It should be noted that the local monopoly paper _Columbus Dispatch_ has seldom ever put an article about left-wing (or even liberal) political activists -- much less a sympathetic one -- on the front page, but it did so this time.
***** The Columbus Dispatch January 18, 2003 Saturday, Home Final Edition SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 01A LENGTH: 620 words HEADLINE: LOCAL ADVOCATES AT D.C. PEACE RALLY BYLINE: Dean Narciso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
BODY: Signs of an anti-war movement have been sprouting for weeks in Clintonville's front yards.
"No War in Iraq" reads one message on Acton Road near Whetstone Park.
"Stop War" demands another one.
Peppered among the scarlet and gray banners, the anti-war signs represent an opposing view of the military buildup in the Persian Gulf region and a fear that the United States is more focused on military force than diplomacy. Today, large crowds of anti-war protesters, including more than 100 people from Columbus, are expected to gather on the Mall in Washington, D.C.
Worthington residents Bill and Laura Barndt will be there. Mr. Barndt, 87, a retired minister, said he has devoted his life to peace by delivering humanitarian aid to numerous poor countries.
"My commitment all through the years has been for peace," Mr. Barndt said before leaving last night on a bus.
"I've tried to live and teach and demonstrate that peace is the way, whether it be in families, locally or world issues."
Twelve years ago, the Barndts marched in a similar rally in Washington to oppose the Gulf War.
"History tells me what we're planning to do in Iraq just lays more seeds for more dictators and more violence and wars," he said.
Two chartered buses were scheduled to leave Columbus around midnight carrying students, workers, children, retirees and military veterans.
"These are basically mainstream people from all ages, all walks of life," said Connie Hammond, treasurer of Columbus Campaign for Arms Control and the rally's local organizer.
Sean Florian, a 13-year-old Ridgeview Middle School seventh-grader, will be among the younger protesters.
The Clintonville resident was traveling by car to Washington yesterday afternoon with his parents, 15-year-old brother, Chris, and two friends.
"There's no reason for us to go to war," Sean said yesterday by cellphone as his parents drove near Zanesville.
"There are a lot of kids my age who are gonna die. (U.S. leaders are) just mad at Saddam Hussein. We're not mad at the people. So there's no reason for us to hurt them."
Art Strauss, 78, of Clintonville, stayed home but shares the views of those marching.
"We're a movement of the peace-loving people of the world and not the war party, which we think is off its rocker," said Strauss, whose living room is stacked with anti-war and environmental literature.
"War is an abomination, which needs to be exterminated. The world's human beings are terminating the planet."
Polls suggest not all Americans are sold on the Bush administration's plan.
A Pew Research Center poll released Thursday indicates that 53 percent of Americans think President Bush has not explained the stakes that justify using military force against Iraq.
Still, 76 percent said they would support war if nuclear, biological or chemical weapons were uncovered by United Nations weapons inspectors.
Some city councils, most recently Chicago's, have passed resolutions opposing pre-emptive military action unless Iraq is shown to be a real threat to the United States.
A similar proposal was brought before Columbus City Council this week, but no action was taken.
"It's all informal and nonbinding, anyway," said Dan Trevas, the council's spokesman.
"One of our policies is to try to limit our policy resolutions to those that involve municipal issues."
Mrs. Barndt, 86, said she and her husband look forward to the march.
"Getting together and talking and working it out, instead of bombing, seems to be the better way," she said.
"I just really want to be a part of an expression of what we've been involved with all our lives."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story. dnarciso at dispatch.com
GRAPHIC: Photo, JAMES D. DECAMP DISPATCH,, Bill Barndt and his wife, Laura, of Worthington are among the Columbus-area, protesters bound for Washington, D.C., to oppose war with Iraq.
LOAD-DATE: January 18, 2003 ***** -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://solidarity.igc.org/>