Perhaps we should listen to more of what the "real socialists" have to say.... What do you think?

"Growing up in Richmond, B.C., I, like more than a few Canadian children, dreamed of becoming secretary-general of the United Nations. The ideal of engaged global citizenship enraptured me, a political refugee from Idi Amin's Uganda.

"While American officials have publicly been relatively upbeat about their progress in disrupting terrorist financing, the internal State Department cables, obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to several news organizations, offer a more pessimistic account, with blunt assess …

Concern over TSA Regulations:
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¶9. (SBU) Prince Torki noted he had been instructed to raise Saudi Arabia's significant concern about the TSA regulations which had included Saudi Arabia in a limited group of countries for additional airport screening. Prince Torki said that this issue had caused a lot of difficulties and embarrassment for Saudi Arabia, to the degree that Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal will raise this with the Secretary in London on January 27. Prince Torki said that Saudi Arabia was not upset about the regulation itself, as it recognized the U.S. right and obligation to protect its citizens. The issue, rather, was inclusion on the list with the likes of Cuba, which causes Saudi Arabia's friends and enemies to question how strong its bilateral relationship with the United States really is. Prince Torki said it is very hard to explain to the Saudi public why they are included on this list, despite not being the origin of the December 25 flight, while other countries that have had recent terrorist incidents on planes, like the UK, Egypt and Turkey, are not. Prince Torki said that Saudi Arabia had been shocked to be included on the list. He noted that Saudi Arabia had been told these provisions would only be temporary, and said Saudi Arabia would like to know how and when they will be amended, implying that the longer they remained in effect without any public explanation from the USG, the more it was likely to prompt the Saudi Government to re-evaluate areas of cooperation, including counter-terrorism cooperation. A/S Feltman promised to convey the spirit and strength of the message, and invited any specific Saudi suggestions to address the security gap regarding nonmetallic explosives exploited in the December 25 incident.

"• Embassy cables show Arab allies want strike against Tehran • Israel prepared to attack alone to avoid its own 9/11 • Iranian bomb risks 'Middle East proliferation, war or both'"

For the last 10 years sexual orientation has been included in a list of discriminatory grounds for executions – gay rights activists say the vote to remove that listing is "dangerous and disturbing."

A Saudi Arabian court sentenced a man to five years in prison and 500 lashes for having sexual relations with another man, Jeddah-based Okaz reported.

The Arab and Muslim world are, by nature, chronically violent. In addition to tribal and family feuds, religious and political wars are ever-constant, as are slavers, gun-runners, pirates, tyrants, torturers, and garden-variety thieves and gangsters.

Ali Ahmad Asseri has informed U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials that Saudi officials have refused to renew his diplomatic passport and effectively terminated his job after discovering he was gay and was close friends with a Jewish woman, NBC News reported.

As a gay diplomat seeks US asylum, Saudi Arabia seems torn between wanting a civilised image and appeasing traditionalists

I was very disturbed to read this story about this Sri Lanken domestic worker abused by a Saudi couple she worked for. Here is a link to more information about the abuses of foreign domestic workers in the countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, and Kuwait.

The comedy was an episode in Saudi Arabia's most celebrated satirical series, Tash Ma Tash or No Big Deal, a take-off of social prejudices shown annually during the holy month of Ramadan.

The United Arab Emirates outlined plans Sunday to block BlackBerry e-mail, messaging and Web browsing services in a crackdown that could jeopardize efforts to establish the country as an international business hub.

"When women's rights activist Wajiha Al-Huwaidar flew out of Saudi Arabia last week for a holiday in Italy with her family, she was hoping for a brief respite from what she describes as the 'gender apartheid kingdom.' She wasn't so lucky.

A popular Saudi cleric said Saturday it is permissible for Muslim women to reveal their faces in countries where the Islamic veil is banned to avoid harassment, while deploring the effort to outlaw the garment in France.

Those Islamists and their apologists who argue for "religious toleration" are arrogantly dishonest. They ignore the fact that more than 100 mosques already exist in New York City. Meanwhile, there are no churches or synagogues in all of Saudi Arabia.

Alyssa Lappen spotlights intrepid Rachel Ehrenfeld's battle against speech-squelching Saudi billionaire Khalid Bin Mahfouz:

"Head of the Class At the Care Rehabilitation Center, jihadis are put through a 12-step program that includes psychological counseling, art therapy, sports and lessons in Islam.

"Saudi law forbids women to socialize with unrelated men or walk in public without a male guardian, other than her husband, father or brother.

It has not been a good week for Saudi Arabia's morality police, defenders of the kingdom's strict Islamic values and the scourge of young men and women who dare to meet in public out of wedlock.

[Opinion] President Bush seemed at a loss for words this week when he was asked during a press conference if he would use his influence to help a Saudi rape victim who has drawn international attention.