Thousands take to the streets in Wisconsin against war Dr. Stefan Hall of Green Bay, Wis., holds up a sign during a protest against a possible war with Iraq, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003, in Wausau, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) By ROBERT IMRIE Associated Press Writer WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) - Thousands of protesters of all ages braved frigid temperatures at rallies around the state Saturday as part of an international coalition opposing war with Iraq. Katherine Parker, 52, drove more than an hour from her Lake Tomahawk home to attend a rally of more than a thousand people in Wausau. "I want our country not to be a first-strike country. It never has been," she said. "I love our country and I would like to be with our neighbors and wait for the United Nations." Police estimated around 200 war supporters mixed with the crowd in Wausau, but they were outnumbered when they tried to shout down the first speaker with chants of "George Bush, free Iraq!" Outside Milwaukee City Hall, Marilyn and Jim Martell wrapped themselves in plastic sheeting and duct tape, saying they were more protected against the cold than they would be against a terrorist attack. Jim Martell, 55, said the warnings from federal officials to prepare for an attack are fear-mongering. "There would be more reason to worry about terrorists if we went to war." Kathleen Murphy, 51, brought her 8-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter to the Milwaukee rally, where temperatures were in the teens. "They're always learning about mediation and resolution of problems in school," she said. "I think it's important for them to learn about that on a larger scale, too." People held signs reading "Even 'smart' bombs kill babies," "Wage pre-emptive peace," and "Justice or just us?". The crowd sang "Amazing Grace" before marching to the federal courthouse several blocks away. Demonstrations and protest marches drew hundreds of thousands of people in cities around the world Saturday. Hundreds swarmed the sidewalks in Madison outside the Kohl Center, where Wisconsin's basketball team was set to play Indiana. Protesters carried signs saying, "Shoot baskets, not people." Beth Dibbert, 45, had a photo of Bush taped to her back that read "Like a rock, only dumber." "If the U.N. Security Council is going to stand against the U.S., it's time for everyone in the world to stand up. Tell me this isn't about oil," she said. Julie D'Acci and Fran Breit of Madison brought their poodle, Sophie D'Acci-Breit, to the protest wearing a doggie sweater that read "P.A.W." Translation: Pooches Against War. "Sophie is very much against war and a war against Iraq," D'Acci said. "She's a pacifist. She wants no Iraqi child killed." Brian Lazorik, 20, of Ashland, outfitted his husky, Ishkode, with a cardboard sign that read "I pee-ace on Bushes." "I don't think Saddam Hussein is a good guy, but neither do I think that George W. Bush has justification to kill people," Lazorik said. Charlotte Bleistein, 88, of Greendale, huddled against the side of city hall in Milwaukee listening to songs and poetry as part of the demonstration. "I'm a peacenik," the still-practicing lawyer said. "I think we're trying to be the dictators of the world. I believe this should be done through the United Nations. That's why it was created 50 years ago." ___ Associated Press writers Todd Richmond in Madison and Juliet Williams in Milwaukee contributed to this report.