Raising their voices at home
Kevin Duchschere, Star Tribune

Larry Thorin had a simple response when asked why he had joined the
antiwar march Saturday that wound through the Loring Park neighborhood
in Minneapolis: "There's nothing more important to do."

He paused, then added: "Emphasize more."

Thorin, an unemployed St. Paul resident, was one of more than 1,000
protesters who marked the second anniversary of the start of the Iraq
war by demanding that the Bush administration immediately bring home
U.S. troops.

Shouldering black casket props, waving signs and sporadically breaking
into rhythmic chants (one favorite: "Who is the terrorist?/Bush is the
terrorist!"), protesters marched more than 2 miles before arriving at
Wesley United Methodist Church, where several hundred listened to
peace activists call for an end to what they characterized as U.S.
imperialism.

"We were and are part of a global majority who did not want the war
... and now we're working with them to end the illegal occupation of
Iraq," said Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, an assistant professor of justice
and peace studies at the University of St. Thomas.

In tone and spirit, the rally was similar to a demonstration two years
ago in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood that urged President Bush not
to go to war. Several thousand people attended that rally; about 1,500
turned out Saturday, according to estimates by the organizers, the
Iraq Peace Action Coalition.

Meredith Aby, a public school teacher who belongs to the local
Anti-War Committee, said the number of young people, church groups and
union members protesting the war has increased during the past two
years.

Brandon Madsen, a senior at Kennedy High School in Bloomington and a member of Socialist Alternative and Youth Against War and Racism,
addressed the crowd in Loring Park. "Most of us are being forced into
dead-end jobs with no prospect of ever having a decent future, all
because we're being forced to finance this war for corporate profits,"
he said.

Few counterdemonstrators were spotted along the route. Several
motorists waiting for the marchers to pass honked their car horns --
some undoubtedly in support, some clearly in agitation.

In St. Paul, a "Walk for Peace" drew between 300 and 400 protesters
for a solemn march along Summit Avenue. It ended with singing and a
candlelight vigil near the Mississippi River.

"We want to be positive, not negative, and we really feel strongly
about honoring the people who have been hurt by the war," said Linda
Winsor, a St. Paul mother who helped organize the event with several
local chapters of Neighbors for Peace.

About 30 people attended an evening service marking the two-year
anniversary at St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church in St. Paul.
Candles were lit in the darkened sanctuary and music played as lectors
read the names of the Minnesota soldiers who have died in Iraq.

Kevin Duchschere is at

kduchschere@startribune.com