I Was Gonna Pass On This Post, But After The Way The Press Re: #OWS Was Manipulated, I Think Not...

[WillyT]

Journalist Suspended From National Press Club For Aggressive Questioning Of Saudi Royal
By Zaid Jilani - ThinkProgress
Nov 18, 2011 at 3:45 pm

<snip>

On Tuesday, Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Sa’ud of Saudi Arabia spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Included among the topics he discussed were womens’ rights in Saudi Arabia. During the question-and-answer session, journalist Sam Husseini aggressively questioned the prince about the monarchy’s rule, questioning the legitimacy of Saudi Arabia’s unelected leaders. At one point, the prince simply concluded that Saudi Arabia needs time to change, as the United States did not allow women to vote until 1910:

HUSSEINI: There’s been a lot of talk about the legitimacy of the Syrian regime, I want to know what legitimacy your regime has sir. You come before us, representative of one of the most autocratic, misogynistic regimes on the face of the earth. Human Rights Watch and other reports of torture detention of activist, you squelched the democratic uprising in Bahrain, you tried to overturn the democratic uprising in Egypt and indeed you continue to oppress your own people. What legitimacy does you regime have — other than billions of dollars and weapons? <...>

TURKI: After how many years since the establishment of the United States did women get to vote in the United States? Does that mean that before they got the vote that United States was an illegitimate country? According to his definition, obviously. So, until, when was it — 1910 when women got to vote — from 1789 to 1910 United States was illegitimate? This is how you should measure things, by how people recognize their faults and try to overcome them.

HUSSEINI: So are you saying that Arabs are inherently backward?

MODERATOR: Sam, that’s enough — this lady to the right, you’re next.

Watch it:

<snip>

Link (w/Video): http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/11/18/372397/journalist-suspended-press-club-saudi/

:wtf:

:banghead:

:kick: