Posted on 12/14/2004 5:14:37 PM PST by Fatalis
Many 9/11 Families Opposed to Collins' Bill By Peter Gadiel Dec 13, 2004, 08:57
Editor,
Sen. Collins persists in claiming that her intelligence reform bill passed because of "the overwhelming support of family members of 9-11 victims." Our organization, 9/11 Families for a Secure America wants to tell the people of Maine that her claim is false. The members of 9/11 FSA, all of whom are relatives of 9/11 victims, represent the families of 300 of those victims. We vociferously opposed the Collins bill in numerous Capitol Hill press conferences, a fact which cannot have escaped Sen. Collins notice.
To buttress her claim of family support, Sen. Collins relies on the statements of the twelve members of a self-described and self-appointed "family steering committee." In fact, "steering committee" member Carol Ashley admitted to the press on October 27 that their group had no additional members beyond the twelve themselves.
The hundreds of family members of 9/11FSA opposed the Collins bill because it is politically inspired and defective merely pretending to make the US safer from terrorist attack, but which will do nothing in this regard for years to come, if ever.
Sen. Collins and Sen. Lieberman bear full responsibility for the bill's defects. As Senate negotiators on the House-Senate conference committee, they succeeded in forcing removal of nearly all provisions that would have keep future terrorists from perpetrating future 9/11 mass murders. Among the provisions Collins and Lieberman killed were those that: (a) would have prevented terrorists and other alien criminals from obtaining US drivers' licenses; (b) would have prevented them from using "consular identity cards" issued by a few foreign governments (which the FBI describes are issued only to help illegal aliens evade US immigration law, and which it calls threats to US national security; (c) would have prevented terrorists from using the US banking system to transfer funds; (d) would have repaired the current law on deportation of alien criminals and terrorists, which now makes it so difficult to remove dangerous individuals who to pose a threat to this country.
Sen. Collins constituents should be aware that the 9/11 terrorists possessed a total of sixty-three authentic US drivers' licenses and that the 9/11 Commission described these licenses as crucially important in their ability to remain in the US while they planned, rehearsed, financed and carried out their mass murders. The driver's license provision that Ms. Collins did succeed in ramming through the Congress is what Rep. James Sensenbrenner calls an "invitation" to terrorists to come to the US and get these important keys to America.
For us, who have lost our loved ones, Sen. Collins stunning opposition to such basic and essential reforms is an insult to the memory of murdered family members. For the rest of America Rep. Dana Rohrabacher correctly said that "any sense of security as a result of this bill is illusionary."
Coming from Maine, the state where many of the terrorists first boarded their flights on the morning of 9/11 on their way to committing mass murder, Sen. Collins should feel only shame. We hope that the people of Maine will remind her that her first priority should be the prevention of more terrorism, rather than representing the interests of those who profit from open, undefended borders.
Peter Gadiel, President, 9/11 FSA 9/11 Families for a Secure America
Sen. Collins constituents should be aware that the 9/11 terrorists possessed a total of sixty-three authentic US drivers' licenses and that the 9/11 Commission described these licenses as crucially important in their ability to remain in the US while they planned, rehearsed, financed and carried out their mass murders. The driver's license provision that Ms. Collins did succeed in ramming through the Congress is what Rep. James Sensenbrenner calls an "invitation" to terrorists to come to the US and get these important keys to America.
They certainly did it during the election when these same six women "endorsed" kerry and the MSM were all over the story. Yet the MSM didn't give so much as a nod to the more than 250 members of 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America who endorsed Bush!
Maybe our Senators ought to just vacate their seats and give them up to the '9/11 Millionaire Widows Traveling Show.'
Doug, Mo, or Phil?
Bears repeating again ~~ "Sen. Collins and Sen. Lieberman bear full responsibility for the bill's defects. As Senate negotiators on the House-Senate conference committee, they succeeded in forcing removal of nearly all provisions that would have keep future terrorists from perpetrating future 9/11 mass murders. Among the provisions Collins and Lieberman killed were those that: (a) would have prevented terrorists and other alien criminals from obtaining US drivers' licenses; (b) would have prevented them from using "consular identity cards" issued by a few foreign governments (which the FBI describes are issued only to help illegal aliens evade US immigration law, and which it calls threats to US national security; (c) would have prevented terrorists from using the US banking system to transfer funds; (d) would have repaired the current law on deportation of alien criminals and terrorists, which now makes it so difficult to remove dangerous individuals who to pose a threat to this country.
This issue must be bringing a moment of clarity: our govt elites don't want to close the border to illegal immigration. Period. No matter what they say.
BTT
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