The Saudi king a "reformer" says the US and offers $28 billion in military hardware to keep reforming.

Saudi woman accused of being witch

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Saudi Arabia today, one of the absolute monarchial dictatorships that is a true friend of US capitalism.  Saudi Arabia might not be the best place for a woman as we all know. If you are accused of adultery, like the theocracy in Iran, you might end up losing  your head.

According to Amnesty International, At least 158 people, including 76 foreign nationals, were executed by the  Saudis  in 2007, and at least 102 people, including almost 40 foreign nationals  in 2008. Amnesty points out that many of these were juveniles when their crimes were committed. The legal system is also completely undemocratic, "Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences." Amnesty says, "Court proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them."

"Prisoners under sentence of death may not be informed of the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception." 

The Saudis have an army of religious police that ensure that people are praying to the right god and as we all know, women can not only be beheaded but can receive multiple lashes in public for going out if they are not accompanied by a male relative.

Gates is there to "mend fences" says the New York times. The public face they present is that the US is upset that the Saudis went in to Bahrain to crush what the NYT called a Shiite rebellion there.  He is also there to discuss the $28 billion arms deal that is necessary to keep the "threat" of Iran at bay.  Mind you, Iran has invaded no one in some 2000 years.  The problem is that Iran wants more independent control of its oil wealth.  The CIA overthrew the democratic secular government of Iran in 1953 and installed the murderous Shah to protects the oil capitalists interests so we might wonder why they are a little suspicious of US intentions in their back yard.

It is interesting to note that the NYT uses the term "Shiite led rebellion" with regard to the uprising in Bahrain.  This is to reinforce fear of Iran in the hearts of Americans.  The rebellion in Bahrain, though predominantly Shia who are the majority on the country and discriminated against by the dictatorship there, was not so much a religious uprising but a political one.  Would the news here say that the protests in Madison Wisconsin were "Baptist or Methodist led" protests? It has also been proven now that the US made a deal with the Saudis about going in to Bahrain.  But not many of us were fooled by such lies anyway, there is no way the Saudis would invade a country without running it by the US, its arms dealer.

So with all this, including banning public protests peaceful or not, a US official traveling with Gates says about the king that he has "fashioned himself as a reformer in the Saudi system,”.  “They’re going to have to find their own path,” he adds implying that US capitalism will  not interfere, excepting $28 billion in arms and planes and other hi-tech weaponry to ensure that the beheaders "find their own path" easily.

The US official tells the Times that  “As we stand up for our principles, while still trying to protect our interests, we’re going to have to take a pragmatic approach.”. The principles he is referring to is free trade, the ability of US capital to exploit the regions' resources uninhibited. The pragmatism means that  supporting any thug and dictator in the interests of the oil industry and US capitalism is permissible; and they have done this.

The interests of Gates and the oil industry whose interests he is really in the region to represent are not our interests.  The roots of anti-American sentiment that finds expression in the desperate acts of individual terrorism are found in this soil, in support for people like the Saudis and the racist Zionist regime in Israel.  To call the King of Saudi Arabia a reformer is like calling Heinrich Himmler a reformer.

Robert Fisk wrote a piece in the Independent some time ago about the thirst for beheading among the Saudi male thugs that run the place.  He had an opportunity to talk to a guy about it once as it is not a subject that they make too public:

"Death by the blade is something all Saudis know of but few wish to discuss. But yesterday, I spoke to a man who had once flown over the Saudi desert with the old King Abdul Aziz. "The king wanted to show me a village," he said. "I didn't know why but when we got overhead, it was just a deserted place with a few stray dogs.

"And then the king said to me: `The people of this village used to rob the caravans to Mecca and I warned them to stop. They didn't listen to me, so I warned them again. Again, they didn't listen. So I sent my guards to the village and they cut off the heads of every man, woman and child. And they waited for villagers to return from far away. And they cut off their heads too. And there was no more robbery. If you are going to rule, you must use your power and be firm."

These are the people that the likes of Gates, Obama US capitalism keeps in power with our tax money and the wealth it has plundered from the underdeveloped world.  Itnature. It will certainly win US many allies among the workers of the world and reduce acts of terrorism against US civilians.