Another milestone has been reached, the U.S. has been involved in Iraq for four years now. Peace seekers/anti-war activists around the world have been on the streets in protest over this occupation of Iraq.

The peace movement in Northern Michigan is growing. This Saturday, a peace movement was born in St. Ignace, thanks to Jim Ramelis and Mary Nichols. Traverse City has a huge anti-war movement. Our neighbors in Petoskey and Charlevoix are extremely vocal and active. Alpena has a young peace movement as well. This past Saturday, eight peace activists gathered in front of Cheboygan's county building armed with an assortment of peace signs. We were greeted by many people honking in response to our "honk for peace" signs. The chill of the morning brought about our early departure.

Tens of thousands gathered in Washington D.C. over the weekend. They held a candlelight vigil Friday night and 220 or so of these peaceful people were arrested. Many were Christians representing an assortment of churches. On Saturday, they faced an angry prowar (anti-anti-war activists) crowd. Some of these were big, brutish men who pushed 60-yearold women around for simply carrying a peace sign. There was a large contingent of Iraqi Veterans Against the War leading the march to the Pentagon.

Our Congress continues to debate what should be done. This is an important week, if you are against the war, if you are ready to see some action in bringing an end to this quagmire; this is the week you need to contact your congressman. Most people reading this paper are in Bart Stupak's district, so he is the man to contact. Personal visits to any one of his seven offices are recommended.

As I write this, the latest casualty count for our troops is at 3,210. Please take action to stop this number from growing. The number of wounded is at more than 23,000. Did you know that about one-third of all returning servicemen are facing mental health issues? Did you know that since this war began, 60,000 active duty personnel have divorced? Have you heard of the neglectful treatment of some of our wounded? How many more have to suffer to "save face"? How many more have to die before it will be"okay" to say, "bring 'em home"? How many more have to die for this war of choice? These are not just numbers, these are precious sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters. When will enough be enough for those who support this war?

I say, no more lives for George Bush's war.                         Karen Martin         Straits Area Concerned Citizens for Peace and Justice                           Cheboygan