Protesters dedicated to their cause

By PAMELA KROPF, www.courierpostonline.com

Gannett State Bureau (Trenton, NJ), April 7, 2003

While most Americans are wrapping themselves in the red, white and blue during this time of war, a dedicated and unwavering group is marching under another banner - the peace flag.

"This is my new flag," the Rev. Francisco Pozo, pastor of Christ Church, Episcopal in Trenton, said as he took the navy blue flag with the large white peace sign on it from a fellow protester during an anti-war rally at the Trenton War Memorial two weeks ago. "God bless the people of Iraq, the people of America and the people of the world."

Similar to the peace movement during the Vietnam War, anti-war protesters in the Garden State, the nation and the world were unable to block the American invasion of Iraq. But the beginning of the conflict, and its early successes, have not diminished their opposition.

"War is not, and never will be, the answer to bringing peace," said Lily Borenstein-Burd, 15, of Elizabeth. "And peace is what we all want, isn't it?"

Protesters say it is their love of life that drives them.

"There is too much injustice in this world," said Mollie Herman, an active peace organizer at Eastern High School in Voorhees, where she is a senior. "As an activist and as a human being, I want to institute peace where there is war and bring compassion instead of hatred."

"I am against this war because I have a tremendous respect and love for human life," said Dan Rosen, 17, a student at Ridgewood High School and a member of the Bergen Action Network and Rethink. "I oppose (this) war because I do not want any more ground zeroes."

Activists say they will not stop protesting because many innocent soldiers and civilians have already died unnecessarily.

"Iraqi people shouldn't die for our government's greed and the U.S.'s ignorance," said Mark Rahman, 16, a sophomore at Montgomery High School and a member of Speak Out Against the U.S. War on Iraq and Youth Against Exploitation, War and Racism.

"It's the U.S. who is carrying out the biggest acts of terrorism right now," Bob Witanek of Montgomery, Somerset County, a member of NoWarNJ, said. "If it wasn't for war, no (soldiers) would become prisoners or die."

Campaigners believe the war will make the United States a more dangerous place to live.

"War will not make us any safer in this country," said Elizabeth Volz, president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Organization for Women. "War does not free people. People free people."

Burd believes that when the war ends, death, sickness, starvation, hatred and terrorism will be left.

Peace activists say they are using their First Amendment rights to support soldiers.

"I support the troops because I was (a soldier) at one time," Don Dileo of Yardville, Mercer County, a member of New Jersey Labor Against the War, said. "The real balancing act comes when you are opposed to the war and have to deal with people who cannot separate support for the troops and opposition to the war. To most, you have to be `all the way' or your allegiance (is questioned)."

Herman said she's not against the soldiers, she's against the war.

"I say support our troops and bring them home immediately so they don't have to die or kill anymore for this unjust war," Rosen said. "If our government really supported our troops, then why did they cut veteran benefits several times this year?"

The Rev. Robert Moore of Princeton, executive director of the Coalition for Peace Action, and a Vietnam War peace activist, said he is concerned for our troops because they have been put in harm's way and are in Iraq unnecessarily.

Much like the 1960s peace movement, advocates feel their voices went unheeded.

"The president is arrogant," Moore said. "There's a problem with democracy when people feel their voices aren't being heard."

Witanek said it was the same arrogance driven by power that dragged the country into the Vietnam War.

"It seems that the only lesson the Bush administration (learned) from the Vietnam War is that (they) should launch massive and obliterating destruction and killing with the belief that (it) will eliminate a protracted battle for the U.S.," he said. "This is a dangerous fallacy."

"Imagine what signal (this) sends to every country who has a beef with its neighbor," Dileo said. "Bush did not make a significant case for this war."

Although recent statistics show that most Americans support President Bush, peace campaigners say they will keep protesting because the public has been misinformed, leading it to support an unjust war.

"I think most people say they are for the war because they don't want to be painted as unpatriotic," Dileo said. "I don't think Americans, as a whole, read enough print media or listen to (enough) experts on foreign relations to make a really intelligent decision based on facts, but rather on fear."

"It's a lie that you can support the troops by supporting the war," Witanek said.

Peace supporters believe the money spent on the war would be better spent fighting terrorism at home.

"I honestly never felt threatened by Saddam Hussein," Dileo said. "Terrorist cells in the U.S. are (scarier) than (him). We should be focusing our energy on finding out who is here illegally and seek them out, rather than bombing foreign countries."

Demonstrators say they will continue to protest until American troops come home.

"If those before me stopped protesting against the Vietnam conflict, the Nazi occupation or even the injustices in South Africa, who knows how much longer humanity would have suffered," Herman said. "To stop now would be ignoring my patriotism and disgracing my country. Now that the war has started, the initiative to end it is even more realistic."