A black trans woman, Marsha P. Johnson, started the modern #LGBTQ rights movement. As we end #PrideMonth, know that I'll continue to fight for every member of the LGBTQ community – because no one should have to hide who they are or who they love. https://t.co/DU66cJM0TX
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 30, 2019
Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Sunday Walk and Brunch
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
There’s no mistaking it: this president is a threat to national security and we cannot let him drag us into a war with Iran. Since Day One, I’ve supported repealing the AUMF and putting power back in the hands of Congress to declare war.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 28, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
There’s no question — @KamalaHarris is the best candidate in this race to prosecute the case against the Trump administration. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/kbeiVIiehP
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 28, 2019
Barbara Lee endorsed Kamala Harris on day one and I paid attention -- since Barbara Lee is the rarest of beings, a politician I actually respect and trust somewhat -- how lucky she is actually my Representative! As of now, I'm inclining toward favoring Elizabeth Warren. I appreciate her plans and also the fact that she has them and also the fact that she makes a point of having them. But I am glad that Harris had a good debate last night and is now on the rise in the public eye against stale, pale, male mediocrities Biden and Bernie (and the rest). I hope she makes an impressive and compelling case in the space opened up by her performance. She has disappointed me on the trail so far (and there are things in her history that don't thrill me, as is true of them all, honestly, some more than others), but I've been waiting and open for her to change my mind. I do think the debates have also revealed that Castro has been the candidate who has suffered most unfairly from the media infatuation with Beto and Buttgieg. Here's hoping the more stringent requirements for the third debate round cull the also-rans and nudge at least some of them into actually useful Senate runs.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily (Twofer Edition)
Between this administration’s heartless, reckless immigration policies and the never-ending circus in the White House, Americans have had enough of the chaos and cruelty. I'm calling on the Trump administration to shut down his inhumane immigration detention facilities.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 26, 2019
As Trump so gracefully likes to say, “Wrong!”https://t.co/xzaOd86MYe
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 27, 2019
Teaching Day
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
The student debt crisis is robbing a generation of their future. That’s why I’m proud to be an original co-sponsor of the #CollegeForAll bill. No one should be punished for seeking higher education — it’s time to make college accessible for all.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 26, 2019
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Teaching Day
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
There are millions of people who are just one emergency away from living in poverty. Enough is enough. Together we must fight for a country where the minimum wage is a living wage.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 24, 2019
Monday, June 24, 2019
Today's Random Wilde
Lord Illingworth: I do. Nowadays it is only the unreadable that occurs.
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Access to public education, public health, and public safety should not be a function of how much money you have. Period.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 23, 2019
Sunday Walk and Brunch
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Terrorizing & raiding our communities will not make us safer.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 22, 2019
If you or anyone you know is in danger of being targeted by ICE, remember: you have rights. Do not open the door. Do not answer questions. Ask for a search and arrest warrant. Stay calm.https://t.co/zPBJBjoTxY
Friday, June 21, 2019
Grading
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
The 2001 AUMF gives this unstable man unchecked power for endless war. Congress MUST take back the reins before he leads us down a path we will regret. https://t.co/DCBCIqDy4K
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 21, 2019
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Teaching Day
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
As Trump and Pompeo continue to provoke war with Iran, it’s more important than ever that Congress take back its authority on war and peace. We cannot continue to give the Executive Branch a blank check for endless war. #StopEndlessWar #NoIranWar https://t.co/6jmBO4nhEC
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 20, 2019
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Teaching Day
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily (Juneteenth Edition With A Warren Chaser)
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers marched to Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that slavery was abolished. More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, around 250,000 slaves had yet to be freed in Texas. #Juneteenth
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 19, 2019
The army’s declaration marked the beginning of what would truly be the final days of slavery in the United States. And every year since, African Americans around the country have celebrated this historic anniversary. #Juneteenth
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 19, 2019
We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got further to go to achieve full equality and healing. That’s why I’m also proud to support #HR40 and am encouraged by today’s hearing on reparations. So as we celebrate #Juneteenth, let’s also take today to reflect on the work ahead.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 19, 2019
Juneteenth isn’t just about celebrating the end of slavery in Texas. It’s a necessary reminder that 154 years later, Black Americans still feel the harsh reality that the fight for racial equality in our country is far from over. I’m in that fight all the way.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) June 19, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Teaching Day
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
“In America we shouldn’t have to buy our freedom, but that’s exactly what bail forces us to do.”
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 18, 2019
Nearly half a million people are sitting in jail tonight, not because they’re guilty of a crime — but because they can’t afford bail. pic.twitter.com/GKK4TtaiBi
Monday, June 17, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Four years ago, a white supremacist took the lives of nine people in the #CharlestonShooting. Since then, hate crimes have been on the rise in America. From white supremacist attacks to fear-mongering rhetoric to senseless gun violence, we cannot allow this hate in our country.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 17, 2019
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Sunday Walk and Brunch
Barbara Lee Speaks for Me Daily
Meet Constantin Mutu, a four-month-old baby taken from his family at the border. Meanwhile, his father was deported to Romania not knowing when he would see his son again. Welcome to the Trump administration. https://t.co/NLlQ3KRFKI
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 16, 2019
Early Buzz
Researchers have uncovered the earliest known evidence of cannabis use, from tombs in western China. The study suggests cannabis was being smoked at least 2,500 years ago, and that it may have been associated with ritual or religious activities... The cannabis had high levels of the psychoactive compound THC, suggesting people at the time were well aware of its effects. Cannabis plants have been cultivated in East Asia for their oily seeds and fibre from at least 4,000 BC. But the early cultivated varieties of cannabis, as well as most wild populations, had low levels of THC and other psychoactive compounds. The burners, or braziers, were found at Jirzankal Cemetery, high up in the Pamir Mountains. The scientists think ancient people put cannabis leaves and hot stones in the braziers and inhaled the resulting smoke. It's possible the high altitude environment caused the cannabis plants in this region to naturally produce higher levels of THC. There's evidence this can happen in response to low temperatures, low nutrient levels and other conditions associated with high elevations. But people could have deliberately bred plants with higher levels of THC than wild varieties. It's the earliest clear evidence of cannabis being used for its psychoactive properties. The plants appear to have been burnt as part of funerary rituals... The findings tally with other early evidence for the presence of cannabis from burials further north, in the Xinjiang region of China and in the Altai Mountains of Russia... Nicole Boivin, director at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, said: "The findings support the idea that cannabis plants were first used for their psychoactive compounds in the mountainous regions of eastern Central Asia, thereafter spreading to other regions of the world."
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Let me be clear: Trump does not have the authority to go to war with Iran. Congress must act fast to sunset the #AUMF and reassert our Constitutional authority to declare war. https://t.co/xisKoYTh7W
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 15, 2019
Today's Random Wilde
Friday, June 14, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
From escalating tensions with Iran to selling weapons in the Middle East to encouraging foreign governments to interfere in our elections, this president is a national security threat. Congress must hold him accountable.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 14, 2019
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Let Them Eat Disruption
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Russia interfered in our 2016 elections. And Trump just admitted he would welcome it again in 2020. This is not partisan politics: this president is a national security threat. The House must open an inquiry into impeachment. https://t.co/8U5i7hKsgL
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 13, 2019
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Today an amendment will be offered to strip language I secured to #PutPatientsFirst and prohibit funding for the Trump-Pence refusal of care rule. The rule allows for patients to be denied care based on personal beliefs even to save a life. I urge my colleagues to vote NO.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 12, 2019
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
While Trump’s policies continue to exacerbate climate change, California is leading the way to preserve our environment and protect our future. https://t.co/l2M3e8uCbw
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 11, 2019
Monday, June 10, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
The Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ agenda gives cruel a new meaning. The government is refusing to recognize Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks’ same-sex marriage and as a result, denying citizenship to their son. https://t.co/67n1v3bXZN
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 10, 2019
Intensive
Sunday, June 09, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
People live in cars and on the streets because of soaring housing costs. Students work 2-3 jobs just to pay rent. Teachers drive hours to schools because they can no longer afford to live in East Bay. My Renters Bill of Rights will finally tackle the housing crisis head-on.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 9, 2019
Sunday Walk And Brunch
Saturday, June 08, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily (Impeach The Bigot Idiot Con Man Who Lost The Popular Vote And Loves Nazis Edition)
The Trump administration’s corrupt behavior surrounding the Mueller report has been startling to say the least. I believe it’s time the House open an inquiry into impeachment proceedings now.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 7, 2019
Wednesday, June 05, 2019
Winning the Senate Through DC and PR Statehood: From Your Lips To Goddess' Ears
It’s been 60 years since a new state entered the union, but now Democrats and liberals are accelerating efforts to gain statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. One of their motivations is the future of the U.S. Senate, which is currently biased toward the Republican Party. The logic goes that if Democrats can get unified control of the federal government after the 2020 election, they could push through statehood for both, adding four more seats to the Senate, and all four would likely be Democratic leaning. That might seem far-fetched, but the U.S. has a rich history of partisan state-making.Like the ruinously entrenched conservative court, ending the anti-democratic skew of sparsely populated States in Congressional representation and the Electoral College requires a kind of hardball from Democrats I find it hard to imagine (the long shot of winning the Senate in 2020 despite GOP shenanigans followed by ending the Senate filibuster would surely be required at a minimum), but perhaps Trumpism will have steeled sufficient spines if and when the time comes to act...
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Congress passing the #19thAmendment, we honor the suffragettes who fought so hard for a woman’s right to vote. But the truth is many women of color are still disenfranchised even today and we must not give up the fight for true equality.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 4, 2019
The Solution To Homelessness Is Housing the Homeless
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
Every day a new report warns how serious climate change is. Still, the Trump administration is full of climate deniers pushing their anti-environment agenda. There is no other way to say it: our planet is dying and we will suffer unless we act now.https://t.co/r7vzTrNt1f
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 4, 2019
Monday, June 03, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
It’s crystal clear: the Republican agenda is racist and xenophobic. Trump’s citizenship question is nothing more than hateful discrimination seeking to intimidate people of color. We must not allow our country to stand for this racist behavior. https://t.co/scXofrdmjf
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 2, 2019
DC Statehood
In every term since 1991, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has introduced a statehood bill for the District. These have gotten nowhere, but she isn't giving up. At a Memorial Day event at the D.C. War Memorial, Norton pointed out that 30,000 D.C. residents are veterans, yet the 700,000 people who live there have no vote in whether the country goes to war. Norton is a member of several House committees, but she can't vote on bills. And, of course, D.C. has no senators. This time might be different. Her bill, dubbed H.R. 51 (since D.C. would be the 51st state), has a chance to at least pass the House, since House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) now supports it. The bill also has over 200 Democratic cosponsors, If it passes the House, it will die in the Senate because Mitch McConnell will never let a vote come up. He knows very well that if D.C. becomes a state, it would elect two black Democrats to the Senate (and one black Democrat—probably Norton—to the House). Although D.C. has more residents than Wyoming or Vermont, when it comes to votes in Congress, it has none. Nevertheless, if the House does pass the bill, the fight for "no taxation without representation" could come back again and it could play a role in the 2020 election. If the Democrats capture the House and Senate in 2020 and the Republicans filibuster the same bill in 2021, it will be embarrassing explaining why over 700,000 Americans (of which 63% are minorities) shouldn't have senators or a voting representative. One (weak) defense is that Art. 1 Sec. 9 of the Constitution states that states shall cede land (not exceeding ten miles square) for the seat of government. However, the boundaries of the new state could easily be drawn to exclude the White House, Capitol, and Supreme Court, which would remain in the District.PR and DC Statehood is straightforward enfranchisement, basic decency, plain good sense, and amounts to Democratic partisan hardball against Nazi Republicans, there is nothing but upside in pushing for it every day till we die.
Sunday, June 02, 2019
Barbara Lee Speaks For Me Daily
There’s no sugar-coating it: our nation is experiencing a gun violence epidemic and we must do everything in our power to ensure no more lives are lost at the hands of needless gun violence.
— Barbara Lee (@BLeeForCongress) June 2, 2019