The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

8- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 12, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Protesters want troops withdrawn from Afghanistan Continued from page 1 Stop War Halton's band of 11 protesters, present for the Brown action, were not shy in showing their discontent over this upcoming vote with some waving signs reading, `More Healthcare not Warfare' and `No More Afghan War.' Others verbalized this opposition yelling, `End the occupation, troops home now.' Unique Cabinet Concepts DON'T BE FOOLED BY IMITATORS -WE'RE TRULY UNIQUE!! Manufacturers of fine custom cabinetry since 1976 · KITCHENS · BATHROOMS · WALL UNITS · BEDROOMS AND MORE We proudly offer a Lifetime Warranty on all of our cabinetry. Our qualified designers are waiting to show you the room of your dreams! We are conveniently located at Between Walkers & Appleby Line in Burlington 4150 South Service Road www.uniquecabinetconcepts.com 905-632-0029 For Everyday and Every Occasion The reasons Stop War Halton has for ending Canada's presence in Afghanistan are numerous with their central belief being that after six years Afghanistan is more violent and unstable than ever. To back up this claim the group points to the 6,500 people killed in Afghanistan throughout 2007 (the military said these were mostly militants); the fact that 93 per cent of the world's opium now comes from Afghanistan; the violence against Afghan women, which is still widespread; Canada's suffering of one of the highest casualty and death rates of all NATO forces; and a national Angus Reid Strategies online poll in which 61 per cent of respondents rejected extending the mission beyond February of 2009. Once gathered outside Brown's office the protesters voiced some of these concerns in a protest song sung to the tune of It Ain't Gonna Rain No More. DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER ANTI-WAR PROTEST: Stop War Halton picketed outside Oakville MP Bonnie Brown's constituency office Monday afternoon. "Our allies are the warlords, gangs of brutal thugs, who like to do business with poppy fields for drugs," sang Hopkins who was then backed up by the others for the chorus. "Oh, we don't want this war no more, we don't want this war. How in the heck can you pay for childcare, if you have to pay for war." The song brought forward another concern of Stop War Halton, which is that money being spent in Afghanistan could be better spent elsewhere. "Stop wasting our tax dollars over there and start investing the money here at home to provide us with childcare, affordable housing, healthcare services and environmental protection," said another protester. "All the things that Canadians need and want." With the outdoor portion of the demonstration complete, the protesters moved inside the constituency office, but hit a slight snag when it turned out that Brown was away in Ottawa. Fortunately, an accommodating attendant greeted the Stop War Halton members and agreed to hear what the activists had to say and to pass their message on to Brown. "We want this office to serve the constituents and not the war machine," said Hopkins. "We want the constituents to be served with better infrastructure, affordable housing, there is a crying need for it in Halton. We need better hospitals and the continuation of Medicare. There's a great need in Halton for non-profit childcare. All these things are going wanting while Gord O'Connor's friends get to build some more helicopters or tanks." Another protester called on the Liberals to be a proper opposition party again and stop going along with what the Conservatives are doing just to avoid an election "On issue after issue Mr. Dion says `It's not bad enough yet to have an election,' meanwhile the Conservatives are destroying this country day by day and I would think the Liberal Party would be proud to fight an election on not continuing the war, something over 60 per cent of Canadians are in favour of," he said. "I don't understand why the Liberal Party seems to be caving in to Mr. Harper and his cronies on this." While the protesters did not get to meet with Brown or Turner on the day of protest, this did not stop the two MPS from hearing about the events and praising the participants for them. Kids eat FREE OM THE TS FREE* FR ONE CHILD EAWITH THE PURCHASE U BAMBINI MEN OF ONE ADULT ENTRÉE. r. any other offe TH ARCH 16 MARCH 9 -M TH 10 and under. y. junction with Not valid in con es not included. Dine in onl Tax *Valid for kids AT THE AMC THEATRES (WINSTON CHURCHILL & Q.E.W.) · 905.829.3233 East Side Mario's is a registered trade-mark of Prc Trademarks Inc. Used under license. ©2008 Prime Restaurants of Canada Inc. Fresh arrangements, fruit baskets, balloons, seasonal items, wicker dish gardens, greenery and so much more. Come see why we've been voted one of Oakville's best florists. Clearance . . . Electric Fireplaces See store for details 461 Brant Street 905.639.7001 www.brantflorist.com/cg email: gifts@brantflorist.com "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905-337-2066 See Liberals page 10