Tell Barbara Lee: Stop spreading Russophobia and fueling a new Cold War

Barbara Lee represents Berkeley and Oakland and nearby areas in Congress (13th CD). She has built a reputation as an advocate for peace and civil liberties. She was the lone vote in Congress against the Authorization for the Use of Military Force that has been used to justify US wars/bombing/drone killing since 9/11. Most recently she opposed and spoke out against Trump's cruise missile attack on Syria in April.

But lately Representative Lee may be taking a dangerous turn.

At a recent town hall Lee hosted Malcolm Nance, MSNBC analyst and former U.S. intelligence agent who is one of the premier neo-McCarthyists and Russia bashers in the country.

Nance not only pushed the dubious narrative that Russia “stole the election.” He went into a rant about the Russian people saying “Russia is an intensely conservative nation. They have a serf-slave mentality. They are passionately and intensely insincere…” AND "There is nothing we should do that's friendly to the Russians. They've gone from Communists to Autocrats."

This is nothing more than xenophobia and war-mongering. It is part of a campaign by establishment Democrats and the mass media that seeks to:

• Deflect blame for Clinton’s defeat from the discredited politics of the corporate Democrats to the Russians.
• Push an aggressive stance toward Russia that could lead to a direct military confrontation and possible nuclear war.

Many of us are constituents of Barbara Lee and have voted for her in past elections.

We urge her to:

• Cease and desist from spreading/enabling this warmongering.
• Condemn xenophobia whether it is directed against Muslims or Russians.
• Reaffirm her support for peace and opposition to all wars of aggression.