1. Chen said:

WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Answer known by all who are willing to see it.)

Deep appreciation to the Senate. Looks to me there are some with their heads screwed on tightly. I wish them luck. It won't be easy.

In the mean time I am curious to see just how far the Senate Judiciary Committee is
ALLOWED TO GO. We should all keep a close eye on this one and if for reasons I suspect it won't be allowed to go too far. In that event we have an obligation to ask why.

On the other hand if the comittee uncovers a wealth of evidence we also need to ask very serious questions of our elected officials past and present.

2. BobW said:

The article's author could have written that Riyadh elected for WTO membership to be effective December instead of November because they have some parties to attend and some shopping trips to London and New York City.

Now, there is something wrong with the picture - and also the article. Besides US imports of $US21 Billion in oil, the US also sells 25-35% of it's bonds to the Arabs to finance the US budget. The exact amount isn't known because Congress made Arab bond purchases proprietary information per request circa 1974.

I remember when an Alexandria, Virginia neighborhood association fought the building of the Islamic Saudi Academy. Money buys honey, US weapons systems and improved real estate. Nearly forgot to mention that money also buys parties and shopping trips to London and New York City.

Didn't expect to read in "Investor's Business Daily" that "Congress, moreover, can't block it...". If Congress wanted to, in tandem with Administration support, it surely could. Congress is a plenary body. Congress WILL NOT because of the need for US domestic political stability. Circa Saudi joining WTO, there is a 4.5% increase in Social Security checks (less about 1 and a half % increase in Medicare premiums increase) and a military retiree cost of living ("COLA") allowance increase. These increase will not be funded by tax increases (as of now) but by bond sales to foreigners.

Saudi is indeed a "religious police state" funding the enemies of Israel and the US.

Hate literature has been around for ages. What's the variables that can be stopped or slowed down ?

Kol tuv,
BobW

3. Charles Martel said:

Yes, the Saudis will be the first and only nation to be given WTO status without the obligation to end their boycott against another WTO member: Israel.

Further, the Saudis have also just been given a pass by the Bush WH on their abysmal human rights record, successfully ducking the stiff penalties for violators mandated by US law.

Finally -- if you can believe this -- the Saudis are eligible to receive financial assistance from the US due to their certified (by GWB) efforts fighting terrorism.

The House of Saud is clearly the Achilles Heel for this Administration -- at once the primary instigator and financier of global jihad and at the same time, guardian of the pipeline without which the global economy would falter (absent a Manhattan-style project to rid the world of the need for ME oil).