By JEFF AYERS

Staff Writer/ Auburn-Opelika News

Peace and love is on this country's streets and in it's homes is every bit as important as peace in the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East, two men say, and they've taken to the nation's roads to make their point.

Kraig Mottar and Rudy Stolfer are in the midst of a nationwide walk from Washington, D.C., to the state of Washington, a march they're calling the 'WALT Root's Walk." Walt Root standing for. "We Are Living The Results Of Our Thoughts."

The two brandishing an American flag and wheeling a six-foot coffin with the words "War Victims" emblazoned on the side, passed through Opelika and Auburn Sunday, and are working their way toward Mississippi.

The coast-to-coast journey began last Dec 3 in the nation's capital and should end this July at the National Rainbow Gathering at a presently undetermined site in the state of Washington, Mottar said. Mottar hails from Riverside, Ca., while Stolfer comes from Washington, Pa. Stolfer was a radio mechanic for the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and he and Mottar have been involved in organizations such as Greenpeace and the Libertarian Party.

Stolfer said the march is in honor of the spirits of those who have been killed in wars but not just the kind involving armies as conflict. "We're all victims of war, the war on cancer, the war on poverty, the war on drugs," he said. "We need to get out of the war mentality. What has the war on drugs done? Has it reduced the number of people who use drugs." It's only escalated the violence and the profits of the drug dealers. "Our country is under siege from multinational corporations. If there's a problem let's fix it now. Let's not form a committee to see if there's a problem and say come back and see us next week."

Stolfer said he and Mottar are hoping to show people how important it is to use their freedom and their rights to help bring about peace. "Most people live in denial," Stolfer said. "They make believe everything is okay, but they have 14 deadbolt locks on the door and a Rottweiller in the yard."

On average, the pair have walked about 20-25 miles each day, resting once the sun has set. During the trip they've stayed at homeless shelters, have spent the night at the homes of people they've met along the way and have also utilized camping equipment they packed at the outset. In one Instance, Mottar said, they spent two nights inside Lyman, SC's City Hall.

As the long walk draws us on. Mottar and Stolfer are drawing some inspiration from one of the foremost leaders of this century, Mohandas Gandhi, the late Hindu leader known for his activism and social reform. "One of the best things Kraig and I have done on this trip is see the film 'Gandhi' again," Stolfer said. "He was nonviolent but he was able to bring about so much change."

Should their goal of world peace not be met by the time they reach the West Coast Mottar said he and Stolfer will turn around and walk right back to Washington, D.C., which Mottar said they should reach by September 1998. "We're just going to show up," Mottar said.