By Kristina Goetz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

As the U.S. military prepares to invade Iraq, grassroots peace organizations in Greater Cincinnati are beginning to call up their own reinforcements.

Organizers plan a volley of rallies, vigils and dramatic presentations for the day President Bush launches the attack.

Tuesday night, a large group of activists also decided at an emergency meeting to hold a vigil for the remaining hours of Bush's deadline. That vigil will be at the Community Friends Meeting, 3960 Winding Way off Dana Avenue. Volunteers will take shifts during the 24-hour vigil.

For some against the war, it will start with a light in the window.

Cincinnatians and others across the world who oppose using force against Iraq are finding support from a national group called MoveOn.org, which encourages citizen involvement in political debate.

The group is asking people to put a candle, lantern or light bulb in the front window of their home. It is "to keep the light of reason and hope burning," the group's Web site says.

"If the U.S. invades, our world image is tarnished for a long time," said Sayrah Namaste, a Walnut Hills woman who has been an activist for peace about seven years and founded the Coalition to Prevent War in Iraq.

"We are violating the U.N. charter and all international laws governing warfare by preemptively invading Iraq,'' she said. "It is a sad day for those of us who love our country and the principles that we asked our president to live by.

"At this time, and as a mother, I am thinking of those pregnant women in the maternity hospital of Baghdad. Why do we drop hundreds of bombs on the people if we only want one man?

"All of us are lighting candles and putting them in our windows. Some are putting candles all around their homes and yards. ... It is our symbol of resistance."

On the day of the invasion, peace supporters plan to converge on the downtown federal building at 5 p.m.

If the invasion is at night, they plan to gather at 5 p.m. the next day. Participants will hold signs urging a peaceful resolution to the conflict and large photos of Iraqi civilians.

"We are going to gather there and, depending on how large the crowd is, we'll have moments of silence, singing and some people telling their stories," said Sister Alice Gerdeman, executive director of the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center. "There's a strength that like-minded people gather when they come together."

The University of Cincinnati's student anti-war committee also will demonstrate at 11 a.m. the day of invasion at the Langsam Library. They are planning a "die-in," Namaste said. They will dress in black to remind Americans that people are being killed, she said.

For more information: Web site.