Coupeville resident Patricia Brooks went to great lengths to make her point about the war in Iraq. She went on a hunger strike for 21 days to get some attention for her belief that the war is wrong and the troops should be brought home as soon as possible.

Brooks, 68, settled on the hunger strike after other means of protest seemed ineffective. Waving signs on the street corner with the Coupeville Peace and Reconciliation group produced nothing but honks of support or gestures of derision. Letters to elected representatives were filed away with all the others. She felt like her voice was not being heard. So she stopped eating.

At first, Brooks’ demand that the troops be brought home immediately was not realistic. To her credit, she realized this would lead to her death from hunger. Why add to the loss of life? Her amended goal was to simply make some real progress toward spreading the word against the war.

It took time, but Brooks persevered and gained considerable attention. Thanks to the Internet, an e-mailing campaign took off. She received coverage by this and other newspapers. She was a guest on a radio show back east. Many thousands of people heard about her hunger strike and took notice that someone was doing more than just holding up a sign for peace. She was willing to suffer great physical discomfort and even endanger her health for her cause.

She ended her hunger strike on Sunday. Her efforts were admirable, regardless of one’s political beliefs. She protested peacefully and thoughtfully and showed she would risk her own well-being for something she believes in.

And if you think 21 days without eating is not impressive, try it yourself some time.