Greens call for independent 9/11 probe led by family members

GREENS CALL 9/11 COMMISSION DEEPLY FLAWED, CALL FOR AN INDEPENDENT PROBE LED BY SURVIVING FAMILY MEMBERS

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576,
nallen [at] acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
mclarty [at] greens.org


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders renewed the
party's call for an independent commission, with full
participation of surviving family members, to
investigate the government's handling of 9/11 and
information leading up to the attacks.

"The members of the National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks in the U.S. have pervasive conflicts of
interests which disqualify them from leading an
investigation," said Jake Schneider, treasurer of the
Green Party of the United States. "The White House
did all it could to obstruct a thorough probe, and has
so far succeeded. President Bush insisted that
commission members be limited to representatives of
the two major parties, with each party having a veto,
and that the commission could not investigate why 9/11
occurred. The commission's focus was damage control,
not discovery of the truth."

Greens noted that the 9/11 Commission established two
major points: (1) the Bush Administration ignored
numerous warnings from intelligence and foreign
governments; (2) the Bush Administration used 9/11 as
a pretext to enact existing plans for a war against
Iraq and to curtail civil liberties in America.

But Greens charge that numerous other points went
uninvestigated:

-- The full extent of FBI and CIA surveillance and
intelligence on the hijackers, some of whom
(especially Mohammed Atta) had been closely monitored.

-- Connections between the U.S., the Bush family, and
Saudi Arabian officials; the Saudi ruling family's
funding of terrorists (most of whom were Saudi
Arabian); obstruction by the Clinton and Bush
administrations of FBI investigations into Saudi ties
to terrorism; connections between other U.S. allies
and the hijackers, such as Pakistani Intelligence
Service.

-- The failure of FAA and NORAD to follow standard
operating procedures in response to the 9/11
hijackings.

-- The extent to which bad U.S. policy in the Middle
East motivated (and continues to motivate) extremist
groups like al-Qaeda, including mishandling of the
Israel-Palestine crisis; attempts by the U.S. to
control Middle Eastern oil resources (such as the
proposed trans-Afghanistan pipeline); earlier U.S.
assistance for the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan, and for
tyrants such as Saddam Hussein.

Greens warn that all of these policies -- including
the recent invasion and occupation of Iraq -- have
fueled Middle Eastern rage against the U.S. and may
motivate future attacks.

"The question is whether the Bush Administration and
Congress failed to prevent 9/11 out of gross
incompetency or because they were looking for an
excuse to go to war, seize control of Middle East oil,
and implement their plan for a global American
empire," said Mark Dunlea, a member of the Green Party
of New York State and the author of a recent novel on
9/11. "The number of unanswered questions and the
White House's secrecy and obstruction surrounding 9/11
demand a real investigation, not the current
compromised inquiry. We owe that to the family
members and to all Americans."


MORE INFORMATION

The Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

"The 9/11 Commission Avoids the Hard Questions", by
Mark A. Dunlea
The Albany Times Union, April 26, 2004

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?toryID=242222&category=OPINIO
N&newsdate=4/26/2004
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0426-03.htm

The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the
Bush Administration and 9/11
Book by David Ray Griffin (Interlink Pub Group, 2004)

Forward! 2004: Green Party Presidential Nomination
Convention & Candidates
http://www.gp.org/convention/process.html
Media credentialing for the convention
http://www.gp.org/forms/media/


~ END ~