Dear Senator Smith

I write to you father to father, and from a common perspective. I'll explain that in a moment, but first I want to tell you what I did this evening.

I joined several hundred residents of Corvallis to stand in support of and in solidarity with Cindy Sheehan. Our vigil was organized and hosted by Bart and Leah, husband and wife, both retired military officers. Around 300 of us stood in the cool, clear evening and listened to parents speak of their children, one young woman speak of her year serving in Iraq, a Marine "grunt" vet of Vietnam speak of how he still suffers 32 years later, and many others speak their opposition to this war and their sorrow for Cindy. We held candles that shined brighter as the night grew darker -- funny how that works. We sang "We shall overcome," as if it were the good old days when that song was unambivalent in meaning. We blew out our candles, smiled warmly at one another, and we returned home.

Cindy Sheehan will not be returning home for a long time; that was the point of the 1,600 vigils across the country tonight. She is taking a stand in memory of her son and, from her perspective, on behalf of all the other sons and daughters who have died, been hurt, and remain under threat in Iraq (and may I add, that includes Iraqi sons and daughters). To walk downtown and stand in front of the beautiful Benton County Courthouse was a simple and easy thing to do; the rest of what needs to be done is terribly difficult, but still, it is quite simple. We must stop this war.

Gordon, you know what it's like to lose a child tragicially. The way your son died is too horrible for words, and I come close to understanding. About the same time your son's attempt at suicide was successful, my son's attempt was not. Thankfully, he made a pretty poor job of it, for which I will always be thankful. But the horror of what my sweet child tried to do to himself was overwhelming. I am still coming to grips with the enormity of it; I still am overcome with terror at times. I find it impossible to believe he is over "it," whatever it was that pushed him in that direction. I hope to God he is past it, that he has no desire not to live out his days fully and naturally. I hope so. I am more sorry than I can say that you were not as blessed as I was. It's so wrong that this happened to your family, just absolutely and utterly wrong.

And I hope you don't think I'm speaking inappropriately of our children, but Gordon, you stand in a privileged place in our nation. You are a United States Senator, and a member of the majority party; your voice carries weight few of us possess. That weight, the power of your voice and your office, in not inherent in you as a person, of course; it derives from your position as a representative of the people of Oregon. And as our chosen representative, one of only two such people we get to choose to serve in that office, you have a duty to care for the people of Oregon, to put their welfare above other considerations, especially above party politics.

This is why you must demand that this president end his foolish war in Iraq immediately -- and there are ways to do that without capitulating to the insurgents. You must demand that he bring our children home now. 1,800 of them are already dead, and for what? Could you in all honesty go to Cindy Sheehan and tell her that Casey, her beloved son, died for an honorable cause? That his death was worth it? Could you look her in the eye and unwaveringly tell her, "Cindy, Casey's death was necessary for our country's peace and freedom" -- can you do this? After what you have suffered, the pain you know of a child dead far too young, if you cannot look her in the eye and speak those words honestly, Senator Smith, then you must tell your president that his war is wrong and he must end it now.

And God help you, Senator Smith, if you can tell her that -- Cindy, your son's life was required for this just and noble cause in Iraq -- then I wonder what you have learned in this life. Please show us that you have learned the value of each and every human life. This is something of which your president appears to have no understanding. Perhaps, Gordon, you can explain to him the pain Cindy Sheehan has suffered. And then perhaps he will walk down his dirt road and talk to her with true understanding; then perhaps he will open his eyes to options that value life and not ideology.

Thanks for listening, and God bless you.

in peace,
todd barnhart
corvallis, oregon

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