isn't saudi arabia one of THE richest nations in the entire universe? why then were we sending them money? granted, it wasn't much BUT damn, they have ENOUGH of their OWN money!!! (i don't mind sharing with countries that REALLY need it mind you). i didn't realize we were until i came across this. we decided NOW they are a nation of hate and intolerance? NOW? what's up with that? how much money have we sent them in the past i wonder? money that COULD have and SHOULD have been used to help rebuild (including lives) after 9/11 and rebuild (including lives) after katrina. these are JUST TWO examples. i am so taken aback WE were planning on sending money to such a rich nation. and another why here. WHY is this news only found in the jeruselm post and no where else? why couldn't i find it in an american paper?
The US House of Representatives decided Friday to cut foreign aid to Saudi Arabia due to its teaching of intolerance and the lack of action by the kingdom in preventing funding of terror groups. The measure still needs to be approved by Senate, which has not yet voted on its version of the foreign aid bill.
The House voted 312 to 97 to leave out of the bill $420 million slated for Saudi Arabia. The money was to be used for classrooms and educational needs...........
War on Terror
Title: Congress eliminates aid to Saudis Source: Jeruselm Post & AP Published: Jun 10, 2006 Author: none given Post Date: 2006-06-10 06:43:56 by Becket Saunders The House of Representatives voted Friday to forbid US aid to Saudi Arabia, a statement of far more symbolic importance than economic.
The 312-97 vote was to eliminate $420,000 from the $21.3 billion Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. The money has financed $20,000 in military training and education and a $400,000 anti-terrorism program.
President George W. Bush considers Saudi Arabia a vital ally in his campaign against terror, which he began after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The Bush administration has praised the Saudis for cracking down on terror operations within their borders but has complained about women's rights and other aspects of Saudi domestic policies.........
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5 comments:
The "aid" that Congress cut wasn't exactly that.
As the second piece you noted says, it was in two pieces. The first, the $20K, was the minimal amount of foreign assistance required that would permit the Saudi government to buy US military equipment on "most favored nation" terms. (Most Favored Nation is a term of art: all but the gravest enemies qualify for it.)
The $420K is, in a sense, aid to the Saudi gov't, but also--very directly--aid to the US. Its purpose is to train Saudis in anti-terrorism techniques so that they can work together with US law enforcement. This would permit interoperable equipment, a standard set of definitions, using the same transcription of names and identification data, etc.
Congress's action was really just a populist bit of business that makes the Representatives look good (or so they think) while actually doing nothing terribly useful for American security.
I think Congress should focus on more important things. 420,000 dollars is nothing compared to the over US budget or as you've stated, the 21 billion.
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Saudi is certainly not that rich compared to other countries. GDP is at 340 billion dollars (Exxon has a bigger market cap), and per capita it's 12.8 thousand. Granted, it's pretty decent, but it's nowhere near the levels of more developed countries. It is, however, growing rapidly at 6-7% annually.
john, i left you a comment on your blog.
wom, i've not stopped by yours yet, but i AM ignorant of the facts that you mention. i know little of saudia arabia EXCEPT terrorists do pass through there a lot AND they treat women like SHITE (and that is being mild). i have promised john i would read up on the country. perhaps i'm wrong and if i am i will admit it. i don't think i am BUT one never knows.
thank you both for stopping by
I surely won't ask for anything other than people spend a little effort to learn what's really going on in a country before they condemn it.
The KSA has a lot of things wrong with it. Most of those ills are also self-inflicted. But they are in process of being changed. The efforts toward reform, I think, should be acknowledged as well as the sins.
I was in Riyadh during the May 2003 bombings. That was a real wake-up call to the Saudis, when they realized that they had a problem that needed fixing, ASAP. Since that time, I believe (as does the FBI, Treasury, CIA) that the Saudis are making a very good faith effort to turn things around.
Nearly 200 police and security officers have been killed or injured in capturing or killing over 100 terrorists inside the country. Saudi media--in both English and Arabic--have consistently and strongly condemned terrorism and extremist Islam.
And while the US remains low on the popularity charts, so is Bin Laden. That was not the case prior to 2003.
The KSA, as any other country, is complicated. One cannot accurately draw a picture of it if your palette is restricted to black & white.
You know maybe we should just nuke all those countries, kill all the citizens, that ends all the terrorist problems forever and we could save the taxpayers $21.3 Billion dollars. Of course, that won't elimainate those barbarians in the Congo. I see Dubai has money to build the tallest building in the world. Pres Bush's brother, of course is benefiting from his biz deals with that country, and at home, the poor get poorer, the middle class is being taxed to death, and the rich corporations are making record profits. What if we kept the money hear, our troops at home, to be prepared to fight the terrorists should they attack us, and let them run their own countries. While they are across the world, right here in the USA, the La Raza's are terrorizing people on the streets, planning their own coupe to take 5 states to form their own nation. Jeeze!
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