PDA

View Full Version : Frontline March 29, 2016


Jeff P
03-30-2016, 03:06 PM
Anyone else catch the March 29, 2016 Frontline episode about Saudi Arabia?

FRONTLINE reveals a side of Saudi Arabia that's rarely seen, and traces the efforts of men and women who are working to bring about change:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/saudi-arabia-uncovered/

I have to admit that before watching this episode I had no real idea what things are like there.

For most of my adult life, because Saudi Arabia is one our allies in the region, I had mistakenly assumed things that we in the US take for granted (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc.) were for the most part pretty much the same in Saudi Arabia as they are here in the US.

I couldn't have been more wrong. I knew the Saudi's had a state 'morality police' and that women had fewer rights compared to men - but I had no idea how far the Saudi's had taken things.

Based on what I saw in the Frontline episode - Saudi Arabia is a fascist state under Sharia law.

I realize it's (become) politically incorrect to pose questions related to religion but...

Serious question:

How much different is the Saudi royal family than say The Taliban, Al Qaeda, or even ISIS?

One of the more mind blowing things (at least for me) while watching this episode was classroom footage showing the Saudi state curriculum with first and second grade kids being openly taught that Christians and Jews should be put to torture and death - simply because they are (we are) Christians and Jews.

How many billions of my tax dollars have been given to the Saudis over the years in the form of aid?



-jp

.

Tom
03-30-2016, 03:59 PM
I have always said the Sorry Arabia was not out friend.
They are a sub-human culture that are an embarrassment to the US for dealing with them.

I just started another thread about the Saudis' want to execute gays and transgenders. Real civilized people! :ThmbDown:

I am keeping an eye open for a repeat of the show you mentioned.

Oh, and weren't most of the 9/11 death pilots from Sorry Arabia?

PaceAdvantage
03-30-2016, 04:13 PM
They have the oil...and our blind eye

boxcar
03-30-2016, 04:54 PM
They have the oil...and our blind eye

And both mix very well when stirred and lightly shaken.

Hank
03-31-2016, 11:27 AM
Anyone else catch the March 29, 2016 Frontline episode about Saudi Arabia?

FRONTLINE reveals a side of Saudi Arabia that's rarely seen, and traces the efforts of men and women who are working to bring about change:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/saudi-arabia-uncovered/

I have to admit that before watching this episode I had no real idea what things are like there.

For most of my adult life, because Saudi Arabia is one our allies in the region, I had mistakenly assumed things that we in the US take for granted (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc.) were for the most part pretty much the same in Saudi Arabia as they are here in the US.

I couldn't have been more wrong. I knew the Saudi's had a state 'morality police' and that women had fewer rights compared to men - but I had no idea how far the Saudi's had taken things.

Based on what I saw in the Frontline episode - Saudi Arabia is a fascist state under Sharia law.

I realize it's (become) politically incorrect to pose questions related to religion but...

Serious question:

How much different is the Saudi royal family than say The Taliban, Al Qaeda, or even ISIS?

One of the more mind blowing things (at least for me) while watching this episode was classroom footage showing the Saudi state curriculum with first and second grade kids being openly taught that Christians and Jews should be put to torture and death - simply because they are (we are) Christians and Jews.

How many billions of my tax dollars have been given to the Saudis over the years in the form of aid?



-jp

.

US "friendship" with this vile regime provides undeniable evidence that all the noble rhetoric spewed by US politicians about what drives US foreign policy,is laughable hypocritical bullshit.If the Saudi's began eating children for lunch it would be all good with the US. Why? Because their cooperation makes possible the PETRODOLLAR,the petrodollar forces the world's oil money to flow through the US federal reserve creating ever growing demand for US dollars and US debt,while allowing the US to basically own the world's oil for FREE,since oil's valve is denominated is a currency that the US controls and PRINTS.

Tom
03-31-2016, 11:46 AM
The USA lacks all credibility when it deal with mad-dog natios like SA, Russia, China, Cuba.......there is no excuse for it.

We suck big time a lot of the time.

HalvOnHorseracing
03-31-2016, 01:10 PM
A well known quote is, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Saudi Arabia, a Sunni majority, is the enemy of Iran where almost all Muslims are Shia.

I don't get the whole Sunni/Shia thing - sounds like Baptists and Presbyterians claiming the other is an infidel - but it drives a lot of hatred in the Middle East.

World politics can be subtle and nuanced. We forgave Vietnam, we forgave Japan after WW II, we forgave Germany. A Republican president opened channels with China. In the big scheme of things, opening relations with Cuba can only force Cuba to at least do what China did - create their own form of capitalism. One of the reasons North Korea can stay ideologically pure is because they totally isolate themselves and their citizens, not to mention indoctrinating them with crap that would be laughable if they weren't buying it. The one thing a place like North Korea fears is their people learning the truth about the West. Cuba already has a pretty good idea about what life is like in the U.S., and eventually the Castro's were going to lose power. Cuba will inevitably evolve, and as many have said, the embargo didn't work to dislodge the Castro's. Perhaps opening up relations will.

barahona44
03-31-2016, 01:20 PM
[QUOTE=Tom]I have always said the Sorry Arabia was not out friend.
They are a sub-human culture that are an embarrassment to the US for dealing with them.

I just started another thread about the Saudis' want to execute gays and transgenders. Real civilized people! :ThmbDown:

I am keeping an eye open for a repeat of the show you mentioned.

Oh, and weren't most of the 9/11 death pilots from Sorry Arabia?[

15 out of 19 were Saudis (that includes the muscle guys),2 were from the United Arab Emirates,1 from Egypt and 1 from Lebanon.All 4 countries are officially our allies.

Rookies
03-31-2016, 10:17 PM
Anyone else catch the March 29, 2016 Frontline episode about Saudi Arabia?

FRONTLINE reveals a side of Saudi Arabia that's rarely seen, and traces the efforts of men and women who are working to bring about change:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/saudi-arabia-uncovered/

I have to admit that before watching this episode I had no real idea what things are like there.

For most of my adult life, because Saudi Arabia is one our allies in the region, I had mistakenly assumed things that we in the US take for granted (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc.) were for the most part pretty much the same in Saudi Arabia as they are here in the US.

I couldn't have been more wrong. I knew the Saudi's had a state 'morality police' and that women had fewer rights compared to men - but I had no idea how far the Saudi's had taken things.

Based on what I saw in the Frontline episode - Saudi Arabia is a fascist state under Sharia law.

I realize it's (become) politically incorrect to pose questions related to religion but...

Serious question:

How much different is the Saudi royal family than say The Taliban, Al Qaeda, or even ISIS?

One of the more mind blowing things (at least for me) while watching this episode was classroom footage showing the Saudi state curriculum with first and second grade kids being openly taught that Christians and Jews should be put to torture and death - simply because they are (we are) Christians and Jews.

How many billions of my tax dollars have been given to the Saudis over the years in the form of aid?

.

I have a more insider update, since my BIL (American) worked for the richest oil company in the world (Aramco) for 25 years in Dhahran. While it was extremely lucrative, enjoyable and an easy exposure to most of the planet, there were Islamic rules- a lot of them.

You received a heavy indoctrination from the company's contact centre in Houston, prior to departing. And there was no confusion about possessing any non Muslim symbols or depictions. You couldn't!

Alcohol is of course prohibited, but the Aramco compound of the time, often contained a "fruit cellar"- errr... a sealed off room for a still. The deal as, brew your own... carefully, but woe betide you if you were visiting some friends, got all shit faced and had an accident or made a public, drunken arse of yourself! You were outta Saudi immediately- if you were lucky.

In addition, the Mutaween (religious police) were out in force at the time and women needed to dress conservatively when visiting the marketplace and women driving around, could not do so with unrelated men.

There were public executions on a particular day in the public square, after advertising. Because of that, jewellery stores would have gold hanging in the open windows. NOBODY dared touch/ take it, as the penalty was off with your hand or head.

The Saud Royal Family has all manner of bloated, corpulent, work shy wankers, numbering in the thousands. But when you oversee an oil company with estimated worth of 1-10 TRILLION DOLLARS and have enough oil reserves until 2100, you can easily keep your population, sort of content, by buying them off- which they do. They also used to send young Saudis overseas to learn management skills at top U.S. Universities. But when you've spent your first semester at USC ogling women in bikinis for the first time, well then... there was a disincentive to complete your studies... and return home to all that sand.

Young Saudis never wanted to roll up their sleeves and work, at the time- just manage. 😂 But, increasingly over the decades, the religion hasn't got any less conservative and the Saud family has been greasing Terrorism and running schools for Terrorists, throughout the Middle East with a little of its Petro ca$h, especially if it can be used to **** up its Petro rivals in the region. It plays America like a fiddle, getting its protection on one hand and growing little ISIS/Al Queda warriors with the other.

My BIL used to say that you can't run a 21st. Century Petro chemical industry with a 14th. Century Bible. But, being awash in oil, plus stealing it from your neighbours in Iraq & Kuwait, with pipelines slanted under the border, allows you to pray to your Mohammed 10x a day, if you like and not break a sweat about the engorged bottom line!

Saudi Arabia is a clear and present danger.

betovernetcapper
03-31-2016, 10:48 PM
In 2002, there was a fire in a Saudi school. The religious police pushed 15 girls back into the fire, because they were not wearing proper Muslim garb. They all died.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1874471.stm

Tom
04-01-2016, 07:32 AM
In 2002, there was a fire in a Saudi school. The religious police pushed 15 girls back into the fire, because they were not wearing proper Muslim garb. They all died.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1874471.stm

The religion of peace.
But don't you dare criticize these wonderful people.