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May 27, 2004WHEELS OF JUSTICE: Activists tour to educate publicGroup talks about Mideast and IraqByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The Wheels of Justice rolled into town on a cross-country tour that seeks to educate people about the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the war in Iraq. The group of activists stopped Wednesday at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation to present their ideas before taking their message to Petoskey, for another meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. today at Central Elementary School. "People are very concerned about world events," said Marian Kromkowski, who helped sponsor the event through Mideast Just Peace. "This allows them to gather additional information, ask questions and try to make some impact on U.S. foreign policy." Mazin Qumsiyeh and Jeff Leys shared eyewitness accounts of the situations in Palestine and Iraq. Folk singer Dave Lippman also offered political satire. The three men have attended similar public events and visited schools across the country in recent weeks. The tour was organized by Chicago-based activists, Voices in the Wilderness, as well as other groups that oppose U.S.-led actions in Iraq and support of Israel. "Our government is involved in funding Israel, which receives the largest amount of foreign aid in the world," Kromkowski said. "U.S. policies there impact all of the Middle East." Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian American, is an author, cofounder of Palestine Right to Return Coalition and associate professor at the Yale University School of Medicine. He last visited with his family in the West Bank in October 2003. Leys, a former union representative from Wisconsin, traveled to Iraq in February 2003, where he spent one month with Iraqi civilians. He returned there in November to witness the aftermath of the war. A $5 donation is suggested for tonight's gathering in Petoskey. For more information on the Web, visit traverseforpeace.org.
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