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"9/11 Families Can Sue Saudi Arabia" bill passes House; Obama likely to veto.

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Balphon

Member
Yes, you could. We could even go so far as to threaten war.

The real question is will we? And that answer is no on both fronts. And because of that no payment is going to happen.

The court would eventually be compelled to do something to ensure restitution if there was an adverse judgment against SA as a result of this bill. That doesn't mean they'd immediately freeze $750b in Saudi-held treasuries, but the assets are not untouchable.
 
Yeah, I don't understand why people are against this. "It opens the US for lawsuits" is not an argument someone that cares about justice should worry about.

You'd have to realize on who or what you are suing.

  • As if suing SA mean you are suing the exact people who were involved
  • or that somehow miraculously the current SA in control of the government is the same SA 15+ years ago
  • or if the whole goverment was in on it, or was it a particular few
  • or if members of the US goverment were aware of certain actions but let it slide (maybe even due to bribery or funding by certain figures in SA)

this whole thing is just literally.... lol sue a whole country, "idk what I am doing", without any specifics.

...but then again something brash and obtuse like this is very noteworthy of US foreign politics.
 

Mael

Member
I don't understand this argument. Are you against the US being responsible for terrible actions they commit?

As for the second bolded text...WTF?

For the 1rst bold, glass houses and rocks you know.

For the 2nd, quite easily since you could make a case US aid to Israel has a direct impact on causing unlawful arm to a citizen.
If that citizen has dual citizenship like say anywhere in the EU, he could then sue in a EU court.
Mexico could(should really at this point) sue the US for basically selling weapons for crimes comitted with said weapons on their soil.
 

Alo0oy

Banned
you'd have to realize on who or what you are suing

  • as if suing SA mean you are suing the exact people who were involved
  • or that somehow miraculously the current SA in control of the government is the same SA 15+ years ago
  • or if the whole goverment was in on it, or was it a particular few
  • or if members of the US goverment were aware of certain actions but let it slide (maybe even due to bribery or funding by certain figures in SA)

this whole thing is just literally.... lol sue a whole country, "idk what I am doing", without any specifics.

...but then again something brash and obtuse like this is very noteworthy of US foreign politics.

As far as I understand the bill, it only allows the families to sue, it doesn't automatically make them win the lawsuit. There's nothing wrong with allowing them to sue, if there are certain details I'm missing (like one of the points you mentioned), you can protest those specific details. Blind patriotism helps no one but the elites in your government.
 

Alo0oy

Banned
For the 1rst bold, glass houses and rocks you know.

For the 2nd, quite easily since you could make a case US aid to Israel has a direct impact on causing unlawful arm to a citizen.
If that citizen has dual citizenship like say anywhere in the EU, he could then sue in a EU court.
Mexico could(should really at this point) sue the US for basically selling weapons for crimes comitted with said weapons on their soil.

Are you against those specific victims seeking justice? Or is justice only for Muricans?
 
As far as I understand the bill, it only allows the families to sue, it doesn't automatically make them win the lawsuit. There's nothing wrong with allowing them to sue, if there are certain details I'm missing (like one of the points you mentioned), you can protest those specific details. Blind patriotism helps no one but the elites in your government.
I am just saying it isn't even a specific bill
they don't even know the suspects and yet they are jumping the gun

shooting at smoke while leaving themselves open for consequences

and since it doesn't even have any concrete construct you are literally going to allow average joes into a lawsuit, have them lose and then have the rest of the planet sue you for actual concrete reasons with specific individual on which to sue
 

Brakke

Banned
Yeah, I don't understand why people are against this. "It opens the US for lawsuits" is not an argument someone that cares about justice should worry about.

Because what the hell is "justice" in this context? When North Korea sues us in their own court over whatever the fuck laws they have, of course we're just going to ignore their judgement. How can we be held accountable to laws we aren't subject to in the first place? What kind of jury of peers are we going to assemble to try Saudi Arabia? Why would they care about twelve people in Billings deciding anything?

We already have an enormous worldwide apparatus of diplomacy and sanctions and the United Nations and treaties and etc etc to regulate and govern conflicts between nations.
 

Condom

Member
Why is this ridiculous. Fuck Saudi Arabia and everything about them. If they lose every single asset they own in America, good.

It passes unanimously. How often does that happen? Obama should not veto this.
That's theft. What if the world decides to steal all US's assets for the shit the federal government has done over the years?

We would be nuked immediately and cut off from Netflix
 

Alo0oy

Banned
Because what the hell is "justice" in this context? When North Korea sues us in their own court over whatever the fuck laws they have, of course we're just going to ignore their judgement. How can we be held accountable to laws we aren't subject to in the first place? What kind of jury of peers are we going to assemble to try Saudi Arabia? Why would they care about twelve people in Billings deciding anything?

We already have an enormous worldwide apparatus of diplomacy and sanctions and the United Nations and treaties and etc etc to regulate and govern conflicts between nations.

That's the bigger issue, the US refuses to ratify the Hague court thing. And you can guess why.
 

Mael

Member
Are you against those specific victims seeking justice? Or is justice only for Muricans?

Victims can already seek justice at the Hague if they want.
This is redundant and really more about vengeance than justice.
then again for a country that refuses to give justice to its citizen when they've been wronged en masse...
 
Victims can already seek justice at the Hague if they want.
This is redundant and really more about vengeance than justice.
then again for a country that refuses to give justice to its citizen when they've been wronged en masse...

The nativity of this bill is staggering.
 

Ominym

Banned
The court would eventually be compelled to do something to ensure restitution if there was an adverse judgment against SA as a result of this bill. That doesn't mean they'd immediately freeze $750b in Saudi-held treasuries, but the assets are not untouchable.

I get that the court would be obligated to do something, but at what point is it feasible that they actually go through with it?

Would the United States risk a major conflict, be it economic or otherwise, to ensure restitution? I simply don't think so.

The best case scenario at that point would be that the families get what Saudi Arabia is willing to give, which assuredly isn't going to be what they're mandated.
 
then you have the post SA sue, were everyone is suing everyone else for so many things

it later goes to the extreme and someone from France might sue the US for airport security, or you might get mail at your house that said your great grandfather killed so and so's relative from Japan unjustly in WW2

then you have government members having to attend random court hearings instead running their said governments causing delays and mismanagement, only to have big companies from around the globe getting their foreign investment funds either taken or frozen

and so on and so fourth
 

Balphon

Member
I get that the court would be obligated to do something, but at what point is it feasible that they actually go through with it?

Would the United States risk a major conflict, be it economic or otherwise, to ensure restitution? I simply don't think so.

The best case scenario at that point would be that the families get what Saudi Arabia is willing to give, which assuredly isn't going to be what they're mandated.

What's preventing them? The White House isn't in a position to order the courts to do anything. This bill isn't toothless; it's not like the courts are going to arbitrarily dismiss cases due to the geopolitical implications.
 
New York (CNN)BREAKING NEWS: Barack Obama vetoed Friday a bill that would allow family members of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. The White House claimed it could expose US diplomats and servicemen to litigation in other countries.
Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress say they'll override Obama's veto next week.

Obama has now issued 12 vetoes. If successful, Congress' override will be the first of Obama's presidency.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/21/p...udi-9-11-bill0835PMVODtopLink&linkId=29142698

Seems like the law will pass. :lol

Interesting months ahead.
 

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
will be ridiculous if they override this veto. this is just going to open the floodgates to sue the US government
 

qcf x2

Member
Playing a risky game as Saudi Arabia owns a hefty chunk of US treasury debt.

And yet there is risk in letting them off the hook for making the 9/11 attacks happen. Risk internationally and risk domestically.

Anyway, Obama is gonna have some splainin to do when he vetoes, considering it was passed unanimously and I'm pretty sure the average Joe would rather see the perpetrating government brought to some sort of justice than to hear "let it go" because of money.
 

Showaddy

Member
Looking forward to the untold millions who have been fucked over by the USA over the years getting their day in court.
 

Breads

Banned
Can the families of innocent drone victims sue the US?!?

I'm not sure what else to add to this post. This is surreal.
 

Breads

Banned
Election year. You can't vote against this or you'll be murdered. No one gives a damn about the details.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they pushed this outlandish shit so they can keep their seats against a volatile base but fully expected a veto in return.

This is the only way I can make sense of this.
 

Az987

all good things
Yes, you could. We could even go so far as to threaten war.

The real question is will we? And that answer is no on both fronts and it's because of this that no payment is going to happen.

Actually, Saudi Arabia isn't taking this lightly. They threatened to sell $750,000,000,000 of us bonds earlier in the year if it passed in Congress.
 

Undead

Member
Actual question.

Will they also allow them to sue the U.S airports and U.S security personnel for allowing the hijackers onto the planes?
 

Piecake

Member
What a bunch of morons. Hopefully at least a few congressmen wake up from being stupid so that this veto doesn't get overridden
 

Arkeband

Banned
Can the families of innocent drone victims sue the US?!?

I'm not sure what else to add to this post. This is surreal.

I'm pretty sure this is the primary argument against it, we're going to have a reckoning for all of the war crimes we commit.
 

Blader

Member
I'm pretty conflicted about this. I have no love lost for the Saudi monarchy for all the shit they have been involved in, but at the same time, allowing this is going to seriously open the floodgates of litigation against the US government that could potentially result in a massive net loss for everyone. I'd also be concerned about what this does to US-Saudi relations at a time when the monarchy is taking a more modernized stance against radicalized strains of Islam, so the timing on this really couldn't have been worse.
 
D

Deleted member 284

Unconfirmed Member
If you think the US haven't done anything wrong that might mean similar lawsuits against you, then I have some bad news for you.

It's a ridiculous bill though.

I haven't read details, but doesn't this kinda open up a path for the great grandsons and granddaughters of African Slaves to sue for things like reparation? What about the Native Americans and Japanese Americans? Interesting times.
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
How would the US being open to being sued in similar situations be a bad thing? If we haven't done anything wrong then we don't have anything to worry about, right, or am I missing something from Obama's argument?

Lol, having not done anything wrong. Tell that to all the democratically elected governments you toppled and human rights violations supported in South America.

Dems should've put reparations for blacks on there as pork. Would've killed this thing dead.

Damn, would've been hilarious.
 
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