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catman
Joined: 18 Jul 2004
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 Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:29 pm Post subject: Bush Visits His Odious Saudi Friend |
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How do you punish the principal global purveyor of fundamentalist Islam, someone who backed the Taliban and continues to harshly suppress political freedoms, women and religious minorities?
If you�re President Bush, you reward him with a state visit, of course!
During his current Middle East trip, Bush is looking in on a rogues� gallery of U.S. allies, from Bahrain and Egypt to the United Arab Emirates and Israel. But King Abdullah�s Saudi Arabia occupies the pride of place.
�The government places strict limits on freedom of association, assembly, and expression,� writes Human Rights Watch in its roundup of conditions in the kingdom in 2006. �Arbitrary detention, mistreatment and torture of detainees, restrictions on freedom of movement, and lack of official accountability remain serious concerns. Saudi women continue to face serious obstacles to their participation in society.�
Things haven�t improved since then. In a recent outrageous incident, which received media coverage globally, a woman who was gang-raped was sentenced to 200 lashes because she was meeting with a former boyfriend when they both were abducted and brutalized. The punishment had an undertone of bigotry, too, since the woman was Shiite, a persecuted minority sect under the Wahhabi fundamentalist Sunni rule perpetuated by King Abdullah and his clerics. (In all his benevolence, Abdullah finally pardoned the woman and her ex-boyfriend-sentenced to 90 lashes-after an international uproar.)
In another recent event, the Saudi authorities have jailed an outspoken blogger, Ahmad Fouad al-Farhan. Apparently, he was poking his nose into the detention of political prisoners. The crackdown by Saudi authorities on bloggers like al-Farhan is consistent with their suppression of other forms of independent media. (See the appeal by Reporters Without Borders for his release.)
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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| "Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terror," Bush said in a speech about democracy that he delivered about midway through his eight-day Mideast trip, which began with a renewed push for an Israeli-Palestinian peace pact an accord he said whose "time has come." |
Meanwhile (in other news) ...
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The Bush administration said Monday it notified Congress of plans to sell
$20 billion worth of sophisticated arms to Saudi Arabia. |
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yawarakaijin
Joined: 08 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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What are you talking about? Don't you understand that the hate muslims have for America/the West exists in a vacuum?
Only educated westerners, through their ultimate wisdom and dispassionate analysis of current political realities, are able to decide rationally who to bomb and kill. Everyone else is just loony or a terrorist.
The regime in my country is despicable. Mr. X is a suppourter of said regime. I hate Mr.X as well.
Not too hard to understand.... is it?
Before all the regulars jump down my throat. By no means am I suggesting that the West's suppourt for certain regimes is the end all and be all of muslim hate. Crazy, religious crack pots will always find a reason to hate.
It's not these people that are the problem. The problem arises when entire nations are affected to turn a blind eye to these people because, for the moment, they are the ones inflicting a little bit of payback on us for certain foreign policy decisions we have made.
That being said. We still need to defeat radical islam. The best way to do it people....why let's just suppourt the regime responsible for the spread and institutionalization of Wahabbism. Let's give billions of dollars in weaponry to the country that spawned most of the 9/11 terrorists. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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| The best way to do it people....why let's just suppourt the regime responsible for the spread and institutionalization of Wahabbism. Let's give billions of dollars in weaponry to the country that spawned most of the 9/11 terrorists. |
I have a great solution. Let's instigate the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy. I'm SURE no Islamic fundamentalists will end up in charge. I'm as certain as can be that a moderate, friendly regime will pop right up out of the sand. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
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| The best way to do it people....why let's just suppourt the regime responsible for the spread and institutionalization of Wahabbism. Let's give billions of dollars in weaponry to the country that spawned most of the 9/11 terrorists. |
I have a great solution. Let's instigate the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy. I'm SURE no Islamic fundamentalists will end up in charge. I'm as certain as can be that a moderate, friendly regime will pop right up out of the sand. |
No joke, Ya-Ta.
The minute Americans do anything in Saudi, you'll see an actual Jihad across the Islamic world. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:59 pm Post subject: |
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I sympathize a little with people who get disgusted with our government dealing with criminals, psychos, kleptocrats and religious fanatics, but realistically, what can you do? We bumped one off in Iraq and look what happened.
I'm reminded of FDR's comment about Somoza in Nicaragua: He may be an SOB, but at least he's our SOB." |
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ddeubel
Joined: 20 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 3:12 am Post subject: |
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A Captitalist's Critique
Please don't tell me
you got a wrong deal,
because everyone at all times
has the right of repeal.
If the sun don't shine
let the sun shine within
If there's not enough on the table,
Look! You're so fashionably thin.
Anyways, the world wasn't made in a day,
Work hard, one day you'll be well paid
back for your bent back.
Black can't always stay black.
That's a rule any fool can follow.
So too, that no suffering is ever hollow.
And remember, if you still feel
hard done by,
there's always that right of repeal.
But most would always despite.....
prefer this real.
DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| Did you say something, ddeubel? |
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