Those who oppose the war in Iraq have organized the first statewide peace march with a plan to cross the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day -- always a big media event—with or without protesters. “Hopefully, the governor will see us, the media will see us, and all the elected officials will see us. We want the troops home where they should be,” said Marilyn Bagdonas, who joined in a much smaller protest on the corner of Division and Grandview Parkway in TC last week (there’s a weekly Wednesday protest at the corner, 5-6 p.m.). The State has a tradition of closing down the bridge every Labor Day for the Mackinac Bridge Walk, with the governor leading between 50,000-60,000 walkers each year. The marchers want to put Gov. Jennifer Granholm in the spotlight—or on the spot, depending on how you want to look at it. They will wear black t-shirts that say: “End the war on Iraq” and “Bring the Guard home now.” Bruce Peterson, a march organizer in Traverse City, said he realizes that Gov. Granholm can only bring home the Michigan National Guard in the case of a state emergency. “This is a symbolic gesture in that we want Governor Granholm to convey to George Bush our feelings,” he said. “We know she can’t demand to have the troops come back, but she certainly can voice her opposition to using the state National Guard, and she hasn’t done that.”
TOUGH FOR GUARD Marian Kromkowski, a major peace activist in Traverse City and founder of Mideast:Just Peace, said that the deployment of a large percentage of most of the state’s National Guard profoundly affects both Michigan and the Guard members themselves. Unlike regular army soldiers who serve full-time and are stationed on military bases, members of the Army National Guard historically served only on weekends and lived at home. This allowed Guard members to attend college and work full-time. Once deployed, a Guard member often puts his or her job on hold, or is forced to temporarily drop out of college. The departure of reserve members is also weakening law enforcement agencies, fire departments and emergency medical crews, where they are often employed, she said. “If a disaster were to occur, they would lack the necessary forces to cope,” Kromkowski said. In terms of legal standing for Granholm to call back troops, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1990 that absent a state emergency, governors have little to no authority over the deployment of state national guard troops, said Kromkowski, who’s an attorney. “This is unfortunate as it turns a valuable state resource over to federal control with the state having no say in how or where the troops are used. In effect, it makes a reserve force into a standing army. We ask Governor Granholm to do all in her power to keep the remaining control over the national guard, to speak out against the use of our state soldiers in this war and, if there were a state emergency, to exercise her power to bring the Guard home,” she said.
CIVIL WAR? President Bush contends that pulling out of Iraq now would cause a civil war and betray the Iraqi people. But many war opponents, like Kromkowski and Peterson, believe that a civil war has already started and that the U.S. presence actually makes things worse. Ellis Boal of Petoskey and a member of Northern Michigan People for Peace believes the Iraqis must come up with their own political solution. “It’s an embarrassment, so what I try to do is put pressure on my own government,” Boal said. “Maybe the U.N. can go in there and help them, but not us. We shouldn’t be there at all.” Other local groups involved in the march include Mideast: Just Peace, the Neahtawanta Center, the Traverse Bay Watershed Greens, and Michigan Veterans for Peace. Kromkowski said she and her family are walking to recognize the hardship and suffering of all those affected by the wars—the U.S. soldiers, their families, the Iraqis, Palestinians, and Lebanese. “It is to all these people that we dedicate our efforts to end this war. We want our troops home now and for U.S. policies to change so that future unwarranted military actions will not be instigated.”
PEACE NETWORK Kromkowski said that this march is particularly significant because it’s the first statewide coordinated effort of the fledgling Michigan Peace Network. Nearly 150 peace and justice organizations have been working together since February to communicate with all the Michigan groups involved with peace actions. “We are not alone anywhere in our opposition to this war. It is important to publicly show this opposition so as to embolden others and to show solidarity with all peace and justice advocates,” she said. The Michigan Peace Network, which organized the statewide march, explained on its website that the t-shirts will tell the message instead of signs, so there will be no reason for police to keep protesters off the bridge. A bus is available to transport walkers from Traverse City to the Bridge Walk and back. To reserve a bus ticket to the Bridge Walk, send a check or money order for $20 per ticket along with your name, telephone and email address to MidEast:JustPeace at P.O. Box 815, Suttons Bay, MI 49682. Contributions to defray expenses are also welcome. The bus will depart from Traverse City at 4 a.m. and return approximately at 3 p.m. on Labor Day. For further information contact Marian Kromkowski at 231-271-5600 or email mkrom@centurytel.net. Petoskey residents should call Ellis Boal for bus information at 231-547-2626. There’s also an option to make it a weekend event complete with speeches, peace and justice workshops and a seminar on how to help students opt out of high school recruiting efforts. The Michigan Peace Network secured a campsite 15 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge for free rustic camping; (campers are required to pack in and pack out). For more information on the event, go to www.michiganpeacenetwork.org/MassMarch.
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