What Barbara Lee Said in 2001 Before She Voted Against Invading Afghanistan

 

August 22, 2021 What Barbara Lee Said in 2001 Before She Voted Against Invading Afghanistan PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. PODCASTS, EVENTS, INFO, POSTERS: LilithTheater.com

Oh September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers fell, as a result of a horrific terrorist attack planned and executed by Saudi Arabians. The mastermind of the attack, Osama Bin Laden, had been given shelter by the Taliban, an extreme fundamentalist Moslem movement that ruled Afghanistan. Three days later, on September 14, the U.S. Congress voted on whether to invade Afghanistan. Only one person, out of 535 members of Congress, voted against the invasion of Afghanistan: Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents Berkeley and Oakland. Now, 20 years later, the U.S. forces are withdrawing in defeat, leaving the country in total chaos as the Taliban resume control. I'm relieved we're withdrawing and heartbroken at the horrible mess we made. It is important to look back on what Barbara Lee said before she cast her lonely vote against invasion. She was given only a minute and a half. She spoke for 2 1/2 minutes. She saw the future. PLEASE WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO. IT IS VERY MOVING TO SEE HOW EMOTIONAL, HOW GRIEF-STRICKEN LEE IS. Click the photo to see the video:

The conventional wisdom was that, by voting no, Lee had destroyed her political career. She'd just gone too far out, even for the Bay Area. Of course that was not true, not for a moment. So many of us felt like she did. Immediately there were bumper stickers everywhere: "Barbara Lee Speaks for Me." Lee wrote an essay a few days after her vote. Please read how she expanded on her decision: We must respond, but the character of that response will determine for us and for our children the world that they will inherit. I do not dispute the president's intent to rid the world of terrorism — but we have many means to reach that goal, and measures that spawn further acts of terror or that do not address the sources of hatred do not increase our security. Secretary of State Colin Powell himself eloquently pointed out the many ways to get at the root of this problem — economic, diplomatic, legal and political, as well as military. A rush to launch precipitous military counterattacks runs too great a risk that more innocent men, women, children will be killed. I could not vote for a resolution that I believe could lead to such an outcome. So Colin Powell -- a five-star general before he was Secretary of State -- could imagine many other ways of responding to the terrorist attach of 9/11. Really, when you come right down to it, the invasion Iraq represented a tremendous failure of imagination: A total inability to imagine what might result from the invasion A deadening refusal to explore other options. While a lot of people are attacking Biden for withdrawing, I have read many columns by veterans of Afghanistan who saw, up close, that this war was futile from the beginning, and they all support Biden's decision. To read the words of a man who lost his legs in Afghanistan, click this headline: I fought and bled in Afghanistan. I still think America is right to accept defeat. As much as I support Biden's decision to leave Afghanistan, I have to face the fact that, his plans to help those Afghans who worked with the us are woefully lacking. WHAT CAN WE DO NOW? Contact your Congressional representatives and demand that they take in Afghan refugees without all the paper work. We need to accept everyone who wants to leave right now. Let's save the paperwork for later. Many of the people who worked for the U.S. don't speak English. It's outrageous to expect them to fill out complex forms in an unknown language before they can get out. This is not a radical idea. Many people are saying this. Here's the link: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials Donate for Afghan refugees. This is a list of charities that have been verified by the Go Fund Me site: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/donate-to-afghanistan Click HERE to send an email to Biden through the International Rescue Committee. To volunteer to help resettle refugees, click the Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Services HERE. Bloggelinis: So many crises RIGHT NOW. It's more important now than ever that we continue to ACT to create the world we want to live in. Let us do our best. Terry