Iowa activists travel to Iraq

Two Iowans are joining a group of U-S activists who will travel to Iraq in a few weeks to try and protect Iraqi civilians from a potential U-S attack. 24-year-old Le Anne Clausen of Mason City works for the Christian Peacemaker Teams and once provided aid to civilians in Palestine.Clausen says they’ll be staying in civilian areas like hospitals, schools and other places that shouldn’t be bombed by the U-S. It is against the law for Americans to travel to Iraq, so Clausen will be risking fines of up to one-million dollars or prisontime if she is charged with civil disobedience. She plans to be in Iraq for several weeks.She says if things “heat up” and war does break out, they’re prepared to stay in Iraq much longer. Clausen will go through preliminary training about non-violent action and cultural expectations, but she is still nervous.Seventy-two-year-old Marian Solomon of Ames will join Clausen on the trip.