Article

2005-08-01 Arabia

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Posted by True German Ally 2005-08-01 03:15|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Reuters Link

Posted by True German Ally 2005-08-01 03:18|| 2005-08-01 03:18|| Front Page Top

#2 They took him out of the cooler finally. Good. I think I'll have a good German beer then.
Popcorn anyone?

Posted by Sock Puppet 0â Doom 2005-08-01 03:33|| 2005-08-01 03:33|| Front Page Top

#3 I'm afraid of the Balance of power in the Royal Family being shifted to Pro-terrorist factions. More pro-terrorist than usual anyway

Posted by Charles 2005-08-01 03:36|| 2005-08-01 03:36|| Front Page Top

#4 Saudi Soap.

Days of our long knives.

Posted by Red Dog 2005-08-01 03:39|| 2005-08-01 03:39|| Front Page Top

#5 OWNED. (Or, in 133tsp3@k, PWN3D.)

Posted by Edward Yee 2005-08-01 03:58|| http://edwardyee.fanworks.net]">[http://edwardyee.fanworks.net] 2005-08-01 03:58|| Front Page Top

#6 BBC link.

Posted by Edward Yee 2005-08-01 04:01|| http://edwardyee.fanworks.net]">[http://edwardyee.fanworks.net] 2005-08-01 04:01|| Front Page Top

#7 Be sure to leave something insinsitve at the "have your say link" like I did.

Posted by Sock Puppet 0â Doom 2005-08-01 04:29|| 2005-08-01 04:29|| Front Page Top

#8 Drove to the port of Freemantle today and passed at least ten road trains packed with live sheep, and there in the harbour was one of those sheep transporters that carry in excess of a quarter million live sheep. Can't help but think that those in the know were stocking up on halal BBQ supplies.

Posted by phil_b 2005-08-01 06:12|| 2005-08-01 06:12|| Front Page Top

#9 No fat lady?

Posted by gromky">gromky 2005-08-01 06:54|| http://communistposters.com/]">[http://communistposters.com/] 2005-08-01 06:54|| Front Page Top

#10 When someone's completely dead like that, there's only one thing to do . . . go through his pockets for loose change.

Posted by Mike 2005-08-01 07:24|| 2005-08-01 07:24|| Front Page Top

#11 Fat Lady's up...

Posted by Fred 2005-08-01 07:45|| 2005-08-01 07:45|| Front Page Top

#12 Saudi Arabia's King Fahd is now in stable condition.

Posted by Ulinelet Unavimble6494 2005-08-01 07:50|| 2005-08-01 07:50|| Front Page Top

#13 The announcement on television was preceded by recitations from the Quran that interrupted regular broadcasting.

Televised executions suspended for the day then?

Posted by Howard UK 2005-08-01 08:09|| 2005-08-01 08:09|| Front Page Top

#14 No tears here.

Posted by MunkarKat 2005-08-01 08:09|| 2005-08-01 08:09|| Front Page Top

#15 But is he feeling better?

Posted by tu3031 2005-08-01 08:30|| 2005-08-01 08:30|| Front Page Top

#16 Anyone with an analysis of the Abdullah - Sultan team? Business as usual or worse?

Posted by Spot">Spot 2005-08-01 08:34|| 2005-08-01 08:34|| Front Page Top

#17 Where's Nayef and what's he doing?

Posted by Chuck Simmins">Chuck Simmins 2005-08-01 08:50|| http://blog.simmins.org]">[http://blog.simmins.org] 2005-08-01 08:50|| Front Page Top

#18 Why not just call it the NYT Press Release as there is no reporting going on. I didn't check them all, but I notice that no one in the BBC and NYT bothered to ask when he died.

Posted by 2b 2005-08-01 09:40|| 2005-08-01 09:40|| Front Page Top

#19 Why ask what won't be answered? It might endanger their chances at getting some sweet speaking arrangements in the future.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-08-01 10:03|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-08-01 10:03|| Front Page Top

#20 Where's Nayef and what's he doing?

my thoughts exactly

Posted by Liberalhawk 2005-08-01 10:28|| 2005-08-01 10:28|| Front Page Top

#21 May we look forward t0o a coronation thingy with little boys singing in ancient bedouin tents or something?

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2005-08-01 10:30|| 2005-08-01 10:30|| Front Page Top

#22 I think Michael Jackson's agent is working on it.

Posted by 2b 2005-08-01 10:43|| 2005-08-01 10:43|| Front Page Top

#23 So is the reason Bandar headed back was to put the pillow over his face?

Posted by tu3031 2005-08-01 11:05|| 2005-08-01 11:05|| Front Page Top

#24 MJ still vacationing in that area?

Posted by 3dc 2005-08-01 11:06|| 2005-08-01 11:06|| Front Page Top

#25 long az gas prises doent go up thisn aint chanje nuthin.

Posted by muck4doo 2005-08-01 11:10|| http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/]">[http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/] 2005-08-01 11:10|| Front Page Top

#26 Anyone get an invite to the coronation? .com?

Posted by Jake-the-Peg 2005-08-01 11:12|| 2005-08-01 11:12|| Front Page Top

#27 Sung to Pore Jud is Daid from
OKLAHOMA
Rogers & Hammerstein

Poor Fahd is dead
Poor King Fahd is dead
All gather round his coffin now and cry
He had a house of gold
And he was really very old
Oh how long it took for such a feller to die

Poor Fahd is dead
Poor King Fahd is dead
He's lookin' oh so peaceful and serene
He's with the virgins now
They treat him well and HOW!
His bedpans have never been so clean

[spoken]
Then the Imamâd get up and he'd say
"Folks, we are gathered here to mourn and groan over our brother King Fahd
Who lingered hisself for a couple extra years"
And then there'd be weepin' an' wailin' --- from some of those cousins ---
Then he'd say, "Fahd was the most misunderstood man in the desert
People used to think he was a mean ugly fella and called him a dirty hedgehog and an ornery camel stealer
But

[sung]
The folks that really knowed him
Knowed that beneath that old dirty thobe he always wore
There beat a heart as big as all outdoors
King Fahd loved his fellow man

He loved the birds of the oasis
And the beasts of the desert
He loved the sheep and the goats in the barn
And he treated the cows like equals (which was right)
He loved all the little children
He loved everything and everybody in the world, âcept the Jews
Only . . . only he never let on
And nobody ever knowed it

Poor Fahd is dead
Poor King Fahd is dead
His family weeps and wails for miles around
The camels by the shore
Will cry out for ever more
Because poor Fahd is underneath the ground

Poor Fahd is dead
A candle lights his head
He's layin' in a coffin made of gold
And folks are feelin' glad
âCause virgins wonât treat him bad
So now they know their friend has gone for good

Poor Fahd is dead
A candle lights his head
He's lookin' oh so purty and so nice
He looks like he's asleep
It's a shame that he won't keep
But it's always hot and we're usually short a' ice

Poooooor Faaaaaaahd
Poooooor Faaaaaaahd

Posted by Ogeretla 2005 2005-08-01 11:26|| 2005-08-01 11:26|| Front Page Top

#28 Posted by Ogeretla 2005 2005-08-01 11:26|| Front Page|| Comment Top

hmmm. now thatn yoo putter it taht way ima haven shed em teer or 2

Posted by muck4doo 2005-08-01 11:34|| http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/]">[http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/] 2005-08-01 11:34|| Front Page Top

#29 *golf clap* bravo, Ogeretla. A fitting tribute. Now pass the popcorn and have you seen my opera glasses? Act II is about to begin...

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2005-08-01 11:49|| 2005-08-01 11:49|| Front Page Top

#30 How could they tell?

Posted by Dorothy Parker 2005-08-01 11:57|| 2005-08-01 11:57|| Front Page Top

#31 Those are people who died, died...

Posted by Jim Carroll 2005-08-01 12:03|| 2005-08-01 12:03|| Front Page Top

#32 Spot #16, and anyone else:

Here is a link to initial speculation on Rantburg about successors, last April.

Comments section has some good info, and other links to background articles.

Start with #2 from .com (of course !)

Posted by Carl in N.H.">Carl in N.H. 2005-08-01 12:22|| 2005-08-01 12:22|| Front Page Top

#33 Global Security sez:

. ... Abdullah's mother was tribal, his loyalty is towards the tribesman and conservatives. He is known to be unhappy with the over modernization and development of the country, especially with American pressure.

Influenced by his father, founder of the modern Kingdom King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, he developed a profound respect for religion, history and the Arab heritage. His years spent living in the desert with Bedouin tribes taught him their values of honor, simplicity, generosity and bravery. Throughout his life, Prince Abdullah has retained a love of the desert, along with a love of horsemanship. He is a breeder of pure Arabian horses, and founder of the Riyadh-based equestrian club.

In 1962 Prince Abdullah was chosen by King Faisal to command the National Guard, which was formed from descendents of those who were King Abdul Aziz' followers. This is a particularly appropriate appointment given his knowledge of the tribes of Saudi Arabia and his awareness of the heritage of the Arabian peninsula. Furthermore, the National Guard and its Commander are renowned for their efforts to preserve and celebrate the countryâs cultural heritage.

.... Prior to the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the Abdullah faction had a reputation as traditionalists who opposed many of the domestic and foreign polices favored by the Al Sudairi. In particular, the Abdullah faction criticized the kingdom's military dependence on the United States. The Abdullah faction also was a proponent of closer relations with Iran and Syria. During the Persian Gulf War, however, Abd Allah supported the decision to permit stationing of United States troops in the country.

Abdullah was anti-American in the Gulf War, but Fahd demanded United States support, so he had to follow. In addition, Abdullah boycotted Egypt in 1979 after the Camp David Accords, but in 1991 Abdullah supported the Egyptian proposal to end the Arab boycott to Israel if Israel agreed to stop new settlements in the occupied territory. Abdullah tried to advocate against the pro-Western faction within the dynasty. He also push for closer Saudi cooperation with the other Arab states, and tried to mediate the Lebanese crisis, and theSyrian Jordanian dispute in 1980. In addition, Abdullah opposed Fahd's 8 point programme to try to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Early in 1996, the Crown Prince, in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister, presided over cabinet meetings and governed the country while King Fahd was resting.

In February 2002 Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz unveiled an initiative for resolving the crisis on the basis of Israeli withdrawal from all Arab territories it occupied in the 1967 war in return for full normalization of relations between the two sides. This plan was adopted by the summit meeting of the League of Arab States in Beirut in March.

Posted by leader of the pack 2005-08-01 12:34|| 2005-08-01 12:34|| Front Page Top

#34 fahd ded, garang ded...

doent thees theengs ushualy comin threez?

Posted by muck4doo 2005-08-01 12:41|| http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/]">[http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/] 2005-08-01 12:41|| Front Page Top

#35 more from global security:

Previously, Saudi kings had not asserted the right to dismiss a designated crown prince. By proclaiming such a right, Fahd revived persistent rumors originating in the 1970s that he and his half brother Abdullah disagreed on many political issues. To forestall speculation that his intent was to remove Abdullah as crown prince and replace him with his full brother Sultan, Fahd reaffirmed Abdullah's position. However, in declaring that successor kings would be chosen from the most suitable of Abd al Aziz's sons and grandsons, Fahd implied that Abdullah or any future crown prince was not necessarily the presumed heir to the throne. The decision to include the grandsons in the selection process and as potential candidates for the throne symbolized the readiness of Fahd and his surviving brothers to pass substantive decision-making responsibilities to a younger generation of the Al Saud. However, this decision also introduced more uncertainty into the succession process. At least a dozen men of this Al Saud younger generation, including sons of Faisal, Fahd, Abdullah, and Sultan, were actively involved in the Saudi government and presumably had a personal interest in the question of succession.

King Fahd's March 1992 edict on succession initiated a contentious struggle for power. Resolved in the fall of 1996, Saudi Arabia endured three years of internecine conflict between Abdullah, the Heir Apparent and commander-in-chief of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), pitted against Prince Sultan, second deputy prime minister and after Fahd the eldest of the Sudairi Seven. In December 1995 Sultan summoned members of the Ulema to seek their sanction of his claim to the throne and to dismiss Abdullah as Commander in Chief of the National Guard. In the aftermath of the failed coup, Abdullah ordered the National Guardâs well trained Bedouins to engage in highly visible military maneuvers. The prospect of Abdullahâs national guard engaging the better equipped regular Saudi armed forces was intolerable. On 01 January 1996, Fahd ended the crisis by announcing that because of ill health he was temporarily transferring the powers of state to Abdullah. Since 1997, Crown Prince Abdullah has taken on much of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the government.

The United States was said by some to be hostile towards Prince Abdallah. But the US could not avoid his being crowned successor to King Fahd. Instead, the US tried to reinforce the power of the "third generation" princes educated in the United States. These included Prince Muhammad, King Fahd's favorite son and governor of the East region, who was said to be strongly opposed to fundamentalism.

Others frequently mentioned were Prince Salman, a son of Abdelaziz who had been governor of Riyadh since 1962; Prince Saud bin Faisal, a grandson of Abdelaziz and son of the late King Faisal who has been foreign minister since 1975; and his brother, Prince Turki bin Faisal, who was head of the Department of General Intelligence from 1977 through 2001, later becoming abmassador to the United States in July 2005.

Others seen by some as viable candidates in were two other grandsons of Abdelaziz: Prince Khalid bin Faisal, governor of Asir since 1977, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, son of Prince Sultan (Defense Minister and a Sudeiri) and ambassador to the United States since 1983.

Posted by leader of the pack 2005-08-01 12:45|| 2005-08-01 12:45|| Front Page Top

#36 Prince Bandar had a pretty good sense of timing, dontcha think?

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2005-08-01 12:50|| 2005-08-01 12:50|| Front Page Top

#37 I suppose he learned of Fahd's death weeks ago...

Posted by True German Ally 2005-08-01 13:49|| 2005-08-01 13:49|| Front Page Top

#38 Yep. Communal pillow.

Posted by Shipman 2005-08-01 13:49|| 2005-08-01 13:49|| Front Page Top

#39 Thanks for the info on Abdullah & co. Why do I have the feeling that Fahd has been dead a while and the internal power struggle was only just concluded...

Posted by Spot">Spot 2005-08-01 15:16|| 2005-08-01 15:16|| Front Page Top

#40 Did somebody go through his pockets? His idea of spare change would be a couple of million bucks...

Posted by mojo">mojo 2005-08-01 15:41|| 2005-08-01 15:41|| Front Page Top

#41 UPDATE:
King Fahd: still dead.

Posted by Jackal">Jackal 2005-08-01 18:23|| home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html]">[home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2005-08-01 18:23|| Front Page Top

#42 Sock Puppet O'Doom just remember imitation is the highest form of flattery.

I also want to thank you for the wonderful suggestion to say something un PC on the BBC website.

My comments were as follows:

"So we have a new commander for the Wahabi nutjob world domination kook network?
With the infinite supply of clown princes in Saudi Arabia, successors are not in short supply. Too bad they don't have one of those messy succession things like they used to have in Assyria where all of the half brothers and male cousins were hacked to death or fed to wolves when a new king came to power."

Posted by SockPuppetofDoom2 2005-08-01 18:41|| 2005-08-01 18:41|| Front Page Top

#43 UPDATE:
King Fahd: still dead.

Something just occurred to me...

Do they do it like the Pope...

Tap him on the forehead, and say, "Fahd, are you in there?"

Posted by BigEd 2005-08-01 19:11|| 2005-08-01 19:11|| Front Page Top

23:54 Kalle (kafir forever)
23:37 Mike Sylwester
23:13 trailing wife
23:08 Fred
23:07 BigEd
23:01 muck4doo
22:58 muck4doo
22:56 Gun Hippy
22:50 OldSpook
22:50 BigEd
22:47 Jan
22:42 Angie Schultz
22:40 Captain America
22:37 Old Patriot
22:34 Atomic Conspiracy
22:33 Jan
22:28 Unomomp Whomotle2072
22:23 Unomomp Whomotle2072
22:21 Glerong Whomoting9661
22:18 Atomic Conspiracy
22:18 Jan
22:14 Mrs. Davis
22:08 Shipman
22:06 Shipman