He tripped and fell repeatedly on the bone saw. These things happen.
Saudis confirm Jamal Khashoggi's death; top military official dismissed, 18 Saudis detained in probe
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Or even better, they blame a few lower level political enemies to give a pretext for bumping them off.
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Yes. The opportunity is ripe to throw some political dissidents under the bus, maybe quite literally. Bonus lawful evil points if they can frame and execute another journalist for this murder?
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There are no “Salmans.” “Bin Salman” is a patronymic. All of MbS’s brothers are “bin Salman,” but it’s doubtful they’re part of his agenda at this time. It gets a little confusing because some family names/clan names are based on a patronymic (“Bin Laden” being the most famous example.) But all of the royals, whether they’re aligned with MbS or are currently experienced 5 star hospitality in house arrest somewhere, have the same last name: As-Saud (often also latinized as Al-Saud, though As-Saud or Ess-Saud is phonetically how you’d say it.)
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List du jour:
Putin’s poisonings in England
Kim’s nerve agent in a busy airport in Malaysia
Xi’s abduction of the president of Interpol in China
MbS’s murder of a journalist in Turkey
The last six months: Dictator’s Run Wild! The Trump Years, Vol.1!
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I think Trump may actually try to sell along this obvious fiction, and I actually think it won’t go well for him - right before the election. One of his more outrageous impulses - I’m sure he admires what has happened and would love to be able to do the same to journalists. He’ll force the rest of the GOP to go along with him, or have a messy rupture right before we vote.
The Democrats had better be prepared to pound on this wedge.
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This whole week has given the idea for a great murder mystery. The killing is committed in the first scene, and for the remaining two hours we get to watch the police detective and the only suspect going over possible alibis.
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Actual Official Saudi Arabian excuse:
He had it coming, he had it coming
He only had himself to blame!
If you’d have been there, if you’d have seen it
I betcha you would have done the same!
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I know the Russians are in the Iranian camp, but for Christ’s sake, the Saudis should take a tip from Vlad. Now he knows how to get rid of a pain in the ass journalist without looking like an idiot.
No, the Republican line is: Saudi Arabia does things like this all the time, you naive liberals, so why be upset about this one situation when we’re so entangled with them policy-wise? Basically another version of Trump’s: You think we’re so innocent?.
It’s a nice line, but I feel like the tide is turning, and nobody is polite enough anymore to buy these stupid spins .
I meant father and son, Salman and bin Salman. But that’s not they right way to refer to them, you’re right.
Fat chance. They’re too spineless. I’d be surprised if any even mention it while campaigning.
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I can’t tell if “fist fight” is just tone deaf, or if they really want us to visualize someone trying to make a fist after their fingers have all been removed.
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Good interview here with Saudi dissident Ali al-Ahmed:
Provides a lot more nuance and depth than you’ll find in the mainstream coverage.
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The spelling has been wrong all along…it’s the House of Sawed!
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Thanks for that, I’ve indicated elsewhere on the BBS that Khashoggi was a political operator, not a dissident.
I’ve been stuck in the uncomfortable position of not liking political assassination but simultaneously knowing that Khashoggi was always useful to the regime. It’s hard to express that Khashoggi was hardly an innocent in all of this while at the same time not wanting to justify anything MbS does. Basically, he was a player in the game, and he lost–but he absolutely chose to play. Real dissidents aren’t part of the Game of Thrones dynamic.
Aside: I appreciate the podcast and that the hosts do a good job of caring how things are pronounced. I do hate the interminable preview, but otherwise I might have a new podcast.
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Holy shit!! “No collaboration” my ass. I know this sounds crazy but I thought I could not be shocked by these treasonous assholes anymore. Wrong again…
Helluva fistfight if it wound up dismembering the victim in the process. I’m guessing the attackers must have been spliced up on plasmids or something.
