Adam Miller in the News

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"This is the first time we've ever been challenged to make the right
decision in a long time," said Adam Miller, 24, of Burlington

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http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/bfpnews/local/2000h.htm

War protesters take messageto the streets of Burlington

By Shawn Turner
Free Press Staff Writer

Charlotte Miller stood watching, bullhorn in hand, as speaker after speaker
stepped up to the microphone to protest the U.S. war in Iraq during a rally
Saturday in City Hall Park.

She said she has been against the war since Day One -- and feels vindicated
by a recent poll indicating she is no longer among the minority.

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released last week found that 54 percent of
Americans think it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq, marking the first
time that figure has topped 50 percent.

"It's unraveling," the 23-year-old Burlington-via-London resident said.
"It's tearing apart at the seams. We know now that the Bush organization lied."

Miller joined about 200 other activists who gathered to protest the war in
Iraq. Part of the minority for much of the past year, the protesters are now
part of the majority, according to the national poll.

Standing near the outskirts of the rally watching over her two children,
25-year-old Burlington resident Enit Sirhc had another word for it.

"Mainstreamified," she said.

Sheila Ryan, 61, of Essex and her husband Ray Harvey, 60, said they have
been reluctant to come to rallies such as Saturday's for fear of appearing
unpatriotic.

"We have Vermont boys dying over there," Ryan said of the 11 with Vermont
ties who have died during the war, including one of natural causes. "We
don't want the families of these boys to think we're against the troops."

Though the number of people who feel it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq
is climbing, the sentiment did not translate into as many people attending
the rally as organizers expected. Cindy Meehan, executive director of the
Peace and Justice Center -- one of the groups sponsoring the event -- had
said she hoped the rally would attract 500. The rally was timed to coincide
with the planned transfer of sovereignty to Iraq on Wednesday.

Montpelier resident Tom Good sat on the park grass, his back against a
homemade sign that read "Lie about sex: Impeachment. Lie about war:
Patriotism." He said he did not put a lot of faith in the poll's numbers.

"Dean had a big lead in the polls right before the Iowa caucus," Good, 41, said.

He said he expected the country to stay equally divided on the war through
November's election.

"Or until Bush pulls Osama bin Laden out of his pocket Oct. 13," he said.

Saturday's rally, which did not draw any visible opponents, did manage to
upset at least two participants. Harvey and Ryan left temporarily when some
of the speakers began criticizing Israel. They returned when the Israel
rhetoric ended.

"I don't want to be looking like I'm condoning that," said Ryan, who is not
Jewish.

At 1:10 p.m. the protesters took to the streets for a march that would take
them from Main Street to South Union Street, over to Pearl Street, and down
to Battery Street before returning to Main Street and City Hall Park.

"This is the first time we've ever been challenged to make the right
decision in a long time," said Adam Miller, 24, of Burlington, before the
march began.

Contact Shawn Turner at 660-1852 or sturner-FqpLzvlvkbaNCJLnyVWW5JDNqVtyEE+eQQ4Iyu8u01E@public.gmane.org

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