Absolute Moral Authority Corrupts Absolutely

The Sheehan woman who organized the protest outside President Bush's Prarie Chapel Ranch (see aerial photo here) has been ordained by the left and some in the media with "absolute moral authority" to speak against the war because of the death of her son Casey, who loved the military.

The protest on the road approaching the President's ranch quickly took on a carnival atmosphere where old Volvos plastered with faded "Save the Whales" and "No Nukes" bumper stickers clog the small lane leading to the gate. Hippies even older than their Volvos pace up and down muttering "Halliburton, Halliburton."

On a more serious note, a field of white crosses was erected along the road, each with the name of a service member killed in Iraq. Each cross also represents a grieving family. Do the mother's and father's of those fallen soldiers also carry an "absolute moral authority?"

Ask Matt and Toni Matula of Spicewood Texas. Their 20 year old son Matthew, a Marine, was killed in Iraq last year. ""All this stuff going in crawford, we've just been watching it and shaking our heads until two days ago, we saw the crosses with the names on there," Matt Matula said. They noticed Matthew's name on one of the crosses.

From KXAN: "He's not a victim, he's a hero, and I think that everybody that's serving our country is heroes," Matt Matula said.

"He knew joining the Marines, his chances are, that was the purpose. His main number one job was to defend our country. He was very aware of that before he signed up," Toni Matula said.

So Matt Matula went to Crawford to stand up for his son, a Marine who proudly stood by the war he died in.

"I went there and had Matthew's name taken off of there. It's fine for people to grieve their own way. It aggravates me to see them using other people's names to further their cause," Matt Matula said.

"For people to use his name against it is not what he died for," Toni Matula said.

The Matulas' youngest son has just recently joined the military and is also heading to Iraq.

What about the absolute moral authority of Debbie Argel Bastian? Her son, Air Force Capt. Derek Argel, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery last week. When asked about the protest in Texas and a similar effort on the beach at Santa Barbara, she said: "I'm livid about it...Derek would not want to be remembered that way."

Saint Cindy's reaction to her critics? "The right wingers are really having a field day with me. It hurts me really badly, but I am willing to put up with the crap, if it ends the war a minute sooner than it would have."

Using the honor and memory of fallen soliders for political propaganda! Absolute Moral Authority Corrupts Absolutely!