Stabbed in the back?

"Could it be our good friends the Saudis? Even though they have denied it vociferously, many of the markers seem to point towards Riyadh."

It has been a long time a coming. And now that it might be getting near, people close to the action are getting nervous. Ever since the 9/11 attacks, the United States has been looking for the "smoking gun". I know - it was OBL who was the trigger man. Yes we got him, and have been at war in Afghanistan (where OBL trained) for fifteen years now. But we have always suspected there was a puppet master behind OBL.

Could it be our good friends the Saudis? Even though they have denied it vociferously, many of the markers seem to point towards Riyadh. And our Congress right now has a bill which will allow the Saudis to be sued by victims of the 9/11 attacks. This is an interesting bill. It would break tradition (as well as counter United States law) in letting private citizens go after foreign countries in a court of law. The current law from 1976 which prohibits citizens from going after foreign countries, would be superseded by the provisos in this new bill. 

Let's pretend just for a minute. We will put the shoe on the other foot. Let's say there was a band of 19 suicide bombers that hated Islam with such a passion, they wanted to put a dagger in the heart of the faith. They traveled to Mecca (which lies within the Kingdom), and set off scores of bombs which left thousands of Saudis dead and Mecca in ruins. After some investigation, the Saudis found out fifteen of the nineteen suicide bombers were from the United States. Do you think the Saudis might be pointing a finger at us? I believe they would.

If you put oil aside, there really is nothing the United States and Saudi Arabia have in common. Whereas we try to be inclusive towards all religions, they are just the opposite. They are a theocracy. The state approved and sponsored religion is Islam, taught with Wahhabism tenants. In Saudi Arabia, there is no tolerance, no inclusion. If you don't convert to Islam, your future in the Kingdom is bleak at best.

If this bill passes, look out below. Plaintiffs can go into civil court and sue the socks off of the very deep pocketed Saudis. As we all know, the burden of proof in a civil case is much less stringent than in a criminal case. How much can the Saudis be sued for? Economists have been trying to determine the direct and indirect cost of the attacks. Besides the thousands of lives lost, 400 business in the Trade Center were destroyed. Another 1,000 businesses were lost by the fallout after the attack. The number will never be accurately known, but most economists put the number north of a trillion dollars - maybe far north. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. My personal feeling? I think our government knows much more about the genesis of these attacks than they are telling us. I say let the discovery begin. I, like many others, want the truth. If the Saudis were directly involved, well, that is an act of war. If their involvement was benign or passive, there is still culpability. And if it turns out there was zero involvement, then we all need to know that also.

Stabbed in the back? Maybe. Hopefully, we will soon find out.