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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChuck Schumer quietly guts JASTA bill
"Sen. Charles Schumer slipped in an amendment letting the State and Justice departments halt lawsuits by 9/11 families against terror sponsors."
It turns out that just before the vote, Sen. Charles Schumer and other proponents of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act stuffed an amendment into the final draft allowing the attorney general and secretary of state to stop any litigation against the Saudis in its tracks.
Yes, JASTA would remove the statutory restrictions that have prevented 9/11 families from taking the Saudi kingdom to court. But Schumer helped craft an entirely new section to the original bill, giving the Justice and State departments the power to stay court action indefinitely. All they have to do is inform the judge hearing the case that the US government has engaged with Riyadh in diplomatic talks to resolve the issue.
The quiet, behind-the-scenes watering-down of the controversial bill explains why it passed without a single Republican or Democratic objection. The White House had lobbied senators heavily to kill the bill.
http://nypost.com/2016/05/24/sneaky-schumer-added-loophole-to-halt-911-saudi-suits/
It's utterly obvious why a version of this bill - with teeth - can never and will never be allowed to pass, and since playing politics with 911 is still very popular in DC I guess the only option left was illusory victory.
NV Whino
(20,886 posts)Another victory for the people.
EdwardBernays
(3,343 posts)This is probably the most pro-American outcome possible. The alternative would have screwed America - which would've been fair but... America doesn't really believe in fair.
NV Whino
(20,886 posts)wallyworld2
(375 posts)wallyworld2
(375 posts)The Ultimate Culprits On Behalf Of Wall Street Deregulation: Chuck Schumer (D) And Kevin McCarthy (R)-- And Who Are The New Dems? - See more at: http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/search?q=chuck+Schumer#sthash.qO9GvIav.dpuf
Two rats: Kevin McCarthy and Chuck Schumer
Response to EdwardBernays (Original post)
guyton This message was self-deleted by its author.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)dmosh42
(2,217 posts)truebrit71
(20,805 posts)Response to EdwardBernays (Original post)
silvershadow This message was self-deleted by its author.
Rafale
(291 posts)Why would he do that? Surely there is a reason he would pick Saudi citizens and government over American families?
EdwardBernays
(3,343 posts)The US can't allow this to happen. We've done too much bad to too many countries' civilians that if we suddenly allowed those people to sue America we'd go bankrupt. You'd be talking about 10s of thousands of lawsuits. Our foreign policy over the last six decades is such that we won't ever be able to allow our citizens sue other countries for their foreign policy, because we wouldn't survive the reprisal.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)d_legendary1
(2,586 posts)Nuff said.
EdwardBernays
(3,343 posts)The US can't allow this to happen. We've done too much bad to too many countries' civilians that if we suddenly allowed those people to sue America we'd go bankrupt. You'd be talking about 10s of thousands of lawsuits. Our foreign policy over the last six decades is such that we won't ever be able to allow our citizens sue other countries for their foreign policy, because we wouldn't survive the reprisal.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)are protecting ours.
EdwardBernays
(3,343 posts)And sad
jwirr
(39,215 posts)HillareeeHillaraah
(685 posts)Are you willing to let go of vengeance? Revenge? Saving face? Are you willing to let go of the ability to sue an enemy in ally's clothing?
Does suing the bad actors of the Saudi Kingdom take us closer or further away from achieving calm in the region?
What are you willing to sacrifice for peace?
marble falls
(57,204 posts)ChiciB1
(15,435 posts)much they've been playing CYA for years and years!! God forbid that "we the people" be informed as to what OUR GOVERNMENT is doing in OUR NAME!
Barney Frank, Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer and a very long list of VERY POWERFUL & VERY INFLUENTIAL Democrats are being made to show their REAL colors! Who know how many more names are going to pop up as each day goes by.
It's no wonder this country has lost so much respect for TPTB!
I fully realize that new leadership won't be able to bring instant change & it's going to take quite some time, but THERE COMES A TIME that the people of this country must stop electing the same people over and over and expecting a different outcome! STATUS QUO is no longer an option IMO! And then there's DONALD TRUMP, my God what have we become???? I feel like I'm getting pushed further and further into a corner and waiting for the walls to go up!
I'm so frustrated and I seriously think it's going to get much better UNLESS something changes!
EdwardBernays
(3,343 posts)Yes 100% that Schumer is status quo. And yes the quiet way this was done is opposite of democratic and transparent.
But.
The US can't allow this to happen. We've done too much bad to too many countries' civilians that if we suddenly allowed those people to sue America we'd go bankrupt. You'd be talking about 10s of thousands of law suits. Our foreign policy over the last six decades is such that we won't ever be able to allow our citizens sue other countries for their foreign policy, because we wouldn't survive the reprisal.
ChiciB1
(15,435 posts)I DO understand what you're saying, but when will it begin to stop? We've let this grow for so long and our answer to ALL of it is to keep doing it and look the other way!
Are you not aware of how little respect we have in the world now? Other countries are pushing forward with infrastructure, health care and a long, long list of problems while THIS COUNTRY simply starts more WARS!
So we just flip a coin to see what side we want? It does seem that FINALLY we're having so many people being made aware of what's been done in our name and if we KEEP ignoring it what kind of message are we sending?
YES, it's a HUGE CLUSTER F--K, but I have kids and grand kids who have opened their eyes now and ALL the years I've spent trying to get them involved can go down the drain.
But I suppose I can just say fine... I'll be gone in 15 years or so and what's it to me. Then again I can get hit by a hurricane or tornado and be gone tomorrow. What, ME WORRY??? As they've said to me for years now, I need to NOT get involved because it upsets me. Kind off hate to think my many, many years of activism has been a total waste. But, in a way I guess it has been.
Sorry for the rant, just so DONE with trying to make others see. IT IS A LOSING BATTLE, though.
EdwardBernays
(3,343 posts)I know alllll to well how little respect America has..
Americans - as a rule - not only do not know US history, they do not want to know US history. Full stop.
The rest of the world doesn't have that option.
And it isn't waiting for the US' permission to make their citizens' lives better.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)1939
(1,683 posts)y father (1913-1990) said to me that when he voted he voted against any incumbent regardless of party. The only time he let party influence him was when there was no incumbent. If there was an incumbent he automatically voted for the other person.
HillareeeHillaraah
(685 posts)Doesn't make national security sense to disintegrate one of the few, just barely working relationships with a Muslim country in the name of providing what? Closure to the families? my friend Danny went down with Tower 2. His wife and 3 kids received over $5 million in various settlements and initial donations. Emotionally, they carry scars forever. Financially, they have closure.
How much more broken do our relationships with Mid East countries need to be? What's the goal in suing the Saudi Kingdom? The entire planet knows what they did. You don't fix anything by adding more fuel to the fire of hatred and anger.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)with the Muslim country that financed and trained the terrorists. We should feel better.
HillareeeHillaraah
(685 posts)Think it's better to have them as an enemy? Think we should cut ties with them? How 'bout we add them to the list of countries we bomb....? Think that'll get us anywhere?
It's an imperfect world wrought with nefarious players. Can't kill them all. Seems to me we're more likely to influence the behaviors of allies than enemies.