As the countdown to likely war continues, 20 Albert Lea residents decided to take to the streets with a message of peace.

On Thursday afternoon, a group organized by Paul Moore of Albert Lea stood at the corner of Bridge Avenue and Fountain Street with signs that read

&uot;Say no to war with Iraq,&uot; and others that had messages and drawings scrawled over large cardboard sheets. Moore hopes the protest will become a weekly event.

&uot;We’ll see how the numbers are this week, and see how it grows from here,&uot; he said.

Moore decided to organize the event to show that there was a presence in Albert Lea against a war.

&uot;I think there is a perception in the country that everyone agrees with what the president and Congress is doing,&uot; he said. &uot;We are here to show that that is not always the case.&uot;

The crowd ranged from elderly veterans to young high schoolers.

Phil Kolas and Patrick Moore, two high school-aged students from Albert Lea, came to the event because they are strongly against a war.

&uot;We don’t want to go to war,&uot; said the 18-year-old Kolas, who said he would be old enough for a draft if one was instated. &uot;We won’t believe in the death of innocent people, especially for this cause.&uot;

Kolas said he believes the showdown with Iraq is caused by oil, rather than humanitarian concerns.

As he spoke, a woman drove by in a truck yelling that the crowd was &uot;anti-American&uot; and that they should &uot;go home.&uot;

The group stayed from 4:30 p.m. until almost 5 p.m. Some people honked their car horns and waved in support of the message. Other drivers stopped to argue or slowed to offer their opinion through their rolled-down window.

There were arguments through car windows and face to face.

Roger Olson, of Albert Lea, saw the group as he was walking past on an afternoon stroll. He argued his case in support of going to war with Iraq with the protesters.

&uot;I don’t want a war,&uot; Olson, a veteran, said. &uot;But I think we’ve been pushed to our limit. I think we’ll probably start into war any one of these days, and when it’s over, you’ll be thankful we did it,&uot; he told Marlene Stein-Greiner, of Albert Lea.

She argued that the United States is turning a blind eye to the world community, which is turning its opinion against us.

&uot;We need to have a more global view,&uot; she said. &uot;We are just acting alone and it is turning everyone who has worked with us in the past against us.&uot;

&uot;This is the best damn country in the world,&uot; Olson rebutted. &uot;Do you remember the day those two planes flew into the twin towers? I won’t forget it,&uot; he said, welling up with emotion. &uot;We can’t just sit here and let that sort of thing happen. We need to stop these people.&uot;

Olson said that he believes Sadaam Hussein is connected with the al-Qaeda terrorism networks.

Stein-Greiner replied by saying that a war, if anything, will promote terror attacks. Backing a country that isn’t dangerous into a corner might make it dangerous, she said.

Olson didn’t agree, but said he thinks it is a good thing that people are free to protest.

&uot;It’s their right to do this,&uot; he said, walking away. &uot;But I just don’t understand it.&uot;