Verdict: Iran and Hezbollah behind 9/11 Attacks

This is by far and away, the most underreported story of 2011. In fact, it may be the biggest story of 2011 but went almost completely unnoticed. A case filed in 2002, by the families of 9/11 victims, has taken nine years to reach a verdict. That verdict is that Iran, its Ayatollahs, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (IRGC), The Ministry of Information and Security (MOIS), Hezbollah, and others were responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

Via Iran 911 Case:

A federal district court in Manhattan yesterday entered a historic ruling that reveals new facts about Iran's support of al Qaeda in the 9/11 attacks. U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels ruled yesterday that Iran and Hezbollah materially and directly supported al Qaeda in the September 11, 2001 attacks and are legally responsible for damages to hundreds of family members of 9/11 victims who are plaintiffs in the case.

Judge Daniels had announced his ruling in Havlish, et al. v. bin Laden, et al., in open court on Thursday, December 15, 2011, following a three-hour courtroom presentation by the families' attorneys. Judge Daniels entered a written Order of Judgment yesterday backed by 53 pages of detailed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.

Fiona Havlish, whose husband Donald perished in the World Trade Center North Tower on 9/11 said, "This is a historic day. For ten years we've wanted the truth to be known about who was responsible for our losses. Now we have that answer."

Key evidence was obtained by an Iranian defector who was referred to in the 2004 9/11 Commission report as Witness X, but not named until 2008, during the trial:

Witness X, whose dramatic testimony was previously filed under seal, was revealed to be Abolghasem Mesbahi, a former MOIS operative in charge of Iran's espionage operations in Western Europe. Judge Daniels found that Mesbahi has testified in numerous prosecutions of Iranian and Hezbollah terrorists, including the Mykonos case in Germany and the AMIA case in Argentina, and found to be highly reliable and credible.

Judge Daniels also credited Mesbahi's testimony that he received messages during the summer of 2001 from inside the Iranian government that an Iranian contingency plan for unconventional warfare against the U.S. called "Shaitan dar Atash" had been activated. "This is compelling proof that Iran was deeply involved in the 9/11 conspiracy," said Tim Fleming, lead investigative attorney for the Havlish group.

A key figure connecting Iran to the attacks was a senior Hezbollah leader named Imad Mughniyah, who was assassinated in Syria on February 14, 2008. Coincidentally, that was the same month that Mesbahi's identity began to surface. Here is one of the findings of U.S. District Judge George Daniels:

A May 14, 2001 memorandum from inside the Iranian government demonstrating that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was aware of the impending attacks and instructing intelligence operatives to restrict communications to existing contacts with al Qaeda's Ayman al Zawahiri and Hizballah's Imad Mughniyah. - Documents obtained from German federal prosecutors showing that 9/11 coordinator Ramzi Binalshihb traveled to Iran in January 2001 on his way to Afghanistan to brief Osama bin Laden on the plot's progress. - Evidence from the 9/11 Commission Report that a "senior Hezbollah operative," which the Havlish evidence identifies as Hezbollah terrorist chief Imad Mughniyah, coordinated activities in Saudi Arabia and was present (or his associate) on flights the hijackers took to and from Beirut and Iran.

This is by no means insignificant. It puts Iran on par with 1941 Japan. If Iran was behind the 9/11 attacks, it was an act of war that demands a Declaration of War from the United States Congress.

The importance of Mesbahi's testimony cannot be understated either. In his testimony, he was able to prove that he had prior knowledge of the attacks as a result of contacts he maintained within the Iranian government; he fled Iran when he was told he had been targeted for killing.

Speaking of WWII, the defection of Mesbahi and subsequent assistance received by the United States, may be as significant as Albert Einstein's emigration from Germany in 1933. Interestingly, like Mesbahi, Einstein was on a list to be killed by the Nazi government.

I urge and encourage you to read the 53 page Finding of Facts and Conclusions of Law, signed by Judge George Daniels.

Is Holder Using Voter ID to Race Bait?

Interesting theory put forth by Jeffrey Kuhner at the Washington Times. Holder is going after states that have passed voter ID laws. In particular, South Carolina has passed one that says before you can vote, you must present one of five specific forms of ID. Holder is likening this to Jim Crow and says its discriminatory because more minorities are without ID than are whites.

Reading Kuhner, you can't help but conclude Holder doesn't believe this at all. He's just using the argument to gin up anger amongst the minorities to motivate them to vote:

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. claims Jim Crow is returning. In a recent speech, Mr. Holder said that attempts by states to pass voter identification laws will disenfranchise minorities, rolling back the clock to the evil days of segregation. He said that a growing number of minorities fear that “the same disparities, divisions and problems” now afflict America as they did in 1965 prior to the Voting Rights Act. According to the Obama administration, our democracy is being threatened by racist Republicans. Hence, the Justice Department must prevent laws requiring a photo ID to vote from being enacted.

Mr. Holder argues that voter ID laws disproportionately discriminate against poor blacks and Hispanics - citizens who cannot afford to acquire a driver’s license, passport or other form of photo identification. The latest victim is South Carolina; its voter ID law has been blocked by the Justice Department. Liberal Democrats - taking their cue from the White House - are portraying the national movement for election reform as an authoritarian assault upon civil liberties. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has even petitioned the United Nations, asking it to declare states’ voter ID laws human rights abuses. For the radical left, America has become Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

This would be comical if the consequences were not so serious. South Carolina’s legislation provides for free ID cards to be given to anyone who needs it. Not one person - white, black or brown - is discriminated against or discouraged from casting a vote at the ballot box. Moreover, the Supreme Court already has ruled on the issue - upholding state voter ID laws. In the 2008 Crawford v. Marion County Election Board decision, the high court held that an Indiana law mandating photo identification at the voting booth was indeed constitutional. If it is good enough for the Supreme Court and the overwhelming majority of the states, then it should be for Mr. Holder as well.

It isn’t. And the reason is simple: The administration is trying to whip up minority frenzy, propagating the myth of widespread ballot suppression. The goal is to foster a sense of racial persecution of blacks, intending to maximize voter turnout in November. The results, however, will be to poison race relations further. Mr. Holder is cynically playing the race card in order to achieve President Obama’s overriding ambition: re-election.

Read it all.

The WSJ explains how Holder's attack in South Carolina may actually backfire.