06/01/07 Take Up Cindy Sheehan's Work

Take Up Cindy Sheehan's Work

Wisconsin State Journal
Friday, June 1, 2007

I appreciated that columnist William Wineke wrote about Cindy Sheehan's "resignation" from the peace movement. She deserves recognition for the sacrifices she's made in waking this country up to the costs of this devastating war.

Wineke may be right that "none of us will ever change the country because of our individual passion," but that shouldn't prevent us from trying. I value peace and nonviolence, and need to live in a world where others do as well. If you are with me on this, take action. Talk to someone about your longing for peace, join an organization, say a prayer, give money, write about it. Do something you've thought about doing but haven't had the guts to do before now.

We all are shaping the world. If we abdicate our roles as citizens, others will make the decision to use our tax dollars to kill.

The lesson I take from Cindy Sheehan is this: We need to take care of ourselves physically and spiritually so we can keep going. And we can't leave it up to anyone else, including people who briefly become celebrities, to do it for us.

- Jean McElhaney, Lone Rock