Grandmothers Hold Manhattan Vigil to
Spotlight Iraq War Deaths

Rebecca Lubetkin is in her 60s, a grandmother and against the war in Iraq. 

"The only people who have suffered are the young people and their families," Lubetkin said as she gathered with a group of anti-war grannies Monday at Rockefeller Center to read the names of American soldiers from the tri-state area who have died in the conflict. 
"I profoundly wish that this will catch on and the American people will rise up and say, 'We don't want this for our children and grandchildren.'," the Mountain Lakes, N.J., resident said. 

With curious tourists snapping pictures, about 60 people from the group Grandmothers Against the War and their supporters read the names of the dead who hailed from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. 

By Monday, the U.S. military death toll in Iraq had climbed to 3,002, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press since the war began in March 2003. 

From Rockefeller Center, the group of grandmothers then walked to the military recruiting center in Times Square to continue its demonstration. 

Lined up along the edge of the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue and holding lit candles, members of the group took turns reading the names of dead soldiers, ringing a bell after each one. Occasionally, the names were drowned out by Christmas carols blasting from the Saks Fifth Avenue department store across the street. 

Many held signs reading "3,000 U.S. lives for a lie" and "Stop recruiting our children." Others held photocopies of pictures of soldiers' boots with their names printed below. 

"We're outraged and heartbroken, and we want it to stop," said Joan Wile, 75, director of Grandmothers Against the War. 

Just feet away, two counter-protesters with a group called United American Committee held U.S. flags and their own signs, with messages such as "We Shall Stay the Course. Keep the Promise. No surrender" and "Warning: Leftist protesters trying to demoralize our troops." 

Pamela Hall, who heads the group's New York chapter, said she hoped to counter the anti-war group's messages, which she called "anti-patriotic and disrespectful." 

"It doesn't support our troops' intelligence and patriotism," Hall, a Manhattan resident, said of the vigil. "They've chosen to keep us safe. They deserve our respect and support." 

Tangie Quinn, 35, who was visiting New York from Las Vegas, paused to survey the grandmothers' vigil. 

"We're fighting a war that's never going to be won by us," Quinn said. "People's kids are getting killed, and we don't even know why." 

Last April, a Manhattan judge acquitted 18 anti-war activists _ some in their 80s and 90s _ who call themselves the Granny Peace Brigade of disorderly conduct charges stemming from a 2005 protest outside the Times Square recruiting station. Some of the brigade members, such as Wile, are also part of Grandmothers Against the War. 

Iraqi authorities on Monday reported that 16,273 Iraqi civilians, soldiers and police died violent deaths in 2006. The figure outstrips an independent AP count for the year by more than 2,500 and reflects the daily dangers in a country where bombings, kidnappings and other attacks have become the norm. 

President Bush is expected to deliver his Iraq policy speech soon in the face of mounting opposition to the war. 

The revised policy is expected to lay out his plan to improve security in the country, assist the Iraqis in reaching a political reconciliation between warring sects and help with reconstruction. 

Bush, in a statement released from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, said the United States is mindful of the troops' dedication and sacrifice. 

"In the New Year, we will remain on the offensive against the enemies of freedom, advance the security of our country and work toward a free and unified Iraq," he said.

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