barbara lee
Storm over Lee's anti-war stand
SF Chronicle, 9/16/01

The Progressive
Consciencious Objector in the House by Ruth Conniff

www.house.gov
Barbara Lee

SF Bay Guardian
Ballot Endorsements 2001
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  • SFBay Guardian Resource List

  • Is Islam to Blame , by Laura Rush, East Bay Express

  • Michael Moore.com , and his tribute to Barbara Lee.

  • Why U.S. Intelligence Failed , By Jack A. Blum (9/16/01) , SactoBee Editorials.

  • Immigrant Shot in AZ , SF Chronicle.

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  • A Great Wound , The Nation editors.

  • Terror in America , The Nation by Robert Fiske.
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  • Essays on Orientalism and Cultural Differences


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    USA Today -
    A few lawmakers urged Bush to use restraint. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., opposed the force resolution, asking her colleagues to "think through the implications of our action today so that it does not spiral out of control."

    CNN     -
    The House overwhelmingly passed the use-of-force resolution late Friday night by a 420-1 margin. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California, registered the lone dissenting vote, saying she believed it gave too much of Congress' power to the president and because she was reluctant to approve force that could worsen the situation.

    "I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States," she said in a statement. "Finally, we must be careful not to embark on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target."
    Ex cerpts from The Storm over Lee's anti-war stand S F Chronicle, 9/16/0 1











    Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee is the sole member of Congress to vote against authority for President Bush to wage war on terrorism.

    Lee, a two-term Democrat was on the lopsided end of a 420-1 vote on Friday night.

    "I don't think we should take any action that should cause any more loss of life," said Lee, 55, a protege of former East Bay Rep. Ron Dellums who has proposed a Cabinet-level peace department. "Violence begets violence, and we don't want that to happen. That kills people."

    Lee said that instead of striking out militarily,
    the United States should capture and try those who conspired in the attacks, step up security across the country and improve intelligence operations. But that's not how much of the country feels.

    "Perhaps if the planes hit the Oakland Coliseum during a Raiders game, her 'moral compass' might guide her differently," Heath Shelburn of Fort Dix, N.J., wrote in an e-mail to The Chronicle. "She is a clueless liberal."

    Lee, a former state assemblywoman and senator, has stood alone before against military action. In 1999, she was the sole House vote against President Bill Clinton's plan to use force against Serbia. In 1998, she was one of five House members to vote against bombing raids on Iraq.

    During her time in Congress she has also championed more funds for HIV/AIDS treatment in Africa, worked against more military aid to Colombia and protested against the Boy Scouts' policy of excluding gays. Lee said the strong reactions by those who oppose her stand don't surprise her. "People are still in mourning," she said. "We're angry. We're dealing with a tragedy of enormous proportions. But we should deal with terror in a way that nips it in the bud and does not spread it."

    Lee said the fact that thousands of Americans were killed or wounded in Tuesday's attacks is even more reason for taking a breather before responding. "We should step back and make no mistakes in our response," she said.

    Lee began her political life in the early 1970s as a student intern for Dellums, a noted anti-war figure who represented California's overwhelmingly Democratic Ninth District.

    After 11 years with Dellums, during which she was a senior adviser and chief of staff, Lee was elected to three consecutive terms in the state Assembly and one term in the state Senate.

    Lee came to Congress promising to trim defense spending, and she has repeatedly opposed the use of military force.

    In Oakland, State Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, said it's too soon to say how Lee's votewill play back home. "It's hard to say, but knowing her, she felt it was the right thing to do," Chan said. "She's been very consistent on these types of issues. She always votes her conscience." Wilson Riles Jr., a former Oakland city councilman, called Lee's vote fantastic.

    "I thought Barbara Lee was amazingly courageous and absolutely correct," said Riles, son of former state schools chief Wilson Riles Sr. "The fact is that this attack on terrorism will have no success in terms of ending terrorism in the world and will not bring back any of the precious Americans who were lost in this recent attack."

    Excerpts from The Storm over Lee's anti-war stand in the SF Chronicle, 9/16/01
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