Angry in the Great White North

From CNN:

Meanwhile, in downtown Crawford, more Bush supporters arrived at a pro-Bush camp, The Associated Press reported.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 150 people had visited the pro-Bush camp, which features a large tent with "God Bless Our President!" and "God Bless Our Troops" banners, the AP reported.

The pro-Bush camp is called "Fort Qualls," for Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, who was killed in action last fall in Falluja, the AP said. Qualls' father, Gary Qualls of Temple, Texas, said the anti-war demonstrators are being disrespectful to soldiers.

From CBS News:

A Utah television station is refusing to air an anti-war ad featuring Cindy Sheehan, whose son's death in Iraq prompted a vigil outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch.

Also, a patriotic camp with a "God Bless Our President!" banner sprung up in downtown Crawford, Texas Saturday, countering the anti-war demonstration started by Sheehan. The camp is named "Fort Qualls," in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, who died in Iraq last fall.

In Crawford, Gary Qualls, the father of a slain soldier, explained his reasons for supporting the pro-war camp. "If I have to sacrifice my whole family for the sake of our country and world, other countries that want freedom, I'll do that," said Qualls, who is friends with the local business owner who started the camp. He said his 16-year-old son now wants to enlist, and he supports that decision.

Qualls' frustration with the anti-war demonstrators erupted last week when he removed a cross bearing his son's name that was among hundreds the group had put up along the road to Bush's ranch.

Qualls called the protesters' views disrespectful to soldiers, and said he had to yank out two more crosses after protesters kept replacing them.

From ABC News:

Like Cindy Sheehan, the antiwar protester who has camped outside President Bush's Texas ranch, Ronald Griffin lost a son in Iraq.

But on many other details, Sheehan and Griffin part ways.

"She has the right to do anything she wants to do; she's a grieving mother," Griffin said. "I don't think she speaks for all of the parents or directly for me."

From the LA Times:

Meanwhile, more Bush supporters arrived at a camp downtown. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 150 people had visited a large tent that was decorated with "God Bless Our President!" and "God Bless Our Troops" banners and a life-size cardboard cutout of Bush.

"When we saw this, we said, 'Thank God you're here,' " said Frances Lee, who arrived in Crawford with her Douglasville, Ga., neighbor Brenda Bohanan. They planned to hold pro-Bush banners down the street from the protesters.

"We said, 'We wanted y'all to know that there are people from all over the United States that care,' " Lee said.

The pro-Bush camp is called Fort Qualls, for Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, who was killed in Fallouja last fall. His father, Gary, of Temple, Texas, said the antiwar demonstrators were disrespecting soldiers.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

A patriotic camp with a "God Bless Our President!" banner sprung up downtown Saturday, countering the anti-war demonstration started by a fallen soldier's mother two weeks ago near President Bush's ranch.

The camp is named "Fort Qualls," in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, who died in Iraq last fall.

"If I have to sacrifice my whole family for the sake of our country and world, other countries that want freedom, I'll do that," said the soldier's father, Gary Qualls, a friend of the local business owner who started the pro-Bush camp. He said his 16-year-old son now wants to enlist, and he supports that decision.

Qualls' frustration with the anti-war demonstrators erupted last week when he removed a cross bearing his son's name that was among hundreds the group had put up along the road to Bush's ranch.

Large counter-protests were held in a ditch near Sheehan's site a week after she arrived, and since then, a few Bush supporters have stood in the sun holding signs for several hours each day.

Bill Johnson, a local gift shop owner who created "Fort Qualls," said he wanted to offer a larger, more convenient place for Bush supporters to gather.

He and others at "Fort Qualls" have asked for a debate with those at the Crawford Peace House, which is helping Sheehan.

It's unclear if that will happen. But a member of Gold Star Families for Peace, co-founded by Sheehan and comprised of relatives of fallen soldiers, said her group would not participate.

Just a cross-section of major papers and news outlets, none of which could be called pro-Bush. Yet all are carrying the Qualls story or some other story of parents disagreeing with the activities at Camp Casey, and none are minimizing it. Indeed, each is making an effort to add to the basic story, to flesh it out.

I predicted that the longer the Bush administration avoided making any direct comment on the Sheehan situation, the more the press would be forced to look at Cindy Sheehan and Camp Casey for story material, and that the coverage would grow less sympathetic, less one-sided. It seems to have begun in earnest.

Of course, Fox News Channel carried the "America is not worth dying for" video last week. Time for the rest to catch up?

[Captain Ed also considers the question of exactly who Cindy Sheehan is speaking for.]