Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Jeff Jacoby: Time to give Saudis an ultimatum
Boston Globe ^ | 1/13/02 | Jeff Jacoby

Posted on 01/14/2002 4:21:08 AM PST by vrwc54

Edited on 04/13/2004 2:07:16 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

FOR THANKSGIVING in 1990, former President George H.W. Bush went to Saudi Arabia to visit the 400,000 American soldiers stationed there as part of Operation Desert Shield. The Saudis welcomed Bush, but made it clear that no Christian worship - including grace before the Thanksgiving meal - would be permitted on Saudi soil. It was a shocking insult, but the Americans didn't protest. Instead, the president and his party went aboard a US ship in the Persian Gulf and said their prayers there.


(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last

1 posted on 01/14/2002 4:21:08 AM PST by vrwc54
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: vrwc54
We will seize and secure the oil fields

Who is "we"? Is Jacoby volunteering to join up?

2 posted on 01/14/2002 4:35:27 AM PST by jojo123
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vrwc54
"A respected, pro-Musim. Western ally....."....????well, DUH......I like Jacoby, he's always right on point, and the main thrust of his column is correct..but I can't think of any person who fits this description....
3 posted on 01/14/2002 4:38:34 AM PST by ken5050
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vrwc54
We will seize and secure the oil fields. But our purpose would not be plunder. We would appoint a respected, pro-Western Muslim ally to run the oil industry in trust for the Muslim world.

Never happen. Fifty years ago maybe, but not today. We're too skittish about accusations of "American cultural imperialism." Right now, that means giving Big Macs to Greeks and Levis to Parisians. Can you imagine if we started taking over oil fields?

4 posted on 01/14/2002 4:39:48 AM PST by Ratatoskr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vrwc54
"We would appoint a respected, pro-Western Muslim ally..."

Um, like who?

5 posted on 01/14/2002 5:02:44 AM PST by rdww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jojo123
Agreed jo jo. I have had it with these "Alexander the Great" right wing interventionalists. We should not bomb or murder those who hate American.
6 posted on 01/14/2002 5:11:05 AM PST by AMMON-CENTRIST
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: vrwc54
We should give the Saudis and ultimatum. If they don't grant full freedom to all US forces we will pull out, give Saddam an OK to take over their country and then take care of him. We could probably arrange it so that we were the heroes again for saving the country from evil.
7 posted on 01/14/2002 5:11:42 AM PST by FreePaul
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jojo123
Guess Jacoboy wants other people's sons to pay the price for taking the oil that belongs to the Saudis. First the demonrats want to nationalize undercapitalized businesses and now Jacoboy wants the United States to nationalize the oil fields in the middle east. WHAT COULD THESE PEOPLE BE THINKING???????????
8 posted on 01/14/2002 5:26:34 AM PST by OldFriend
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: AMMON-CENTRIST
We should only bomb and murder those who hate America and Americans when it is in our best interests to do so.

In the case of Saudi Wahhabism, it is in the best interests of HUMANITY to shut down their rabid, viciously intollerant fundamentalist wacko mill using any and all means necessary. If the Saudi oil parasites do not listen to reason, bomb them and their insane camel-driving populace back into the middle ages where they belong.

Arabs are great fighters - when they are blowing up innocent unprepared women, children and other civlians. We saw what a mass of simpering cowards they REALLY are in the Gulf War.

9 posted on 01/14/2002 5:35:21 AM PST by ZULU
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: OldFriend
Jacoby is right on the mark. The Saudis use our ptro dollars to bankroll fundamentalist wackos in Palestine, Afgahnistan, Pakistan, Indoensia, Egypt, north Africa and anywhere else they can find them.

We need their oil. If they don't behave we should bomb them back to the stone age, suck their oil wells dry and live them to rot with their camels and sand dunes. A more worthless class of humanity the world has never before witnessed.

Saudi Arabia is not a nation - it is a desert shiekdom composed of tribal rulers who behave like Barbary Pirates.

10 posted on 01/14/2002 5:38:59 AM PST by ZULU
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: AMMON-CENTRIST
We should not bomb or murder those who hate American.

Right! They should remain alive and dwell in their rage and hatred so they can attack America (again) some day.

I couldn't agree more!

11 posted on 01/14/2002 5:46:11 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: ZULU
Saudi Arabia is a wicked repressed evil empire, and stupid RINOs and Rats who believe they're a peaceful Muslim nation also believes Clinton is a saint.
12 posted on 01/14/2002 5:49:01 AM PST by ServesURight
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: jojo123
The "We" are the troops we have over there right now, who are not allowed to wear any sign of their religious affiliation...

Bush said," If you are not with us ,You are against us",which applies to the Saudis who contribute millions to the terrorists ..

At the same time they invite our Service Personnel to Saudi Arabia to protect them from the very same terrorists.

Our service people must serve there, under very tight Muslim Rules, this whole relationship is wrong..

13 posted on 01/14/2002 5:51:45 AM PST by chatham
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: vrwc54
Jeff Jacoby is the only good thing in the globe besides Dilbert.
14 posted on 01/14/2002 6:14:57 AM PST by weikel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OldFriend
Nevertheless, he's right for the most part. Except for the part of his implied invasion of Iraq, and leaving the Saudis alone if they pay lip service, is a cop out.

None of the neocons want to admit that the Russians, in promising to replace the Saudie oil will make them allies for decades to come. The controlled media is trying, IMO, to prevent the alliance from building. Primarily because Russia want's to keep its' sovereignty and Christianity base. This does not fit into the neocon NWO concept.

15 posted on 01/14/2002 6:15:14 AM PST by duckln
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: rdww
There are only two canidates Turkey and the Hashemites.
16 posted on 01/14/2002 6:18:15 AM PST by weikel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
Right! They should remain alive and dwell in their rage and hatred so they can attack America (again) some day.

I couldn't agree more!

God dang man! Why do yall like to screw up a view point. If they burn the american flag 8000 miles away, let them! Let them drown in their rage and hate. Bombing won't cure hatred. And this war should NOT be expanded!! If you are going to get OBL, get him and pull out like sex copulation! The federal government should not be pushing it's global dictorial "We are America and we are your god" progam!!

17 posted on 01/14/2002 7:20:01 AM PST by AMMON-CENTRIST
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: vrwc54
Jacoby must be a moron. The last thing we want to do right now is destabilize Saudi Arabia. The Royal family would argue that shutting down the clerics would cause a revolt, especially if it were at America's behest. They would be correct.

They won't do it. It would be signing their own death warrant. I suppose Jacoby would have us seize the oil fields at that point. We'd also have to seize the hundreds of miles of pipelines and the ports. It's not nearly as easy as he seems to think.

Of course, every country in the world would condemn us and our facilities around the world would become targets for enraged protestors, not all of whom would be moslems.

Could we do it? Probably. It would turn allies into enemies and forever ruin our credibility in the world. Oh, and it wouldn't change the situation in Saudi Arabia. Everyone there would hate our guts and want to kill us.

And we'd still be paying the same price for oil.

Nothing at all would be accomplished, and much damage to America would be done.

Utter lunacy.

18 posted on 01/14/2002 7:37:38 AM PST by Dog Gone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dog Gone
would ruin our credibility in the world

Now what would you say if the same scenario is played out AFTER Saudi is destabilized by terrorists, as OBL inteneded?

I think keeping the seizure option open could be the best thing both for our credibility and for the stability of the Middle East.

Same results, different starting point.

19 posted on 01/14/2002 8:45:39 AM PST by flamefront
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: AMMON-CENTRIST
They are not just burning the American Flag. No problem with foreigners doing that.

What I object to is these worthless sons of the mad prophet conspiring to drive up the price of oil and thereby screwing up an already shaken international economy.

The other thing I object to is their employment of our petrodollars to fund nutcases like Bin Laddin, Al Quaida, Hezbollah, the PLO, and Sheik Mohammar.

Considering the fact that the recession has been aggrevated by the attack on September 11th and our resultant necessary response, the least these worthless parasites could do would be to hold the dollar on oil prices. But no, they apparently need to further wreck the world economy by raising prices so they can replace the money we have drawn away from Al Quaida and their equally insane clones.

Finally, I object to OUR ELECTED officials continuing to allow these despicable fifth columnists to emigrate to our country and plot to establish an Islamic Theocracy here like the one that ruined Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

20 posted on 01/14/2002 8:57:10 AM PST by ZULU
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson