PRESS RELEASE
Sept. 20 Demonstrations Will Demand Obama Sign JASTA Bill
Sept. 17, 2016 (EIRNS)—The 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism have called a protest in front of the White House. According to the website passjasta.org, the group is mobilizing to oppose President Obama’s stated intent to veto the JASTA bill, which has now passed both houses of Congress, and is sitting on the President’s desk.
JASTA stands for Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, and its enactment would permit the 9/11 families to pursue legal action against state sponsors of terrorism, most specifically, Saudi Arabia. The bill passed the Senate in the spring, and the House of Representatives affirmed it with a unanimous voice vote on Sept. 9.
The rally, entitled "Enact JASTA," will begin to assemble at 12:30 p.m. The organizers are bringing in buses from out of state, and will "oppose the veto and support an override," should Obama carry out his threat. According to the passjasta.org website, "the size of the crowd in attendance will speak volumes about how important the 9/11 Community views JASTA."
A rally in front of the Senate is tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. the same day.
Speaking at a New Jersey event on Sept. 12, 9/11 Families leader Terry Strada laid out the purpose of the group’s determination to pass this bill, as follows:
"This bill is intended to hold any nation accountable for a terrorist attack on U.S. soil that kills United States citizens.
"We’ve chosen this path because it’s a peaceful way to fight terrorism. We don’t want to see more bloodshed; we don’t ever want to see more people die over 9/11. And we also want to protect our borders; we want to protect our country; we want to protect you; I want to protect my children. And the way that we do this, is by holding the nations accountable that fund known terrorist organizations, like al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram.
"People say, ‘You can’t fight the lone wolf.’ I say, Yes, we can!’ If we cut off the funding, and we destroy their capabilities to recruit and incite, and bring on more terror and to brainwash people, we can eliminate ISIS. And that is our long-term goal. The short-term goal, right now, is to get Saudi Arabia off of this crazy [situation] that they’re not held accountable."
The White House is continuing to put out the word that the President will maintain his loyalty to Saudi Arabia (and implicitly, its British sponsors) and veto JASTA. If he does, an override is within reach—if the American population takes up its moral duty to seek justice not only for the past, but for future generations as well.
See passjasta.org for updated information on this rally and other events.
