Woodstock it ain't

Politics: But the anti-war protests inspired by Cindy Sheehan turned Crawford, Texas, into a war zone | John Dawson

CRAWFORD, Texas -- The horde swept into Crawford, Texas, like locusts, taking all the parking spots on the town's small drag, overwhelming the lone traffic light, and marauding the town's Fina station, causing it to run out of gasoline—not to mention batteries, disposable cameras, film, and cherry-flavored Halls. "We're not made for this," said 19-year-old Matt Arrington of nearby Valley Mills, who had the afternoon shift at the Fina station. "I've seen so many people—tourists, I guess. Germany, Tokyo, Amsterdam. Now I'm getting tired of everyone asking the question, 'Where is Bush's house?'"

Crawford has never seen such a circus. First it was the wave of anti-war protesters who rallied to support Cindy Sheehan, the bereaved mother of Casey Sheehan, a soldier killed in Iraq. Mrs. Sheehan demanded a meeting with President George W. Bush and encamped near his Crawford ranch house from Aug. 6, leaving abruptly to be with her ill mother, then returning Aug. 24 to a hero's welcome. Then it was the Bush supporters who rallied to the town to back Mr. Bush, the war effort, and the troops. If the dry pumps at the Fina station are any indication, Crawford isn't big enough for two protest movements.