At 11:30 a.m., members of the Butte peace group gathered in front of the building that houses field offices of Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester (Montana's lone Representative Dennis Rehberg doesn't have a Butte office). We carried UFPJ signs re no more dollars, no more deaths, and special full color signs that were copies of a painting by Missoula artist Kristi Haeger. They showed a cake in camouflage frosting with five candles and a heading that read "5 Years Too Many." The midday, midweek crowd was only about a dozen. We marched into the offices of each senator and delivered a letter to each, asking they stop voting to fund the Iraq occupation. This was a follow up on private meetings with the senators in January and refuted their arguments for continuing the funding. Five of Montana's major cities are "Cities for Peace," having passed referenda or resolutions for withdrawal from Iraq. Statewide polls verified a majority of all Montanans want out of Iraq. Our letters asked the senators to make good on their promises to acknowledge the democratic processes used to tell them what their constituents want. While our Montana taxpayer dollars are used to purportedly export democracy to Iraq, it is disturbing to have democratically elected senators ignore the democratic processes and demands of their constituents. The visits and de-funding message were reported in SW Montana March 19 by KXLF-TV.
The peace group marched to the county Peace Park for a silent prayer vigil before a half-dozen departed for statewide Montana Peace Seekers Network actions in Helena with similar visits to congressmen and a major demonstration.
The March 20 "The Montana Standard" carried a large front-page photo of the group at the peace park, terming the prayer vigil there a "war protest," but we were glad for the ink!

At 11:30 a.m., members of the Butte peace group gathered in front of the building that houses field offices of Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester (Montana's lone Representative Dennis Rehberg doesn't have a Butte office). We carried UFPJ signs re no more dollars, no more deaths, and special full color signs that were copies of a painting by Missoula artist Kristi Haeger. They showed a cake in camouflage frosting with five candles and a heading that read "5 Years Too Many." The midday, midweek crowd was only about a dozen. We marched into the offices of each senator and delivered a letter to each, asking they stop voting to fund the Iraq occupation. This was a follow up on private meetings with the senators in January and refuted their arguments for continuing the funding. Five of Montana's major cities are "Cities for Peace," having passed referenda or resolutions for withdrawal from Iraq. Statewide polls verified a majority of all Montanans want out of Iraq. Our letters asked the senators to make good on their promises to acknowledge the democratic processes used to tell them what their constituents want. While our Montana taxpayer dollars are used to purportedly export democracy to Iraq, it is disturbing to have democratically elected senators ignore the democratic processes and demands of their constituents. The visits and de-funding message were reported in SW Montana March 19 by KXLF-TV.
The peace group marched to the county Peace Park for a silent prayer vigil before a half-dozen departed for statewide Montana Peace Seekers Network actions in Helena with similar visits to congressmen and a major demonstration.
The March 20 "The Montana Standard" carried a large front-page photo of the group at the peace park, terming the prayer vigil there a "war protest," but we were glad for the ink!