War Authority, Barbara Lee, & the Future of the AUMF under President Trump
Congresswoman Barbara Lee is a brave individual. That idea — over a year ago — was the basis for the production of my short documentary War Authority. It was to be the story of courage in the face of adversity. Simple as that. Things sure did change.
Congresswoman Lee was born in Texas in 1946. As a high school student, she fought for and won the right to be her school’s first African American cheerleader. Before attending Mills College, she became a single mother of two who relied on public assistance. In college, she volunteered with the Black Panther Party and worked on Bobby Seale’s mayoral campaign. As a Congresswoman, she has fought for the impoverished, those suffering from HIV/AIDs, and for women seeking abortions. On September 14, 2001, Congresswoman Lee was the sole member of the House of Representatives to vote against the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, which would allow military action against those responsible for 9/11. She did so because she felt the document was too vague and gave the President too much power. On Friday, January 20, 2017, Congresswoman Lee will “boycott” the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Politics aside, it’s safe to say that Barbara Lee is a badass. And that is why I wanted to interview her.
I had 45 minutes with the Congresswoman, so decisions had to be made regarding where I would drive the conversation. I chose to focus on her dissenting vote and what it meant to her. We spoke in 2015 — fourteen years after the vote. Congresswoman Lee represents California’s 13th district and we met in her Oakland office. We spoke about what went through her mind leading up to the vote (a lot), what the reaction to the vote was (she received thousands of death threats and had to have full-time security), and how she feels looking back (does she regret it? No way). For 45 minutes, Congresswoman Lee walked me through a feat of courage that I cannot imagine. But, the interview was not enough for a film about the Congresswoman. I put it on a hard drive and moved on.
Then, Donald Trump’s campaign began picking up steam. Somewhere around the time he made remarks about “taking out” the families of terrorists, I was reminded of my conversation with Congresswoman Lee. I recalled her reasons for voting against the AUMF: it gave the President the power to bomb, detain, and monitor just about anyone, anywhere. On top of that, it had no “sunset provision,” meaning that the bill itself did not have to be revisited and could go on eternally if ignored.
I decided to talk to other people about the AUMF. I spoke to Leon Panetta, the former Director of the CIA and former Secretary of Defense. I spoke to a Professor of National Security Law. I dug up footage of Senators and Congresspeople talking about the AUMF. I began editing.
Then, the election. That was all I needed to convince me to release the film, which I did in late November. It had changed quite a bit. It wasn’t a piece on a brave Congresswoman. It wasn’t a piece on said Congresswoman’s vote. It was simply a piece about the AUMF. About the problems it poses. It was made to inform the public in a time when the President-elect was, essentially, threatening to kill innocent people (“take out their families”). The film was chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick, which, as a filmmaker, is an incredible honor. I hope, on top of that, that it informs people. That, maybe, it will lead people to elect Congresspeople and Senators that consider things like the AUMF. That’s their job. But, it’s our job to cast informed votes.
Donald Trump will become President of the United States on Friday. He will be able to use the AUMF to attack nearly anyone he wants. This is, in my opinion, something that the people need to know.
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