The Chicago Tribune, LA CROSSE, Wis. -- At 79, Al Knorr could fill his days in the recliner with televised junk food, watching Oprah Winfrey and Judge Judy and yelling "big money, big money!" when "Wheel of Fortune" comes on.

But twice every weekday, Knorr dons his black snowmobile mittens and insulated shirt and heads to the busiest intersections in town, where he stands as a solitary street-corner sentry against the Iraq war.

Knorr's cardboard "STOP THE WAR" placard on a wooden broomstick draws honks and thumbs-up signals from some rush-hour drivers and abuse from others, such as the guy in the white pickup truck who rolled down his window, flipped Knorr the finger and called him a piece of excrement.

"It's almost always a young kid in a pickup truck," shrugged the World War II veteran and retired clinical social worker.

In Wisconsin, Knorr is part of an often emotional conversation about the war in Iraq. The grass-roots debate, though, is gaining focus and momentum in La Crosse and at least 19 other communities where voters will be asked April 4 whether the United States should bring the troops home now.

The results, of course, will carry no force of law. But successful local petitions to put the question on ballots around Wisconsin have given the issue added political currency, months ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November.

The move to put the troop measure to voters in La Crosse, Madison and other communities is "really aimed at the Wisconsin congressional delegation," said Steve Burns of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, which has coordinated the signature-gathering with the Wisconsin Green Party.

"We think this could really be a wake-up call for the congressmen," Burns said.

Last year U.S. Sen. Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, called for a removal of all troops by the end of 2006--the first senator to do so. In November, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) called for a quick pullout of troops. Last week, Murtha said "mounting pressure from constituents" will force a re-election-minded Congress to demand the withdrawal of most troops in advance of the November elections.

City councils across the nation, including Chicago's, have approved resolutions either opposing the war or calling for an immediate troop withdrawal.

In Illinois, the Rockford-area township of Harlem has authorized a Nov. 1 troop withdrawal question to be placed on the March 21 primary ballot. Communities in Vermont last year gave voice to local sentiment on the war through town hall meetings. The upcoming votes in Wisconsin mirror that.

The Bush administration has argued repeatedly that setting a withdrawal date would aid insurgents and undermine prospects for a peaceful Iraq. The Pentagon has announced plans for a gradual troop reduction, but that drawdown has been criticized by some--including Murtha--as insufficient.

The issue has proved awkward for Democrats, most of whom have not endorsed the positions taken by Feingold and Murtha. Many Democrats say it would be irresponsible to pull out until they are convinced Iraq's government and military can maintain order.

Wisconsin is a state with a rich history of political activism, driven most recently by the liberal reputation of the capital city, Madison. During World War I, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Robert LaFollette led congressional opposition to the war, and he was branded a traitor by some in his home state.

Wisconsin remains sharply divided. The state went Democratic in the past two presidential elections, but by slim margins. A recent poll indicated 49 percent of residents support a quick withdrawal from Iraq.

Nationally, support for the war has been dropping, but the question of pulling the troops out has proved troublesome, even for opponents of the war.

In the Mississippi River city of La Crosse, a handsome, blue-collar community of 51,000 people, the effort to put the question on the ballot was not embraced by its Common Council. Aldermen could not keep the issue off the ballot because supporters had gathered the legally required signatures to qualify for a spot, but they did state their opposition to the pullout.

"It's very reckless. The job's not done yet," said Ald. Tom Sweeney, a retired Navy reservist who said he sees little point in the vote.

"It's sad because it has no bearing," Sweeney said.

That view is disputed by those who welcome the opportunity to speak out. Brigitte Murphy, a La Crosse jewelry store bookkeeper who grew up in Nazi Germany and lost a brother and sister in World War II, said she has not decided how she will vote.

"I cringe every time I see the news of another boy killed in Iraq," said Murphy, who moved to the U.S. in 1954. "If our leaders had to send their children to Iraq, perhaps they would find a different way of doing things."

Fifty Wisconsin service members have died in the war. While Feingold has taken the Senate lead in promoting a troop withdrawal, protesters demonstrated last week in front of the office of Wisconsin's other senator, Herb Kohl, a Democrat up for re-election, demanding that he advocate a quick pullout.

In the Door County community of Sturgeon Bay, artist Audrey Off said she believes "deep down" that pulling the troops out is "the right thing to do."

"But I don't think it's going to be pragmatic to pull them out. . . . We're stuck," Off said.

Burns and others make no projections on how the issue will fare, especially in parts of the state that President Bush won in 2004.

In La Crosse, Al Knorr said he appreciates the responses he gets, from the encouragement of a registered nurse who cheers him on to the bitter comments from a soldier's father who has accused Knorr of undermining the troops, including his son.

"People over there are fighting for the country, and I feel I need to do my little bit fighting for the country too," he said.

Knorr, who turns 80 in three months, said he has no plans to stop his twice-daily vigil.

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