Issue 27

“To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading of certain books [ or internet ] is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves.” — Claude-Adrien Helvetius

WASHINGTON MEDIA COVERAGE!

Ambassador Prince Bandar continues to intimidate the US press by having his Washington retainers pull the Saudi Arabia “special relationship” capacity when there is any imminent media exposure of Saud family criminality. Insight Magazine reports: “Top FBI officials declined to comment on the impending story, even to urge the magazine’s editors to pull it for national-security reasons and/or to provide guidance on any aspect of it ­ such as to note, as has been claimed anonymously, that the probe found no hard facts and thus was moved to an inactive status pending further developments. (Normally, such things are done ­ in fact, they are routine when it comes to big crime cases and particularly on espionage matters with national-security implications.) News organizations respond on a case-by-case basis, but generally they work with government officials to help get facts straight … . Insight and most other media do not allow censorship or government involvement in shaping a story but do consider arguments and counter-arguments prior to publication concerning matters that might be incorporated in investigative reports. Exculpation, so to speak.” A220 The best place to look for US censorship is with countries which have been given the “special relationship/vital interest” capacity by Washington. As one US editor said: “What can we do, those are the rules of media engagement when considering either Israel or Saudi Arabia.” A221 He was commenting on the self censuring necessity which emanates from Washington regarding those entities given the “special relationship/vital interest” status. Introspectively, it should be noted that the Bush family and their associates support the wishes of the Saud family through Ambassador Bandar and not other Arab agendas. This interrelationship is primarily based upon economic benefits to both families. This subordinates all other Arab Embassy officials in Washington to the interests of Israel and the Saud family.

US STATE DEPARTMENT AND INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTIONS

We have reported in the past many United States parents have gathered every June in Washington outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy to demonstrate against Saudi Arabian parental and nonparental abductions of their children. We have advised these parents in prior years to broaden their demonstrations to encompass those in Washington influenced by Ambassador Bandar’s lobbyists. These parents have concurred and recently enlarged their demonstration. Insight Magazine reports: “Angered by cases classified as resolved when the children still are being held abroad in the hands of their kidnappers, parents gathered outside the White House in June to protest the State Department’s failure to bring their children home. … But State claims wiggle room which Congress in fact eliminated when passing the 1999 State Department Authorization Act. Disregarding the clear intent of the law, critics say, State considers cases resolved as soon as foreign governments close them or when legal maneuvers abroad are exhausted – regardless of whether court orders have been enforced. The State Department then maintains there is nothing more it can do. But parents say State can do more by putting economic pressure on offending countries or listing them as abusers in State’s annual human-rights report. Not only has the State Department refused to do either, but it also resists filing federal warrants against estranged spouses who abduct their children to foreign countries. Parents of the forgotten children charge that Congress has tolerated these violations of the law for three years without holding the State Department accountable for failure to give the required details in its compliance report. But this year, no public outcry has been heard from Congress as in past years, when Lampson and Gilman called the reports “inaccurate” and “disappointing.” … While the new staffs played catch-up on this tragic issue, the State Department moved quickly and quietly to publish the obfuscatory report on its Website. And, so far, the 2001 Authorization Act on the Senate side does not include the reporting requirement. The House bill does at least direct State to provide the numbers for two more years.  Perhaps more disturbing is the State Department’s response to a questionnaire delivered to the Hague Conference in the Netherlands that has yet to be made public. State blocked American parents from attending the conference, which is held every four years, claiming it didn’t want to focus on specific cases, according to State Department letters obtained by Insight. But parents think this has more to do with Foggy Bottom being unwilling to get down to cases that would embarrass habitual offenders … In fact, State’s response to the Hague questionnaire, obtained by Insight, indicates the department does not want to publicize child-abduction statistics. Asked if it would support making statistics accessible, State responded that it favored developing well-defined guidelines for tracking cases that focus on actual returns or access. But it does not ‘support posting statistics on the Hague Conference Website or in some other publicly accessible manner.’ … DeWine [Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio] tells Insight: ‘The international abduction of children is a foreign-policy imperative. We must not allow … any Hague Convention signatory nation, to ignore their convention obligations and blindly turn against the parents who have suffered indescribable heartache at the loss of their children.’  Parents don’t expect answers from the State Department but wonder why Congress, having been stiffed, does not demand accountability on every single case. ” A222

STATE DEPARTMENT IS FORCED TO ACT AGAINST ISRAEL, SAUDI ARABIA AND OTHERS ON SEX SLAVERY

BBC News reports: “Human trafficking has reached staggering proportions, affecting more than 700,000 people a year, a US State Department report says. US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented the first annual report, Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, at a press conference on Thursday. … Most of the victims of trafficking are women and children, the report says. … Mr Powell said a special task force would be set up in the United States ‘to safeguard the vulnerable, to punish the traffickers, to care for their victims and to prevent future trafficking.’ … US Secretary of State Colin Powell called the practice an ‘abomination against humanity’ and said Washington would work to put an end to it. The report lists the root causes for trafficking as ‘greed, moral turpitude, economics, political instability and transition and social factors’. Many countries are working to end the problem, the report says, but it lists 23 that are failing to do so. Among them … are close American allies, including … Israel, Saudi Arabia… . Israel, the report says, is a destination point mainly for women trafficked from former Soviet states, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa and Asia. But the report notes that the Israeli Government has ‘begun to take some steps’ to combat the problem. The report says that in Saudi Arabia, some expatriate workers were ‘forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation’. … Under legislation passed by the US Congress last year, countries have until 2003 to show that they are serious about ending the practice, otherwise Washington may impose sanctions against them.” A223 We do not know if the Saudi princes have an interrelationship with the Israelis in either the sex slavery or body parts businesses where both are heavily involved. We have reported a relationship in importing the illegal extasy drug into Saudi Arabia in order to further numb the unemployed youth under the Saud family control. We do not give much credence into the State Department effort of enforcing the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. The State Department under the “special relationship” rubric has historically ignored human rights infractions committed by either the Saud family or the Israelis.

SAUD FAMILY PAY LIP-SERVICE TO THE PALESTINIANS

We often forget that politicos use the media when it is to their advantage. Knowing this, the Saud family has bought up a substantial part of the Arab Middle East media to insure good press. Crown Prince Abdullah has successfully promoted himself with the use of this captive media. The New York Times reports: “The former president telephoned the crown prince, who has complained that the current Bush administration is too close to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel … The point of the call was to vouch for his son and to assuage concerns of the crown prince, … Abdullah has been unusually blunt in his criticism of the new administration’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” A224 Why was a personal call from former President George Bush to Crown Prince Abdullah vetted to the international media? Who is responsible if the conversation was taped surreptitiously? Whose agenda would be most benefited by the international airing of the conversation? Abdullah, in continuing the media charade of attempting to play a no nonsense international policy wonk, canceled his proposed trip to meet the current President Bush in Washington. It seems the Saud family fear the Palestinians for their acumen as well as resoluteness and thus pay lip- service to their cause when expedient. The Palestinians must become irritated when they rightly perceive themselves as a pawn in an international Saud family self interest game. They live marginally in Gaza and West Bank and do the dying while the Saud family as self appointed protectors of the two holy places squander billions stolen from Arabian Gulf oil reserves they control on frivolous decadence.


Emails to the Editor

UN OFFICIAL SPEAKS

Your internet newsletter plays a small but significant role, mainly in human rights, in formulating United Nations policy decisions. We congratulate your organization in attempting to vet the truth in a sector of the Middle East. We realise the UN has been compromised in the past by Washington and it’s “special relationships” with disruptive world forces. The Saud family have paid Washington retainers corruptively while Israel has relied on their vociferous US minority, all to successfully obtain Washington’s cherished “special relationship” title. We at the UN consider Washington’s “special relationships” as detrimental to world welfare and are attempting to make amends for past mistakes.
Keep up your labour of truth vetting.

US MILITARY PERSONNEL IN SAUDI ARABIA

Sir:
As a United States military officer I am currently assigned to Saudi Arabia. We all enjoy your news letter through the military link and become concerned about our welfare as cannon fodder for the Saudi Royal family through their Washington retainers. In the military we are taught to:

  • Formulate tactics to carry out a strategy.
  • The strategy is used to achieve operational goals.
  • Goals implement a policy.
  • A policy can either be for vital or peripheral interests.

This does not add up correctly when defending the Saudi Arabian Royal family, and we know that is the reason we are here. All we over here see is self interest goals of Washington Saudi Royal family lobbyists. Over here we all know the Bush family has been on the Saudi Royal family payroll for many years and only care about their welfare at the expense of other Arabs. We did not know, as you reported, that Clinton received his Saudi Royal take through an undeclared Royal family foreign agent in Little Rock. We talk frequently with the Saudi locals which you say the Royal family call commoners. These people hate the Royals and know they have been stealing them blind since ibn Saud. The citizens would like nothing more than to annihilate them. The locals wonder, with good reason, why we are defending the tyranny of the Royals. All we can say is that Washington ordered us to do it and we must do our job. We would like nothing better than help the locals achieve the democracy they want. Our moral is low because we know our mission is corrupt.

Keep up the good work and keep on telling the truth.

US GIRL DEFENDS SEXUAL PRACTICES OF SAUD FAMILY PRINCES

Dear Editor,

I have perused through your articles for the last three hours of my day, and I am a very busy person. I stumbled upon your site today and was amazed and disgusted to read what you have written.

Many of the subjects you write about are dear friends of mine. I am an American 20 year old woman. I have been to Saudi before and traveled with many princes. To some I am a friend and confidant, to others a girlfriend. I have never seen or heard of such mistreatment of females in all my years of knowing them. Perhaps you should have a deep talk with the girls (models) you speak to. I am positive that you would find that indeed they were treated well. However, what is in a girls mind will make her change like the wind. No, these men would never and will never marry a non-Saudi woman. That is protocol. So you are there as a girlfriend. Deal with it, if you don’t like it leave. And what in the hell do they expect they’re going to do with these powerful men?? Have coffee? A chat? These are wealthy men who prefer the companionship of men (steeped in culture and history) so to be with a woman generally has only one purpose.

And the “sicko” you speak of, well, there is always a cuckoo bird in every family so it would not surprise me to find one in the VERY LARGE Al Saud family.
I feel that these people are being unjustly attacked. Perhaps it is because we are jealous of them. But this is the life. They had the luck, and we didn’t. I am sure if you put yourself in their shoes the vision you see would be quite different. Let them enjoy their money, houses, women etc. You would too and you say no because you don’t have the luxury of knowing. Money leads to corruption, it is inevitable. But that does not make an evil person. That makes a human, and God knows we sin, and if we repent he forgives us.

And in reference to the torturing the Al Saud’s inflict on Americans, well, this is politics. I am sure we Americans have tortured one too many people as well. Life is not easy, it is not rosy. Governments and politics run the people, not the other way around. We are merely puppets who can only hope that our voices make a difference. Ultimately, we are at the disposal of those in power. To run a country is not easy, you must appease a nation, other nations, make money for your nation, all the while trying to maintain peace. That is a tall order and I think that the Kingdom is not doing such a bad job at it considering that they are really only 100 years old.

I hope you look at this through another perspective.

CHAOS—-@AOL.COM

EMAIL FROM STAVANGER, NORWAY

I am writing to you after having read all of your most interesting and inspiring issues concerning the Saudi royal family.

As a concerned citizen of this world I principally agree with your arguments about the abusive Saudi royals and their cronies in Washington. It is indeed amazing that since the creation of Saudi Arabia the Saud family has not improved on their inadequate interpretation of Islam and Sharia law. Still, the greatest tragedy is that the democratic and liberal America continues to support this undemocratic and brutal regime.

As producers and exporters of oil the Norwegian government has also close political and commercial links with the Saudi regime. I have been trying to acquire more information from the Norwegians about their governments unethical relationship with the Saudis but I must admit that their arguments are very much the same as the American administration.

Anyway, could you please tell me if I can become a member or your organization or make any other useful contributions?

SAUDI ARABIAN SPEAKS

Have you heard about our Ambassador’s “Bander Bin Sultan” trip to Morocco recently. You should write something about his behavior in this incident which was a shameful act on the Prince’s part. Thought to get your attention to it, please see attachment.


Dear Readers:

It is no great secret that we have reliable insider sources in London, Washington and Saudi Arabia. We are seeing through the emails we receive a pattern of truth coming out of the shadows of secrecy. It is believed two main reasons for the Saud family insularity is that it hides firstly their incompetence and secondly their dependence on London and Washington retainers. They often come out with bravado double speak press releases to make a pseudo policy look real. The Saud family so fear retributions from Middle East forces bent on freeing the two holy places from Saud family tyranny that they have become as insular as possible. Time and time again we are told that behind the gates of their palaces they display degeneracy of unparalleled proportions. They spare no expense on whimsically purchasing anything they desire at the time; be it sex slaves, drugs, child body parts or other material goods, all with the monies obtained through institutionalized theft of Arabian Gulf oil reserves they control.
We commend Secretary Colin Powell on initiating the first State Department “Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act” but we will not hold our breadth that the State Department will do anything but pay lip-service towards those entities with Washington “special relationship” status. The State Department has ignored their human rights violations in the past and has little to keep them from doing so in the future.

Cordially,

Herb Mallard
National Press Club member
Co-Chairman