Barbara Lee sends ANOTHER $225 Million to Bibi, then writes letter to defend it

On August 1^st, Congress voted another $225 million of subsidies to Israel for the “Iron Dome” project. This subsidy is on top of the regular $3.1 billion in military aid sent to Israel by Congress, supported by Barbara Lee. Sadly, Lee did NOT join 8 congressmembers, including progressive Keith Ellison, in voting to oppose this measure, coming as it did in the midst of this slaughter in Gaza. There was not even a debate. Evidently, Lee felt compelled, by the increasing activism in her district and beyond to defend her vote.

Barbara Lee’s letter is reproduced in its entirety below. I then will examine what it says, and more importantly, what it does not say to address the issue of military aid to Israel.

Letter from Barbara Lee on August 7^th, 2014 in full:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concern regarding the escalating crisis.. I appreciate your input on this matter.

Last week, I cast a vote in support of Iron Dome, which is a defensive anti-rocket missile system that saves civilian lives. 

I would not have supported funding for offensive military weapons in the midst of this horrific crisis. I continue to mourn the tragic loss of innocent lives in Gaza and Israel.

I have called and will continue to call for a sustained ceasefire to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis, end the blockade of Gaza and stop the loss of civilian lives.

All parties need to get back to negotiations that can lead us to a two state solution.

You may also be interested in an earlier statement on the topic: http://lee.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-expresses-concern-over-escalating-crisis-in-the-middle

As a longtime advocate for global peace and security and international cooperation, I will continue to work towards policies that reduce conflict, end war and address the root causes of violence.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please visit my website www.lee.house.gov where you can also sign up for my electronic newsletter, and receive periodic updates on my activities as your Representative in Washington.

Sincerely,

Barbara Lee
Member of Congress

We can claim credit for this rapid response to what Lee now knows was a controversial vote in Congress. Usually most votes for aid to Israel are not controversial at all, but because of our activism and public protest, Lee was aware of the potential backlash. Sadly, it was totally inadequate.

Lee says voting for this aid was for “a defensive anti-rocket missile system that saves civilian lives.” What Lee leaves out is that new parts were necessary because Israel launched a ruthless attack on Gaza for already three weeks, has imposed a military blockade for 7 years meant to keep all civilians near-starvation, and has had a program of displacement of Palestinians and their oppression for 66 years. Naturally there was a response from Gaza. Further, this Iron Dome system may, or may not, save some civilian lives, but it is certainly limited to saving only Israeli lives, no such system is offered to UN Schools or other civilian infrastructure in Gaza that are routinely targets of the Israeli military. Over 400 children have died in Gaza. Perhaps it is time to let Israeli taxpayers bear the burden of their own defense.

“I would not have supported funding for offensive military weapons in the midst of this horrific crisis.”  A positive statement, but it has a loophole a mile-wide. The fact remains that Lee is committed to supporting “robust aid to Israel”. Does the above statement retract that commitment, or does it mean that Lee does not support funding of “offensive military weapons” to Israel only while it is actively attacking Gaza? Tragically, I think when Israel is finally finished bombing Gaza, Israel may count on Congress and Lee to replenish its supply of offensive weapons soon enough ready for some future attack. There is nothing in this letter to suggest otherwise.

Lee “continue[s] to mourn the tragic loss of innocent lives in Gaza and Israel.” We all do. However, this was not some natural disaster. This was a decision by the Israeli government to launch a brutal attack on the people of Gaza, and a decision by the US government, both the Obama administration and the whole of the US Congress, to give its full support. Barbara Lee has not yet said anything about her support for a resolution in Congress on July 11^th, supporting Netanyahu’s decision to attack Gaza.

“I have called and will continue to call for a sustained ceasefire to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis, end the blockade of Gaza and stop the loss of civilian lives.”  It is vital that more congressmembers support ending the blockade, this is the most welcome part of the letter. Lee has said this before. She did so in 2009 and reiterated in a letter to President Obama in 2010.

We believe that nothing will come of these concerns as Barbara Lee and Congress does nothing to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people. What we have witnessed in the last month is a catastrophic attack on Palestinians and terrible crimes against humanity. Yet Barbara Lee believes all she can do is to send concerns and condolences along with new military equipment to Israel, and that will be sufficient. Where is the call for accountability? When do we finally say enough of military aid to Israel?

Please continue to call Lee’s office and if not in her district to call your congressmember’s office to demand an end to unconditional military aid to Israel. Please tell others about this petition www.tinyurl.com/LeeStopMilitaryAid  and this campaign to end Lee’s blank check to Netanyahu’s endless war.

 

Friends Don’t Let Friends fund wars of Aggression.

We have initiated a campaign by petition and other means to demand Representative Barbara Lee, the erstwhile “renegade for Peace and Justice” (title of Barbara Lee’s own book) to not be a “conformist for War and Occupation” when it comes to funding the Israeli military. Many of us appreciate many of the initiatives she has taken in congress, now we are calling on her to be a more consistent voice for peace and sanity in our world. Now with the war on the people on Gaza, this petition and campaign is more urgent than ever.

Since at least 2012, when she received the first of donations from J Street PAC, she has pledged to support “robust military aid to Israel” and OPPOSE the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions as called for from Palestinian civil society (see J Street’s requirements here). In the 2012 election cycle, she received $2,000 from this group, so far in 2014, $1,000. These donations (paltry by incumbent congressperson standards) came at a terrible price, with a pledge to support US support for Israeli aggression. All of Lee’s words of “concern” about Israeli actions (and she has done better on this than many others in Congress, to be sure) are made hallow by the action of providing the means to destroy homes, kill and harm children and other civilians with impunity, to keep the occupation she supposedly opposes going without end, without consequence. It is especially ironic that while Lee would see no problem opposing President Obama’s call for war (as she did in regard to Syria), she does nothing to impede Netanyahu’s relentless attacks on Palestinian civilians with unquestioned US aid.

A few of the comments from signers of the petition so far:

Jose from Oakland, California says:
“Rep. Lee — you speak for me, so I hope you’ll speak for me again.”

Michael Eisenscher, organizer with US Labor Against War, writes:
Israel is guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, violations of the UN Charter, is an illegal neo-colonial occupier of Palestinian land, has adopted Apartheid practices, has used organized military force against a largely unarmed civilian population, is guilty of collective punishment…. How many more reasons are required to vote against any further funds for Israel?

Carolyn of Berkeley says:
“We have to end US support for the illegal actions of the state of Israel.”

Stella, also of Berkeley, writes simply:
“Civilians targeted with US bombs!”

Yes, civilians targeted with US bombs. Is that the legacy Barbara Lee wants to leave Palestinian children? Will Barbara Lee find the courage to say no to the madness?

Sign the petition.

http://tinyurl.com/LeeStopMilitaryAid

Participate in the call-in to her office (202)225-2661 or her Oakland office at (510) 763-0370 on Tuesday, July 15^th (before and after okay too!) to demand an end to this military aid.

 

Free the East Blue Ridge Seven.

A special George Washington Birthday Post.

“I could by no means bring the Quakers to any terms. They chose rather to be whipped to death than to bear arms.”

Virginia‘s Assembly passed an act for drafting single men into the militia in 1756. (This is in response to the French-Indian War, war for empire) A number of young Quakers allowed themselves to be drafted, ignoring the advice of Virginia Yearly Meeting to resist the new law. However, some of the valley Friends’ young men were sentenced to Winchester‘s log jail for refusing to soldier, and some were flogged. George Hollingsworth–the same George who was the valley’s first Quaker bridegroom–was also jailed when he took part in a silent meeting of Friends under the jail’s windows to protest the incarceration of the draft refusers there.

East of the Blue Ridge seven young Friends absolutely refused to be drafted. They were marched under guard to Winchester–John and William Ellyson of Black Creek Meeting in New Kent County, Cornelius and John Harris and Archelaus, William and John Stanley of Cedar Creek Meeting, Hanover County. The seven were prodded along 140 miles to Winchester, refusing all the way to take the oath of allegiance, remove their hats, eat the King’s rations, or answer their names at roll call. Once in Winchester they were lodged in the guard house, refusing to hold muskets or to work on FortLouden then being built in the town.

George Washington, the militia colonel commanding at Winchester, now 24 years old, threatened them with flogging. He held off, however, when Edward Stabler of Petersburg and Isaac Holingsworth of Winchester, Friends’ ministers, called on him (I suppose you can say an early version of “Courage To Resist” protecting draft resisters by working in solidarity actions) and asked him to wait until Friends could appeal to Governor Dinwiddie on behalf of the seven. Washington wrote to Dinwiddie for advice, and Dinwiddie’s instructions were “to confine them with a short allowance of bread and water till you bring them to reason.” But on 4 August 1756, Washington, frustrated, wrote Dinwiddie that:

“I could by no means bring the Quakers to any terms. They chose rather to be whipped to death than to bear arms.”

Meanwhile, Edward Stabler and four other Friends visited Governor Dinwiddie in Williamsburg. On August 19, Dinwiddie wrote to Washington“

“A great body of Quakers waited on me in regard to their friends with you, praying they may not be whipped. Use them with linity, but as they are at their own expense I would have them remain as long as the other draughts.”

Finally, in December 1756, Joshua Brown, 39, a minister of West Nottingham Meeting in Maryland, came to Winchester, “having felt a draft of love to visit Friends settled about Hopewell in Virginia.” He wrote”

“There were seven young men who had been brought up out of Virginia by militia officers under Colonel George Washington, who had been condemned to imprisonment for six months because they were not free to bear arms. They had suffered much threatening and were taken out to be whipped. This was not done. The great Master had preserved them in faithfulness. They had gained the favor of the officers. Their time was now out and they requested me and my companion to go with them to Colonel Washington. He was very pleasant and discharged them.”

Hey George Washington, Happy Birthday. No hard feelings. To Grandfather Cornelius and Uncle John, thanks for being part of a real people’s history we hear so little about. You have inspired so many. May a thousand or a million or a billion follow in your steps as the US continues to wage war in Afghanistan and Iraq… and who knows where else in the days to come.

 

For Gaza

We will not go down (Song for Gaza)

 

An Inside Look at a Political Lobby for War.

AIPAC conference ‘no arena for debate’ on Israel – 04 Jun 08

 

The Hillary Campaign- Obliterated!

Nothing is more deserved than this dismal end to one of the most reactionary, war-promoting, racist and dismal campaigns in Democratic Party history. This candidate is on record as suggesting that genocide against the people of Iran, some Sixty-five million people, is an option on the table. We are thankful that her campaign is now in the trash bin of history (someone should mention this to Hillary btw).

If the utility company has not already done so, can someone turn off the lights in the campaign offices? Such a waste of energy, and we’re trying to save the environment here.

 

Happy May Day! ILWU to Shut down West Coast ports to protest war

No Peace, No Work

Check this out people. This is the beginning of the end of the occupation. History is being made. If you want this war to end, don’t wait for the politicians, we gotta do it ourselves. Protest Pelosi’s support for yet another $100+ billion for this war, and support our union sisters and brothers in this historic protest.

http://maydayilwu.googlepages.com/home

 

Orrin Hatch, another “Republicans Say the Darndest Things”

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, caught in a lie on Meet the Press about fired US Attorney Carol Lam. He said, among other things, that

“She was a former law professor, no prosecutorial experience, and the former campaign manager in Southern California for Clinton, and they’re trying to say that this administration appoints people politically?”

She has had 15 years of prosecutorial experience when she was appointed by George W. Bush. She successfully prosecuted ex-Congressman”Duke” Cunningham.

Ironically, it is rumored that Hatch is on the short list to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should he be forced to resign over his handling of the firings of US Attorneys for purposes of thwarting prosecutions of Republicans (and to punish those who were not quick enough to prosecute Democrats).

We hope Gonzo is forced out. We also hope, that despite Hatch’s attempts to lie on behalf of the Bush administration (we can imagine that this is endearing him to Karl Rove) , that he is not appointed to the upcoming vacancy.

If folks call his office (202) 224-5251 or Fax: (202) 224-6331 to complain, let us know what his office is saying in response, and when he will come out with a big apology. Hatch must never, never, be allowed to forget this, not until his retirement day.

Here is the video of Rachel Maddow explaining it all for you.

Update:

From Josh Marshall at TPM

My comments about Carol Lam’s record as a U.S. Attorney were accurate, but I misspoke when making the point of discussing politically connected U.S. Attorneys. I accidentally used her name, instead of her predecessor, Alan Bersin, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton.

This is kind of classic on a couple levels. My comments were accurate, just not the facts I used in the comments.

But that’s only the half of it.

The simple fact is that Hatch’s explanation makes no sense. He’s saying: In the course of attacking Carol Lam I inadvertantly used Lam’s name when describing facts that may or may not apply to, Alan Bersin, a guy Bill Clinton appointed to the same office back in the mid-1990s.

As one of the comments suggests, it seems Hatch knew exactly what he was doing. Few people heard that “clarification” as on the April 8th Meet The Press it was only said that Hatch left a message about what he said the week before, look at the website. He was deliberatly putting this disinformation out there, and it did not matter a few people heard his statement later, most did not. Many people now believe Lam was an unqualified person appointed by Clinton.

 

Something Inside So Strong

Update:

Since this was originally posted, the Big Brothers at You Tube took down the video that used the song and presented material regarding the oppression of Palestine. Here is a replacement video of Labi Siffre himself singing the song.
A Powerful video “Something Inside so Strong” (Lyrics).

Sumud = Steadfastness, the non-violent resistence of the Palestinians against land confiscation and ethnic cleansing. Like an old olive tree deeply rooted to the ground, those practicing sumud refuse to move-away despite political, economic and physical injustices committed against them.

 

Mistrial is Clear Victory for Lt. Watada

From Courage to Resist Check out this important story. It appears we have won a very significant victory.