[MARIS61]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071121/...Wu99NvZoK9IxIF

Besides attacking the US on 9/11, those crazy Saudis continue to wage a war against the female side of their population.

Much like his complete non-response to the Saudi's nearly exclusive involvement in the planning and carrying out of the 9/11 attacks, Bush continues to spend your tax dollars to support what can only be described as our worst enemy on Earth.

[hoojacks]

For all the talk about spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East, we certainly turn a blind eye to good old Saudi Arabia.

Maybe because they could bankrupt the US in the blink of an eye?

[e_blazer1]

I don't suppose that it occurred to either of you that perhaps the State Department is working behind the scenes to try to resolve this diplomatically? Calling the Saudi's "barbaric", as the Canadians did, is hardly likely to get them to reduce the sentence.

[MARIS61]

Reduce????

[e_blazer1]

Given that Saudi Arabia's monarchy considers the Quran to be its constitution and operates under Sharia law, it's probably not too likely that any effort by the US is likely to get them to say, "You know what, you're right. We should operate according to Western views of law, ethics and political sensibilities." About the best diplomacy can hope to accomplish is to limit the travesty being done to this woman.

[MARIS61]

Originally Posted by e_blazer1

Given that Saudi Arabia's monarchy considers the Quran to be its constitution and operates under Sharia law, it's probably not too likely that any effort by the US is likely to get them to say, "You know what, you're right. We should operate according to Western views of law, ethics and political sensibilities."

Obviously, the same is true in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan...

They are not like us, they don't think like us, and they don't have the same desires we do.

If Iraq wanted to be a Democracy, they WOULD be one, with or without our interference.

They don't, and they won't.

[crandc]

I am happy to report that Saudi women, who are Muslim, are actively and vocally protesting this abomination. It's not a matter of Muslims vs. "western values" but of decency vs misogyny - and no religion has a monopoly on either.

In fact, one of the protesters, in explaining the arbitrary nature of Saudi courts, said a woman can only hope to have a judge who is a moderate and "fears God". So to this Muslim woman, "fearing God" and misogyny are opposites.

(I am not defending any particular religion, merely pointing out that abominating rape victims is not the exclusive province of Islam, and defending women is not exclusive to "Western culture". For example, near San Diego a teenager was publicly thrown out of an "abstinence program", run as most are by evangelical Christians, in her public high school and denounced in front of the class for violating her abstinence pledge after she was forced into a car and raped by two men.)

[Dan]

Originally Posted by crandc

I am happy to report that Saudi women, who are Muslim, are actively and vocally protesting this abomination. It's not a matter of Muslims vs. "western values" but of decency vs misogyny - and no religion has a monopoly on either.

In fact, one of the protesters, in explaining the arbitrary nature of Saudi courts, said a woman can only hope to have a judge who is a moderate and "fears God". So to this Muslim woman, "fearing God" and misogyny are opposites.

(I am not defending any particular religion, merely pointing out that abominating rape victims is not the exclusive province of Islam, and defending women is not exclusive to "Western culture". For example, near San Diego a teenager was publicly thrown out of an "abstinence program", run as most are by evangelical Christians, in her public high school and denounced in front of the class for violating her abstinence pledge after she was forced into a car and raped by two men.)

What?!

[crandc]

Originally Posted by Hap

What?!

The girl's parents sued the school district. Settled out of court.

Not trying to hijack the discussion, just that there seemed some idea that excoriating rape victims was a "Muslim thing" and compassion was "western". Not true.

[hasoos]

Years and years go by with no change to move our economy off of fossil fuels, and we continue to get leveraged into playing softball when we should be playing hardball. The question is, who will be the president/congress who will get off their *** and quit letting the cycle repeat itself.

[ebott]

The Saudi idea of how women should act is very similar to the Pregnant + Kitchen + Barefoot = safe woman ideals of the American South.

[MARIS61]

Originally Posted by hasoos

Years and years go by with no change to move our economy off of fossil fuels, and we continue to get leveraged into playing softball when we should be playing hardball. The question is, who will be the president/congress who will get off their *** and quit letting the cycle repeat itself.

We can safely assume he won't be from Texas.

[dudleysghost]

We have military cooperation and economic trade with Saudi Arabia. That's hardly the same thing as supporting everything they do, so the thread title is pretty misleading.

What I wonder is what you guys think Bush or Congress should do with Saudi Arabia. That is where Osama bin Laden and most of the 9/11 terrorists came from. So what is the course of action we should be taking? I see a lot of complaining from many circles on this issue, but not much in the way of proposed solutions. Anything we do that offends or destabilizes that country will result in higher oil prices. If we want to limit our own consumption of oil deliberately, the only way to do that would be raising prices with a tax. I think that would be a good idea, but I'm guessing that most Americans don't, despite their stated desire that something be done.