The war in Iraq is as controversial as it comes, sparking strong pro and anti-war sentiments. Most people simply voice their opinions for change. Then there are those who put their money where their mouth is. The following stories were written by students in Professor John Burks’ Magazine Writing class, exemplifying the efforts some people take to get their points across.

The white board next to his desk is adorned with a Doonesbury comic strip listing the names of U.S. soldiers killed in the Iraq war, as well as five large photos of Michael Mihalakis, a former student.

"The only war I could wrap my head around was Afghanistan," says Charles Schletzbaum, a Milpitas High School physics teacher who occasionally posts war-related news articles on his blog, Invasion of the teachers at http://www.xanga.com/schletz.

He knew Mihalakis, and after reading Mihalakis' e-mails, Schletzbaum's students knew him too.

"People in my class were already getting acquainted," Schletzbaum says.

Mihalakis died in Iraq on Dec. 26, 2003, at age 18.

"I didn't even get to open it before I knew what it was," says Schletzbaum, as he pulls the death announcement from his e-mail inbox.

He removes himself from his desk. "It's still tough to look at."

Christina Nguyen

If you drive down Highway 580, or take Grand Avenue through the east part of
Oakland at night, you can't miss the Grand Lake Theatre. With the giant marquee lit up, it appears to be a scene out of the Jim Carrey movie, The Majestic.

You can read the titles of movies currently showing, such as Babel, Dreamgirls, etc. But the marquee also reads, "If you really support our troops then demand their immediate return and end the theft of Iraq's oil."

This message is put up by owner Allen Michaan, a man who is fed up.

"The sign is an expression of my outrage of the conduct of our current administration," Michaan says. "We use the theater as a message board to start debate and discussion."

Michaan went on to talk about the stir he has created on the internet and in newspapers since he started rotating messages six years ago. Since then, he has hosted many anti-war events at the theater.

Matt Smith

On the back of a pick-up truck, a group of middle-aged women with colorful hats and dresses sing anti-war songs. A small crowd gathers in front of them on the grass of Civic Center United Nations Plaza, relaxing and enjoying the sun. A few of them carry signs saying "Free Lt. Watada. Jail Bush" and the like.

Martha Hubert is darting in and out of the crowd, passing pink flyers around without saying much. Wearing her oval glasses with clip-on shades an earnest face and almost apologetic behavior, she doesn't seem to excite the crowd much. But Martha's really into the cause.

"I've been supporting Lt. Watada from the beginning. I think he's got a legitimate cause by refusing to go to war in Iraq," Hubert says. I'm against the war because the reason going there was a lie. And I'm against war in general."

Sole Moller

It's 9:30 p.m. and Jeff Grubler, a 39-year-old bartender at the Riptide, is counting out the money he needs to pay the band that just finished playing. He then heads to the pizzeria next door to have some dinner. His black shirt is stained with chili and his salt-and-pepper hair is messy after a day of work. As he eats, he talks about how he started making his own flyers and movies to bring attention to Iraq, but had little luck in doing so. He realized the best way to get attention was to choose something people could relate to: water. He saved empty water bottles and started filling them up with water mixed with soy sauce and fish. He called it, "Sludge."

At a table he advertises Sludge and asks people to try it.

He says, "Why not? Iraqi kids drink it everyday."

On the outcome of the Iraq war he says, "I don't have the magic answer to how the war is going to end. But I will continue to expose lies, make fun of hypocrites and embarrass them as much as possible, if possible at all."

Amber Sandhu

Every Christmas, Leah Bottini goes out of her way to tell someone she will never meet that she is thinking about them. "Sending Christmas cards to the soldiers in Iraq is good because it lets them know someone besides their friends and family supports them," Bottini says.

Bottini, a slim brunette with a sweet smile, joins a group of friends every year to send Christmas cards to U.S. soldiers in Iraq because she is frustrated with how they are treated by anti-war Americans.

"U.S. soldiers are just pawns," Bottini reflects. "They don't make the decisions which determine the military's next move, but a lot of people in America act as if they do. It's like being a waitress and having a customer blame you for bad food."

Bottini, who says she is between being anti-war and pro-war, says for her it is more important to remember that in some ways U.S. soldiers are victims of a bad situation as well.

"Most of my friends in Iraq right now only enlisted because they needed money for college," Bottini says. "But now it looks like it might be a while until they can get there."

Meredith Jones