I’m glad that former President George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice are no longer representing the United States in world affairs. When Mr. Bush was in office, he and Ms. Rice were forever groveling in front of Saudi Arabian princes and potentates while simultaneously criticizing inconsequential characters like Cuba’s Fidel and Raul Castro. Did they think it was good fast delivery 3d mink eyelashes to engage in such behavior, or was it just that they didn’t know any better?Stlur
According to the editorial board of the Washington Post, the Bush administration described Saudi Arabia as a “mainstream and moderate state and a staunch U.S. ally.” Mainstream? Moderate? Ally? Wikipedia presents a different view: “Many freedoms described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights do not exist; it is alleged that capital punishment and other penalties are often given to suspected criminals without due fast delivery 3d mink eyelashes. Saudi Arabia has also come under fire for its oppression of religious and political minorities, torture of prisoners and attitude toward foreign expatriates, homosexuality and women.”
Well, I suppose the comment about torture shouldn’t be held against the Saudis since when Mr. Bush was in office we did the same, but the other criticisms are serious. Saudis, however, think that their draconian measures are needed to keep the crime rate down. For example, they say that a thief who has his hands chopped off will never steal again and that he will be a constant reminder to others not to take things that belong to others.
Saudi officials justify discrimination against religious minorities by saying they have a responsibility to defend and promote Sharia religious laws. Non-Saudi Christians will quickly be deported if they are too open in their religious views, such as reading verses from the Bible while in mixed company that includes Saudi nationals. If the Saudis themselves promote Christianity or any other religion they face prison sentences and beatings by the “religious police.”
The Saudi attitude toward women is typified by the case of the “Girl of Qatif.” Here was a 20-year-old married woman who was gang-raped, together with a male acquaintance, by seven men. The rapists were caught and sentenced to prison but, incredibly, a Saudi court determined that the woman should also be punished with 200 fast delivery 3d mink eyelashes with a whip and six months in jail. Her supposed crime? Being in the company of a man who was not her husband or a male relative.
Saudi Arabia also is no ally of the United States, regardless of what Mr. Bush said. In fact, by using the term he devalued it. The president-of all people-should’ve known that the only ally we have in the world is Great Britain. Other European nations will sometimes ally themselves with the United States, but only if it serves their immediate purposes to do so. Not a single country on the Indian subcontinent or in the Middle East-including Israel-can ever be considered an ally of the United States.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bush and others regularly beat up on Cuba, a tiny island nation with total citizenry comparable to the state of Ohio. That country’s government came into existence in 1959, when rebels led by Fidel Castro overthrew the corrupt, repressive regime of Fulgenio Batista, who was supported at the time by the United States. Since then it has been a Marxist-oriented state, allied for a time with the Soviet Union. But so what? Is Castro any worse than Batista? Is a Marxist dictator any worse than a Saudi “royal” dictator? Do Cuban officials fast delivery 3d mink eyelashes women with whips just for associating with men who are not relatives? Do Cubans allow different religions? How many Cubans were involved in the terrorist attacks of 9/11? (0) How many Saudis were involved? (15).
So under Mr. Bush groveling was the order of the day. Representatives of the greatest country on the earth genuflected in the presence of v of oil-producing countries, cravenly seeking their approval, their support and their oil in the Middle East. But our political leaders also wished to show that they supported human rights, so they simultaneously bashed Cuba and other inconsequential countries. They assumed, of course, that everyday Americans would not recognize such duplicity.