Saudis: No Jews Welcome

[jackstraw45]

Lovely....
_____________________

http://cbs2.com/topstories/topstories_story_057202251.html

WASHINGTON (AP) Rep. Anthony Weiner, a frequent critic of United States policy toward Saudi Arabia, said Thursday that the Middle East country's new visa policy outlined on a tourist Web site should be quickly condemned by American officials.

The Web site, promoting a new Saudi program to offer tourist visas to encourage more foreign visitors, lists four groups not entitled to tourist visas, including "Jewish People."

______

From BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3493448.stm

Move condemned

A page on the Supreme Commission for Tourism website originally said visas would not be issued to Israeli passport holders or those with a passport containing an Israeli stamp; "those who don't abide by the Saudi traditions concerning appearance and behaviours"; "those under the influence of alcohol"; or "Jewish people".

The page was later amended, removing details of the restrictions."

[jackstraw45]

1. Bush family friends too...

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. and of course the Jewish response is. . .

"No shit Sherlock."

I can just picture the Saudi tourist brochure. "Ever want to explore a vast country full of fucking sand? Not quite satisfied with the division of rich and poor in your native land? Come to lovely Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Shari'a law."

[MissB]

13. LOLOL

I'm not sure if it was the fucking sand comment or the division of rich and poor, but your post was funny.

[mobuto]

34. Well, on the upside

women can't drive in Saudi Arabia.

Now I'll have to stop this misogynistic rant before I really start it.

[eissa]

3. Gee,

where will all those Jewish tourists go now?

[jackstraw45]

4. How would you feel...

if people of YOUR religion were barred from the country we send BILLIONS of dollars to every year?

No CHRISTIANS allowed. No WOMEN allowed. No African Americans ALLOWED.

You wouldn't be making flippant remarks then, I guarantee.

Some people at DU make me sick with their hypocrisy sometimes.

[eissa]

5. Who is this directed at?

I hope not me; I was agreeing with your original post.

[jackstraw45]

7. It wasn't a direct reponse to your post

I replied to the original message to avoid aingling anyone out.

But the apathy, considering how many billions of our dollars go to Saudi Arabia every day, is just astonishing.

It's not news that Saudis dislike Jews but to bar them from getting tourist visas...well, that crosses a line.

I guess I'm just pointing out the elephant in the room that people here are uncomfortable to address.

At DU, we get phone, email, and fax blasts on Capital Hill if Howard Dean's scream is overplayed....but blatant discrimination by Bush's best friends gets uncomfortable silence.

In light of yesterdays anti-semitism debate fest, here's a chance for people to put their money where their mouths are.

[Intelsucks]

8. Excellent post!

n/t

[jmowreader]

14. Jack, it's worse than you think

During the first Gulf War, there was an article in Stars and Stripes where they interviewed a few American soldiers who were Jewish. Said one, "it's a little strange that I'm here defending a country that would execute me if I came here for any other reason."

Yup. Being Jewish in Saudi is a Capital Crime. They will chop your head off with a sword if you enter their country. Oh, all right, if you're a woman you can choose to be shot between the eyes. But that's only because they're trying to preserve your modesty.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/saudi/story/0,11599,971699,00.html

I'd cut the sonsabitches off from foreign aid, pull our military bases, embargo their oil and put Saddam back in power if I was in charge.

[KamaAina]

18. We actually had to airlift those soldiers to services

because Jewish services are forbidden in the country that we were defending!!! :grr:

What was that about "spreading American values around the region", again?

[jackstraw45]

21. Sounds like Nazi Germany....

Imagine Bush driving Hitler around in a golf cart....

We NEED alternative energy in this country!!!

[cprise]

55. Another reason why I hate oil companies

I detest them so much, I bought a new Volkswagen that runs on biodiesel.

It's $2.20/gal but at 50mpg it's so worth it!

[jmowreader]

57. Are you running B20 or B100 biodiesel?

B20 biodiesel is 20-percent biodiesel and 80-percent petroleum diesel.

B100 biodiesel is pure biodiesel. Works good as a floor cleaner, too.

[eissa]

15. I understand your frustration, but

I think you summed it up well here: "It's not news that Saudis dislike Jews but to bar them from getting tourist visas...well, that crosses a line."

I'm not sure if it "crosses a line" to bar people from entering a place they wouldn't go to in the first place. Hell, I'm not barred from Saudi, but I would never consider placing my heathen toe in there, and wouldn't give a damn if I wasn't allowed to either.

[jackstraw45]

20. Unless you don't drive...

You pay money to them everytime you fill up at most gas stations...whether you set a toe there or not.

And what if we said the same thing about the south and segregation? not going someplace isn't a substitution for outrage and organized action.

I'm not saying it's easy but the US-Saudi connection is based on much more than tourism.

[Malva Zebrina]

48. aren't we all barred from travelling to Cuba?

Cuba never threatened me. Why does a country bar it's citizens from going to another country?

[prodigal_green]

53. I don't think you'll find too many friends of Saudi Arabia on DU

I don't want to speak for everybody, but I'd say most DU-ers are pretty incensed that the Saudi Kingdom, one of the richest places on the planet, propagator of anti-Western Wahabi-ism, native land to the most of the 9/11 terrorists and generally screwed up place receives even a penny of our tax dollars.

The House of Saud and the House of Bush are bestest buddies.

[Muddleoftheroad]

6. We should cut ties 100%

Screw Saudi Arabia. Racist bastards.

[Forkboy]

24. We rarely agree Muddle

but I sure as hell agree with you on this!

[Muddleoftheroad]

28. Thanks

I don't expect to agree with anyone 100%, except maybe on this. Cut 'em off. We know they're our enemies. Let's admit it.

[_Jumper_]

29. They are OUR enemies

But not the BFEE's enemy. :scared:

[Forkboy]

30. they certainly are

I would consideer them a larger threat than Iraq was,that's for sure.Unfortunately the Bushees love 'em :puke:

[Muddleoftheroad]

31. Iran is also a threat if they get nukes

But Saudi is definitely a problem. I wonder how quickly we could collapse their government if we tried.

[_Jumper_]

33. The Saudis are the #1 threat IMO

They are the ones spreading radical Islamism all over the globe.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

41. Iran is Sweden, compared to Saudi Arabia.

All those reformists, who seem to more or less be allowed to exist... what would happen if they tried to express themselves in SA the way they do in Iran?

[Kamika]

51. what did Iran ever do to anyone really?

curious

[carpetbagger]

58. They seized our embassy and held the employees hostage.

That's a big no-no in the affairs of civilized places, no matter what your thoughts are of that nation.

Oh, yeah, they also funded the group that blew up our marine base in Beirut, you know, the place where we went in under a UN mandate to protect the local population, including the Muslims.

Oh, yeah, they pulled the strings in the taking of hostages in Beirut in the 1980's. Not just our government's folks, but priests and professors and the like.

Then they let the people go free who hijacked the Kuwaiti airliner and killed some of our Agency for International Development workers, without even taking them to trial.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

61. Just off the top of my head Iran:

• Seized the US Embassy in Iran and held US diplomats and staff hostage for almost two years
• Masterminded the abduction of numerous American citizens in Lebanon and sponsored and endorsed the terrorist group that held them
• Authorized the kidnapping and torture of US CIA Lebanon Station Chief William Buckley –abducted in Lebanon, taken to Tehran to be tortured and subsequently returned to Lebanon where he died in captivity
• Sponsored and financed the groups responsible for plane hijackings such as TWA in the 1980s. It was widely believed that the aforementioned William Buckley revealed under horrific torture in Tehran how US counter terrorism squads reacted to hijackings and the Iranian authorities subsequently supplied this information to Islamic fundamentalist terrorists

[beanball]

26. Travel

are Saudis allowed to travel to Israel?

[jackstraw45]

32. Yes

As far as I know, yes.

[PsychoDad]

56. Some americans aren't allowed in Israel.

A personal friend of mine, a US Marine ex-gulf war vet, was refused entry into israel with a deligation from Bloomington to promote human rights. He was detained for 24 hours before being allowed to contact the US embassy.

His infraction?

He is an American Muslim

The story is here:

Member of Indiana peace delegation detained, deported from Israel

BLOOMINGTON

By The Associated Press

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2003/08/14/news/region_and_state/30f44a88a5415f3686256d8200095c69.txt

[_Jumper_]

27. I agree completely

If I have to pay a little more for gas, so be it.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

40. This just in: Snowstorm Ravages Hell

I agree with Muddle! Oh the horror the horror! :evilgrin:

[Kamika]

44. well they have oil and sucks up to the Us

nevermind they are a dictatorship and stuff.. :P

[Kamika]

9. haha and we're stil best friends with the saudis!!!

You gotta love our foreign policy..


No hypocritism at all here

[jackstraw45]

10. The Bush family

loves doing business with countries that discriminate against Jews...

[Malva Zebrina]

50. they love doing business with anyone that would put more money

in their pocket. When will people understand that the bottom line hwere is NOT loyalty to one ideology or the other, or one religion or the other. It is in which country or nation will give us back our profit.

There is no differential--the line becomes blurred. The idiology and the tribal loyalties are for the llittle guy. Cannot you understand that?

You will survive the best, monetarily, by adopting this American principle; sell to whoever will buy at the best price and use whoever will work at the least price. Embrace it like a religion-for your own survival.

[packerssuck]

11. Who are the other three who aren't invited to Saudi Arabia?

I know Bush and Chaney aren't one of the uninvited.

[jackstraw45]

12. The others...

"those who don't abide by the Saudi traditions concerning appearance and behaviours"; "those under the influence of alcohol" and Israelis.

[billyskank]

25. I wonder

how they can tell that you're under the influence of alcohol when you apply for a visa? Or, for that matter, whether you abide by Saudi traditions concerning appearance and behaviours?

And another thing.....does that mean that Israeli arabs (who are moslems, of course) are not welcome either? How are they supposed to go on the pilgramage (Hajj) that every moslem is supposed to make during his or her life?

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

16. the Bushes are an old Nazi-sympathizing family

why wouldn't they be allies with Saudi Arabia?

[Mick Knox]

17. Saudi Gov has been getting a free pass far to long...

Its gettting old.... I guess if you have oil you can flaunt basic human rights and overt racism without recourse.

[Hammie]

19. Dogs bark.

It is their country, who are we to tell them who to let in and who to keep out.

[KamaAina]

22. When they do, cats arch their backs and hiss.

Fine. It is indeed their country; let them defend it themselves, without weapons -- especially fighter planes -- that are made in our country, which stands (or used to, anyway, before Bush*) for democratic values including human rights. And let them sell their damn oil to other bigoted countries like, um, er... the hell with it, let them use it as a subsitute for Hershey's choclate syrup!

[jackstraw45]

23. They can do what THEY want...

It's about the United States and SUPPORT of this racist country.

I don't expect them to change...I expect US to change in our apathy for gas (which is not so cheap).

The Bu$h family and Saudis are close...and you make them both richer and richer every time you fill up your tank.

[mobuto]

35. Well its our country

And we can and should tell the Saudis to stay the hell away until they're willing to change their policies.

[Hammie]

38. Wouldn't we be no better then? <eom>

[mobuto]

39. No we would be

because we'd be sending the message that we will not tolerate racism. If Saudis want to come to this country, they need to make sure that their own country lets in people without regard to race, religion or ethnicity.

[Muddleoftheroad]

49. No, it would be done in RESPONSE to their bigotry

I would also cut off all trade and diplomatic relations.

[fujiyama]

60. I agree completely...

The very FIRST thing we should have done after 9/11 was to completely freeze the assets of wealthy Saudis, many of whom are connected with this criminal administration.

I realized that we weren't really fighting a "war on terror" when Bush cowered to Saudi demands that no women should be allowed to be ATCs when he was with Bush. Actually, I'd say we lost the war on terror, right from the begining, when Bush invited them to his ranch and claimed they are our allies.

[MAlibdem]

36. I wrote an article in my highschool's newspaper

Just before the Iraq War questioning whether we were invading the right country.

SA is more of a threat, imo

[jackstraw45]

37. Gulf War

Our soldiers died to protect Saudi oil fields from Iraq.

Just remember that folks.

Energy is a topic I'd like to see the Presidential canidates discuss more.

Possibilities for alternative energies, Cheney and his crooked "task force", etc.

I guess the Saudi oil question is just too much of a hot potato for most.

[mac2]

42. Yes..what's good for the goose is good for the gander....

agree? The whole ME area won't have tourism. Stop the cycle of violence. I'm not going to take sides no matter how many posts you all make about this ME hate.

[Kamika]

43. I don't know

I don't even think Saudi Arabia let tourists enter..


Imo the best tourist countries in ME are Lebanon and Israel altough Israel can be abit dangerous.


Dunno about the other countries to be honest.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

45. Glaring omission

What's made of four triangles and a square?

[mac2]

46. A bit?

Everyone is searched and required to get permission to go to Israel,etc. It's not peaceful or free of movement for foreigners.

[bleedingheart]

47. Can't say I am shocked but

I really hate the fact that the US considers Saudi Arabia an ally.

ick they make me sick with their religious backed hatred.

[ChiefJoseph]

52. Ah, the Saudis. Our partners in peace.

For Pete's sake, if Bush really felt like he had to invade somewhere, it would have been a lot better to invade Saudi Arabia than Iraq.

[megatherium]

59. give it some time,

we'll invade Saudi Arabia. So Robert Baer said in his book Sleeping with the Devil. Saudi Arabia is "circling the drain" and when it collapses, we'll have to intervene. So they'll tell us.

[tom_paine]

54. That's messed up