Saudi Arabia: Gang-rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in jail

[opebo]

...and we were worried about human rights abuses in Iraq.

There were, relatively speaking virtually no human rights abuses in Iraq compared to those implemented daily in American allies in the region.  Saddam Hussein was clearly a force for improvement in the middle eastern context.. again, it is all relative.  The Baath movement was one of the better influences in the region, but of course it had to be crushed for not cowtowing to the empire.  American involvement has always been to support these right-wing/'religious' extremists, who of course abuse women, minorities, poors, etc., just like their counterparts who rule the US.

I find it particularly amusing that jmfcst criticises theocrats in proxy states while he supports the same sort of rule in the imperial center.

[opebo]

The usual crowd of morons trying to make political capital out of this I see. Not nearly as bad as the actual news item here, but it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Not in mine you squeemish Celts.

[opebo]

The usual crowd of morons trying to make political capital out of this I see. Not nearly as bad as the actual news item here, but it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Well, as we all know, the most important thing in the world is clearly to ensure that no matter what happens, one's political opponents are proven wrong by the occurrence.  Just like when Katrina hit, everyone was falling over themselves to show how it was the other guys' fault.  It's not like there were people who needed help or anything.

Why would I care about helping people?

Can either of you refute anyhting opebo said or is this just "high and mighty" hour? Anyone who supported the invasion of Iraq based on human rights abuses should certainly have supported a full scale invasion of the Saudi Empire first.

One can only assume from their failure to do so that they cannot, Erasurehead.