Protesters gather at Monument Circle

Eight-year-old Nathan Haberman's complaints of the overwhelming cold echoed from inside his sister Megan's long wool coat, where Nathan was attempting to find warmth at Saturday's anti-war protest in Indianapolis. \nUpon hearing Nathan's whimpering, a pair of protesters turned around, armed with an extra pair of wool socks and pocket warmers. Soon Nathan's legs were no longer sticking out of his sister's coat, but dangling from his father's shoulders as they helped take off his wet shoes and in their place put wool socks stuffed with the pocket warmers on his feet. \nAn estimated 450 people gathered at the base of Monument Circle to listen as speakers and musicians broadcast their peaceful message from the top of the stairs. The rally was one of hundreds of worldwide protests that occurred Saturday in an effort to oppose the war on Iraq. \nNathan's father, David Haberman, an IU professor of religious studies, brought his two children to the protest to encourage them to think critically about the consequences of war.\n"I feel strongly that this war is as wrong as can possibly be and I'm willing to suffer the cold to say so," Haberman said. "I still look back on the horror of the Vietnam War and at least I have the satisfaction of resisting that. I want my children to think about what war really is and to have the opportunity to say it's wrong."\nIndianapolis resident Pamela Khalid brought her 8-year-old twin daughters to Monument Circle. \n"They need to learn early on that America is about freedom of speech and expression, not about war," Khalid said. "If terrorists make our country silent then they've won half of the war."\nAs Khalid explained her decision to bring her children to the rally, her daughters, Saara and Ameera, bounced around to keep warm, tightly gripping their neon, homemade anti-war signs written with Crayola markers. The protest was their fourth since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.\n"I don't think it's right," Saara said firmly. "Why don't we take oil from somewhere else?" \n"Not someone who doesn't want to give it to us anyway," Ameera chimed in.\nThe diverse crowd of young and old was a sea of wind-chapped, attentive faces all bobbing up and down to keep warm in the frigid air. Over the microphone a protest coordinator announced that not only did they have hot chocolate to offer, but also extra hats and gloves if anyone needed another layer of warmth. And he reminded demonstrators the best way to keep warm is to hug your neighbor. \nThe chill didn't seem to bother sophomore Heather Fitch, who happily waved a sign that said "No War with Iraq."\n"I would rather stand out in the cold and stand up for what I believe in," Fitch said, "than to wimp out and watch it on TV."\nThe crowd's spirits were high as they listened to the various speakers, ranging from war veterans to politicians to activists to religious leaders. Harold Donle, a Vietnam War veteran and IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis professor, spoke for several minutes, and concluded by asking the crowd "What do we want?" and "When do we want it?"\nA boisterous "Peace!" and "Now!" exploded from the crowd. The exchange continued for several minutes until Donle looked winded from shouting. Noah Merrill, a 2002 IU graduate, organized the speakers for Saturday's protests and said listening to the war veterans was the most powerful of all the speakers' messages.\n"It was important to hear the voices of so many war veterans," Merrill said. "I think as Americans we all have to have respect for people who risked their lives. For those who've seen the horrors of war to speak out against this war is particularly inspiring. They have wisdom to base their judgments." \nMerrill said the rally was a culmination of a month's efforts to organize speakers and bands to support the cause. \n"On a personal level, I feel like as a citizen of this country we have a responsibility to speak out for what we believe in. In this situation -- whether it's war or peace or one of the many options in between -- we have a responsibility to make our voices heard," Merrill said. "I would say that as an organizer what really struck me was the diversity of people who want to talk about this issue. What we've done is chosen to use our voices as citizens of a democratic society, and now we're asking people to answer us."\nMerrill is not the only one calling on elected officials to respond. Jeanette Wallis began collecting grievances against President Bush shortly after the 2000 election and left her Seattle home on July 17, 2001, to walk to Washington, D.C. Her "Walk for Democracy" has brought her and her dog 2,700 miles thus far and coincided with Saturday's protest in Indianapolis. She plans to meet with the President upon arriving in D.C. and has charted her progress on a Web site (www.thewalkfordemocracy.org).\n"Peace is not the absence of violence, but the presence of nonviolent direct action," Wallis said. "Be the change you wish to see in the world. Put one foot in front of the other and you can go anywhere."\nSophomore Sara Costenaro said she identifies with Wallis' philosophy. Originally, she and her friends planned to go to the New York City rally, but due to a lack of funds decided to simply support the Indianapolis cause.\n"I wanted to show support and see what people had to say," Costenaro said. "And if you lose your voice, you lose everything"