Once again our nation is in mourning. We are mourning the death of 49 innocent people. We are praying, holding vigils, sending our love and support to a community devastated by yet another terrorist attack on American soil. People were brutally gunned down at a nightclub called Pulse in Orlando, Florida, while the gunman pledged his faith to ISIS. Make no mistake; this was an ISIS-inspired jihadist terrorist attack that targeted the gay community.
I know how devastating murder by terrorism is. When my husband was killed on 9/11, my entire world collapsed. At times the pain was unbearable. It is something that has forever altered the course of my life and the lives of my three children.
How many more families must live through this horrific nightmare? How many more lives must be shattered into a billion pieces? How do we stop this reign of terror and the escalating threat from ISIS calling for the brutal murder our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, spouses, partners and friends?
Terrorists do not need guns to kill us. On 9/11, terrorists used box cutters, knives and airplanes as their weapons. At the Boston Marathon, terrorists used home made pressure cooker bombs. As long as there are well-funded terrorist organizations supporting, recruiting and radicalizing individuals for Jihad and murder, we will never be safe. In order to destroy this evil enemy, we must utilize every resource we have available to us and go to the source of all this terror.
I am not advocating for war and more killing. I am advocating for Americans to join me, and thousands of victims' family members and survivors of the murderous terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and support legislation pending in Congress that addresses how Radical Islamic Extremism continues to thrive - the financing they receive from wealthy paymasters in the Middle East.
Yes, we can urge Congress to pass H.R. 3815/S.2040, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act - "JASTA". By voicing your support to your elected Representative, we can enact JASTA and begin to hold accountable the nation that sponsors the hate-filled terrorist organizations who continue to vow to kill and destroy us. We can and must stop the never-ending flow of money going to the extremists who continue to maim and kill our loved ones, and our fellow Americans.
Without money, terrorists cannot recruit new Jihadists through propaganda and use of the Internet. They cannot finance their so-called religious leaders who preach their depraved interpretation of the Quran. They cannot buy weapons or bomb-making material. They cannot pay for their training camps or basic living expenses. Without money, it is much harder for terrorists to exist and continue with their reign or terror across the globe and here on American soil.
Americans can unite, stand up and fight back. Terrorism is pure evil and so are the people who bankroll it. As our nation confronts new and expanding terror networks that are targeting our citizens, stopping the funding source for terrorists grows even more important. JASTA is a bi-partisan bill that passed in the Senate unanimously on May 17, 2016 and is now in the House of Representatives for consideration. It ensures that those who provide financing and support to terrorists who carry out attacks on U.S. soil, such as the nineteen al Qaeda hijackers and plotters behind the September 11 attacks, are held to account in U.S. courts. By holding the financiers accountable, JASTA also will deter other terrorist supporters from contributing to terrorist organizations.
Depriving terrorist organizations of such sources of funding and other support would materially degrade their ability to carry out terrorist attacks and isolate the extremists who vow to do us harm.
This will have a strong impact on the "lone wolf" jihadist because they too cannot become radicalized and operate without money. While the Internet is a strong recruitment tool, terrorists are sometimes recruited within their Mosques and encouraged to carry out murderous attacks on innocent people. They are taught that anyone who does not subscribe to their ideology is an infidel and must be killed. They are promised paradise in the afterlife if they commit mass murder. By eliminating the funds needed to support these recruiters and their networks, we can diminish the escalating threat we are facing today.
No person should be targeted and killed for any reason. However, sadly we are all targets of radical Islam. What happened in Orlando, San Bernardino, Fort Hood, Chattanooga, and on September 11th were calculated, well-planned executions of innocent men, women and children by radical Islamist murderers. We must protect ourselves, and our nation, from further carnage at the command of ISIS to kill more Americans.
Congress has the ability to enact JASTA and empower victims of terrorism to achieve the justice we deserve AND thwart future terrorist attacks against our fellow citizens. JASTA will bring us one step closer to achieving our ultimate goal - the eradication of ISIS, al Qaeda and countless other terrorist organizations.
Please join us and urge your member of Congress to support JASTA NOW. Our national security depends on it and so does our individual safety. See http://www.passjasta.org