Area residents take part in peace rally at county courthouse
Second statewide event planned for March 15

By Rhonda Westfall

Peace "What kind of American value says it's okay to start a war?"

That message on a bright red banner fluttering in the brisk morning air March 1 aptly expressed the feelings of area residents who gathered in front of the Clinton County Courthouse as part of state-wide peace rallies opposing war with Iraq. About a dozen people participated in the non-violent demonstration that was coordinated by the Michigan Peace Network.

"I'm here because of my kids and grandkids," said Judy Snyder, the Bath area resident who made the eye-catching peace banner. "It seems our country is changing - and it scares me."

That sentiment was echoed by other individuals who took part in the local peace rally and are involved in the growing national movement which hopes to prevent what appears to be inevitable - U.S. military action aimed at toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein and disarming the Iraqi nation.

"No one here thinks Saddam Hussein is a good guy - he should be taken out," said Steve Kopke of Bath. "But you don't take him out by bombing cities and innocent people. We need to dialogue."

Those concerns weigh heavy on the minds of all American citizens as they consider the "human consequences" that war will bring to both the Iraqi people and U.S. military personnel. Like other organized efforts across the United States, the Michigan Peace Network is an umbrella network of peace groups that have formed to oppose policies of the Bush administration and its plans to launch preemptive strikes against Saddam's regime.

"I'm here to show my support for my country and my fellow Americans who want peace," Kopke said. "I think war is a total breakdown of foreign policy."

Organizers estimate that more than 1,000 demonstrators participated in the March 1 peace rallies at county courthouses across Michigan.

"The most frequent comments from organizers of the local rallies were that many of their attendees were new folks who were enthusiastic to be able to express their protests in their home counties," said Bob Alexander, state facilitator of the Michigan Peace Network.

"The number of positive car horn honkers was five times more numerous than the insults or thumbs down or other finger motions."

Ben Burgis, the county's local contact, agreed.

"The reaction we got from people walking or driving by downtown St. Johns was extremely positive, from supportive honks to the elderly gent walking into the barber shop across the street and flashing us the peace sign," Burgis said about the rally at the Clinton County Courthouse.

Similar peaceful demonstrations are planned for March 15, beginning at 10 a.m. at local sites, followed by a 2 p.m., statewide rally at the State Capitol in Lansing.

The day-long events conclude with a silent auction organized by the Michigan Peace Team, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University, and performances by area groups beginning at 7. Scheduled to perform are the Treble Makers, the MSU Children’s Choir, Peter Dougherty, and Fellowship for Today Tabernacle Choir with Jim Noble, Linda Abar and Colleen Bethea. Tickets are available from the Michigan Peace Team, (517) 484-3178, or on-line at www.michiganpeaceteam.org

In addition to events planned for March 15, Peace Vigils are held every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in front of the State Capitol, and each Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., at 507-1/2 E. Grand River, East Lansing, in front of the Marines recruiting office.

For local information, contact Burgis, (517) 332-8417, benburgis@hotmail.com. Statewide information on the organization is available at www.peaceforiraq.org

 Sue Lounds contributed to this article.

Service personnel, family members have mixed view of peace rally

No one suggests that individuals like those who gathered March 1 at the Peace Rally are unpatriotic, but area residents who have family members stationed in Kuwait - or who are awaiting deployment orders - do have a unique vantage point on the pending conflict with Iraq.

"My sister doesn't want war either - it just so happened that she got deployed," Sunshine Wight of DeWitt said of her twin sister, Sosha, who is part of a U.S. Army unit stationed somewhere in Kuwait.

"I don't have anything personal to say against people who participate in the peace rallies - I just wonder if they realize that in protesting against the government's policies about the war they may also be seen as being against the people, like my sister, who are really serving them."

Randy Laney, who saw active duty with the U.S. Army from 1970-75 and is currently a Chief Warrant Officer with the Michigan Army National Guard, has a slightly different view.

"I think dialogue among citizens is essential to our democratic process," the St. Johns resident said. "We need to be willing to talk about the situation - it's imperative to look at all sides of the issue."

That being said, the helicopter gunship pilot who is taking training this summer to fly Blackhawks, would be "excited" to be part of the current mission.