Saudis to Get U.S. Aid for 'War on Terror'--AFP

[Gloria]

From the new World Media Watch up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com



1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Wednesday, September 28, 2005

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=18834



SAUDIS TO GET U.S. AID FOR ‘WAR ON TERROR’

Bush envoy criticizes kingdom's human rights record

By Agence France Presse (AFP)

U.S. President George W. Bush has certified that Saudi Arabia is cooperating in the "war on terrorism," clearing the way for aid that would otherwise have been blocked under U.S. law.



The move was announced late Monday in a memorandum for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as a close Bush aide headed to Riyadh after criticizing the kingdom's human rights record.



"I hereby certify that Saudi Arabia is cooperating with efforts to combat international terrorism and that the proposed assistance will help facilitate that effort," Bush said.



The White House released the document as close Bush confidante Karen Hughes, the newly minted U.S. undersecretary for public diplomacy, prepared to meet with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.



Under a 2005 spending bill, direct U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia is forbidden unless the president certifies that Riyadh is cooperating with efforts to combat international terrorism and that the money will help that campaign.



Supporters of the measure acknowledge that the overall sum of current aid is small, but say that they were principally concerned with keeping a close watch on potential future U.S. financial and military assistance to the kingdom.

MORE

[silverweb]

1. Just one question.

Why are the Saudis getting U.S. aid of any sort in the first place???

:shrug:

[rodeodance]

2. our piggy bank is broke and we are GIVING $$ to the Saudis?????

[Tempest]

4. It's simple

Because they listened to Bush and opened their spigots.

Oh, wait.

They didn't.

[Tempest]

3. Saudis to American taxpayers...

SUCKERS!


Saudi Arabia's Links to Terrorism
www.meforum.org/article/528

[Pithy Cherub]

5. Irony Alert: Republicans can not be cured of their inabilities

to detect irony in thoughts, words and deeds. :eyes:

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

11. This is proof of two things...

1) Irony is not dead, despite post-11-September-2001 rhetoric.
2) What you said: that they can't detect it.

:-(

[MarsThe Cat]

6. if our candidates in 2006/08 don't sieze on this...

i'm going to go insane.

[despairing optimist]

7. For what? More pilot training?

[Eric J in MN]

8. Our tax dollars going to one of the richest countries in the world. (nt)

nt

[physioex]

9. Regardless of Wealth....

They are the Biggest Breeder of Terrorisim......

[ElectroPrincess]

10. And the Saudi's OWN about One-Third of Citi-Bank ...

I can't believe this bizarre action ... I thought that I've heard and seen IT ALL. But this takes the cake. :wtf:

Do you think Wolf Blitzer will bother to address this betrayal of ALL of us American taxpayers in their "Sh*t-stain Room" tomorrow afternoon? No? Didn't think so. :P

[physioex]

12. LMAO.....

Naaaa......But what more could you expect from a guy named Leslie. No offense to strong willed women..... ;)

[niceypoo]

13. 1/2 suicide bombers in Iraq are Saudi, 17 of 19 hijackers..saudi

Lemme guess....Saudi arabia is being paid to help stop Saudi Arabian suicide bombers from infiltrating thru the evil Syria?

[0007]

14. This in insane. The terrorist that brought down the World Trade

Center buildings were Saudis.

[The Stranger]

16. Careful with the generalizations. This is a Progressive Board.

I realize that hating Saudis is en vogue, but perhaps everyone should realize that it is not exactly Progressive to lump an entire people together as terrorists when 99.9% of them are ordinary people.

This isn't Free Republic.

[tom_paine]

15. Standard Mafia and Bush Crime Family Practice

Now that the Imperial is theirs, they can make kickbacks to their crooked pals right out in the open.

Remember when people used to HIDE criminal activity?

Those days, like American freedom, are gone.

[Megahurtz]

17. Is Bush going to tell this to the whole U.S.

tomorrow in his morning "War on Terror" speech? :rofl:

[onager]

18. Military assistance?

:rofl:

Good luck. As often ranted here, I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for a little over 2 years. As near as I could tell, almost all the Saudi military is virtually owned by one Prince or the other.

e.g., the infamous Bandar Bu$h is the son of Prince Sultan, who has an Aircraft Fetish. He's the commander/patron of the Saudi Air Force.

Now let's go back to 1965. Saudi Arabia got its first television station, which was (and is) run by the government.

A cadre of fundamentalist Saudi Army officers mutinied, calling television "un-Islamic" and "a tool of the devil." The Army renegades stormed the TV station and barricaded themselves inside, with a LOT of weapons and ammunition.

The leader of the mutiny was a nephew of Saudi Arabia's then-king, Faisal.

To his credit, King Faisal told the police that no one would be above the law in his country. If his nephew had to be killed, then so be it.

The nephew was killed. His brother, usually described as a drug-addled and decadent playboy, assassinated Faisal in 1975. (Blood feuds are a popular hobby in Saudi Arabia, at all levels of society.)

After that little adventure with the TV station, Saudi Arabia created a new military organization called the "National Guard."

This should not be confused with the American National Guard, though the Saudi power elites probably hope the name elicits that benign image of humble citizen-soldiers.

The Saudi National Guard has one job: protecting the Royal Family, ESPECIALLY in case of another mutiny in the armed forces. Their mission statement probably doesn't say that, but everybody knows it.

Naturally, the Guard gets the newest and best weapons and equipment.

Oh, by the way, the founder and commander of the National Guard is Abdullah--the brand-new king of Saudi Arabia.