{"id":89989,"date":"2017-11-28T14:44:54","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T18:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=89989"},"modified":"2017-11-28T14:45:44","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T18:45:44","slug":"nyt-columnist-thomas-friedman-shows-himself-to-be-a-saudi-super-shill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=89989","title":{"rendered":"NYT Columnist Thomas Friedman Shows Himself To Be A Saudi Super-Shill"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Groveling In Excrement”: Thomas Friedman Mercilessly Mocked For Bizarre Saudi Puff Piece<\/h1>\n

ZeroHedge.com<\/p>\n

On the same day that New York Times columnist Thomas\u00a0“suck on this”<\/a>\u00a0Friedman penned what reads like\u00a0a fawning hagiography of\u00a0Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed\u00a0bin Salman<\/strong>, and which glowingly presents the soon to be king as a modernizing reformer intent on liberalizing Islam,\u00a0Human Rights Watch<\/a>\u00a0issued a report exposing a new Saudi counterterrorism law\u00a0as little more than a dictator’s tool for crushing dissent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The new law, published on November 1 of this year, replaces a 2014 law which defined specific acts of terror and corresponding sentencing guidelines; however, the November decree is described as incredibly vague and broad in its application while allowing for severe consequences for so much as criticizing the king or crown prince. The kingdom has long\u00a0aggressively rooted out dissent<\/a>,\u00a0arresting and prosecuting individuals for engaging in protest, even if merely on social media.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nAccording the\u00a0Human Rights Watch (HRC) report<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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It includes criminal penalties of\u00a05 to 10 years in prison for portraying the king or crown prince, directly or indirectly, \u201cin a manner that brings religion or justice into disrepute,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0and criminalizes a wide range of peaceful acts that bear no relation to terrorism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The law also brings terror-related cases under the direct administrative oversight of the king. HRW provides examples of the types of vague protest related activities that Saudi Arabia can now deem “terrorism”:<\/p>\n

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The new law, however, does not restrict the definition of terrorism to violent acts. Other conduct it defines as terrorism includes \u201cdisturbing public order,\u201d \u201cshaking the security of the community and the stability of the State,\u201d \u201cexposing its national unity to danger,\u201d and \u201csuspending the basic laws of governance,\u201d all of which are vague and have been used by Saudi authorities to\u00a0punish peaceful dissidents and activists<\/a>. Prominent human rights activists\u00a0Abdullah al-Hamid and Mohammed al-Qahtani<\/a>\u00a0are serving 11-year and 10-year sentences respectively, based on charges that contain similar language. Human rights activist\u00a0Essam Koshak<\/a>\u00a0is currently on trial on similar charges.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though HRW has consistently shown itself to be merely critical of countries and regimes considered enemies of the West (for example rarely criticizing US\/UK allies while focusing on Syria or Russia), the report comes amidst growing public awareness of the long ignored and forgotten\u00a0Saudi-US bombing of Yemeni civilians<\/a>, and consequent humanitarian disaster still unfolding.<\/p>\n

Even less known is that fact that Saudi Arabia recently flattened an entire civilian town<\/strong>,\u00a0Awamiya<\/a>, in the country’s restive Shia-dominated east in a sectarian driven campaign to crush dissent with overwhelming military force. The siege of Awamiya last summer was well documented, with\u00a0Saudi war crimes caught on video<\/a>, yet fawning pro-Saudi journalists in major newsrooms in the West have never so much as raised the issue with the Saudis or their US State Department backers.<\/p>\n

But of course, most astute observers of developments in the\u00a0Saudi kingdom of horrors<\/a>\u00a0hardly need convincing that\u00a0Saudi’s rulers are<\/strong>\u00a0among the most backwards and repressive on earth<\/strong>, which makes Thomas Friedman’s interview and column on MbS all the more absurd and laughable.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/twitter.com\/AASchapiro\/status\/933914024982564866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fnews%2F2017-11-25%2Fgroveling-excrement-thomas-friedman-furiously-mocked-bizarre-saudi-puff-piece<\/p>\n

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http:\/\/twitter.com\/anhistorian\/status\/934080718816399361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fnews%2F2017-11-25%2Fgroveling-excrement-thomas-friedman-furiously-mocked-bizarre-saudi-puff-piece<\/p>\n

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In Dante's Inferno the second pit of the eighth circle of hell is occupied by sycophants, groveling in excrement that represents the insincere flattery of their words. There\u2019s not, we will likely find out, a pit deep enough\u2014nor feces potent enough\u2014suitable for Thomas Friedman. https:\/\/t.co\/5vUpE4UgUK<\/a><\/p>\n

— Adam Johnson (@adamjohnsonCHI) November 25, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n