While she attended her first political march at Kent State during the controversial shooting incident in 1970, Karen Deutsch replaced her quiet nature with political activism.

A product of a strict upbringing, Deutsch said she was not used to voicing her opinions at home. She said she was very quiet because of the atmosphere created by her family.

"My country right or wrong," Deutsch said. "That's what my mom used to say."

But since then, Deutsch has begun to question her government and vocally oppose policies she sees as wrong.

For that reason, she is voting for Sen. John Kerry.

She is concerned about American foreign policy, especially the parallels between now and a war in Vietnam she protested decades ago.

And as a mother, she has passed those ideals on.

"It's so important for young people to vote," she said, adding that the impact young people can have is something she tried to instill in her own son.

"I think we raised a son who's compassionate," she said of Josh, now a 28-year-old resident of New York City.

She said he is not very politically active like his mother, but he is a registered voter, making his voice heard in that way.

Deutsch herself is a little more vocal.

She is a self-proclaimed "child of the 1960s." And the message of Mothers Opposing Bush (MOB) sucked her in last December.

She said she disagrees with what is going on in the world and wanted to do something about it. MOB provided the means.

MOB, an organization started in Annapolis, Md., by Iris Krasnow, launched a campaign strategy in State College with Deutsch at the helm.

Its mission is to "get the facts out, get the voters out, and get this administration out of office," according to its Web site, www.mob.org/.

"For some reason, the message took hold," Deutsch said. "[It's] a powerful picture of mothers pushing strollers. Who's gonna mess with mothers pushing strollers?"

She said that it was when she met her husband, Steve, during the 1960s, she began to become involved in politics.

"We went to our first march together. He was a bad influence," she added, as she teasingly stole a sideways glance at her husband.

A former Penn State art teacher with a master's degree in education, Deutsch currently sells books through an online book business with her husband.

Deutsch said she lived in several places including Marietta, Ga., Maryland, New York and State College. She said living in big cities and small towns has added to her understanding of the country.

"There are certainly differences," she said. "I would like to do more traveling to learn more about the country, but I'm very excited there's a new theatre here," she added with a smile.