While John Kerry’s supporters waved glossy signs on Main Street, a small crowd of his detractors emphasized their presence around the corner on Wooster.

The crowd at the Kerry campaign rally numbered 17,000 according to the campaign Web site.

The counter-demonstrators were divided into two groups for the most part; 20-30 highly-vocal signbearers in a moving cluster and a dozen stationary, nearly-silent anti-abortion organizers.

Clark Little of Lima was part of the larger anti-Kerry group and said military issues were a big concern in choosing a president.

“I don’t think the U.N. is the way to go in Iraq; we need to lead instead of going by consensus,” Little shouted over the sounds of fellow Bush supporters chanting “Kerry voted for the war.”

While a variety of concerns from security to gas prices were voiced by the roaming protesters, the most prevalent topic in their conversations was the social impact of the president.

“I think [President Bush] is going to pick people who aren’t going to try to legislate laws from the bench,” Little said. “There will be a lot of important decisions that they’ll be responsible for.”

Jada Humphrey, one of several Bowling Green College Republicans in the roaming crowd, agreed.

“With partial birth abortion and stem cell research, it seems like he doesn’t value the family.”

Humphrey also criticized Kerry’s wife for her lack of grace, bearing a “Heinz-Kerry just doesn’t cut the mustard” sign.

“I think [Teresa Heinz Kerry] is fine, but just from her responses she doesn’t seem too friendly to the American people. It doesn’t seem like she’s been with it the whole time,” Humphrey said. “If he can’t keep it together in their own house, how’s he going to keep a country together?”

Family issues were important to the focused group of anti-abortion protesters.

The group, loosely-affiliated with the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform of Westerville (CBR), took a non-confrontational approach, standing in a shade-filled, less-crowded portion of Wooster Street.

CBR volunteers displayed large signs showing graphic abortion images.

“There are a lot of pro-life people,” said Mary Alice Newnam of Bowling Green, supporting an anti-abortion graphic. “Some were able to contact one another and come down to be a visible presence for a pro-life stand.”

Jim Moriarty Sr. of Toledo had volunteered to hold one of the signs.

“I’ve been supporting the Center for the past three years,” Moriarty said. “Since 1973, we’ve killed approximately 43 million in our abortion clinics, all of whom won’t be here to pay your Medicare or taxes. It’s a pay-as-you-go system. If there’s nobody to pay, the system goes.”

Robert Desmond, M.D. works for the University Health Service and the Wood County emergency room, and was holding one of the CBR images.

“When I was in private practice we would sometimes have a baby delivered at the same age as this picture,” Desmond said. “Scientifically, it’s the same as a human being, not a cow or a horse or a rabbit.”

Moriarty said he will support whichever candidate makes that delineation.

“I’m not real thrilled with Bush, but he’s better than Kerry,” Moriarty said. “None of them are perfect, but at least Bush respects human life before birth.”

While the two groups protested Kerry, Marge Reas of Toledo quietly protested the protesters.

Reas, covered in anti-abortion buttons, was hesitant in choosing words.

“I think it has to be a woman’s choice,” Reas said. “For myself maybe, I don’t think I could do it, but I adopted six children. I don’t see those folks with the signs lining up to adopt kids. I worked as a nurse for years and saw abused kids come in; I wouldn’t want that for anyone.”

Newnam is equally soft-spoken.

“A picture speaks a thousand words. When you have the truth, you don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to shout, don’t have to yell; it’s tough to debate the truth.”

The quiet style appeals to Carol Sedgwick, a Kerry supporter from Cleveland. Sedgwick motioned to the crowd of non-CBR demonstrators, some of whom were shouting chants of “Skerry” and “Flush the John.”

“It just makes me mad,” Sedgwick said. “You get a small number of dissenters–people who just want to shout and not listen. Isn’t democracy about listening?”

“If the same thing happens to Bush, I don’t support it there either.”