In case you had not noticed, our government is the lackey of the Saudi crime ... er ... royal family. Until recently the office of Chief Thug was occupied by Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz, who shuffled off this mortal coil a few days ago, which generated a world-wide tsunami of lugubriousity. But for the absolute bootlicking nadir, you can go no lower than Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, who has sponsored an essay competition to honor the late capo di tutti capi.
Well, General Dempsey, here's my entry
In 2011 security officials reportedly took human rights activist Mekhlef bin Daham al-Shammary from his prison cell at the Damman General Prison and allegedly poured an antiseptic cleaning liquid down his throat, resulting in his hospitalization.
... the father of Khalid bin Fahad al-Shammary submitted a complaint in October 2012 to the Riyadh administrative court claiming his son died from torture and mistreatment following his arrest in Hail Province in 2006.
n December 14, a judge sentenced Umar al-Sa’id, a member of ACPRA, to 300 lashes and four years in prison for calling for a constitutional monarchy and criticizing the country’s human rights record. Authorities released him on bail on October 3.
On June 10, approximately 50 women in five cities conducted separate “freedom sit-ins” in Buraidah, Riyadh, Mecca, Hail, and al-Jowf. In the largest protest in Buraidah in al-Qassim Province, which involved 32 women, the protesters raised banners with the names and pictures of human rights defenders and male relatives detained on terrorism charges, shouted slogans criticizing the arrests, and called for their trial or release. In response to the protest, security forces arrested the demonstrators and 11 children who were present with them at the site.
Oh, wait, I have to disqualify myself -- I stole all that from the State Department's Human Rights Report on Saudi Arabia. But I can assure you that I feel just as distressed over the death of HRH Abdullah as I was over the demise of
one our own greatest entrepreneurs.
P.S. Please see also the diary of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and Trees.