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p Davey D writes the FNV Newsletter. The following is an interview he did with Congresswoman Barbara Lee./p/strong/p
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pby PNN Staff/p
pYesterday, Monday, September 17th we had an opportunity to catch up withbr /
Congresswoman Barbara Lee and talk to her about her decision to castbr /
the only vote opposing President Bush's war resolution. Not even herbr /
fellow colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus voted with herbr /
on this one. That includes such notable people like Maxine Waters,br /
Charles Rengel, Jesse Jackson Jr., Cynthia McKinney to name a few.br /
What is this all about?/p
pIs Congresswoman Lee out of step with reality and the rest of thebr /
country? Or is she ahead of her time? Some people are saying she isbr /
unpatriotic for not supporting Bush on this one. They are angry withbr /
her to the point that she now needs police protection. Others arebr /
saying she did the right thing by not only following her conscience,br /
but also bringing to the floor and public discussions, an alternativebr /
viewpoint that has been all but locked out of this past week'sbr /
conversations. Many are claiming something is wrong with you if youbr /
are not advocating war. Here's what Congresswoman had to say...Let usbr /
know what you think./p
p /pPDAVEY D: They took this vote in Congress about what should be thebr /
response to the tragedy this week...and elected to take militarybr /
action. In a vote 420 to 1 you were the lone dissenting voice thatbr /
said no, we should not go to war./p
pBARBARA LEE: First, our nation is in grieving, we're all mourning,br /
we're angry; there are a range of emotions taking place. Myselfbr /
personally, I am also grieving and I believe fully and firmly that thebr /
Congress of the United States is the only legislative body that canbr /
say, "Let's pause for a moment...and let's look at using somebr /
restraint before we rush to action." Because military action can leadbr /
to an escalation and spiral out of control. So, why I voted no, wasbr /
one, the president already has the authority to execute a militarybr /
action. He doesn't need Congress; under the War Powers Act he hasbr /
that authority. But Congress is the people's house, and the Congressbr /
is responsible for providing checks and balances, and you cannot justbr /
allow the administration to run ahead with a strategy withoutbr /
reporting back and without having some oversight./p
pNow we must bring the perpetrators to justice. Internationalbr /
terrorism is upon us—this is a new world and we cannot make anybr /
mistakes in dealing with it. We do not want to see our reaction leadbr /
to another reaction which could allow this to spiral out of control.br /
So while we grieve and while we provide assistance—and I did votebr /
to provide assistance for the families and communities that have beenbr /
devastated and also providing funding for anti-terrorist activitiesbr /
for securing our own country—we've got to conduct a fullbr /
investigation and be really deliberate about how we move forwardbr /
militarily. We cannot make any mistake about this, this is anbr /
unconventional war and we have to fight it in an unconventional way. /p
pDAVEY D: We're talking about the nature of terrorism and whether itbr /
could be a tit-for-tat type of scenario if we go out and retaliate andbr /
hit the wrong targets or capture the wrong people, the next thing youbr /
know we could be involved in a situation where a can of worms has beenbr /
opened that we just can't close it up. /p
pBARBARA LEE: We don't know the real nature of terrorism in the truebr /
sense of the word. We have not invested in combating terrorism thebr /
way we should have, which involves many issues. It involves ourbr /
foreign policy, it involves multinational cooperation, it involvesbr /
diplomatic efforts. It involves pulling all of these verybr /
multifaceted areas together to come up with a real way to deal withbr /
terrorism. I don't believe we have faced the fact that terrorism isbr /
the new war that this country is going to have to fight. We'rebr /
looking at putting up billions of dollars for national missilebr /
defense. Well, anti-ballistic missiles—that would not have savedbr /
the lives or prevented the horrible morning that we saw last Tuesday,br /
it just wouldn't have done it. So, we're looking at putting militarybr /
money into the wrong areas. We need to look at what this means inbr /
terms of securing our country, securing our world, and how to use ourbr /
tax dollars toward that purpose. I am convinced that military actionbr /
alone will not prevent further terrorist attacks./p
pDAVEY D: One of things I'm concerned about is the number of people ofbr /
color who will be on these front lines. A third of the army is madebr /
up of people of color, because of the economic conditions we're in.br /
If we have to go out there and fight a war, how is this going tobr /
impact our communities disproportionately—and are we going to havebr /
some dire effects that will be with us for generations? /p
pBARBARA LEE:Certainly, that's always the case—our communities arebr /
always disproportionately represented in the military and we'll bebr /
called to serve and fight. Whenever that happens, whomever it is, webr /
have to be very careful. We don't want our young men and women put inbr /
harm's way. I am a very patriotic person, and I support the Unitedbr /
States and our government. And I believe that my support for ourbr /
country and for our people dictates that I be prudent, that I not rushbr /
to judgment on any decisions, and that we step back for a minute andbr /
realize any impact that this could have on young men and women ofbr /
color, and all young Americans as we move forward. Fighting abr /
terrorist war...I'm not sure our young people are prepared for that,br /
and we've got to stamp out terrorism in the world but it's verybr /
complicated./p
pDAVEY D: I've got the sense that people think that this will be overbr /
in a hurry, almost like you're playing a game, and I'm trying to tellbr /
people, that this is real stuff. You've got people that havebr /
committed themselves to dying, and that's kind of scary. /p
pBARBARA LEE: We're all in trauma right now, in a state of disbeliefbr /
and mourning. A member of my staff had a family member killed in onebr /
of the planes. This catastrophe has touched the lives of so manybr /
people. Going back to why I said "No, let's use restraint,"—it'sbr /
for that reason. My professional training is as a social worker, andbr /
I understand the human psyche, and the community psyche, and ourbr /
country's psyche. Right not, were dealing with recovery, and we'rebr /
dealing with mourning, and there's no way until we settle in, shouldbr /
we deal with decisions that could escalate violence and spiral out ofbr /
control. We just all must be reasoned and reasonable about this.br /
When we bring these terrorists to justice, we have to be pointed andbr /
know what we're doing. The world is a dangerous place. /p
pDAVEY D: With all the money that we pay in tax dollars directed towardbr /
intelligence gathering, the CIA, the FBI, the racial profiling atbr /
airports and the like, how could we have someone come in to thisbr /
country, learn to fly from our own schools, and fly an airplane forbr /
20, 30 minutes and not be detected? Was this a breakdown in thebr /
intelligence community? /p
pBARBARA LEE: Obviously, that money has not been spent properly and Ibr /
think that one of the reasons I did vote for the $40 billion is thatbr /
there's money in there to really look at how we increase the publicbr /
safety of our people in this country, within the confines of civilbr /
liberties. We have to find that balance. Protecting the public,br /
protecting the country, and not allowing our civil liberties to bebr /
eroded. That's where we need to put the funding and resources, andbr /
that's why I did support that money. But something went terriblybr /
wrong, and we'll see how these investigations go. But we have tobr /
insist on a full and thorough investigation. /p
pDAVEY D: Do you think with all the concern right now, we will bebr /
finding our civil liberties actually taken off the paper altogether inbr /
the name of national security? Will people be pulled over, profiled,br /
searched more? If I'm a part of an organization that says "Peace notbr /
war," will they label me a potential terrorist?/p
pBARBARA LEE: Certainly we have to fight against that trend. There arebr /
those who would like to see that happen. They will overreact to abr /
tragedy and use this opportunity to do just what you said. That'sbr /
part of the danger in rushing to judgment. As a branch of thebr /
government that's responsible to the people, it's up to Congress tobr /
execute our Constitutional responsibilities to ensure that there'sbr /
checks on policies that could be put in place under the name ofbr /
national security. This is very serious. /p
pDAVEY D: You've come from an era of the Black Panthers, from thebr /
Vietnam era, when there were a lot of groups that found themselvesbr /
subjected to the Cointel policies of the FBI. They were harassed bybr /
the various government agencies, from the local police to the CIA,br /
their patriotism was questioned. If we don't keep that in mind, dobr /
you think it might lead to us just falling in line and maybe notbr /
questioning government when we have a right to do so?/p
pBARBARA LEE: We better understand the history, and I'm very on top ofbr /
my own history with these agencies and I know what can happen. So webr /
must be vigilant right now, because under the cloak of nationalbr /
security, many of our civil liberties could be just wiped off thebr /
floor. There are those of us who are going to fight to make surebr /
that's not going to happen, but we're also going to fight to make surebr /
justice is served by making sure that the people and organizations whobr /
did this are brought to justice. We also have to begin to look at ourbr /
foreign policy, our diplomatic efforts, and some of the reasons why webr /
don't engage in dialogue with certain countries and individuals andbr /
organizations. This is a very complex issue in the US, and we shouldbr /
be right now leading the world in showing our children how in the facebr /
of adversity we respond and minimize the loss of life. We don't wantbr /
to see any more people lose their lives. We cannot tolerate anotherbr /
terrorist attack, and we certainly cannot tolerate any loss of lifebr /
any more in our country, and anywhere in the world. /p
pDAVEY D:Many are painting a picture that, "if you're not with the US,br /
you're against us. " They would take a look at your dissenting votebr /
and say, "Congresswoman Barbara Lee is not patriotic, she's notbr /
supporting the president, she's making it difficult for us to do whatbr /
we need to do." How do you respond to that type of criticism? /p
pBARBARA LEE:People have said that. And in my response, I tell thembr /
that I'm very patriotic. As a citizen, I have the right to representbr /
a point of view. That's central to our democracy -- the right tobr /
dissent, the right to provide a different point of view that's out inbr /
the open, in the full view of the American people. I did not makebr /
this decision behind closed doors; I've explained my decision. Ibr /
think the beauty of democracy, and one of it's fundamental principles,br /
is the right to free speech and the right to disagree. I support thebr /
administration in their actions; that's not the point. Their role isbr /
this, they're moving forward. What we have to understand, is that thebr /
Congress is a body that represents the people in our country. It's upbr /
to us to step back and say, "Okay, now we have an additionalbr /
responsibility." We must make sure that the president reports to us,br /
so that we can report back to our constituents what's going on. Youbr /
donut want to not know, do you? /p
pCongress has a very critical role in this. So if I am going to bebr /
patriotic, and I am, and if I am going to be a good American, which Ibr /
know I am, I am going to make sure that our democracy works and I'mbr /
going to hold it accountable, and make sure that it works not only forbr /
my constituents, but for the whole country. You don't want to rush tobr /
judgment while we're depressed and angry and frustrated. That's likebr /
herding cattle in one direction. You want people who are thinkingbr /
clearly, who are working with the president, and giving them differentbr /
ideas and insights. I'm an African-American woman, I'm on thebr /
International Relations committee. I have a point of view...as anbr /
American...that may be useful when we talk about internationalbr /
terrorism. There are many people who have different points ofbr /
view...that's America. So to those people who say those things, theybr /
better check their own credentials. They may need to become morebr /
participatory in our democracy. /p
pDAVEY D: That's a key word—participatory. I come across a lot ofbr /
people who are waving the flag, but aren't registered to vote. Allbr /
this information about foreign policy and our government's role hasbr /
been out there, but a lot of people have ignored it until now. All ofbr /
a sudden, they're out for blood, and don't even understand wherebr /
Afghanistan is and what it would take to defeat it. This is a countrybr /
that beat back Russia, a couple of times. It's not going to be anbr /
easy haul, and I'm afraid people aren't really thinking long term. /p
pBARBARA LEE: Being patriotic at this moment in our history meansbr /
participating in decisions about the future of our world. It meansbr /
participating in decisions that will hopefully bring us to peace, andbr /
ensure that these terrorists are brought to justice and that no man,br /
woman, or child, ever gets killed in such brutal assaults ever againbr /
That's what participatory democracy is about at this moment. Peoplebr /
should feel understand and feel empowered that it's through theirbr /
members of Congress that represent them, that they can make theirbr /
voice be heard. Not just react, but engage./p
pDAVEY D: People would question, would you acting on behalf of Barbarabr /
Lee or were you acting on behalf of the Berkeley-Oakland district youbr /
represent when you decided to be that lone dissenting vote againstbr /
Bush's resolution for war? /p
pBARBARA LEE: First of all, this was not a poll-driven vote. This wasbr /
the most painful vote I have taken in Congress, really in all 12 yearsbr /
that I've been in elected office. It was a grueling experience forbr /
me. I have been in many briefings, classified and unclassified. Ibr /
have been in so many meetings. I was in the Capitol when the planebr /
went into the Pentagon, and we had to evacuate. It's been abr /
nightmare. I went through the intellectual process, through thebr /
fact-gathering, through the policy analysis, looking through thebr /
foreign policy and intelligence and military implications of our move.br /
It weighed heavily on me. I was not going to the National Cathedralbr /
for the prayer service..because I wanted to continue in mybr /
discussions, and reflect on the resolution that was coming up. But atbr /
the last minute, I decided to go, that I had to pray over this. Ibr /
realized I had to settle down and say some prayers, to try to get somebr /
strength to help me through the rest of the week. /p
pIt was a very powerful, very beautiful prayer service, very painful.br /
I listened to the prayers, and prayed, and listened to the commentsbr /
and the sermons. One of the clergy, very eloquently said, in hisbr /
prayer, "As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore, " Andbr /
at that moment, I knew what the right vote was, and what I had to do.br /
So it was a combination of factors that brought me to that place.br /
There are very few times when there are votes of conscience that yourbr /
moral compass must guide you, very few times that there's some bottombr /
lines. And this was one of those times. I talked to my colleagues,br /
and believe me, there are many members of Congress who feel as I feel,br /
who are raising questions about not having the President report backbr /
on military action. People are concerned. I think my votebr /
represented my week of deliberations, my discussions, my thoughts, mybr /
analysis, and my conscience, and I voted 'no.' I believe it was thebr /
right vote. I still say, and I said on the floor that night, "We mustbr /
step back." We must allow time for the grieving, and the mourning.br /
Congress has got to be the body that says, "Let's use some restraint,br /
lets make sure that our actions lead to what we want to accomplish,br /
and that's to make sure their are no more attacks on our people and onbr /
our country" We've got to make the most deliberate strategies that webr /
can that are going to be effective./p
pDAVEY D: There's been a number of attacks throughout our country onbr /
our Arab brothers and sisters...even on those who look like they mightbr /
be Arab. Sadly, some of this abuse has come at the hands of black andbr /
brown folks, who have gotten caught up in the wave of patriotism thatbr /
has swept the country. What are your thoughts on this?/p
pBARBARA LEE: This is very a serious problem. We passed a resolutionbr /
on that same night that condemned attacks on Arab-Americans andbr /
Muslims and all those who could be under attack as a result of this.br /
What we see now is an environment of fear. The worst is coming out inbr /
people. We've never had a war on our land before -- other countriesbr /
have, the US hasn't. Were vulnerable. When people react in fear,br /
what do they do? They turn on each other. The person who looks thebr /
wrong way receives the brunt of your anger and fear. So I'm urgingbr /
and encouraging young people to please understand that when thesebr /
planes crashed into the towers, they killed people of all colors,br /
ages, races. creeds. It was an equal opportunity destroyer./p
pDAVEY D: It just seems a shame that people who have been persecuted,br /
especially blacks and Latinos, who have been the brunt of abuse by thebr /
military, are turning around and attacking people in our ownbr /
communities. Once upon time Latinos in LA were attacked by US Sailorsbr /
in what is now known as the Zoot suit riots. African Americans werebr /
at the short end of the stick in numerous situations and scenarios. /p
pBARBARA LEE: We've got to pause and understand the moment that we'rebr /
in. Moving forward, whether it's on a political level, or in ourbr /
communities, against each other, there's some serious implications ofbr /
this. If we donut understand that were grieving, we're baffled, we'rebr /
afraid, this behavior is going to escalate. I'm trying to help youngbr /
people understand who their enemy is and who it is not. In thisbr /
moment of all moments, we should be embracing each other. Mybr /
constituents are as conflicted and upset in California as people arebr /
all over the East Coast and the country. /p
pDAVEY D: Do you think when you get back to Bay Area, you'll have somebr /
kind of a town hall so that those people that voted you into officebr /
can come on down and build with you?/p
pBARBARA LEE:We' re definitely going to be holding events in ourbr /
community to try and help sort though this grieving process. In termsbr /
of future direction, we want to bring some clarity and understandingbr /
as to how the Congress should function when we're in a vulnerablebr /
state, when we've been attacked and what our role is in terms ofbr /
checks and balances. I want to do some education and forums and basicbr /
discussions with young people about their fears. I know children arebr /
scared about what they're seeing on TV But the way our countrybr /
responds to it will ensure as they grow up that they are able to dealbr /
with their problems in a way that is appropriate. It's important thatbr /
they see that rage and war gets out of control and leads to morebr /
violence. We have to be very measured in our response as we go afterbr /
the perpetrators of this horror, and make sure that our children knowbr /
that in the face of adversity, America can rise up and be the greatbr /
democracy that it is, and deal with all these problems immediately. /p
pDAVEY D: Have you heard from any high ranking officials about yourbr /
vote. Also, Bush has two daughters who are college age...do you thinkbr /
that they would be on the front line? How do you think it willbr /
perceived if 19 and 20 year olds are being asked to serve this countrybr /
and his daughters are still making headlines getting drunk at ratbr /
parties?? /p
pBARBARA LEE: That poses the kind of questions and dilemmas before us.br /
There are many questions that have to be asked..the kind of terrainbr /
ahead of us in a country we don t know, how much collateral lossbr /
will we be inflicting in terms of innocent women and children? Lossbr /
of life is loss of life. The Congress needs to ask these questions,br /
force the administration to answer these questions. That does notbr /
mean that we, and I, are not unified. I'm sure I will hear from thebr /
administration, I'm on the foreign affairs committee. I see Secretarybr /
Powell fairly frequently. I haven't talked to him. Hess been fairlybr /
measured in his response, I think Hess trying to bring some balance tobr /
the policy. But in terms of supporting the President, that Congressbr /
has to make sure that he is successful, that any reaction to thisbr /
horrible attack does not come back in terms of any spiraling out ofbr /
control. If you have nobody to check that, it could be very scary./p
pDAVEY D:Congresswoman Lee thank you so much for taking time out ofbr /
your day to break it down for us. /p
pTo reach Barbara Lee call her at 510-763-0370br /
Send comments, questions and concerns tobr /
a href="mailto:misterdaveyd@aol.com" title="mailto:misterdaveyd@aol.com"mailto:misterdaveyd@aol.com/abr /
a href="mailto:mrdaveyd@aol.com" title="mailto:mrdaveyd@aol.com"mailto:mrdaveyd@aol.com/abr /
The FNV Newsletter is written by Davey Dbr /
a href="http://www.daveyd.com" title="http://www.daveyd.com"http://www.daveyd.com/abr /
a href="http://www.rapstation.com" title="http://www.rapstation.com"http://www.rapstation.com/abr /
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