AD HOC MEETING TO PREVENT U.S. ATTACK ON IRAN December 12, 2007

Approximately 30 Valley residents* gathered on Weds, with less than a week's notice, to take action to prevent our Government from attacking Iran. We considered how to seize on the opportunity provided by the recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Overall, the goal agreed upon was to block U.S. military action and press Congress to investigate the Bush-Cheney disinformation and fear-escalating rhetoric about the urgent threat of Iran's developing nuclear weapons. While recognizing this may be a future concern, we are now confronting the very immediate danger of American strikes against Iran, possibly as early as March or April 2008, with all the de-stabilizing effects and staggering costs that would ensue.

Many ideas and approaches were suggested to keep this issue on the "front burner" of public consciousness and congressional attention:

1) Letters, telephone calls, visits to the offices of Representatives Olver and Neal, and Senators Kennedy and Kerry, urging their strong leadership in pressing for congressional investigation and for their active support of Oregon Rep. DeFazio's bill, and that of Vermont Sen. Sanders ,insisting on congressional approval for any act of war against Iran.

2) A series of Town Council resolutions, like that passed in Amherst, against attack on Iran as another way to influence an array of politicians and better inform the public.

3) Letters to the Editor in all local newspapers; possible broadcasts on community cable TV.

4) Preparation of a leaflet using National Priority Project-type data on the actual costs of war to local communities that could be distributed widely (e.g., First Night).

5) Obtain information/analysis(e.g., Hampshire professor, Michael Klare will provide some articles)

6) Publicizing websites engaged with the issue (eg.,MoveOn.org)

7) Raising the issue with any national organizations we may be connected to.

8) Letters, calls and email to out-of-state anti-war members of Congress for their support (e.g. Joe Biden); connecting to out-of-state organizations, individual contacts to join with us on this issue.

9) Specific plans: February Meetings with Reps. Olver and Neal; including this issue in the Northampton Committee's 9th Anniversary march and vigil next Saturday; and in the Physicians for Social Responsibility March conference on treating veterans and their families; mobilization of students, other faith communities and sympathetic organizations.

10) There was general discussion about longer-term strategies and coalition-building. Future plan ideas included a "Public Accountability Forum in February" in which we hold our representatives accountable to specific requests for action.

11) A steering committee was formed. Volunteer members are Ira Helfand, Ben Grosscup, Diane Crowe, Marty Nathan, Norma Akamatsu, and Andrea Cousins. The first meeting will be Thursday, December 20 at 7:30 at 24 Massasoit St. The next general meeting will be held on Thursday January 3, 2008, location TBA.

*This included concerned citizens and representatives of groups such as Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Northampton Committee to End the War in Iraq, the Raging Grannies, Pioneer Valley Coalition against Secrecy and Torture, BORDC, SAGE, Immigrants Rights Committee, Mt. Toby Friends, Northampton Friends, Haydenville Congregational Church, Unitarian Society of Amherst)