So, another peaceful flogging beheader has died. The U.S. government mourns...

[Luminous Animal]

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/01/23/saudi-arabias-king-misremembered-man-peace/

After nearly 20 years as de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah ibn-Abdulaziz al-Saud died last night at the age of 90. Abdullah, who took power after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995, ruled as absolute monarch of a country which protected American interests but also sowed strife and extremism throughout the Middle East and the world.

In a statement last night Senator John McCain eulogized Abdullah as “a vocal advocate for peace, speaking out against violence in the Middle East”. John Kerry described the late monarch as “a brave partner in fighting violent extremism” and “a proponent of peace”. Not to be outdone, Vice President Joe Biden released a statement mourning Abdullah and announced that he would be personally leading a presidential delegation to offer condolences on his passing.


It’s not often that the unelected leader of a country which publicly flogs dissidents and beheads people for sorcery wins such glowing praise from American officials. Even more perplexing, perhaps, have been the fawning obituaries in the mainstream press which have faithfully echoed this characterization of Abdullah as a benign and well-intentioned man of peace.

Tiptoeing around his brutal dictatorship, The Washington Post characterized Abdullah as a “wily king” while The New York Times inexplicably referred to him as “a force of moderation”, while also suggesting that evidence of his moderation included having had: “hundreds of militants arrested and some beheaded”.

[totodeinhere]

1. I suppose that compared to ISIS or AQAP he was a relative moderate. n/t

[neverforget]

2. But these floggers sit on top of large reserves of oil so we

can see past all the "unpleasantness" that is the Saudi government.

[treestar]

7. This is it

And the same posters would be flaming Obama if the price of oil went up. For being so undiplomatic as to refuse to meet a new king - of course that would be the cause.

Some people need to get that the world can be improved, but being enraged because it isn't yet doesn't change anything. And blaming others for their roles lets them off the hook. If we want to protest the Saudi situation, stop driving. Stop using oil in some way.

[Luminous Animal]

9. Actually, I think gas should be 3-4 times more expensive than it is.

[Munificence]

18. Amen to that

I posted in another thread about "Do as I say not as I do" and the same applies here.

[Luminous Animal]

3. Kick.

[BrotherIvan]

4. Ah yes, Democrats acting like Republicans

And I'm supposed to support Biden and Kerry for this shit? Nuh uh.

[Coventina]

5. Hey! Quit punching down!! Don't you know Islam is a disadvantaged religion?

[LadyHawkAZ]

10. If the country in question is a US ally, and there is some possibility of

inserting some ODS into the conversation, it does not qualify as Islamophobia (or racism) and we're permitted to criticize away.

Sadly, not sarcasm.

[WhiteTara]

6. We may not behead people, but

we do torture people to death in our death penalty cases. So, I guess we're on the same playing field. minus the dictator of course...we just have republicans.

[Luminous Animal]

11. King Abdullah flogged & beheaded some folks we tortured some folks.

[WhiteTara]

16. depressing isn't it?

[Octafish]

8. The Kingdom did help out when Jimmy Carter was President.

The Safari Club.

https://books.google.com/books?id=w9u-DSqvzUQC&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&dq=safari+club+saudi+arabia+cia&source=bl&ots=LprIkpgsId&sig=xJkXuXrnGz0ZR3eX5HANedIpSP0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4PrDVOyrBZD_yQS4wYGwAg&ved=0CDQQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=safari%20club%20saudi%20arabia%20cia&f=false

Kept the Secret Team going there, during hard times.

[Luminous Animal]

12. Thanks for that.

[Dr. Strange]

13. A very untimely death.

Fucker lived til 90.

[hifiguy]

14. Mam, you need hip boots to wade through this

flood of utter bullshit.

[KG]

15. and the prez is off to kiss the ring of the next peaceful flogging beheader

[Oilwellian]

17. The hypocrisy on this is so thick

The authoritarian regime ruling Saudi Arabia has one of the worst human rights records in the world, consistently ranking among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House's annual survey of political and civil rights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia

Freedom House is a human rights think tank funded by US grants and their reports are often quoted by Democratic and Republican officials and leaders. Except of course at Abdullah's funeral.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House