Greetings One and All, Here is one Congressperson deserving of our support... [Bill] [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <mailto:Undisclosed-Recipient:;@mindspring.com> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 8:46 PM Subject: THANK LONE OPPONENT OF MILITARY FORCE ----- Original Message ----- From: Max Obuszewski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 3:39 PM Subject: Salute lone opponent of military force Friends, This vote so proves Ralph Nader's dictum about Democrats versus Republicans. Now we must salute Congressperson Barbara Lee for her courage. We have not seen anything like this since Jeanette Rankin voted against World War I and II, saying, "You can no more win a war than win an earthquake." Barbara Lee can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Her address is further below. Kagiso, Max -------------------- Lone opponent of military force 'agonized' before vote in House -------------------- Calif. Democrat says U.S. has alternatives for preventing terrorism By Karen Hosler Sun National Staff September 16, 2001 WASHINGTON -- Rep. Barbara Lee did not come easily to the decision that made her the lone member of either the House or Senate to oppose President Bush's plan to use military force in retaliation for last week's terrorist attacks. The California Democrat tearfully told her colleagues Friday night that she shared their anger at the calculated murder of thousands of innocent civilians. Like them, she said, she was filled with sorrow for the victims and their loved ones. "Only the most foolish and the most callous would not understand the grief that has really gripped our people and millions across the world," Lee said during debate on the resolution endorsing sweeping powers for the president to strike back. "I have agonized over this vote." And yet, Lee, now in her third term as one of the most liberal members of Congress, found that in the end she had to "rely on my moral compass, my conscience and my God for direction." "Our deepest fears now haunt us," she said. "Yet, I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States." Lee suggested that the president could more effectively combat terrorism by improving U.S. intelligence sources, tightening domestic security and prosecuting those behind the attacks. Lee, 55, who represents Oakland and Berkeley, has a history of reservations about military action and comes from a community where many share her views. She studied at the University of California at Berkeley while it was a hotbed of sentiment against the Vietnam War. She got a master's degree in social work and then took a job with Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, her predecessor in her district and one of Congress' leading doves until he retired in 1998. Lee carries on much of his work. She favors cutting defense spending and converting military bases to civilian use. She criticized President Bill Clinton's bombing of Iraq in 1998 and was the only House member in 1999 to oppose Clinton's use of troops in Kosovo. She has twice been re-elected with more than 80 percent of the vote, and her political strength isn't expected to weaken as a result of redistricting battles. Even so, it wasn't easy to stand alone against a president and Congress united in a bipartisan fashion not witnessed in Washington perhaps since Pearl Harbor. "She showed a lot of courage and integrity," said Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, a Southern Maryland Democrat with whom Lee talked before her vote. "I don't happen to agree with her decision, but I know it was very, very tough for her. She was choked up when she made her statement." Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, a Baltimore Democrat, said that while other members expressed uneasiness about aspects of the use-of-force authorization, he knew of no one other than Lee who questioned taking a military response. "I think the overwhelming majority of Congress represents the sentiment in the country as a whole, which believes the only way to discourage such attacks is with a forceful and effective response," he said. "Barbara represents the one-third of 1 percent who disagree." Lee told the House, "Some of us must say, 'Let us step back for a moment. Let us just pause for a minute and think through the implications of our actions today so that this does not spiral out of control.'" She said she made her decision during the "very painful yet very beautiful memorial service" for the terrorists' victims Friday at the National Cathedral. "As a member of the clergy so eloquently said: 'As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore.'" Copyright (c) 2001, The Baltimore Sun Link to the article: http://www.sunspot.net/bal-te.congress16sep16.story Visit http://www.sunspot.net Barbara Lee, Congresswoman (east bay) was the ONLY vote against giving Bush sweeping powers to do whatever he wants in this "war". We talked to her this morning, and Barbara is already getting hate calls. She needs to hear from those who support her position and respect her courage, because you can be certain she will be bombarded by those who oppose her act of wisdom and conscience. President George W. Bush: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vice President Dick Cheney: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Laura Bush: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lynne Cheney: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------------------- September 15, 2001 The Honorable Barbara Lee U.S. House of Representatives 426 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Lee: The Student International Forum, the Columbus Campaign for Arms Control, the Progressive Peace Coalition, and the OSU Committee for Justice in Palestine in Columbus, Ohio wish to thank you for your courage to stand up firmly against the resolution to authorize U.S. military action to respond to the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, as you also rightly opposed the use of American troops in Serbia in 1998. We, too, are "convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States," as you put it in your eloquent plea against war. You will be remembered and honored as the lone voice of conscience in U.S. Congress. History will prove the truth of your insight. Let us work together to end the war as soon as possible. Sincerely, Yoshie Furuhashi Department of English Ohio State University <[EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________ Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our ranking member and my friend for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today really with a very heavy heart, one that is filled with sorrow for the families and the loved ones who were killed and injured this week. Only the most foolish and the most callous would not understand the grief that has really gripped our people and millions across the world. This unspeakable act on the United States has forced me, however, to rely on my moral compass, my conscience, and my God for direction. September 11 changed the world. Our deepest fears now haunt us. Yet I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States. This is a very complex and complicated matter. This resolution will pass, although we all know that the President can wage a war even without it. However difficult this vote may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint. Our country is in a state of mourning. Some of us must say, let us step back for a moment. Let us just pause for a minute and think through the implications of our actions today so that this does not spiral out of control. I have agonized over this vote, but I came to grips with it today and I came to grips with opposing this resolution during the very painful yet very beautiful memorial service. As a member of the clergy so eloquently said, ``As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore.'' ##### Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 90083 Gainesville, FL 32607 (352) 337-9274 http://www.space4peace.org [EMAIL PROTECTED]
