Overpass Iran! Peace activists bring protests to Twin Cities highways

Armed with large orange signs, Women Against Military Madness members took to highway overpasses during Monday evening rush hour with a simple message: “Don’t Bomb Iran.” In all, 40 signs were held on pedestrian bridges throughout the Twin Cities.

Iran has become a heated campaign issue, and Congress and President Bush have worked to increase sanctions on the country. Poll data released Monday reveals that more than half of Americans think it’s likely the United States will attack Iran before the 2008 elections.

Concerned peace activists can’t forget the words and actions in 2002 that led to the Iraq War. “We are out here because we are worried about the extremely dangerous rhetoric that’s going on. We’re worried it’s not just rhetoric,” said Mary Beaudoin, director of WAMM, as she held a sign at 38th Street over I-35W. “The same scenario developed before Iraq was attacked,” she added.

The group says it will continue to make noise as the conversation over Iran escalates. “Some of us have had this terrible front-row seat for not only the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks, but the Bush administration’s deliberate exploitation of 9/11 to attack a country that had nothing to do with the 9/11 terrorists,” WAMM said in a press release Monday. “The catastrophic war in Iraq has now become a long term, extremely costly occupation both in terms of lives lost as well as long term financial costs ($2.4 trillion!) to our country. In light of this terrible track record, we cannot afford to trust the Bush administration again when it comes to their further military agenda in the Mid-east.”

Beaudoin said it’s not just Bush either. “Our senators are buying into this very dangerous idea that Iran is a threat, both of our senators, [Norm] Coleman and [Amy] Klobuchar. We are very concerned that they are going along [with the rhetoric]”

Jim Fuller, a retired journalist and occasional blogger held a sign on the 46th Street bridge over I-35W. “I have no patience for the politicians who waffle, who play games. And therefore I have no patience with most of the presidential campaigns either,” Fuller said.

The signs for the day were built at Colleen Rowley’s house the previous weekend. Rowley is a retired FBI agent and 9/11 whistleblower who ran for Congress in Minnesota’s second district. “Colleen Rowley made these,” Fuller added. “Our patron saint of peace.”