February 27, 2006
Anti-War Activist Cindy Sheehan and Pro-War Activist Deborah Johns To Speak Here
San Diego – Students will hear two opposing views of the war in Iraq at two separate events when prominent anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and pro-war activist Deborah Johns appear at Thomas Jefferson School of Law here on Monday, Feb. 27. Johns will be joined by former California State Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian, who now co-chairs “Move America Forward,” a non-profit organization that supports U.S. troops’ involvement in Iraq. Sheehan will be joined by Fernando Suarez del Solar, the father of a fallen Marine from San Diego.
The public is invited to attend the Johns-Kaloogian event, titled “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy,” at 3 p.m. in Room 300 of TJSL’s Law Library. The event is sponsored by the Jefferson Law Republicans, a student organization. Immediately following that talk, the public is also invited to attend the Sheehan-Suarez event, titled “Families of the Fallen Speak Out,” at 4:30 p.m. in Room 200 of TJSL’s Courtyard Building. This event is sponsored by the Student Chapter of TJSL’s National Lawyers Guild and the San Diego Chapter of the NLG.
Johns, whose Marine son William will start his third Iraqi tour of duty in September, blames Al-Qaeda for U.S. military deaths and has said, “I am deeply sorry for Ms. Sheehan’s loss; however, Ms. Sheehan’s actions are only causing pain to those of us who have loved ones serving in the war against terrorism.” As a full supporter of the war, she leads the “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy” tour across the nation. Kaloogian has led the “Voices of Our Soldiers” tour and has declared his candidacy to replace Randy “Duke” Cunningham in San Diego’s 50th Congressional District.
Sheehan has protested the war in Iraq since the death of her 24-year-old son Casey on April 4, 2004. She received national media attention last August when she led hundreds of protesters in a demonstration outside President Bush’s Texas ranch. She will be accompanied by speaker Suarez, whose 20-year-old son, Jesus, was one of the first U.S. troops killed during the initial week of war after he stepped on a U.S. cluster bomb, and also the first Mexican citizen to die in the war.
The law school, located near Interstate 5 in historic Old Town San Diego, is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.