Join Congresswoman Barbara Lee in conversation with Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman, as well as leaders from the Institute for Policy Studies (Tope Folarin), the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Diane Randall), and Win Without War (Stephen Miles). REGISTER.
Three days after the 9/11 attacks, Barbara Lee cast the sole vote against war in the entire Congress. She recognized that a “rush to launch precipitous military counterattacks runs too great a risk that more innocent men, women, children will be killed.” She faced isolation and opprobrium from huge pro-war majorities in the Congress and across the country. But she stood fast, and has remained a leader in fighting for cuts in the military budget and the repeal of the authorizations for war that George Bush launched twenty years ago.
But despite her isolation in Congress, Barbara Lee did not stand alone. Anti-war and other progressive organizations stood by her and mobilized powerful movements that over the years succeeded in transforming public opinion into widespread opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rep. Lee will be interviewed by Amy, and then she will engage in conversation with Tope, Diane, and Stephen about the lessons they have all learned 20 years after 9/11. And they’ll talk about how to build a new political momentum towards cutting the military budget in half, both to fund human needs at home and to end the wars that are destroying so many lives abroad. They will also discuss the importance of mobilizing the public for diplomacy and development, and not for war.
Co-hosts: Institute for Policy Studies, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Win Without War.