Wisconsin Towns Poised to Vote on Leaving Iraq

[Judi Lynn]

Wisconsin Towns Poised to Vote on Leaving Iraq

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All Things Considered, April 2, 2006 · Thirty communities in Wisconsin vote Tuesday on ballot questions asking whether the US should withdraw troops from Iraq. The effort is similar to one in Vermont, where last year dozens of towns did the same thing. Opponents say the effort undermines the war and sends a bad message to both troops and insurgents. Proponents say they support U.S. troops -- but oppose the war.
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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5318737

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Posted on Sun, Apr. 02, 2006email thisprint this
War supporters rally against referendum
They call 31-city measure 'cut and run' vote
BY TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Supporters of the war in Iraq drove laps around the state Capitol Saturday afternoon, honking horns and revving engines as they urged voters to turn down a referendum asking whether President Bush should pull U.S. troops out immediately.

A caravan of vehicles, escorted by about a half-dozen leather-clad members of the U.S. Military Vets Motorcycle Club, circled the Capitol for about half an hour.

The vehicles were decked out with American flags and signs that read "Vote No To Cut and Run." Across the rear window of one car someone had written "Choose Victory." About 20 supporters cheered from the sidewalks.

"I consider it a betrayal," said Jake Kraschnewski, a 22-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student from Burlington who spent a year in Iraq as a Marine reservist. He stood on the sidewalk holding a "Vote No To Cut and Run" sign.

Voters in Madison and 30 other Wisconsin cities, villages and towns will go to the polls Tuesday to decide referendums that ask whether Bush should bring American troops home now. Peace activists pushed to have the questions placed on the ballots, even though the referendums have no bearing on federal policy.
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http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/14242854.htm