It's 11:46 on a Saturday morning and the debate team has been at work for two hours. Junior Will Cooney notes the time and calls for a lunch break. He asks debate coach Jeremy Christensen if he would like any goods smuggled from Saga, Inc.
Christensen says no.
Every day for the past two weeks, save Sundays, the debate team has been preparing for their showdown at the National Parliamentary Debate Association's national debate tournament in Lubbock, Texas starting March 18.
After a six-week absence from the debate world due to budget constraints, the preparation has been intense. Practice debate rounds have been added to research time.
Research time entails finding any articles focusing on national or international policy, finding both sides of the issue, the arguments supporting it and - more often than not - discovering how the issue will end in either nuclear Armageddon or the extinction of the human race.
The eight members of the elite traveling team began their final research push Friday evening for three hours.
"The problem is most of the things we end up debating are things that happened within the last two weeks," Christensen says.
Christensen began Friday's session with an outline of what needs to be done: cases on prisoner rights, Iran, net neutrality, immigrants, the Google-China power struggle, smart grids, cap and trade policies, banking regulations, filibusters and information on the impact of Diamond Creek, Idaho on rare metals. He doles out the responsibilities and retreats into his office to build cases. Soon, the room fills with the furious clicking of keyboards as each debater scans articles, magazines, government reports and videos in order to craft their cases. Coach said don't worry about quality; worry about quantity.
"Just get the cases done," Christensen says. Cooney finds an article on the eventual prevalence of nuclear weapons thanks in part to the political instability of Pakistan and the North Korean sale of a nuclear power plant to Syria in his issue of Foreign Affairs - a good impact for a round.
In his office Christensen records a case about China's monopoly on rare metals for an absent team member. He speaks in the fast and furious tone that's unique to the debate world - pausing only for quick gasp of breath.
"No-rare-metals-means-no-wind-and-hybrid-uses-costs-rise-parts-become-unavailable-and-of-those-materials-production-stops-therefore-'D'-are-the-impacts-warming-can-be-reversed...it-must-be-reached-before-2050-'two'-is-with-out-reaching-the-target-warming-effects-will-kill-millions-on-a-path-to-extinction..."
Christensen speaks this way for seven minutes straight.
The group stops only for the occasional smoke break - joking about how they've linked their information to a nuclear catastrophe. China is always good for a case.
Cooney says he had detailed how China has boosted its production of attack submarines putting the United States Navy, Taiwan and Japan at risk and putting the world at the brink of nuclear winter.
As freshman Ian Blodger says, "Nuclear good."
Senior Alexandria Carraher says nuclear conflict is always preferable to a conventional war in debate, thanks to its impact on the global population.
"And it's really easy to trigger," Cooney says. "At least in a debate round."
The group ends Saturday's workload with a game of rummy and details of past trips. They'll start filing on Monday in preparation for their flight to Houston, a luxury for the team. The team cackles over Christensen's stingy spending.
"We go to a conservative college; I'm fiscally conservative," Christensen said.
"I guess you can call it that," says Cooney. "What would you call it?" Christensen asks.
"Cheap," Blodger says.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Freshman brothers create iPod game
For the past semester Cory and Toby Flint have been programming a new game for the iPod Touch from their dorm on the bottom level of Simpson Hall, and they're almost ready to release it.
The game, entitled "Satellite Defense," is modeled after the tower defense genre, where the goal for the player is to place stationary weapons across a field in order to prevent an enemy from crossing the screen. Cory Flint said the game has 12 unlockable maps with progressive difficulty and will cost 99 cents.
Sophomore Brett Ramsay played the game in its early stages and said he was impressed the brothers were able to do while in school.
Freshman Brad Francis agreed.
"That's what blows me away," Francis said, "how much time and effort they put into it." The Flint brothers' latest project has drawn on all of their skills which Cory Flint considers to go hand in hand with a liberal arts education. Between the two, the brothers have taught themselves advanced programming methods, composed their own music and have developed their own art all within one semester.
In preparation for the game's release, the brothers just launched www.brothersflint.com. Another project they've undertaken for their game.
The brothers said they can't remember when they first decided to make a game for their new iPod Touch, but they decided to give it a go simply because they could, and it was there.
"I think it began as a form of relaxation," Cory said.
Toby agreed, saying they started to work on it to unwind from the day.
Cory said large-scale projects aren't uncommon for the two. He said they started with lemonade stands when they were kids. Their Eagle Scout projects, an amphitheater and campfire, melded into one with their addition of trails. The brothers also documented their backpacking adventures in New Mexico their book, "The Philmont Chronicles." Hillsdale's library has a copy. "It was a joint project," Cory said.
"That's just how we roll," Toby said.
Cory was responsible for crafting the game's three-dimensional models and art. Toby was responsible for the programming.
"If you see it, he did it, if they move, my program did it," Toby said.
Toby said he began programming his own games on his Nintendo DS when the brothers were in high school in Omaha, Neb. His first game was pong. On his DS, the game looked rudimentary at best. Red, yellow, blue and green colored lines formed the boundaries and the black background had the white words "back-" and under it "ground" scribbled onto the screen.
Toby said he decided to continue to write programs when he and Cory purchased a Macbook Pro that came with a free iPod Touch and printer. He said he learned how to program on a MacIntosh computer by using various tutorials and Apple documents on the Internet. When the brothers began to take the project seriously, he decided to quickly learn code by looking at tutorials he came across and applying them immediately.
"We came in second semester with no specific experience," Cory said. "It was like going from zero to 60 in a few seconds," Toby said.
Toby said to imagine the program files as a type of hierarchy where one file calls on another set and that set of files call on another. He said all the files constantly message between one another to create an object onscreen, like an enemy capital ship.
If (currentCapitalShip==1) { fl: PushMatrix();
What follows are seven out of 3,102 lines of code. Each line contains black and brown acronyms, purple and green letters and the ever-present blue numbers. They tell where the enemy capital ship will be placed, how big it'll be and how it's oriented. At first glance, nothing seems to have any order, but after a few moments of adjustment, patterns and symbols begin to emerge and a language is formed. Brackets are paragraphs markers and semicolons are periods.
"There's a reason why they call programming languages 'languages,'" Toby said.
Junior Elliot Gaiser tested the game as well, and said he was impressed with the brothers' talents.
"They go all out on everything," Elliot said.
That may be true: both of the brothers composed the music for the game in a single weekend, but there's a problem. Cory said the sound effects were a bit loud, Toby agreed, and the decision to fix it was finial.
The game, entitled "Satellite Defense," is modeled after the tower defense genre, where the goal for the player is to place stationary weapons across a field in order to prevent an enemy from crossing the screen. Cory Flint said the game has 12 unlockable maps with progressive difficulty and will cost 99 cents.
Sophomore Brett Ramsay played the game in its early stages and said he was impressed the brothers were able to do while in school.
Freshman Brad Francis agreed.
"That's what blows me away," Francis said, "how much time and effort they put into it." The Flint brothers' latest project has drawn on all of their skills which Cory Flint considers to go hand in hand with a liberal arts education. Between the two, the brothers have taught themselves advanced programming methods, composed their own music and have developed their own art all within one semester.
In preparation for the game's release, the brothers just launched www.brothersflint.com. Another project they've undertaken for their game.
The brothers said they can't remember when they first decided to make a game for their new iPod Touch, but they decided to give it a go simply because they could, and it was there.
"I think it began as a form of relaxation," Cory said.
Toby agreed, saying they started to work on it to unwind from the day.
Cory said large-scale projects aren't uncommon for the two. He said they started with lemonade stands when they were kids. Their Eagle Scout projects, an amphitheater and campfire, melded into one with their addition of trails. The brothers also documented their backpacking adventures in New Mexico their book, "The Philmont Chronicles." Hillsdale's library has a copy. "It was a joint project," Cory said.
"That's just how we roll," Toby said.
Cory was responsible for crafting the game's three-dimensional models and art. Toby was responsible for the programming.
"If you see it, he did it, if they move, my program did it," Toby said.
Toby said he began programming his own games on his Nintendo DS when the brothers were in high school in Omaha, Neb. His first game was pong. On his DS, the game looked rudimentary at best. Red, yellow, blue and green colored lines formed the boundaries and the black background had the white words "back-" and under it "ground" scribbled onto the screen.
Toby said he decided to continue to write programs when he and Cory purchased a Macbook Pro that came with a free iPod Touch and printer. He said he learned how to program on a MacIntosh computer by using various tutorials and Apple documents on the Internet. When the brothers began to take the project seriously, he decided to quickly learn code by looking at tutorials he came across and applying them immediately.
"We came in second semester with no specific experience," Cory said. "It was like going from zero to 60 in a few seconds," Toby said.
Toby said to imagine the program files as a type of hierarchy where one file calls on another set and that set of files call on another. He said all the files constantly message between one another to create an object onscreen, like an enemy capital ship.
If (currentCapitalShip==1) { fl: PushMatrix();
What follows are seven out of 3,102 lines of code. Each line contains black and brown acronyms, purple and green letters and the ever-present blue numbers. They tell where the enemy capital ship will be placed, how big it'll be and how it's oriented. At first glance, nothing seems to have any order, but after a few moments of adjustment, patterns and symbols begin to emerge and a language is formed. Brackets are paragraphs markers and semicolons are periods.
"There's a reason why they call programming languages 'languages,'" Toby said.
Junior Elliot Gaiser tested the game as well, and said he was impressed with the brothers' talents.
"They go all out on everything," Elliot said.
That may be true: both of the brothers composed the music for the game in a single weekend, but there's a problem. Cory said the sound effects were a bit loud, Toby agreed, and the decision to fix it was finial.
National Review editor speaks on life, work with predecessor Buckley
Journalist and historian Richard Brookhiser gave a lecture promoting his new book entitled "Right Time, Right Place: Coming of Age with William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement" Tuesday night in Phillips Auditorium.
He focused on Buckley's two tasks: to show that liberals weren't as cool or as smart as they said they were and to prove that conservatives were.
Brookhiser's intimate knowledge of Buckley's influence on journalism and conservatism stems from 39 years of working under Buckley at the National Review. He said he considered the book part biography, part history and part memoir of his time with Buckley.
Brookhiser had an early start to his career at the National Review after having his first article, which ran as the cover story, published a few days after turning 15. His article, "The Story of the Posting of the Thesis," was published in 1970 and reflected on a pamphlet he posted at his high school protesting anti-war leaflets handed out before school his freshman year. He signed his pamphlet Martin Luther II.
Buckley once named Brookhiser as his successor to lead the National Review, but later changed his mind, saying Brookhiser, "didn't have enough executive flair."
Despite his criticisms, Buckley liked to encourage young authors to continue writing, inviting them to dinners with Henry Kissinger and letters of encouragement.
"I think he started off young himself and it was a way for him to relive his own experience and success," Brookhiser said.
Visitor Charles Blood read Brookhiser's first article when it printed in the National Review and was impressed that a 14-year-old could write so well. Blood was also an avid fan of Buckley's television show "Firing Line."
"It was just fun to watch Mr. Buckley's brand of conservatism because it was smart and funny," Blood said.
Blood recalled when Buckley ran for mayor of New York City, saying he laughed when Buckley answered the question: "What would you do if you won the election?" Buckley said, "Demand a recount."
Freshman Joseph Baertschi has read many of Brookhiser's works, including "Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington" and "George Washington on Leadership." He said he found them entertaining and informative reads. He stood in line to get Brookhiser's latest book on Buckley signed.
"I always viewed Buckley as the greatest conservative mind," Baertschi said.
Brookhiser has also been giving a seminar on colonial history and journalism for the past two weeks as the Eugene C. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Journalism.
Brookhiser said his sessions covered his career as a journalist and historian covering the founding fathers and reflecting on them through different media, such as articles, books and documentaries.
"You're trying to describe people, recount events and explain processes," Brookhiser said.
Sophomore Kate Olson bought "Right Time Right Place" for her father after listening to Brookhiser speak. She said she loved it. "I really liked to learn about Buckley from such a close perspective," Olson said. "I thought Mr. Brookhiser did a really good job."
He focused on Buckley's two tasks: to show that liberals weren't as cool or as smart as they said they were and to prove that conservatives were.
Brookhiser's intimate knowledge of Buckley's influence on journalism and conservatism stems from 39 years of working under Buckley at the National Review. He said he considered the book part biography, part history and part memoir of his time with Buckley.
Brookhiser had an early start to his career at the National Review after having his first article, which ran as the cover story, published a few days after turning 15. His article, "The Story of the Posting of the Thesis," was published in 1970 and reflected on a pamphlet he posted at his high school protesting anti-war leaflets handed out before school his freshman year. He signed his pamphlet Martin Luther II.
Buckley once named Brookhiser as his successor to lead the National Review, but later changed his mind, saying Brookhiser, "didn't have enough executive flair."
Despite his criticisms, Buckley liked to encourage young authors to continue writing, inviting them to dinners with Henry Kissinger and letters of encouragement.
"I think he started off young himself and it was a way for him to relive his own experience and success," Brookhiser said.
Visitor Charles Blood read Brookhiser's first article when it printed in the National Review and was impressed that a 14-year-old could write so well. Blood was also an avid fan of Buckley's television show "Firing Line."
"It was just fun to watch Mr. Buckley's brand of conservatism because it was smart and funny," Blood said.
Blood recalled when Buckley ran for mayor of New York City, saying he laughed when Buckley answered the question: "What would you do if you won the election?" Buckley said, "Demand a recount."
Freshman Joseph Baertschi has read many of Brookhiser's works, including "Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington" and "George Washington on Leadership." He said he found them entertaining and informative reads. He stood in line to get Brookhiser's latest book on Buckley signed.
"I always viewed Buckley as the greatest conservative mind," Baertschi said.
Brookhiser has also been giving a seminar on colonial history and journalism for the past two weeks as the Eugene C. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Journalism.
Brookhiser said his sessions covered his career as a journalist and historian covering the founding fathers and reflecting on them through different media, such as articles, books and documentaries.
"You're trying to describe people, recount events and explain processes," Brookhiser said.
Sophomore Kate Olson bought "Right Time Right Place" for her father after listening to Brookhiser speak. She said she loved it. "I really liked to learn about Buckley from such a close perspective," Olson said. "I thought Mr. Brookhiser did a really good job."
Should it B illegal 2 text while you drive?
The year is 1975: Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates, Robert E. Lee is pardoned and has his status as an American citizen reinstated (105 years after his death, thank you very much) and Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing. Also, roughly 44,525 deaths took place on the roadways of America.
Fast forward 33 years and you'll find that roadway mortalities maintain a disturbing trend. In 2008 alone, 43,313 people died in motor vehicle related accidents, despite the introduction of legislation requiring all passengers and drivers wear seat belts. Lives, it appears, were not saved by special laws targeting distracted drivers.
Now, it appears there is an initiative to ban cell phone use while driving. The reasoning behind this push suggests drivers are distracted while texting or talking on the phone, and not giving their full attention to driving. This is true. It's hard to concentrate on that yellow line when a classmate just informed you of a ten-page paper due tomorrow that's worth 50 percent of your grade. It's also fairly difficult to focus on the road when you're trying to tune in that one radio station that actually plays music. Friends, too, prove distracting, especially when cracking jokes at your expense in the back seat. Oh, and fast food? There perhaps is no greater danger than a quarter-pounder with cheese hovering right in front of your face while going 75 down I-94 in an effort to make it to that concert in Detroit on time. All while driving a manual. None of this is however, is illegal. It isn't regulated, and some cases, it isn't even frowned upon.
But, if you have your cell phone out and you text the local police department of an accident on the highway you may soon be receiving a fine for breaking the law. That is, if cell phone use, including texting and talking, becomes illegal while driving.
Realistically, the reason for promoting such a law wouldn't be to look out for the well being of citizens. If that were the case, the state police would commonly pull people over, suggest they put their seat belts on or they put down their cell phones and leave it at that. But I have yet to hear of an instance where a police officer pulled someone over just to give helpful suggestions. The only reason such a law would pass would be for a new revenue stream.
In Michigan, driving without a seat belt is a primary offense. That means if you're seen without a seat belt on you can be pulled over and fined. Indeed, in 2007 Warren officer David Kanapsky gained notoriety in a Detroit News article highlighting him for writing 5,000 traffic tickets in 2007. Those 5,000 tickets contributed only about 10 percent to the total tickets by Warren police officers that year according to the Detroit News article.
Throw in the possibility of texting while driving as a primary offense and you'll have cops jumping to pull over any teenager foolish enough to get behind the wheel. All the while, police officers are distracted from doing their jobs. Instead of looking for murderers, they're looking for Meghan, who's asking her husband if he needs anything from the grocery store. Instead of chasing down thieves, they're chasing down teenagers who don't know any better.
Texting while driving is foolish, yes, but no more foolish than eating while driving, or having loud kids in the back seat while driving. It's a bad decision, but not always a fatal one. For all the sophistry declaring texting while driving kills we forget everything carries that potential. But writing a law fining people for living is just that: evidence of government's inability to stay between the lines.
Fast forward 33 years and you'll find that roadway mortalities maintain a disturbing trend. In 2008 alone, 43,313 people died in motor vehicle related accidents, despite the introduction of legislation requiring all passengers and drivers wear seat belts. Lives, it appears, were not saved by special laws targeting distracted drivers.
Now, it appears there is an initiative to ban cell phone use while driving. The reasoning behind this push suggests drivers are distracted while texting or talking on the phone, and not giving their full attention to driving. This is true. It's hard to concentrate on that yellow line when a classmate just informed you of a ten-page paper due tomorrow that's worth 50 percent of your grade. It's also fairly difficult to focus on the road when you're trying to tune in that one radio station that actually plays music. Friends, too, prove distracting, especially when cracking jokes at your expense in the back seat. Oh, and fast food? There perhaps is no greater danger than a quarter-pounder with cheese hovering right in front of your face while going 75 down I-94 in an effort to make it to that concert in Detroit on time. All while driving a manual. None of this is however, is illegal. It isn't regulated, and some cases, it isn't even frowned upon.
But, if you have your cell phone out and you text the local police department of an accident on the highway you may soon be receiving a fine for breaking the law. That is, if cell phone use, including texting and talking, becomes illegal while driving.
Realistically, the reason for promoting such a law wouldn't be to look out for the well being of citizens. If that were the case, the state police would commonly pull people over, suggest they put their seat belts on or they put down their cell phones and leave it at that. But I have yet to hear of an instance where a police officer pulled someone over just to give helpful suggestions. The only reason such a law would pass would be for a new revenue stream.
In Michigan, driving without a seat belt is a primary offense. That means if you're seen without a seat belt on you can be pulled over and fined. Indeed, in 2007 Warren officer David Kanapsky gained notoriety in a Detroit News article highlighting him for writing 5,000 traffic tickets in 2007. Those 5,000 tickets contributed only about 10 percent to the total tickets by Warren police officers that year according to the Detroit News article.
Throw in the possibility of texting while driving as a primary offense and you'll have cops jumping to pull over any teenager foolish enough to get behind the wheel. All the while, police officers are distracted from doing their jobs. Instead of looking for murderers, they're looking for Meghan, who's asking her husband if he needs anything from the grocery store. Instead of chasing down thieves, they're chasing down teenagers who don't know any better.
Texting while driving is foolish, yes, but no more foolish than eating while driving, or having loud kids in the back seat while driving. It's a bad decision, but not always a fatal one. For all the sophistry declaring texting while driving kills we forget everything carries that potential. But writing a law fining people for living is just that: evidence of government's inability to stay between the lines.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Pick better presidential candidates
The political season is coming to a close and there could be no greater relief. Both McCain and Obama have been assaulting the voter with a flurry of negative ads, the Palin bashing is bordering on the obnoxious and I turn a little green whenever I hear the word "maverick." But, if there's one thing the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner established, it's that both candidates, like this election, are a bad joke.
Obama's campaign has been pushing the word "change" around like a hobo looking for empty pop cans. The problem is he never explains what kind of change he's pushing for. Perhaps he's pushing for change from President Bush's economic decisions.
But then he wouldn't vote for 19 of Bush's spending bills and a $700 billion bail-out bill, right? Wrong. The only change that Obama would implement is more strength of the federal government's powers - something that Bush and McCain have been big fans of.
ut McCain the "maverick" (ugh) isn't much better, if at all. He also voted in favor of the $700 billion bail-out plan that gives Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson frighteningly god-like powers over America's economy. And for those of you who still think that McCain has conservative values, let me point you towards the McCain-Feingold Act.
The McCain-Feingold Act regulates any ad that refers to a federal candidate within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election. The Federal Election Commission regulates this bill, which prevents grassroots organizations, like the NRA or ACLU, from criticizing political candidates during a general election.
What's odd is that both candidates claim they're going to cut taxes -while in the same breath support that unnecessary $700 billion dollar bail-out bill and increase health care for everyone. All while stomping on our ever-shrinking liberties.
This whole concept of "change" and "maverick" in politics is foolish. It's been argued since America's first contested election. Of the two major presidential candidates neither of them stands for the people, but both stand for politics as usual.
Downtown shares blueprints for success; part of cool city program
The City of Hillsdale received a $20,000 grant to revitalize its downtown area. Administrators are currently working with survey company HyettPalma, Inc., to determine how and when to spend that money.
Local businesses hope the $40,000 plan (the grant plus $20,000 from the city itself) will help them target untapped markets and give students and locals more of what they want. Hyett suggested that businesses find a relationship between the community and the college and amplify it.
"The revitalization plan for the downtown will determine what things we can do better," said Aimee England, manager of Volume One book store. "It'll tell us things to do to make downtown better, one of the things could be to work with the college more, or to have a tailgate for when the College has homecoming."
On Oct. 7, 10 Hillsdale College students comprised a focus group as part of HyettPalma's study. The hour-long survey asked students how often they use downtown Hillsdale's services, such as food, office, service businesses and at what time they're used.
"A good suggestion that came out of the focus group is enhance the linkage and enhance the walking and biking environment," said Doyle Hyett, HyettPalma owner.
Hyett said students like to explore off-campus when they can, and that's when a downtown comes into play: if the downtown opens further to students, its economy will boom. Toward this end, Hyett suggested that new restaurants and bars open until early morning and walking areas should welcome, with plenty of lights guiding the way.
City officials will present explicit plan details at the Dec. 1 meeting, picking about five "top priority" items to implement quickly, said Christine Bowman, the city's economic development director.
"It's a five-year strategic plan for downtown.," she said "It'll tell us what types of businesses downtown needs."
Bowman also said it'll help determine what kind of events can be held and when the best time to hold them is.
Half the $40,000 for improvements comes from a Michigan State Housing Development grant given to 11 Michigan cities as part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's Cool City Initiative.
Hyett said he works with the Cool City program to keep students in Michigan.
Jonesville participated in the program, consulting with HyettPalma. According to Hyett, the economics for downtowns is simple: if you offer a good product with good service, people will keep coming back.
"[Jonesville has] cleaned their act up. They've cleaned up Main Street and put in more lighting and it's got good dining at relatively late hours," Hyett said. "Jonesville is giving the people what they want and they've done a really good job of cleaning up their environment."
HyettPalma will talk to business owners and survey available kinds of businesses, how much space is available downtown, how much is occupied and how much is taxable.
England hopes the plan will help bridge the M-99 gap separating college students from downtown Hillsdale.
"We feel that the highway is a line that can't be crossed," she said. "We don't want [students] driving to Ann Arbor for entertainment. If you want a greasy spoon joint that's open at three in the morning, tell us."
HyettPalma will announce the results of its survey on Dec. 1 at the Hillsdale Community Library.
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Coalition for Peace and Justice protests war, unites political parties in Hillsdale County
Sarah DeRose-Wilson, 17, sits on the curb near the Hillsdale County Courthouse. She throws up her peace sign as another car goes by. With another Saturday comes another vigil, conducted by the Hillsdale County Coalition for Peace and Justice, protesting the war in Iraq.
The coalition began in 2002, the same week the U.S. invaded Iraq, when Bob and Carol Ball organized a protest at the courthouse.
"A group of us got together that thought the war was wrong. We were of various backgrounds and were against the war, that's sort of how we came together," Carol Ball said. "Even though we have different views on a lot of different things we still come together under one umbrella."
In the early days, sometimes as many as 20 people would attend the vigil.
Though attendance numbers have since declined, coalition members still stand outside near the courthouse every Saturday, holding signs that protest President George W. Bush and the Iraq War.
"We all have one cause that unifies us, and it's this stupid war," Doug Barker said, as passing cars honked at him.
Barker, a local window factory worker and coalition member, doesn't consider himself a radical. He simply wants an end to the war in Iraq.
"I personally don't think it was justified going in there," said Barker. "Men and women are dying over there for nothing. So a few people can make a few extra bucks, a few select people; a few corporations, oil companies, defense contractors, banks."
When the vigil first began coalition members were met with hostilities. Barker said most angry motorists just wave their middle fingers, but in one instance a pickup driver threw a pop can at a child who was at the vigil.
But as the war in Iraq dragged on the public's opinion toward the coalition changed.
"Well, people don't throw bottles at you anymore," said Isaiah DeRose-Wilson, a small-business owner and Sarah's brother.
"We've also had people stop and bring us hot chocolate in the winter when it's really cold," said Katja Szarafinski a small business owner and German national.
While the coalition's primary purpose is still protesting the war in Iraq, it has evolved into a social and political discussion group as well. It occasionally holds movie nights in the Hillsdale Public Library, at which it has featured such films as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Persepolis."
But the coalition's gem is its yearly event: the Peacefest.
It started in October 2002 in the Hillsdale County Courthouse parking lot; they've since moved it to the Carl Fast Park in Jonesville and switched the date to early August.
Richard Wunsch, owner of Volume One Books, said it features a mix of speakers and local musicians every year.
"It's fun," said Peter Cromwell, a 1978 Hillsdale College alumnus and the Peacefest organizer. "Because we get different folks every year and you never know who will show up."
For several years the festival has hosted groups like the Republicans for peace, Moratorium on Foreclosures, and recently, the Michigan Libertarian candidate for Senate, Scotty Bowman.
The group meets on the last Thursday of every month at Volume One Books. About 15 active members usually attend, though family members, friends and newcomers are always welcome, Wunsch said.
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