Preemptive Strike

Women Against War launch campaign to prevent war with Iran

Maud Easter and Diane Reiner, representatives of Women Against War, want to rally their troops in the Capital Region to fight what they see as an impending conflict with Iran. The opening salvo of their battle came in the form of a billboard posted earlier this month on Fuller Road between Washington and Central avenues. The billboard features pictures of Iranians taken by Reiner during her trip to Iran in 2005. Reiner said she is thrilled to see the images of the people she met during her trip being used to show the human face of their country.

In the next month, Women Against War plan to raise the issue, expose the propaganda that the Bush administration is using to paint Iran as the next target in the war on terror, and put a human face on the country in anticipation of the return of Congress in September.

“We want to really push our representatives to take action,” said Easter, who added that representatives from Women Against War have met with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand (D-Greenport).

“Mike McNulty (D-Green Island) has the best position on the issue,” said Easter, “but we would like to meet with him about it. We would like to see him out front being a leader on this issue.”

Women Against War would also like to see a local representative sponsor a bill to preempt funding for any military action on Iran.

Along with meeting with representatives and holding demonstrations, group members are handing out a fact sheet they hope will expose what they see as the very similar ways the Bush administration has used propaganda to justify war with Iraq and a possible war with Iran, from claiming the countries are both on the verge of developing nuclear weapons to insisting that diplomacy is not working or saying the countries are fueling terrorism.

“We don’t want to see the people of Iran going through the kind of suffering the people of Iraq are experiencing,” said Easter.

For more information, visit womenagainstwar.org.

—David King

dking@metroland.net