Saudi Arabia's King Fahd is dead

[jjm2111]

One royal dynasty that comes to mind when thinking about the Saudis are the Romanovs. Though the imperial Russian family didn't have the perverted sexaul proclivities that the House of Saud is attracted to.

[hosepipe]

[ Ooh. You could get me on my favourite philosphical discussion here. I broadly agree with the point you are making. I would paraphrase it slightly - democracy without a decent consituttion or enshrined seperation of powers between the branches of state is simply Mob Rule. I believe the Iranian and 1930s German examples bare this out. ]

Exactly..
Democracy and Sharia law and Monarchy (amd any other form of gov't) EXCEPT the United States "IS" MOB Rule..

AND the Democrats and Rinos are jealous... thats why they work 24/7 against a free republic.. And when Hillary(and Bill of course) are elected in 2008 America will cease to be the exception.. its almost there NOW...

[OB1kNOb]

Who will be the next King, anyway?

[Marguerite]

He is ONLY King ;-)

BTW just because a camel herder called himself "King" some 70 years ago in the Arabian desert, we don't have to call his descendence "Kings".

[TAquinas]

I doubt his death can be blamed on the jewish state. Afterall, they have both been on good terms for many years. In addition, Saudi Arabia is a big and powerful country, unlike Palestinian state, and I doubt a small and insignificant state like Israel is powerful enough to affect the death of the King or a king.

[Marguerite]

I think you've missed SaA's sarcasm tag

[StrangerInParadise]

Can we send Kissinger? A Jew representing the US would be....damn, what would it be????

[No.6]

"I think the Americans themselves often underestimate the contribution the seperation of powers has had to its unstoppable development as a force for good. (And I folks here think the supreme court stinks so I might be on a looser arguing this thread!)."

Not true; the reason FReepers tend to disparage the SC is *because* it's overstepping its domain by creating law out of thin air with its decisions.

People are (rightfully) concerned about an unelected Court that no longer cares to wait for Congress to create law before it creates new law out of the gavel.

[SJackson]

I believe non-Jews can travel only with an approved sponsor or on an approved tour, you can't just travel around Saudi Arabia....That part of your post isn't exactly accurate. I was in the kindom 1980-1981. You could travel freely, unaccompanied, although it may not be considered the wisest course of action,

I could be mistaken, though I was actually referring to entering the country, not travel once one had a visa. Didn't you need a sponsor/employer?

[kingattax]

..He's dead, Jim

[bonfire]

Damn funny is what it would be.

[BayouCoyote]

Especially, if the more radical son takes over the throne.

[Christopher Lincoln]

Not necessarily the largest army, but the most effective. Every square foot of Saudi Arabia was acquired by conquest.

The point about Muhammad is that according to tradition the caliph must be of the Quraish (?) tribe, that of Muhammad (of course the Ottoman sultans, who claimed the caliphate for centuries, were egregiously not of the Quraish). Apparently the House of Saud does not meet this requirement.

[Christopher Lincoln]

Bin Laden, who had earlier been stripped of his Saudi citizenship by Fahd's government, was incensed Saudi leaders opted to put their protection in the hands of "infidel" Western troops, spurning his offer to use the mujahedeen who had fought in Afghanistan to liberate Kuwait.

Excuse me, but this is nonsense. The mujahedeen wouldn't have had a chance against Saddam's army (assuming, as I do not, that they really intended to fight against Saddam), and Bin Laden must have known it.

[taxed2death]

"I summon my blue-eyed slaves anytime it pleases me. I command the Americans to send me their bravest soldiers to die for me. Anytime I clap my hands a stupid genie called the American ambassador appears to do my bidding. When the Americans die in my service their bodies are frozen in metal boxes by the US Embassy and American airplanes carry them away, as if they never existed. Truly, America is my favorite slave."
King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz, Jeddeh 1993

[Lunkhead_01]

Soup? Does soup rank higher than virgins and water?

[meema]

Agreed!

[He'sComingBack!]

Pass out the candy!!

[jamese777]

It pisses me off that Fox News (and others) have been showing President Bush holding hands with new King Abdullah the last time he visited the ranch in Crawford. The holding hands makes Bush look like Abdullah's boyfriend or something.
Its a very unstatesmanlike portrayal and I've seen it over and over all day.

[sheik yerbouty]

If the virgins all look like Helen Thomas and a camel donates its "water"!