated 262,000 Iraqi children under 18 have died as a result of the Iraq war.
Since no accurate body counts have been taken, this figure may vary substantially up or down. However, there is no doubt that tens of thousands of innocent children have died needlessly and unjustly. Those who killed these children did so dishonourably, and those who assisted these killers at Shannon airport and elsewhere, behaved dishonourably. This is the real meaning of the word honour.
It is also dishonourable also not to take all necessary actions, including protests, and refusal to assist potential and actual murderers.
Before you choose to lecture me on honour, please look into your own soul, and ask yourself how you really feel about the fact that you have helped to kill innocent children.
Have you seen the footage of the US marines destroying the town and the people of Fallujah?
Did you ask yourself what little part you played in facilitating those killings. Perhaps you were just 'obeying orders' !
Think again, Shannon Airport Worker. Are you fortunate enough to have children yourself? You may even be senior enough to have grandchildren as I have.
How would you like if some terrorist, individual or state terrorist, dropped a bomb on your children and killed them in the most horrific ways?
Think again, Shannon Airport Worker, about the real meaning of honour. Look into you soul, because you have one whether you like to admit it to yourself or not.
Ask yourself the real meaning of honourable and ethical behavior.
Perhaps in time you might even have the courage to put your real name to a posting like the one you have made above, as I always do. I stand over what I do and say publically, and have no problem being criticised publically by you and others.
I do detect, I hope, some evidence of humanity in your response. Perhaps you are already having some second thoughts about what you are facilitating at Shannon and are trying to justify your denial of reality?
You choose to mention my pension, and suggest I should hand it back. I did nothing dishonourable to earn that pension. Can you say the same for the money you earn at Shannon airport, and the money you will get in time in your Shannon airport pension?
I will continue to do what I believe is honourable and ethical. I hope you will find the courage and the enlightenment to do likewise in time.
Thank you in the meantime for the information provided 'between the lines' in your posting above.
Yours in peace,
Edward Horgan
'irish worker'
what you are stating in your paragraph above is more information on this topic than has been forthcoming from official or unofficial sources for the past 6 years.
you could have a major effect on the public perception of shannon airport and it's involvement in the US war of terror if only you could find the courage to speak out publicly.
it appears the gardai cannot publicly confirm your claim that they have inspected these aircraft or that there were no rendition victims aboard so your public avowel of these facts would ease peoples concerns that our country is host to human rights abusers.
i am quite sure that you will find that one of the mainstream media (eg, irish mail or star) might even pay you money for your exclusive.
have courage and go public with these facts...
I personally dont believe the 99 per cent story myself. But why are you critical of the Garda and the Army alone in your top posting. Are not ATC, Aer Rianta Management, Aircraft Refuellers and even down to the people laughing down their sleeve selling Irish souvenirs in the Duty free shops all complicit in this charade.
Typical of your interpretation, but I never wrote about Gardai or anyone being asked to check out or search these planes, what I did mention was that on numerous occasions, people have been invited in board when the crew have time to entertain and this would include members of the Gardai and the Irish Defence Forces and Airport staff.
Typical of you all to mis interpret to your way of thinking..............pointless as usual .............by the way, this was mentioned in Court before and so is on public record.
Bye Bye.
Like a shell-shocked soldier, Mr 99% Airport Worker @ Shannon is diving for cover.
There is no response at all to the issue of facilitating the killing of innocent children.
Hopefully this is because such an issue needs serious time for reflection.
Our ongoing protests at Shannon airport are not primarily about legalistic issues such as:
Irish Neutrality,
Bunreach na hEireann, the UN Charter,
The UN Convention against Torture, and
The Geneva Conventions.
Our protests are primarily about humanitiarian issues such as trying to stop the killing of innocent civilians and stoping the torturing of helpless prisoners.
Please Mr Airport Worker, address the issue as to whether it is right to faciiltate the killing of innocent children, by refueling and servicing the aircraft that are bringing the soldiers and weapons to kill those children.
May they rest in peace.
Edward
Strikes me that Iraqis need no assistance from the USA in killing men, women and children.
Not to mention beheading their victims before the camera.
Seems self evident that the collapse of civil society in Iraq did not occur unitil the U.S. invasion.
You seem pretty good at blaming the victim.
Cindy Sheehan: Friends don't help friends commit war crimes (Ireland, Part II)
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1038
Official figures show that more than 14,000 US troops passed through Shannon last month, an increase of over 5,000 on the previous month.
Look what happens when you let the US transport thousands of troops through one of your airports.
American to halt Shannon US flights RTE.ie
http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0522/shannon.html&cid=1...82182
8.7pc of US firms consider pulling out of Ireland
rising energy and unit labour costs are perceived as major weaknesses to the Irish economy in the eyes of the management of US multinationals in Ireland
Shannon development.(by FGer)
http://media-newswire.com/release_1049550.html
http://www.bigducky.com/videos/beheading_videos/beheadi...g.htm
Should this be the future for Iraqis?
HELL NO!
Its all very funny to me the fact that Cindy Sheehan only decided she was against the war when her poor little son got blown to shit in Iraq?That women needs her head checked shes the stupid mother who sent her son off to war in the first place!!I mean seriously this women is a complete joke she hardly thought that if she sent him off to war that there had to be a chance he mightened come back alive!!!This is your typical case of grievance which is find someone else to pin the blame on for your loss and in this case its the US government and the war.I myself dont agree with the war and yet i find the fact that we are giving this women all the atterntion is just sick!!
I dont mind people saying now the war is wrong but i hate hearing of cases like this blame case this women is persuing......
Cindy explains why she is leaving the Democratic Party.
May 28, 2007
An Open Letter to the Democratic Congress
Why I Am Leaving the Democratic Party
By CINDY SHEEHAN
Dublin, Ireland
Dear Democratic Congress,
Hello, my name is Cindy Sheehan and my son Casey Sheehan was killed on April 04, 2004 in Sadr City , Baghdad , Iraq . He was killed when the Republicans still were in control of Congress. Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George's authority to wage his war of terror while asking him "for what noble cause" did Casey and thousands of other have to die. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into "Mr. 28%"
There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damaged soldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage. You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.
Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said after George signed the new weak as a newborn baby funding authorization bill: "Now, I think the president's policy will begin to unravel." Begin to unravel? How many more of our children will have to be killed and how much more of Iraq will have to be demolished before you all think enough unraveling has occurred? How many more crimes will BushCo be allowed to commit while their poll numbers are crumbling before you all gain the political "courage" to hold them accountable. If Iraq hasn't unraveled in Ms. Pelosi's mind, what will it take? With almost 700,000 Iraqis dead and four million refugees (which the US refuses to admit) how could it get worse? Well, it is getting worse and it can get much worse thanks to your complicity.
Being cynically pessimistic, it seems to me that this new vote to extend the war until the end of September, (and let's face it, on October 1st, you will give him more money after some more theatrics, which you think are fooling the anti-war faction of your party) will feed right into the presidential primary season and you believe that if you just hang on until then, the Democrats will be able to re-take the White House. Didn't you see how "well" that worked for John Kerry in 2004 when he played the politics of careful fence sitting and pandering? The American electorate are getting disgusted with weaklings who blow where the wind takes them while frittering away our precious lifeblood and borrowing money from our new owners, the Chinese.
I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action. That's why we went to DC when you all were sworn in to tell you that we wanted the troops back from Iraq and BushCo held accountable while you pushed for ethics reform which is quite a hoot...don't' you think? We all know that it is affordable for you all to play this game of political mayhem because you have no children in harm's way...let me tell you what it is like:
You watch your reluctant soldier march off to a war that neither you nor he agrees with. Once your soldier leaves the country all you can do is worry. You lie awake at night staring at the moon wondering if today will be the day that you get that dreaded knock on your door. You can't concentrate, you can't eat, and your entire life becomes consumed with apprehension while you are waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Then, when your worst fears are realized, you begin a life of constant pain, regret, and longing. Everyday is hard, but then you come up on "special" days...like upcoming Memorial Day. Memorial Day holds double pain for me because, not only are we supposed to honor our fallen troops, but Casey was born on Memorial Day in 1979. It used to be a day of celebration for us and now it is a day of despair. Our needlessly killed soldiers of this war and the past conflict in Vietnam have all left an unnecessary trail of sorrow and deep holes of absence that will never be filled.
So, Democratic Congress, with the current daily death toll of 3.72 troops per day, you have condemned 473 more to these early graves. 473 more lives wasted for your political greed: Thousands of broken hearts because of your cowardice and avarice. How can you even go to sleep at night or look at yourselves in a mirror? How do you put behind you the screaming mothers on both sides of the conflict? How does the agony you have created escape you? It will never escape me...I can't run far enough or hide well enough to get away from it.
By the end of September, we will be about 80 troops short of another bloody milestone: 4000, and MoveOn.org will hold nationwide candlelight vigils and you all will be busy passing legislation that will snuff the lights out of thousands more human beings.
Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so "other presidents" can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.
It used to be George Bush's war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history with BushCo.
The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this "two" party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading. We did not elect you to help sink our ship of state but to guide it to safe harbor.
We do not condone our government's violent meddling in sovereign countries and we condemn the continued murderous occupation of Iraq.
We gave you a chance, you betrayed us.
Sincerely,
Cindy Sheehan
Founder and President of
Gold Star Families for Peace.
Founder and Director of
The Camp Casey Peace Institute
Eternally grieving mother of Casey Sheehan
http://www.counterpunch.org/sheehan0528200...
Obviously being in the rarefied proximity of the likes of Horgan et al in Shannon had a profound impact on Cindo: She's jacked the whole thing in, with a very churlish goodbye letter and an attempt to flog land in Texas that would shame even the property section of the Irish Times:
Not effective at all. She was a mouthpiece of the radical left, and only showed how easy it is to mock groups like Code Pink, ANSWER, etc. When you cozy up to dictators like Chavez and openly degrade the U.S., your 15 minutes are up. Good riddance, Cindy.
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_6018387?nclick_c...eck=1
It's for sale," she wrote in the diary. "Anyone want to buy five beautiful acres in Crawford, Texas?"
Here is an interesting quote from Cindy Sheehan in the resignation letter:
"I have also tried to work within a peace movement that often puts personal egos above peace and human life. This group won’t work with that group; he won’t attend an event if she is going to be there; and why does Cindy Sheehan get all the attention anyway? It is hard to work for peace when the very movement that is named after it has so many divisions."
The above should remind us that the primary aim of the peace movement should be stopping the war, not building the profile of any individual.
This is a letter from Samir Adil, President of the Iraq Freedom Congress to Cindy Sheehan. Full text at the link.
Dear Sister, Cindy Sheehan Greetings...
I have read your article (Good-bye America... you are not the country that I love anymore), in which you declared resignation and your plan to stay away from the arena of struggle against war and the occupation of Iraq.
We met twice, the first time in Washington during the "Eyes Wide Open" event in May 2006 and the second time in December 2006 at the US Labor Against the War (USLAW) rally. On both occasions, we supported and emboldened each other, and pledged each other to continue the struggle for humanity in the United States of America and Iraq, in order not to repeat the tragedy of yours and thousands of other mothers in the U.S. and Iraq...
Our front is one, our enemy is one and we have a common destiny. Do not let the criminals and thieves put you down. Let's hold hand to hand, shoulder to shoulder and continue our struggle. The USA needs you. America does not change spontaneously, as noted in your article. America changes only with the efforts of civilized people in the United States and strengthening the anti-war movement.
Bush, Dick Cheney and Rice remain in power and that means more mass killing and barbarous acts.