By GEOFF CUNNINGHAM Jr.

Staff Writer

LACONIA— As talk of a possible U.S.-lead military campaign in Iraq heats up, a local peace group is escalating its efforts to inform the public about the benefits of finding non-violent alternatives to war.

Bulk-mailings, a Web site and a future public forum are among the initiatives currently being explored and pursued by the Lakes Region Peace and Justice Group.

Approximately 14 members of the group met Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Pleasant Street.

And while national and world policy issues are always a topic of discussion at the group’s meetings, Sunday’s session was an organizational one that focused on a campaign to inform residents about what they perceive to be the hidden consequences of war and specifically — further military action in the Persian Gulf.

The Lakes Region Peace and Justice Group is an advocacy group that promotes peaceful and non-violent response to conflict. The group began holding vigils in the downtown area in December 2001 to raise awareness of its cause.

Members have continued their weekly vigils even into the cold winter months and held their most recent one on Saturday.

And while the temperatures may have dropped, group leaders say that recent talk of war with Iraq has caused the public to warm up to their ideas about peace.

On Sunday, Karen Barker, one of the group’s founders, said that the members have experienced a noticeable difference in attitude from those who come in contact with the group while passing through downtown.

"Yesterday it felt like half the people we encountered were overtly supporting us," she said.

Barker and her husband Tom said that the reactions — whether they be conversations, smiles, peace signs or simple thumbs up — are different and more frequent than the ones they received during the nation’s military effort in Afghanistan.

Members of the group feel that the reactions are just one evidence that support for war in Iraq is not only low, but waning as more and more information gets out to the public.

"I think that there is less and less support for this Iraq idea," said Tom, who also pointed out that the opposition is not simply limited to those who would be labeled as conventional pacifists.

Members of the group are now stepping up their efforts to get the word out to the public and are also looking for ways to allow individuals a forum to express their feelings about what appears to be an impending war.

It is for this reason that the group has decided to hold an open forum tentatively scheduled for Feb. 16.

Members, who began planning for the event on Sunday, said that it will be open to people of all ages and will encourage residents to express themselves in any way they want.

The forum is being modeled after an event that was held in Portsmouth in November titled "Talk Before Attack."

The Seacoast event allowed individuals to convey their feelings about war through speaking, poetry, dance, skits and any other form of expression.

Members of the local peace group are planning to begin advertising for their event in near future and are currently in the process of looking for a suitable location for the "speak-out."

The group is inviting any interested person to attend the event and will be sending invitations to church groups, art classes and perhaps even area dance academies.

In addition to the forum, the group has also begun an effort to launch its own Web site that would provide interested individuals with an events calendar, minutes to their meetings and links to other related sites.

On Sunday members of the group also talked about a possible bulk mailing and additional advertising through local newspapers.

A large portion of Sunday’s meeting was also dedicated to getting the word out about upcoming peace rallies that will coincide with national demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

Events, scheduled for Jan. 18, will advocate peace on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the 12th anniversary of the Gulf War.

Members of the group say that at least three anti-war events are taking place in the Granite State in Portsmouth, Peterborough and Concord.

Events in Portsmouth will run from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the New Hope Baptist Church at 263 Peverly Hill Road.

A march and vigil in Peterborough will begin in front of the Town Hall and run from noon to approximately 1:30 p.m.

In Concord a Martin Luther King Peace Vigil will run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Statehouse Plaza.

The Lakes Region Peace and Justice Group’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be Feb. 2.