"I get the flavor of your concerns. Before September 11th. we thought we were invincible," said U.S. Rep John Olver answering questions and commenting on concerns last Sunday evening at All Souls Church in Greenfield. "We have to re-examine our policies and what has caused anger toward us and develop a political consensus. We have to move on."

The Interfaith Council of Franklin County and Traprock Peace Center invited Olver to Greenfield to meet with citizens concerned with the government's actions in the days following the attacks on NYC and Washington. "You've mentioned consensus," commented one citizen, "usually with consensus there are varying views. There seems to be none in Washington."

And there seemed to be no consensus among the 175 plus citizens gathered on Sunday evening. Questions and comments from the floor covered a broad range of political, social and economic subjects and agendas. Comments were made concerning the abolishment of the School of the Americas. "We should follow the Golden Rule", said one person. "Flying the American flag is now a symbol of war." "Where are the billions of dollars being used for defense and security going to come from?" "What about the loss of personal freedoms and profiling?" "Are you for war or are you for peace?"

"Of course I'm for peace," responded the Congressman. "There are no simple questions or answers on this. It is all very complicated."

Olver remained poised and at times very thoughtful in his responses, often mirroring comments he made in an article published in The Good Life by The Franklin County Home Care Corporation. "It is the function of government to provide security. We must ensure the safety of our citizens - the primary goal of both military and civilian components of our government. I support the actions already taken by the President to secure the nation."

"We must mete out punishment for the perpetrators of this attack. Our response must be decisive, but carefully calculated. I believe we need to take the time necessary to ensure that any military action taken by the U.S. is well thought out (both strategically and diplomatically), and that it is based on very good intelligence."

"In addition," he said, "I strongly support Secretary of State Colin Powell's efforts to build a coalition of nations to respond to the attack on our country. We must continue to build a consensus that terrorism has no place in the world, and our foreign policy should help mobilize other nations to crack down on terrorism. Finally, we must overhaul our airport security and surveillance procedures so that the September 11th disaster cannot happen again. Because of my position on the Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee, I will be working on airport security issues in the coming days and months. These acts of terrorism have left all of us shaken and deeply saddened, but we can take comfort in the strength of our nation and our local communities."

Realizing that there was little time to address everyone's concerns, Olver invited all to write or e-mail him and that he would respond. "I have a feeling I'll be answering these questions for most of the rest of my time in office."

Contact information:

Rep. John W. Olver

463 Main Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420
(978) 342-8722

57 Suffolk Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 532-7010

1027 Longworth Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 225-5335

(e-mail through website)

http://www.house.gov/olver/emailme.html
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

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