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The Schiller Institute's
30th Anniversary Conference

It's Time To Create A World Without War

New York, NY, June 15, 2014

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Terry Strada
The Truth About 9/11 Must Be Told Now

Terry Strada.  Watch the Video
YouTube.
Terry Strada.
AUDIO (Messages from Brig. Gen. John Johns and U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, and Terry Strada's speech, in that order)
VIDEO

Terry Strada is co-chair of a committee of victims of 9/11, entitled Justice Against State Sponsors of Terrorism Action Committee (JASTA). Her husband was killed in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. She addressed the conference by videotape.

Hello. Thank you for inviting me today, and I apologize for not being able to appear in person. Today is Father’s Day. It is a day in my home to reflect on what we have lost, honor my late husband Tom, and celebrate who he was as a person: a devoted family man, with a charismatic smile, and a love for the great outdoors.

My name is Terry Strada. I am the national co-chair, along with Sharon Premoli, of the 9/11 Families United for Justice Against Terrorism. Our group consists of over 6,500 victims, family members, and survivors, in the tragic terrorist attacks that occurred here, in America, on Sept. 11, 2001.

Like thousands, my husband was brutally murdered on 9/11, just four days after we brought home our third child. Our other two children were seven and four years old. Tom worked in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, as a partner with a firm called Canter-Fitzgerald.

On Sept. 11, 2001. it was clear from the beginning what had happened. Four commercial airplanes were hijacked: Pilots, flight attendants, and passengers were cruelly murdered, and the planes were used as missiles, to crash into our landmarks, and murder innocent souls. They attacked capitalism, by destroying the World Trade Center. They attacked our defense by slamming into the Pentagon. And they were headed for our nation’s Capitol, to kill our government officials. It is likely that the lives of many members of Congress were spared that day by the brave passengers on Flight 93, who valiantly tried to take over the controls of that fateful flight.

When the smoke cleared, and the fires were extinguished, along with the carnage left behind, three questions remained. Who attacked us? Why did they attack us? And how were they able to carry out such a multifaceted plot that took years to plan, train for, and implement?

Some of the answers to these questions lie in the redacted 28 pages of the Joint [Congressional] Inquiry into Intelligence Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001. They were signed into secrecy by former President George Bush, and remain hidden from the American people.

Today I would like to speak to, who was behind 9/11, and how were they able to attack us.

The Money Trail to Saudi Arabia

Contrary to what our government allowed us to believe, al-Qaeda did not act alone. Long before 9/11, there was a complex financial network of wealthy individuals, banks, and so-called charities, referred to as the Golden Chain, established to give financial aid, material, and logistical support to the 19 hijackers. This intricate web of money leads to mainly one source: Saudi Arabia.

The 19 terrorists who carried out the heinous acts of violence and murder on 9/11 first met in faraway places, and then traveled to our country and joined people already here, waiting for their arrival. They quietly blended into our culture, and remained under the radar. For nearly two years, they lived amongst us. They rented apartments, cars, and took very expensive flying lessons. They traveled first-class, stayed in hotels, ate in restaurants, shopped, and frequented expensive bars. They barely spoke English.

So how did they obtain drivers’ licenses and find their housing? They did not work, so that they could buy food, clothing, and health club memberships. They were flush with cash, and bought those first-class airline tickets to learn our aviation security practices. Or, should I say, our lack of security.

From Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif., to Little Falls, Va. and Sarasota, Fla., the 9/11 operatives were supported through an established network of handlers and enablers, likely named, and many more not named, in those redacted 28 pages.

The same infrastructure that was set in place prior to 9/11 still exists today. We have no reason whatsoever to believe these cells were ever dismantled. In fact, we believe they are still in place, financed by the same bankrollers of the 9/11 attacks.

One thing is clear: The common thread that runs through all terrorist attacks around the globe, including 9/11, is the money that finances them, and the source of that money.

Our organization, the 9/11 Families United for Justice Against Terrorism, has been fighting for justice, accountability, and the truth over the past decade. We want to cut off the flow of money, the lifeblood of terrorism, and thwart future terrorist attacks against Americans here and abroad. We want to stop the bloodshed, and the sacrifices our troops make, each and every day since 9/11.

Is it possible that after years of war, we will never know who financed the terrorist attacks here, that prompted this declaration of endless war? Terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda operate behind the cloak of darkness. While they depend on secrecy and silence, in order to grow and spread, they cannot operate without the massive sums of money it takes in order for them to exist. Not just in the far-flung places of the world, but here, in America, as well.

We agree with Congressmen [Walter] Jones, [Stephen] Lynch, and [Thomas] Massie, and completely support their efforts to shine light on the truth.9 The truth has been withheld from us, the 9/11 families, the survivors, and from you, the American people, long enough. Timely declassification of the 28 pages is essential for our national security. It is declassification that will actually protect us, not endanger us.

Take Action Now

We need to know who our real enemies are. As long as those pages remain hidden, we will continue to be proxies in the wars of those who are the subject of the 28 pages, and they will remain with impunity, to repeat themselves, again and again. While I’m not able to answer all the questions raised since 9/11, we demand to know who really was behind 9/11. They must be exposed, stopped, and punished for their crimes against humanity that took place here, on American soil, or we will never be safe.

As long as radical Islamic ideology that fuels hatred toward the United States continues, and terrorists remains committed to killing Americans, we will never be safe. And as long as the pipeline of money that flows freely from the actors into the hands of terrorist organizations, like al-Qaeda, Boca Haram, and the newest, and possibly most frightening of all, ISIS, we will never be safe.

Again, our group of over 6,500 victims, family members, and survivors support Representatives Jones, Lynch, and Massie’s introduction of House Resolution 428, and for that, we thank them with gratitude. I ask all of you to take action now, and join us in our quest for the truth. I would also like to ask you, to please visit our website, www.justiceagainstterrorism.org. There you’ll find how easy it is to contact members of Congress, and also learn about the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, JASTA. There’s a petition you can sign in support of JASTA. Read further about House Resolution 428, and learn about an important Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed against the FBI, in Florida, regarding the Sarasota Saudis suspected of having 9/11 ties.

Thank you.