Voice to Debate Sheehan Can't be Found

Anti-war activist to speak before Senate panel Friday

by Daniel Barlow

When anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan testifies against the Iraq war before a Senate committee Friday, the voice in favor of the conflict may be silent. Committee Chairman Sen. Vincent Illuzzi, R-Essex-Orleans said Monday that he has been unable to find anyone to testify in favor of the four-year-old war during the noontime hearing in the Senate chambers later this week. Illuzzi said he has contacted the state departments of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, along with representatives of the Vermont National Guard Enlisted Association, but none wanted to come before the committee opposite Sheehan. "I wanted a balanced hearing to show that there are two sides to the question," Illuzzi explained. "But so far everyone had declined the opportunity to speak in favor of the war." Sheehan's testimony before Illuzzi's Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs comes weeks after the Vermont Legislature became the first in the country to pass a resolution calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Although the Senate and the House supported a nonbinding resolution earlier this month calling for the end of the war, Illuzzi said Sheehan will be allowed to speak again on that measure during the committee hearing Friday. The session has been moved from its traditional committee room into the Senate chambers because lawmakers are expecting a large crowd. Sheehan will also be giving a press conference outside the Statehouse following her testimony. Sheehan's testimony is the first stop on a three-day tour of Vermont aimed at building support for a series of nonbinding town meeting resolutions calling for withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq and the impeachment of President Bush. Twenty-three towns have the impeachment and end-the-war questions on their warnings, but organizers of the grassroots movement, which started last year in the rural Windham County town of Newfane, say more towns may tackle the issue under other business. Sheehan will make stops during the tour in Middlebury, Castleton, Rutland and Brattleboro along with a half-dozen more towns, according to Dan DeWalt, a member of the Newfane Select Board who kicked off the grassroots Green Mountain impeachment movement and organized her visit. DeWalt said Sheehan, who was in Jordan this week, will speak about ending the war during the pre-town meeting stops and efforts to push the U.S. Congress to impeach Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney. She also plans to raise the impeachment issue during her Senate testimony, DeWalt said. A bill calling for Bush's removal has been introduced, but the committee it has been referred to is unlikely to act on it. "The Vermont Legislature seems intent on avoiding the issue of impeachment, but Cindy will talk about the need to remove this man from office before he does more damage," DeWalt said. This will not be Sheehan's first visit to Montpelier. Two months before her historic demonstration outside of President Bush's Texas ranch in August 2005, Sheehan and other anti-war activists, including family members of other soldiers killed in Iraq, rallied for peace at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier. "Our children are cannon fodder for the war machine," she said at that meeting, which occurred about 16 months after her son, Casey, was killed in Iraq. "We have to make it a country we can be proud of again." Illuzzi said he is looking forward to hearing Sheehan speak Friday. Although her activism following her son's death has resulted in acclaim from other anti-war activists, some conservatives have been critical of some of her comments. "I'm curious to see which side of that fence I'll be on after hearing her speak," Illuzzi said. On the Web: www.vtimpeach.com © 2007 Times Argus Discuss This Article click here... ###