"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Friday, September 30, 2016

CONGRESS WAS RIGHT TO OVERRIDE OBAMA'S VETO AGAINST 9-11 FAMILIES

Obama just recently tried to veto a bill that would allow the families of terrorism victims to sue Saudi Arabia for harboring any and all jihadists who planned the attacks. Fortunately, this time, even the Democrats voted to override his veto and ensure the bill could stand:
The House and Senate voted Wednesday to reject President Obama's veto of legislation allowing lawsuits against foreign sponsors of terrorism — the first successful override of a presidential veto since Obama took office.

The president had vetoed the legislation Friday because he said the bill — known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA — would infringe on the president’s ability to conduct foreign policy. It was the 12th veto of his presidency.

But after an intense push by 9/11 survivors and families of victims who want to sue Saudi Arabia based on claims the country played a role in the 2001 terror attacks, even Obama’s Democratic allies on Capitol Hill voted to override his veto.

The House voted 348-77, well above the two-thirds majority needed. The final vote tally in the Senate was 97-1. Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., cast the lone dissenting vote.

"In our polarized politics of today, this is pretty much close to a miraculous occurrence," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. Democrats and Republicans in both chambers agreed, he said, that the bill "gives the victims of the terrorist attack on our own soil an opportunity to seek the justice they deserve."
I'm glad both Republicans and Democrats alike supported this move (with the exception of Reid, who's a disgrace if he couldn't). The 9-11 Families fought very hard for justice, and it's about time they were given the respect they deserve, for fighting for the honor of their beloved relatives.

The override enraged the Saudis, who unsurprisingly have no sympathy for 9-11 Families or why they're seeking compensation. If the Saudis don't want to lead relations with the US anymore, so be it. We shouldn't be relying on oil or anything else coming from such an awful country.

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