Protesters brave cold to support Ellsworth rally

ELLSWORTH – They came from all directions, their faces half hidden under woolen hats and scarves.

Their gloved hands carried signs: “Impeach Bush,” “Support our Troops,” or simply a peace symbol on an American flag.

They converged on the U.S. Route 1 bridge over the Union River near downtown Ellsworth, lining both sides of the rails, united.

“We need to bring our focus home, our money home, our soldiers home,” said Deb Marshall of Little Deer Isle, a member of Island Peace and Justice. “It seems so obvious.”

While several busloads of Mainers joined tens of thousands at a war protest in Washington, D.C., many local organizations held their own protests across the state.

In Ellsworth, more than 100 people gathered late Saturday morning, braving temperatures in the teens to share their message.

Children as young as 10 and adults well into their 70s stood together, waving as cars passed by in each direction, many drivers honking or giving a thumbs up from the warmth of their vehicles.

“When I started protesting this war five years ago, a lot of cars that drove by were hostile. They shouted out their windows at us,” said Pat Wheeler of Deer Isle, also a member of Island Peace and Justice. “Now they honk and smile. You can really see the shift in people’s attitudes.”

That shift was evident by the number of faces Wheeler didn’t recognize. Protests are often attended by many of the same people, she said, so when new people show up, she’s happy.

“A lot of people underestimate the amount of people that are lining up against this [war],” she said. “Maine is getting to be quite a hotbed of demonstration.”

One of those new faces was Darren Sirois, 25, a student at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. He said he hasn’t really been involved in any protests but wanted to learn more about the grass-roots movement.

“It seems like more is done at the local level than at the national level, and I want to be a part of that,” Sirois said.

The local protest was held in conjunction with the event Saturday at the National Mall in Washington organized by the coalition group United for Peace and Justice.

Growing tension about the U.S. presence in Iraq, combined with President Bush’s latest plan to send additional troops to stabilize the Middle East country, has brought many together against the war.

According to a recent Newsweek poll, the president’s approval rating is 30 percent. Still, he has not wavered on Iraq, urging the country at last week’s State of the Union address to give his latest plan a chance.

Some members of Congress, including several Republicans, aren’t so sure a chance is warranted, and the Senate is considering nonbinding resolutions stating opposition to sending the extra forces overseas.

Protesters in Ellsworth said the president has been given too much time already.

“The amount of disconnect the president has is absurd. He’s living in a mythological world,” Wheeler said. “There needs to be some accountability and it doesn’t come from Congress; it needs to come from the grass-roots level.”

Most of the protesters in Ellsworth stayed for about an hour Saturday, but Marshall and some others continued their work after the protest ended, canvassing the streets for signatures they hoped would lead to Bush’s impeachment.

“We’ll stay here until it gets too cold, I guess,” she said. “But our work’s not done.”