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The following is mirrored from its source at: http://www.communitycurrency.org/9-11.html

Demanding a Congressional Inquiry of 9/11

January 8th, 2002

by Carol Brouillet
cbrouillet@igc.org


A delegation of people met [in San Francisco] with Senator Feinstein's and Senator Boxer's staff. These are some of the questions that I brought which were presented to our elected officials. Other documents were presented which I don't have links to. Following the list of questions is a firsthand account of the event and my personal statement to the Senators. I represented myself as a member of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.


The questions:



Report of the January 8th event
Demanding a Congressional Inquiry of 9-11



On Tuesday, January 8th, 2002, at eleven o'clock, people began to gather at Justin Herman Plaza. As organizer, I baked bread and cookies that morning, figuring folks would be hungry (I always bring food to my weekly peace demos in Palo Alto -- people can't resist the cookies and dialogue happens) Supporters came from all over the Bay Area, as well as Japan, there were three guitarists and a couple of big banners including Veteran's for Peace- "War -- War -- What is it good for? -- Absolutely nothing." And- "One People, One Earth, One Love" a quote from Alice Walker with an image of the Earth with a heart over it surrounded by a group of people holding hands, on the other side "One Air, One Water, One Hope -- Respect all Life" with an image of 3 interconnected circles (which we made for the first, big, national, DC anti-war demo on September 29th). There was an assortment of signs, the Earth flag, and sashes for People, Earth, Love, Air, Water, Hope and Peace. The atmosphere was very friendly with much sharing of information. Bill Moyer, author of Doing Democracy, who has mapped out the eight stages of social movements and helped empower activists for forty years came, just five minutes after I passed out his useful "map" and pointed out where we were.

The media swooped down in a pack, two or three television stations and three radio journalists, and at least one newspaper reporter. The march was colorful and lively, although somewhat small, about thirty or so people, so we kept to the sidewalk with a police escort. (There probably would have been more people, if we hadn't been "competing" with a major event- the Deputy General of the WTO was having a debate with activists across town at the same time. And it is hard to organize when you're out of the country without access to a computer; I did the best I could in four days with three kids).

The 9-11 disaster has been used to justify a "War on Terrorism" which endangers the lives and liberties of millions of people everywhere. The U.S. bombing of Afghanistan has killed thousands of civilians; millions of Afghans have been displaced and face starvation this winter. The administration has condoned massive Israeli assaults on Palestine, and threatens to attack Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, and other countries. Recent legislation is an attack on constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties, especially those of immigrants and people of color. The laws are mirrored in other countries which are outlawing dissent and increasing political repression. The administration has institutionalized racial profiling and is secretly rounding up thousands of Arab Americans and other people of Middle Eastern background. At the same time, it is giving billions to the military, offering huge bailouts and tax incentives to corporations and the wealthy, while ignoring the hundreds of thousands of laid off workers, and cutting social services. This appears to be part of a long-range strategy to turn the clock back on the hard earned gains of the civil rights', women's', and environmental movements, to consolidate U.S. global domination, and to serve the interests of transnational corporations.

At the plaza in front of Senator Feinstein's office the march turned into a party/gathering/leafletting/networking opportunity. The nine person delegation escorted by police, presented identification, got our security clearances and went up to see Senator Feinstein's staff. Senator Boxer's staff also joined the meeting at the last minute.

The delegation spoke on many issues and raised many questions from "Why weren't the hijacked planes intercepted?" to "How can the U.S. declare a 'War on Terrorism' when terrorism has been the keystone of U.S. foreign policy for decades and we continue to fund, train, and arm terrorists?"

Here is the synopsis:

Kevin Danaher -- Public Education Director of Global Exchange who has written or edited many books examining US foreign policy and the global economy including -- Democratizing the Global Economy The Battle Against the World Bank and the IMF Globalize This! The Battle Against the World Trade Organization, and Corporations Are Gonna Get Your Momma Globalization and the Downsizing of the American Dream, came up with the idea of the Inquiry. He explained how when he is traveling and speaking with many people the questions keep coming up, and people want to know, deserve to know the truth. His wife and daughter had also recently traveled to Afghanistan and he spoke of the plight of the Afghans. He also touched on the larger picture, the pattern of events, the global system, the lost opportunity when the U.S. with all the world feeling sympathetically towards us, chose to violate international law, act unilaterally and bomb.

Riva Enteen -- Vice president of the National Lawyers Guild, had compiled a history of the dark times when this country has ignored, violated due process and civil rights. She spoke about how the situation has deteriorated so badly, so quickly. She also questioned whether the victims of the World Trade Center were being given "hush money" so that they could not sue whoever was criminally responsible for the attack.

Carmen Hartono -- Women's International Peace Imperative addressed racial profiling, and the stereotyping that distresses her, and her husband. (She is from El Savador and her husband is from Indonesia) She was also deeply concerned about what is happening in Palestine.

Ed Rippy -- East Bay Peace Action, talked about the CIA/drug/military connections and the U.S.'s history and current relationship with various terrorists and intelligence agencies, and their links to drug smuggling and money laundering. He offered this statement:

"The U.S. is carrying out a military campaign in Afghanistan which violates the U.N. Charter while expanding and strengthening its global military dominance, ostensibly to defeat terrorism worldwide. But the lies and secrecy which pervade our government poison the social contract and remove all legitimacy its power may have had. Government secrecy and lying, abetted by a mostly complacent press, have become so bad that U.S. citizens must rely on a few investigative journalists, scholars, and elected and appointed officials with the means, the honesty, and the courage to tell the truth. Often their integrity is rewarded by dismissal or even death. Indeed, as citizens we have had to become investigators ourselves in order to have any hope of fulfilling our responsibility to control our government.

People ranging from U.S. Senators and retired DEA, FBI, and CIA agents to scholars and journalists offer clear, consistent, and specific evidence that elements of the U.S. government are pursuing illegal covert policies. In response, our government simply refuses to answer or utters things which are inconsistent, contradict the evidence, or both. No country which calls itself, even approximately, a democracy can tolerate this."

Susie Whitlock -- Organizing Mills, spoke about the Bush/Bin Laden financial ties and Unocal's oil negotiations in Afghanistan. The recent appointment of the Unocal Advisor to be the representative of the U.S. to the interim Afghan government suggests that oil is one of the reasons that the U.S. is in Afghanistan.

Cecile Pineda -- East Bay Coalition Against the War, spoke very briefly about how the internet has changed the way people communicate. The truth is bound to come out.

Denny Riley -- Veteran's for Peace, told his truth. He was in the Air Force in Vietnam. He had witnessed how the government, particularly the military, lies. He had been on missions, chosen targets. Bombs kill civilians. In Vietnam 2 million people were killed; the memorial to them depicts, not soldiers, but civilians because that is primarily who gets killed

I offered printed articles addressing the following questions, as well as additional excellent pieces which had not been posted on the internet. I mentioned the online petition which echoed our demands which I had learned of only the night before, although I accidentally left my hard copy at home).

I couldn't resist asking why Senator Feinstein, and most other Senators were going along with President Bush, without raising any questions. I wondered if they were afraid or whether they really believed what he said.

I probably went too far and was told that Senator Feinstein "believed in Bush" and that the Senator and I have different worldviews

These are some of the questions that we, the people, demand to be raised and answered publicly:
  • Who created, trained and funded the Al Qaeda Network?
  • What is the relationship between Bin Laden, his family and the Bush family and the Carlyle Group?
  • Why were no fighter planes dispatched to intercept the four hijacked planes on September 11h , in violation of standard procedures?
  • Who actually was in control of the "hijacked planes"?
  • What is the U.S. relationship with Pakistan, and especially with its intelligence service, the ISI?
  • Why did the then director of the ISI have $100,000 transferred to the man whom the FBI now calls the ringleader of the Sept. 11th attacks, and why does the U.S. not pursue this question?
  • Did the CIA have foreknowledge of the attack, who tried to profit with put options on American, United, Merrill Lynch... stock just before the attack?
  • Why were the FBI told to not investigate the Bin Laden family links in the US?
  • If the CIA met with Bin Laden last July, why didn't they try to arrest him?
  • If the US is serious about ridding the world of terrorism, why do we continue to fund and train terrorists?
  • Why are we bombing Afghanistan, when none of the alleged bombers actually came from there, could there be another reason for our presence in that region, like oil?
  • Is the war against Afghanistan illegal?
  • What are Bush's, Cheney's and Rice's connections to the oil industry?
  • What are Bush's and Cheney's connections to the drug industry?
  • Why is the evidence being destroyed when an investigation of the World Trade Center collapse is needed?
  • Why seal Presidential records? Why intimidate professors from speaking out against this war?
  • Why has the U.S. military been establishing working relations with the Uzbek military for several years?
  • What other military involvement does the U.S. have in the Central Asian Republics?
  • Why are U.S. military personnel or material assistance going to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Colombia as well?
  • What relationship did various U.S. agencies and their contractors have with the Taliban, either directly or through Pakistani or Saudi agencies or contractors?
  • Why does the U.S. overlook Pakistani drug lords who refine and export half to two-thirds of the world's heroin despite its avowed determination to rid the world of drugs?
  • Why has the Dept. of Justice stopped its investigation of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International despite its admitted heavy involvement in laundering drug money?

(Links to some of these questions and answers are posted at http://www.communitycurrency.org/9-11.html)

I believe we all were heartened and inspired by one another. When the meeting was over, we bade our farewells, gave hugs.

Outside with our brave supporters we held hands and looked into one another's eyes. I felt such a great sense of love for all those who had come, and to those who were part of the delegation for their courage, their love of life, and their belief in the quest for truth, and felt a wave of energy from those who couldn't be there physically, but were in spirit.

My Statement to Senators Feinstein and Boxer and their staff (January 8, 2002)



Demanding an Inquiry of 9-11



Horrified as I was by the events of 9-11, I was more shocked by the words of the government and the media in the aftermath. The cries for war were deafening, and the evidence against the "terrorists" seemed utterly fabricated, bizarre, and unbelievable (a passport floating unharmed out of the pocket of the highjacker on a domestic flight from that inferno to the streets of New York!).

The swift disastrous legislation which passed through Congress has threatened human rights, civil liberties at home and abroad, and criminalized peaceful protest.

Having worked almost a year opposing Fast Track and the FTAA, I witnessed how the disaster was used to force through legislation which clearly benefited transnational corporations and threatens democracy, labor rights, human rights, and the environment throughout the hemisphere.

The U.S. has used the 9-11 attack to justify military intervention in Central Asia. There is a strong disparity between the "stated objectives" and the actual objectives of the bombing against Afghanistan. If we really wanted to rid the world of terrorists and terrorism, the U.S. could and should stop funding, training and arming terrorists. The C.I.A.'s role in creating the Al Qaeda network, and their intimate connections with the Saudi and Pakistani Intelligence Agencies, that were obviously involved with the bombing, have not been publicly explored.

Why were fighter planes denied permission to intercept the hijacked planes -- which is standard procedure?

The government has clearly lied to the public and used this tragic event to push through repressive legislation which is utterly unconstitutional.

By flagrantly ignoring international law and pursuing a military course, the U.S. government is endangering its citizens and increasing hostility towards the entire country.

According to the FBI, the lead ringleader of the attacks was Mohamed Atta. Pakistani Intelligence (ISI) funneled the $3 billion dollars, that the U.S. contributed, to create, train and fund the Al Qaeda network. Pakistani ISI Chief General Ahmad was also reported to have sent $100,000. to Mohamed Atta. After the Times of India revealed this, Ahmed left his position, but was not questioned by the U.S.. General Ahmed was also in the U.S. meeting with the C.I.A. when the attacks occurred; he was sent by the U.S. to Afghanistan to ask them to turn over Bin Laden. When the Taliban wanted to discuss terms, the U.S. chose not to discuss anything, but to bomb Afghanistan. This shows either great complicity or colossal incompetence by the U.S. intelligence agencies.

The Senate has the responsibility and the duty to hold the administration accountable for its actions. If the National Security Agency and the administration's loyalties to the oil industry (and their objectives) are greater than their loyalties to the health, well being, and safety of the country, then it is up to Congress to determine what course of action to follow.

I love my children, my family, and our country, our world, peace, justice, life. I demand simply that Congress hold an inquiry to discover the truth of what happened on September 11th and why.

I have posted the most vital questions and answers, that I believe need to be addressed at my website -- http://www.communitycurrency.org/9-11.html.



Carol Brouillet
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom





Please sign the online petition! And add a link to it from your website -- let's get millions to get our voices heard loud and clear!!!

http://www.petitiononline.com/11601TFS/petition.html

Contact your representatives. Raise these issues, ask questions, spread the word, I believe the movement for peace, justice, life will continue to grow -- Carol Brouillet (650-857-0927).

I'm planning on going to New York to protest the World Economic Forum at the end of January, to weave the anti-globalization and anti-war movements together, to have fun, if you are interested in participating in some fun, educational street theatre, please let me know, I have some ideas, but need help to do them... cbrouillet@igc.org.

More questions and answers continue to pour in, here is a link to Robert Lederman's 9 Unpopular Ideas on 9-11 (24 Oct 2001) http://baltech.org/lederman/9-11-unpopular.html#point1

I will also try to add to, and update these questions and links, as time permits.
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