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03/18/2007
Protesters push for peace as war turns 4Nearly 200 take to TC streets
Lou Grettenberger, of Traverse City, holds a peace flag while waiting to cross Grandview Parkway during Saturday's anti-war demonstration in downtown Traverse City. TRAVERSE CITY — There may be no end in sight to the four-year-old war in Iraq, but for those who opposed it since before the March 19, 2003, invasion, there is a little less hostility in the world. "We used to hear, 'Why don't you move to Russia?' or, 'Go back to Russia,' that's the way they put it, and then there was one: 'Why don't you move to France?' That didn't make any sense, either,” recalled John Lewis, president of the area's chapter of Veterans for Peace. Lewis, a retired accountant who served in the Navy at the end of World War II, said the reception at local demonstrations has become friendlier over the years. Lewis never understood those who equated opposition to the war with hatred of country. "I actually had a person ask me, 'Why do you hate your country so much?' That bothered me because I wanted to take time to answer him,” Lewis said. "That's such a bad expression, to think that you can't criticize the administration in time of war.” But anti-war activists said they've recently noticed a shift in the mood over Iraq. They hope that shift can be used to pressure Congress to put an end to the war. Saturday, nearly 200 protestors gathered at Lay Park on Union Street to march through Traverse City with colorful signs reading, "No More Rhetoric, End It Now,” and "If Cars Ran On Vegetable Oil, Bush-Cheney Would Be Poor.” Cars honked in support and St. Patrick's Day revelers walked by. One said: "I appreciate you,” to a protester. "Why don't you stay?” the protester asked. "Because there's no booze here,” the reveler responded, making his way toward a bar. From fringe to forefront The area's antiwar activists may have appeared to be on the fringe of society four years ago, but they now believe they're part of a majority of Americans, especially in light of last November's elections, widely considered a repudiation of President George W. Bush's Iraq war policy. "Not a week goes by without somebody coming up to me and saying, 'You were right, you've been right for the last four years,'” said Marian Kromkowski, a Suttons Bay attorney and local peace activist. At a recent meeting of the Traverse Area Peace and Justice Community, a stack of freshly printed yard signs sat in the corner. The signs read "Our Troops Home NOW!” and about 20 people, all of them middle age or older, discussed the best way to get them distributed. They also discussed correspondence between the group and Michigan's members of Congress. Kromkowski had collected statistics about American casualties and unemployment and inflation rates in Iraq. She fashioned the information into a letter to legislators that asked them to pledge to withdraw troops and to cut funding. "I feel like there's a big feeling, the people are saying, 'OK, we did our part, now we're waiting for Congress to do its part,'” said Steve Morse, a retired attorney and former Notre Dame law professor. The letter went to Rep. David Camp, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, Rep. Bart Stupak, Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Debbie Stabenow. So far, none agreed to make the pledge, Morse said. "Levin was the only one that didn't really engage us personally,” Morse said. "We're putting a lot of pressure on Levin because we're so disappointed in him and he's in a key position in the Senate.” Kromkowski and Morse said Levin buys into rhetoric that is one of the biggest challenges faced by war opponents — that to support the troops, a person must support continued war funding. Former troops support peace Today, Josh Eicher, 26, is a student at Northwestern Michigan College. Four years ago, Eicher prepared to invade Baghdad. "They call it the spearhead because we were the front of the front,” said Eicher, of his role as an Army cavalry scout in the invasion. "They totally amped us up because they told us, 'Oh, they're going to surrender immediately once we make a show of force.” For four months, Eicher watched Baghdad deteriorate after the invasion. "When we left there was already graffiti up saying, 'Americans go home,'” he said. Now discharged from the Army, Eicher joined Veterans for Peace. He doesn't consider himself an activist, and he didn't plan to march on Saturday, but he believes veterans who oppose the war need to give a voice to soldiers who also oppose it but are not able to make a stand. And he doesn't believe war opposition equals opposition to U.S. troops. "I just find that complete propaganda,” Eicher said. "In the military, when I heard protestors against the war, I didn't take it as a personal attack against me. Many soldiers were opposed to the war, but you can't voice that.” Jonathan Reed, 27, of Traverse City, also recently joined Veterans for Peace after spending about a year in Iraq with the Army in 2005 and 2006. "As a soldier, you do what your leaders tell you to do. It's not a choice,” Reed said. "As private citizens and former soldiers, it's our responsibility to speak up when our leaders are making the wrong decisions.” Young blood The inclusion of Eicher and Reed in Veterans for Peace was good news for John Lewis, who wondered when Iraq war veterans would join. "It's just been in the last couple weeks I had two e-mails from Iraq war people and we've been working on that for a long time,” Lewis said. Lewis has been a member of the peace group for around 20 years, but the local chapter has only met regularly for about the last year at the Horizon Shine Cafe in the lower level of Horizon Books on Front Street in Traverse City. The gray hair and the lack of youth at the Traverse Area Peace and Justice Community meetings worries Kromkowski and Morse. They don't know the whereabouts of the area's young people who oppose the war. "We've asked that question,” Morse said. "I don't know why we don't have (younger people.)” He said the group considered recruiting at high schools but they determined that could be viewed as inappropriate, even though the military recruits at high schools. "If it wasn't for my mom, I doubt I'd get involved,” said Jeneil Bamberg, 22, one of many young people at the march in Traverse City Saturday. "My mom and I, this is our annual date against George Bush and his policies.” She and her mom, Kathryn, held each side of a banner that read "400,000 Plus Dead.” Bamberg said she suspects many young people are not interested in what's going on in the world. "I think my generation is, in a lot of ways, pretty apathetic to the world in general and politics,” she said.
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