We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, September 30, 2016

Attorney Daniel Sheehan Gives Sage Advice on Bringing a 9/11 Civil Action [a must watch/listen-to video]

Click here if you wish to access this video recording directly from YouTube

Attorney Daniel Sheehan was speaking to those attending the Justice in Focus symposium recently held in NY City on the weekend of September 10-11. This event was sponsored and organized by Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth (AE911Truth). In this talk he gives advice on how AE911Truth should proceed with any legal actions based on his 50 years of experience litigating lawsuits against the government. 

By listening to it you will learn about similar cases that brought suits against government agencies where major crimes were alleged by the plaintiffs. In his talk Sheehan warns that this would not be any kind of normal case. They will face all kinds of problems trying to seek justice, and he gives several examples of such cases that he was directly involved in: the Karen Silkwood case, the Iran-Contra affair, and his work with the Christic Institute which exposed many other crimes that were being committed by US agencies in Central America during the 1970s and 80s. 

He argues that the legal system that was created by the financiers (Alexander Hamilton, Robert Morris, etc) of the American Revolution was designed to serve and protect the government which was established by them. He further argued that to have any chance of winning, they will need three things: a major mass-based movement, a supportive media that will expose accurately what's happening in the case, and grass roots organizers. 

While he was litigating such cases, I was involved in many grass-roots organizations in support of such legal actions. I can with great confidence assert that nothing short of a dedicated revolutionary movement will rid our nation of such a criminal ruling class. And, I think Sheehan's experience and recommendations suggests the same conclusion.