“As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore.”
Barbara Lee’s speech to the House of
Representatives, 14th September 2001
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart, one that is filled with
sorrow for the families and loved ones who were killed and injured
in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Only the most foolish or
the most callous would not understand the grief that has gripped the
American people and millions around the world. This unspeakable attack
on the United States has forced me 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.
I know that this use-of-force resolution will pass although we all know that the
President can wage war even without this resolution. However difficult this vote
may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint. There must be some of us who
say, let's step back for a moment and think through the implications of our actions
today—let us more fully understand their consequences. We are not dealing with a conventional
war. We cannot respond in a conventional manner. I do not want to see this spiral out of control.
This crisis involves issues of national security, foreign policy, public safety, intelligence
gathering, economics, and murder. Our response must be equally multifaceted. We must not
rush to judgment. Far too many innocent people have already died. Our country is in mourning. If we
rush to launch a counterattack, we run too great a risk that women, children, and other
non-combatants will be caught in the crossfire.
Nor can we let our justified anger over these outrageous acts by vicious murderers inflame prejudice against all
Arab Americans, Muslims, Southeast Asians, and any other people because of their race, religion, or ethnicity.
Finally, we must be careful not to embark on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target.
We cannot repeat past mistakes. In 1964, Congress gave President Lyndon Johnson the power to "take all necessary
measures" to repel attacks and prevent further aggression. In so doing, this House abandoned its own constitutional
responsibilities and launched our country into years of undeclared war in Vietnam. At that time, Senator Wayne Morse,
one of two lonely votes against the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, declared, "I believe that history will record that we
have made a grave mistake in subverting and circumventing the Constitution of the United States … I believe that
within the next century, future generations will look with dismay and great disappointment upon a Congress which
is now about to make such a historic mistake."
Senator Morse was correct, and I fear we make the same mistake today. And I fear the consequences. I have agonized
over this vote. But I came to grips with it in the very painful yet beautiful memorial service today 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."
BARBARA LEE speaks for me and millions more
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/BLee.pdf
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