Anti War Activist Cindy Sheehan did not really rear her Army Soldier son-Fiction!

1. Anti-War Activist Cindy Sheehan did not raise her son-Fiction!

2. Cindy Sheehan is Going Through A Second Divorce-Fiction!

3. Cindy Sheehan's Son's Grave Does Not Have a Headstone-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor
Several eRumors regarding Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist who became famous when she camped near President Bush's Crawford Texas ranch. One eRumor says is a divorcee who did not raise her son who died on active duty in Iraq. The email also says that her current husband has filed for divorce, making her a divorcee twice-over. Some versions of the story identify her as "Candy Sheehan." Another email, and sometimes combinations of all the emails, says that after all her hooplah about her son's death in Iraq, his grave doesn't even have a headstone.

The Truth
The story that Cindy Sheehan has been previously divorced and did not raise her son is not true. Cindy Sheehan has been married just once and did raise her son, 24-year-old Casey Austin Sheehan, who was serving in Iraq in the Army when he was killed in action in April, 2004.

It is true that her current husband has filed for divorce, but it's not a second divorce. The couple had a total of four children, two sons and two daughters. According to records filed in Solano County District Court in California, Sheehan's husband Patrick filed for divorce on August 12 saying that the couple had been separated since June. The document says they have been married for 28-years

Sheehan gained national visibility in the Summer of 2005 when she took up residence in a roadside tent outside of President Bush's ranch demanding to talk to him about Iraq.
She is opposed to the war in Iraq and says Mr. Bush lied to her son and to the country about the justification for going into Iraq.

The story about her son's grave not having a headstone is true. In a statement published by Truthout, Sheehan seems to indicate that the reason there is no grave marker is that it would be too painful for her to have one placed. She writes, " For the first year after Casey was killed, I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to place a TOMBstone on my son's grave. I didn't want one more marble proof that my son was dead. I couldn't even call where he was buried a "cemetery," I had to call it "Casey's Park." I placed fresh flowers in the cup every week and journaled there almost on a daily basis, and often laid on it and fell asleep and dreamed of my needlessly killed son."

Updated 9/6/05

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Version #1
What is most interesting to me is that the press gives this
little bunch of people who are protesting with Cindy so much air time
without discussing Cindy's background. This is a case of more press bias. It has
been pointed out on just a couple of media outlets that Cindy divorced her
first husband and left her son with him to be raised while she became a
political activist for the Democratic Party. She had very little to do with her son
in his growing years. She remarried. The 1st husband remarried. The
original father raised the son with his new wife. They miss their son and mourn
the loss of his life. They have stated that they are very proud of their son
and that they agree with the stance of America in Iraq and on terror. They
said that their son was eager to serve and to go fight the terrorists in Iraq.
He volunteered. How many news stations carried their interview? Not many.
So the son dies in Iraq and then Cindy shows up to make a stink. She gets an
audience with Bush. That was not enough. She goes to Crawford and demands
another audience. How many news stations carry the ongoing saga of Cindy?
Practically all of them. Cindy didn't care about her son. She let another
woman raise him. Cindy doesn't care about the other soldiers in Iraq. Cindy
cares about her liberal, feminist agenda and about using the death of her son
to lobby against Republicans and Bush. And the press is helping her. Why?
Then 2 days ago, Cindy's 2nd husband filed for a divorce from Cindy. Cindy
sounds like a feminist opportunist who did not have the sense of
responsibility to even raise her own son. It looks like her 2nd husband is fed up with
Cindy. We middle Americans should be fed up with Cindy also. We should be
fed up with the press. They manipulate us into their "group think" and into
the responses that they want on their polls.

Version #2

What Is This Picture?

Obviously, it's a picture in a cemetery. What cemetery and whose grave?

Sadly, it's the grave of Casey Sheehan. After two years, and a DoD payment of $250,000 to the "Peace Mom", Cindy Sheehan has not had the time or bothered to have a headstone placed on this young hero's grave. And, she doesn't even have to pay for one, the DoD will provide one:

"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a government headstone or marker for the grave of any deceased eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world For all deaths occurring before September 11, 2001, the VA may provide a headsto ne or marker only for graves that are not marked with a private headstone.

Flat markers in granite, marble, and bronze and upright headstones in granite and marble are available. The style chosen must be consistent with existing monuments at the place of burial. Niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for inurnment of cremated remains."

Apparently she can find time to protest on at least 3 continents, get arrested various times, go on vacation in Hawaii, have photo ops with the Marxists in Venezuela, but can't seem to find the time to properly mark her son's grave.

Ever wonder what the expression "stuck on stupid" meant?

Well here is an example:

The grinning idiot clinging to Je$$e Jack$on is Cindy Sheehan.. the sob sister protesting the war at Bush's ranch, who lost her son in the war, the same son she gave up in her divorce when he was 7 years old.

And by the way if you wonder why she has so much free time ... she is going through another divorce right now and guess what? She is giving up custody of another son.

As Forest Gump once wisely proclaimed, "Stupid is as stupid does."

Please DO pass this one along.