It seems they made it our business when they torture-murdered an American permanent resident who worked for an American publisher. IMO, we should start disentangling from that toxic crew ASAP. As some pundit noted--they need us worse than we need them.Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
Our deficit is so high because of endless wars and repeated tax cuts, IMO.
Last edited by JaneV2.0; 10-18-18 at 7:51pm.
Thought that you might find this article from the Washington Post interesting reading. I did. I hope that the Washington Post forgives my copying it this one time.
Source:https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...=.404771395c84
By Jamal Khashoggi
October 17 at 7:52 PM
A note from Karen Attiah, Global Opinions editor
I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi’s translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul. The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together.
I was recently online looking at the 2018 “Freedom in the World” report published by Freedom House and came to a grave realization. There is only one country in the Arab world that has been classified as “free.” That nation is Tunisia. Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait come second, with a classification of “partly free.” The rest of the countries in the Arab world are classified as “not free.”
As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed. They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.
The Arab world was ripe with hope during the spring of 2011. Journalists, academics and the general population were brimming with expectations of a bright and free Arab society within their respective countries. They expected to be emancipated from the hegemony of their governments and the consistent interventions and censorship of information. These expectations were quickly shattered; these societies either fell back to the old status quo or faced even harsher conditions than before.
My dear friend, the prominent Saudi writer Saleh al-Shehi, wrote one of the most famous columns ever published in the Saudi press. He unfortunately is now serving an unwarranted five-year prison sentence for supposed comments contrary to the Saudi establishment. The Egyptian government’s seizure of the entire print run of a newspaper, al-Masry al Youm, did not enrage or provoke a reaction from colleagues. These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community. Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence.
As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate. There was a time when journalists believed the Internet would liberate information from the censorship and control associated with print media. But these governments, whose very existence relies on the control of information, have aggressively blocked the Internet. They have also arrested local reporters and pressured advertisers to harm the revenue of specific publications.
[Read Khashoggi’s last column for The Post before his disappearance in Arabic]
There are a few oases that continue to embody the spirit of the Arab Spring. Qatar’s government continues to support international news coverage, in contrast to its neighbors’ efforts to uphold the control of information to support the “old Arab order.” Even in Tunisia and Kuwait, where the press is considered at least “partly free,” the media focuses on domestic issues but not issues faced by the greater Arab world. They are hesitant to provide a platform for journalists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. Even Lebanon, the Arab world’s crown jewel when it comes to press freedom, has fallen victim to the polarization and influence of pro-Iran Hezbollah.
The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power. During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe, which grew over the years into a critical institution, played an important role in fostering and sustaining the hope of freedom. Arabs need something similar. In 1967, the New York Times and The Post took joint ownership of the International Herald Tribune newspaper, which went on to become a platform for voices from around the world.
My publication, The Post, has taken the initiative to translate many of my pieces and publish them in Arabic. For that, I am grateful. Arabs need to read in their own language so they can understand and discuss the various aspects and complications of democracy in the United States and the West. If an Egyptian reads an article exposing the actual cost of a construction project in Washington, then he or she would be able to better understand the implications of similar projects in his or her community.
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.
Read more:
Read Jamal Khashoggi’s columns for The Washington Post
Hatice Cengiz: Please, President Trump, shed light on my fiance’s disappearance
The Post’s View: Why is the Trump administration cleaning up Saudi Arabia’s mess?
David Ignatius: MBS’s rampaging anger will not silence questions about Jamal Khashoggi
Manal al-Sharif: Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance spreads fear worldwide, but we won’t be silenced
As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
We can’t be the worldwide police. Interfering in other countries causes wars which contributes to the deficit along with the tax cuts of course.
This incident is not unlike a lot of pursuits. The deeper you look the less you understand. I have seen reports from several different sources that Turkey’s intelligence community is very resourceful and typically keeps high level surveillance on foreign consulates, to the tune of bugging offices, residences and transportation. They also have inside “employees” reporting on the goings on directly to Turkey’s intelligence agency MIT. Bottom line is there is every reason to believe they understand and know exactly what occurred to Khashoggi. But will this information ever come to light?
Turkey and Saudi Arabia do not see eye to eye on many things. However, Turkey’s economy is in the tank and could use, shall we say a voluntary contribution from a rich Saudi government. Perhaps, this is the goose that laid the golden egg for Turkey.
Also, Saudi Arabia facilitates the buying of US debt through the use of US dollars for the purchase of oil. We print it, they buy up our debt to cover the newly printed money. There are more reasons the US does not want the truth about this incident to see the light of day. But here is where it becomes a sticky wicket.
What if.....US intelligence knew about the planned abduction and torture of Khashoggi and did nothing to thwart it or to warn Khashoggi. And just how far up the chain of command did that information travel. It would be quite an embarrassment for the administration.
As Mark Twain is quoted saying, “The reason we hold truth in such high esteem is because we have so little opportunity to get familiar with it.”
This isn't just a problem in the Arab world--journalists are being killed in Russia and elsewhere, and stifled around the world. Trump would like nothing more than to shut dissent down here. Khashoggi and others are martyrs for the truth.
This is terrifying:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...lled_in_Russia
I agree. Investigative journalism has become a dangerous profession, and attacks on journalists have been praised by our own president.
The Guardian had a prescient headline story in August 2018: "Trump attacks on media raise threat of violence against reporters, UN experts warn."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...rnalist-danger
Just this week Trump praised Congressman Gianforte for an assault on a Guardian reporter.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...uy/1690729002/
Are we really that far away from a Khashoggi event happening here? I bet the Saudis were surprised at our "outrage" given the signals that were sent that it's not a big deal.
become? Julian Assange is still imprisoned in the embassy as far as I know, bipartisian (as much Dem as anything) calls to kick him out of even that protection and asylum. Speaking of which, remember Manning's collateral murder video, which included the killing of reporters by the U.S. military.
There is no way Khashoggi is just an innocent journalist, it's too fishy. But yea the Saudi's are thugs, but then they were involved in the murder of some 2000 people (9-11) - and that's from the official account or as much of it as will ever be released, so why is the murder of one person shocking?
It seems to be to me if you are a journalists who questions the official narrative too much in the U.S., you don't keep your job, but that is different than losing your life. But it means you don't have much of a voice at that point much of the time. Of course some good journalism is still done.
Last edited by ApatheticNoMore; 10-19-18 at 11:23am.
Trees don't grow on money
I wonder how long before the Saudis sign a purchase order for the new missile defense system they have been dragging their feet on. And Turkey will have proven just how valuable they are to the US by providing the means to force the Saudis to buy. The whole event is so revolting that the thought of who knew what before it happened and who did what after it happened frightens the begeebers out of me.
The fact that my country is stuck right in the midst of this because it simply won’t or can’t divest itself of a world economic power partner for fear of wrecking its own economy...disgusts me. When the USA went from an economic powerhouse founded on production to an economic global power based on consumption and debt.....we sold out our independence.
And now, what. If we cut ties with Saudi Arabia, we force them into an alliance with Russia and Iran...with China as a wild card. And Israel will be leaning hard on the US to remain allies with Saudi Arabia. What a mess. Live by the sword...die by the sword.
Well said, again.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
Uniquely Trump, and bad, but equivalent weight to many other things going on, dissident perspectives (very legitimately so from the left and sometimes libertarian perspective) being dubbed Russian influenced - reading about the mid-century red scare recently, I myself could not come up with an argument how this wasn't some variant of that, the subsequent social media filtering of news which has only seemed to empower Fox and the Daily Mail (magical mystery algorithms favored mainstream right wing sources above all it seems), etc.. These attacks come from different "sides" than Trump's, but they are at least of equivalent weight.Just this week Trump praised Congressman Gianforte for an assault on a Guardian reporter.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...uy/1690729002/
Trees don't grow on money
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