REPUBLICANS BOW WITH OBAMA TO SAUDI MONARCHS

     Just a day after the US Congress overrode President Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, (JASTA), our cowardly representatives are scrambling to amend the law so as not to impact adversely their masters in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia merely warned of consequences to follow JASTA and, apparently, the Party of Lincoln quickly divined what the consequences actually would be. JASTA would require a disclosure of Saudi assets in the US---exposing just how much of Washington, Wall Street, the Corporate Media, and property the Saudis actually own here. Additionally, it would exposure of US dealings with Saudi Arabia---which certain persons involved in high-level crime may not wish brought to light.

      House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell say they will have a new bill prepared---after the November elections. The Corporate Media outlet Reuters, whose parent-company is a contractor for both the US and Saudi governments, quoted former Senate GOP leader Trent Lott---who will apparently work as an advisor to the new bill as saying of the current JASTA legislation:

      "I do feel passionately that this is a mistake for a variety of reasons, in terms of threats to troops, diplomats, national sovereignty; there are serious problems here. Hopefully we can find a way to change the tenor of this."

      Lott is now a well-paid lobbyist for the Saudi Government, as CEO of the lobbying branch of international law firm Squire Patton Boggs, the 3rd largest lobbying firm in the US. Squire Patton Boggs has pumped over $1 million into the 2016 elections to date, with Hilary Clinton raking off about $60,000 from them. Lott is not alone among former politicians working for the Saudis. Former Senator John Breaux; former House Speaker John Boehner; former Congressmen Jim Matheson and Jack Kingston; former chairman of the American Conservative Union, Al Cardenas, two former ambassadors; an ex-federal judge; and a former US Secretary of Transportation all work for Squire Patton Boggs as well.

      Saudi Arabia is not the only client of Squire Patton Boggs, however. Exxon-Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, DuPont Chemical, Raytheon, and Goldman-Sachs are among their other clients. They also represent the government of Turkey in public relations related to the Syrian Civil War.  Squire Patton Boggs works in Turkey in this respect as a subcontractor to the Gephardt Group, headed by former House Speaker, Dick Gephardt.

       In addition to their political clout, Saudi Arabia and their ally, the United Arab Emirates own about 20% of stock in supposedly conservative News Corp, the parent-company of Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The National Review. The UAE is also home to several government contractors, including Halliburton. CIA Director John Brennan owns property in Riyadh, and is a convert to Wahhabi Islam.

       And the Alt-Right talks about an International Jewish Conspiracy? All the Saudis have to do is frown, and American 'elites' are on their faces bowing to Mecca---while the Israeli government can't even get official US recognition of its territorial claim to Jerusalem.

       From all appearances, JASTA was never anything more than a publicity stunt; a vehicle for Republican legislators to boast to their constituents that they'd stood with 9/11 victims against Obama and the Saudis---when they never had the slightest intention that JASTA would ever actually be implemented. And the American people is too concerned with Trump's Twitter feud with a porn star to care very much anyway.