"Saudi authorities officially notified us on Tuesday that the group could attack again and urged foreigners to avoid breaking sharia law, er...that is...travelling outside cities," a Western diplomat said....

-XRDC

Posted by: XRDC at March 7, 2007 8:10 AM

"Militant Islamists have said they want to drive "infidel" Westerners out of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its holiest sites".

Saudi Arabia is the heart of this supremacist belief-system. Jihad and Muslim supremacism will not end until there is full equality of religious rights in all of the Muslim world. Until that happens, Islam will be just another rationalization for conquest and domination.

Reason and academic arguments (Robert vs. D, e.g.)are based on premises and we can never have all the premises necessary to draw an absolutely true conclusion on political-religious matters. It is experience (Saudi Arabia, etc.) that points to the truth about Islam. The evidence of Islamic supremacism and the propensity for violence against Kuffirs is clear to anyone who is willing to examine the facts. The doctrines of Islam are the problem.

Posted by: Frank at March 7, 2007 8:23 AM

Saudi Arabia has vowed to crack down on Islamic militants

Posted by: thomas ato at March 7, 2007 8:25 AM

There are all sorts of slaves, running into the millions, in Saudi Arabia, as in the U.A.E. and Kuwait. At the lowest end are the laborers, chiefly from the subcontinent, who are the field hands, the ill-treated laborers. Then the Arabs like to keep house hands, and they are mostly the Indian, Filipino, and Thai girls, who are treated just as you imagine they are treated (every so often, when they get to the West, one or two manage to run away, in London or in Washington, and there is a brief item in the paper about the Kuwaiti military attache and his wife, or the Al-Saud princeling, but ordinarily this stuff is hushed up, with very expensive lawyers and the usual Western hirelings of the Arabs "whispering hush" (well, Goodnight, Moon, and Goodnight, Vienna).

And then there are, somewhere in the middle, the South Koreans who do so much of the building. And then, a little further up the scale, the Westerners: they keep the oil production going. They are the doctors, and the nurses (often English or Australian). They are the teachers, at every level, of English and other languages, of whatever science is taught, even of such doubtful and for the Saudis utterly unnecessary things (the money flows in, and no one has to do a thing) as "business administration." The Saudi army, such as it is, is trained by Westerners, though they, those Western military men, are treated with contumely (compare the respect with which Sultan Qaboos in Oman treats the British officers in his country, but then Qaboos, and his country, is far superior in every way to Saudi Arabia).

Saudi Arabia would collapse without those Westerners. Despite the trillions received since 1973, Saudi Arabia does not have an economy. Almost no Saudi shows up for a real job, with real hours. A few hours a day, a putting-in-of-an-appearance, and then it is home to enjoy the entirely unmerited wealth, and perhaps, if you are not a member of the ruling class or the courtier who has received favor (i.e., the "right" to import this or that make of car), then you might not only go home, but at home begin to think about, and resent, the fabulously unequal distribution of the "national" wealth, so much of it siphoned off by those princes, princelings, and princelettes of the Al-Saud who, all daggers and dishdashas and sneers of cold command, keep that country for themselves, and hire just enough Western agents to permit the Saudis to continue to get away with their fantastic behavior, their funding of the Jihad, chiefly through Da'wa and demographic conquest (who pays for all those mosques and madrasas and that army of propagandists for Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims, all over the Western world?).

They can't continue without Western experts, doctors, teachers, military men. Those who want to bring down the Al-Saud are intelligently aiming at their weakest point: their absolute reliance on foreigners. Even the Christian Lebanese (also victims of past attacks) will be leaving. Let's see what happens to Saudi Arabia now. And no one should worry overmuch. If anything further should happen, such as the Shi'a (who make up at least 10% of the country's population, and perhaps more --- the Saudi Census Bureau has a nice handbook called "How To Lie About Statistics") in the Eastern Province becoming enraged over the attacks on Shi'a in Iraq, given moral and other kinds of support by Sunnis in Saudi Arabia, could act up.

And if they did? If they did, nothing. Those who frantically say we must prop up the Al-Saud do not realize how easy it would be to seize the oilfields, so close to the tankers in the Gulf, far easier than to protect and defend the tribe-with-a-flag that thinks for some reason we should protect it. That is not necessary. And seizure of oilfields can be made appealing, if done with funds held to be distributed, more fairly, not only to those people in Saudi Arabia, but to others.

Posted by: Hugh at March 7, 2007 8:35 AM

The Saudi Princes live like gods and put commercials on American television when it's deemed required in order to convince us of their supposed good intentions. This is utterly ridiculous when half the Saudi elite are Wahhabis, either openly or in private, are funding madrassas to spread the taint of Islam from France to Virginia, and secretly fund far more extreme measures like Al Qaeda camps, Hezbollah, Hamas and the like.

Once the Bush family is out of Washington, let's hope that the next couple of Presidents start reigning in the Saudis, hold them to account and remove our forces from that nation and force them to do their own dirty work.

We wouldn't have even given an excuse to bin Laden for 9-11 if it hadn't been for our involvement with the Saudis and having our troops on that soil. I'm sure he would have found a new excuse later, but that is still literally the reason that we were attacked according to bin Laden's own statements -- the heart of Islam in Medina and Mecca are in Saudi Arabia. How in the Hell can we continue this farce and say they are our allies when Islam is our enemy?

Enough idiocy, enough oil barons, enough cowards -- I want to see real results, tough negotiations, alternate fuel sources, new oil in Alaska and off the coast of Florida -- whatever it takes to free ourselves of Arab Oil, Saudi Arabian appeasement and our continued blindness to the enemies that must laugh at us behind closed doors every day.

Posted by: Foehammer at March 7, 2007 9:00 AM

So these Saudi bastards are supposed to be our friends ?

Imagine the cynical dynamics of the interchange of money for favors in Washington between these pukes and the beltway whores. The cynicism and the groveling must be palpable.

(wasn't whore Bob Dole recently put on some commission ?)

The 90% of Saudi funded mosques in America should be torn down and the imam bastards deported.

What a disgusting circus.

Posted by: dgene at March 7, 2007 9:37 AM

Too bad all foreigners can't just pack up and leave the unholy land. I wouldn't want to set foot in that bastion of cesspoolia for all the money in the world.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at March 7, 2007 9:38 AM

"Militant Islamists have said they want to drive "infidel" Westerners out of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its holiest sites".

....How about Saudia Arabia just giving every infidel in their country a buy out option ...leave the country and receive a 10 million dollar payment....The infidels would be on the next plane out...

Posted by: exsgtbrown at March 7, 2007 10:12 AM

Saudi Arabia will be destroyed by Iran, they just don't know it yet....

Posted by: exsgtbrown at March 7, 2007 10:17 AM

Tourism?

Terrorism?

I guess if you say it fast in a foreign language accent it sounds the same.

They are just confused about what the government really wants.

///

Posted by: Borg at March 7, 2007 10:26 AM

Reuters said

The four French nationals, including a teenager, were killed on February 26 during a desert trip in the Arab country.

I thought that they were killed in a Muslim-only part of Riyadh. In the first story, it sounds like they were on a road that led to a Muslim-only area. Now the claim is that they were just out in the desert, away from the "safety" of the city.

Neither version of the story actually disputes the other, but the first has connotations of religiously-inspired motivation, while the second is artfully shaded to avoid focus on that aspect.

Posted by: special_guest at March 7, 2007 11:44 AM

I wish we'd get this over with and simply warn the Saudis that western groups will be attacking them: groups named the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

Let's just get it over with already.

Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at March 7, 2007 12:07 PM

The Saudi's have bigger fish to fry with Iran being behind these attacks. They can vow to crack down all they want, but they are not going to do anything but talk.

Posted by: Lame Cherry at March 7, 2007 12:09 PM

They are the teachers, at every level, of English and other languages, of whatever science is taught, even of such doubtful and for the Saudis utterly unnecessary things

I pity any Infidel who goes to anywhere in the Arabian peninsula (or for that matter anywhere in dar ul Islam) to work - I wouldn't go there if my life depended on it.

Posted by: Infidel Pride at March 7, 2007 12:19 PM

Borg

I once heard from a friend of a friend that the only reason one is allowed into Saudi Arabia is business (e.g. one is a migrant slave, er worker) or pilgrimage (i.e. attend the haj stampede and be lucky to get out alive)

No other reason. No tourism. Nothing else.

Posted by: Infidel Pride at March 7, 2007 12:22 PM

"I wouldn't go there if my life depended on it."

...probably for the same reasons you would not want Muslims here....

Ban Muslim Immigration....

Posted by: exsgtbrown at March 7, 2007 12:23 PM

So these Saudi bastards are supposed to be our friends ?

Posted by: dgene at March 7, 2007 09:37 AM

NO! They are Bush family friends. Americans are suppose to be 'slaves': http://www.sauduction.com/

Posted by: Alert at March 7, 2007 1:18 PM

The Saudi government both ecourages and discourages terrorism.

They encourage it with their support of the Wahabies, the hate and contempt for non-Muslims taught in their school system, and a media that would't dare to question the murderous teachings of Islam.

They discourage it when it threatens the Saudi power structure.

It's that simple.

Posted by: rational at March 7, 2007 1:25 PM

Saudi Arabia has vowed to crack down on Islamic militants ...

The Saudis accomplish these measures by installing revolving doors at their prisons and effecting a government approved judicial anti-terror program of catch and release.

Saudi Arabia is the enemy. Those who think otherwise are fools or worse.

Posted by: Zenster at March 7, 2007 1:34 PM

You want to get this oil dependency over with quickly? Tax gas at the local level to force conservation, don't lift the tax untill a barrel goes for $20.00. If it rises tax it harder, our country not only has a drug problem, it has an oil problem, we all know it, hell even this president made that statement, don't know where he was in the 70's when that happened. I spent 26 years of my life so we could always have open debates and hold ourselves accountable for our actions, not like other countries that forbid debate. Our country is strong , very strong not only military wise but freedom wise, americans and i'm talking about americans, not such and such american or this and that american , i mean american period. If your not an american first then stand aside and watch real americans solve our problems.

Posted by: OLD SARGE at March 7, 2007 1:35 PM

When Bush declared that "America is addicted to oil", he wasn't kidding and also could barely contain a grin from ear to ear at that continuing prospect. While not very different from his predecessors, nearly all it seems in bed with the Saudis, selling off America's domestic and foreign strength, bit by bit, he is different in that Bush himself is also addicted to stupidity.

While never concerned about possibly being mistaken for a Rhodes Scholar, the depth of his stupidity borders on astounding. Let's take a retrospective look at his tenure, shall we?

Bush forces our hand and invades Iraq based on faulty itelligence. Not stupidity in its own right.

Realizing that no WMD's are in Iraq, continues to rationalize that Hussein needed to be removed from power for continuing UN Resolution violations. Not stupidity on the front end, but leans that way more and more, each and every day we continue to occupy Iraq. A hard lesson, now in hindsight, learned by all except those dwelling in the realm of stupidity.

Once Hussein is removed, his debt to his father collected, with Saddam's pistol mounted squarely on the wall of his private study, where it ought to be, Bush embarks on a fool's errand to export democracy, nation build and win the 'hearts and minds' of the Iraqi people. Stupidity alert! He demonstrates the lack of a basic comprehension of the ideology Islam, as applied for political purposes.

He proposes, and thankfully fails, to sell control of US ports on the eastern US seaboard to the UAE. Immoral stupidity, luckily averted. He says that blocking this sale sends a bad message to our friends and allies in the Middle East. Remarkable stupidity.

The war goes badly, yet he refuses to see or admit that his utopian dream will never be realized or come to fruition. Stupidity. He pushes for more troops. Increased stupidity. He fails to realize the value, for all things and peoples non-Islamic, of a continually destabilized Iraq, which has re-ignited the ancient hatred between Sunni and Shia Islamic sects. Stupidity piled on top of stupidity.

He continues to maintain that pulling out will embolden our enemies and bring more violence against the US. A truly stupid assumption. He provides more live US targets for the Islamists to practice on. Stupidity in action following a stupid assumption.

The sitting President talks of the war as if we are all ignorant and he is the only smart man in the room, arrogant stupidity, but he has no idea who he wants to fight this war against, unwarranted stupidity. A war against terror, a tactic, not an enemy. Immeasurable stupidity.

And so it goes for the US, continuing to be lead down the path of stupidity, that is, in between hand holding and kissing photo op sessions between Bush and our 'friends and allies' in Saudi Arabia.

Posted by: awake at March 7, 2007 2:37 PM

"OLD SARGE"

....That is correct...then take the taxes collected and use the money to increase border security,internal security, terror prevention,etc...

Posted by: exsgtbrown at March 7, 2007 3:08 PM

Too bad Islam predates Muhammad.

Snicker, snicker...

Posted by: pythagoras at March 7, 2007 3:16 PM

awake said

When Bush declared that "America is addicted to oil", he wasn't kidding

Yes, and Bush and Cheney are kingpin pushers put in charge of the rehab clinic.

He proposes, and thankfully fails, to sell control of US ports on the eastern US seaboard to the UAE. Immoral stupidity, luckily averted.

Are you sure they failed? I remember hearing that it went through months later, using, I believe, Halliburton as a front. Or maybe it was AIG. See here for some background. Remember, Bush was threatening to use his veto for the first time in his Presidency. I seriously doubt they just gave up.

Posted by: special_guest at March 7, 2007 3:42 PM

What is so Holy about Saudi Arabia??? It is the land of vice, beheadings and amputation.

Posted by: callmeinfidel at March 7, 2007 5:59 PM

... the Saudi Census Bureau has a nice handbook called "How To Lie About Statistics"

Amazingly, among Saudi census takers, twelve out of every seven of them haven't read it.

Posted by: Zenster at March 7, 2007 6:37 PM

We need a strong individual with no ties to big money corporations to lead this country, i'm certainly not against our freedoms to make wealth but if you really look hard at the past 50 years especially after ww2 the caliber of individuals who turn to politics has been degraded to a point that you don't know what you've voted into office until after they are in.Millionare politians don't impress me one bit, but their voting record does.There have been several that i favored until i checked out what they voted on , political parties be damned, i vote for the person i think will do good for all of us, don't care what side of the isle he/she sits on, try it some time!!!!!!

Posted by: OLD SARGE at March 7, 2007 7:21 PM

The problem I have been having the last few elections, Old Sarge, is that I know full well that NEITHER of the candidates are worth a s**t, and I don't like either one of them, so I am forced to vote for the lesser of two evils. When is someone going to come up with a GOOD candidate that will have the best interests of AMERICA, and not themselves and their party, at heart.

Posted by: fedupinamerica at March 7, 2007 7:45 PM

vote for the lesser of the two evils and then continue to be a royal pain in the ass about what you think is right so they have no excuse when it comes time for them to explain there records, try it you might like it!!!!!!!

Posted by: OLD SARGE at March 7, 2007 8:07 PM

their records

Posted by: OLD SARGE at March 7, 2007 8:08 PM

"... if you really look hard at the past 50 years especially after ww2 the caliber of individuals who turn to politics has been degraded to a point that you don't know what you've voted into office until after they are in."

Old Sarge, this is a direct byproduct of the "Hollywood Effect". Competence in our politicians, either as seasoned war fighters or as validly legal experts is no longer of supreme importance. With the advent of television, physical appearance and on-camera presence somehow have managed to outweigh all other qualifications.

I ask that you ponder the case of MTV (i.e., Music Television - properly pronounced; “Empty Vee”). Consider what sort of success a short overweight balding virtuoso electric guitarist will meet with in comparison to Britney Spears or Madonna. Despite being a channel that is devoted to musical broadcasts, superficial appearances rule the roost. MTV has done more to destroy serious music than even such “engineered” bands as The Backstreet Boys and The Spice Girls.

Now carry over this concept of “Engineered Presence” to modern politics. Personal charisma, something rather prominently lacking in such competent leaders as Truman or Eisenhower, is now the ne plus ultra of modern politics. Even solid oratory skills are no longer of critical importance. Bush’s constant parade of malapropisms is a source of ridicule to this day. Yet, onscreen presence and the ability to project an air of ability, regardless of actual talent, counts for more at the ballot box. Permit me to refer you to the motto of Dr. John Lewis:

Esse quam videri

Returning to your point. Half a century ago, America’s educational level and moral compass once discouraged hidden agendas. Yet, as you have noted, “you don't know what you've voted into office until after they are in." Such are modern times. Furthermore, there is little, if any, penalty for maintaining such ulterior motives. I attribute this to a society that no longer admires individual transparency and, instead, confers more value upon the ability to conceal personal motives. “Putting one over” or “getting the upper hand” all seem to be of much greater priority. This is a direct byproduct of the academic poison being drip fed to America’s youth.

The preaching of altruism in academic circles has entrenched acceptance of the “Zero Sum Equation”. Namely, that for one person to succeed, another must lose. This has bred up a culture of such conniving, self-absorbed and cravenly greedy jades to the point that, as “Deteriorata” warns, “Be assured that a walk through the ocean of most souls would scarcely get your feet wet.”

Posted by: Zenster at March 8, 2007 1:20 AM

Saudi Arabia has vowed to crack down on Islamic militants and condemned the attack.

for the Sowdis to do this, they would have to outlaw islam.

for those who say there is an addication to oil, well tell me who wants to live without gas for your vehicle? your homes, our economy is driven by oil.
you need to be allowed to find it in your own country. but then hungry china would just take the oil from the sowdis.
and to tax more for oii, well you about how well the government uses your tax money, welfare for illegals, ect. better for you to keep more of your own money, as you worked for it, and can spend it more wisely than any government.

Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at March 8, 2007 2:08 AM

"Saudi Arabia warns foreigners of attacks"

...any dolt with an iq the number of his shoe size should know where not to go....

Posted by: exsgtbrown at March 8, 2007 1:04 PM