"jps" wrote in message
...
In article , says...
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
Marines responding to the call for help were mortared and strafed as
they made their way into the city. Additional Marines then joined in
the
fight.
All of those Marines died so that your ****ing civilian ass could sleep
peacefully tonight. I hope you say a pray for them.
Iraq was no threat to the safety of US civilians.
Why? Because there was an ocean between us?
There is enough circumstantial evidence suggesting that Iraq has waged a
clandestine terror war against the U.S. since the 1993 bombing of the WTC.
Would today's circumstantial evidence get a conviction in a U.S. court of
law? Yes. In fact, it already did:
Lawsuit ruling finds Iraq partly responsible for 9/11
By Richard Willing, USA TODAY
NEW YORK - A federal judge in New York City on Wednesday found Iraq among
those liable for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and awarded nearly
$104 million to the families of two men who died in the World Trade Center.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Harold Baer marked the first time that a
court had pinned some blame for the attacks on Iraq.
"That in itself is significant," said James Beasley, an attorney who
represented the families.
"There's a bunch of (other) cases in process just waiting to see if we could
convince a court (of Iraq's complicity). So now the principle is
established, and we can get the families the money that they need badly."
Collecting may prove difficult. On March 20, about $1.7 billion in Iraqi
assets frozen since 1990 were transferred by President Bush to the U.S.
Treasury to be used as a down payment on re-building postwar Iraq. Unless
Bush relents, that money appears to be beyond the reach of the plaintiffs:
the estates of business analyst George Smith and securities executive
Timothy Soulas
It is not known whether the government that assumes power in Iraq will be
willing or able to pay the claim.
Baer relied on testimony from former CIA director James Woolsey and from
author Laurie Mylroie in determining that Iraq "provided material support"
to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. He also cited Colin Powell's speech to the
United Nations on Feb. 5 in which the secretary of State linked Iraq to
Islamist terrorism.
The testimony, Baer wrote, "barely" established a link between al-Qaeda and
Iraq but offered enough proof to persuade a "reasonable jury."
Beside Iraq, defendants included al-Qaeda, bin Laden, the Taliban and the
former government of Afghanistan. None of the defendants responded to the
lawsuit, but lawyers for the plaintiffs still had to prove Iraq was liable
for damages.
The ruling provides ammunition for other plaintiffs pressing claims against
Iraq.
In Washington, D.C., six widows and the mother of one victim of the Sept. 11
attacks are seeking class-action status in their lawsuit against Iraq.
In another Washington case, 17 Americans taken prisoner during the 1991
Persian Gulf War and 37 of their family members are seeking $910 million for
mistreatment.
Separately, the federal government has set up a victims compensation fund to
pay the families of victims of the terrorist attacks, provided they waive
their right to sue American companies and government bodies. Recipients are
permitted to file lawsuits against al-Qaeda and Iraq.
The fund is expected to disburse $4 billion. Initial awards have averaged
about $1.75 million for each victim's family.