Seasoned protesters from Des Moines joined ISU students on the steps of Curtiss Hall to spread an anti-war message to passers-by Wednesday.

Students streamed past the half-dozen people who quietly held signs and handed out slips of paper.

The protest was organized by Time for Peace, an ISU nonviolence advocacy group, and included participants from the Des Moines Catholic Worker Community, a social justice and service group from Des Moines.

Father Frank Cordaro, a member of the Catholic Worker community, said he first heard about Time for Peace and the protests in the Des Moines Register.

“We’re here to support the Time for Peace folks in their effort to stop the immorality of the war in Afghanistan,” he said.

Cordaro, who is from Des Moines, has protested many issues, including the nuclear arms race, abortion clinics and the death penalty. He plans to spend half of 2002 in prison, serving time for trespassing during a protest at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Neb.

“I’ve been involved in protesting since 1977,” he said. “It’s one way of being faithful to the Gospel and humanity.”

This time, the Roman Catholic priest stood halfway up the steps of Curtiss, bearing a black and white “Stop the Bombing” sign.

“We’re dead set against revenge,” Cordaro said. “We believe that the way our country is addressing things is only making things worse.”

He was accompanied by Des Moines resident Fran Fuller, another Catholic Worker, who held a large white sign bearing the words “Thou shalt not kill.”

“We need to stop the cycle of violence,” Fuller said. “It just keeps getting bigger. We need to find a non-violent solution.”

Although Fuller was protesting because of her faith, she said her goals meshed with those of Time for Peace members.

“Even faith aside, there’s gotta be a better way,” she said.

Fuller said she heard both heckling and support from passers-by.

“A couple people have said `thanks for being here today,'” she said.

Iraj Omidvar, a Time for Peace member, was carrying an “End the Violence” sign.

“It’s good for students to see that there are other voices,” said Omidvar, graduate student in English.

But Cordaro wasn’t impressed with the reaction he saw from the ISU students that passed by.

“It sure doesn’t seem like much effect at all,” he said.