Thx for the refresher on the law, irishotter. I used to be the fastest reciter of it.

they went along with the active ops against Libyan and Egypt, which was the notions certain policy makers entertained, which turned out to be counterproductive, the Emirati princes as well as the Sauds, have staked out what passes for moderation, but we discovered after October 7th, that was a flexible pose, Prince Salman to be regarded carefully, because his audience is not very amenable at home,
he comes from an often disfavored tribe, the Ajaman in the Arabian pecking order,

there were other signs the support of the Union of Moslem Scholars, and their chief Quradawi, which urged attacks on coalition forces,

I’ve been noticing this since steve emerson, wrote about this more than 40 years ago, one might say Robert Kaplan wrote the afterward on the matter, in the Arabists, before 9-11, he showed the capture of American political educational and other figures,

for this reason the juhayman rising and the consequences there of, that arose from the windfall of the Yom Kippur war, and the wealth that corrupted many of the royals and middlemen with the West,

The Iranian Revolution started a HUGE domino effect, the repercussions of which are still being felt in ways people don’t realize.

The Islamic Revolution took over Iran in February 1979. By there end of the year, in December, Islamacists seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Though the Saudi government executed them, the government essentially capitulated to their demands. Because…

The Saudi royalty was nervous about Iran’s mullahocracy and its claims to be the Guardians of Islam. They thought the best way to fight it was to “out Islam” Iran; prove they were truer to Islam. So….

The Saudis provided more funding (thus further radicalizing) Islamist madrassahs, and sending imams abroad who were products of them. One overseas, these imams spread the word of a much more “conservative,” more Wahabi flavor of Islam.(In the 1970s, there were mosques in the US that had family seating. That’s gone now.)

The other thing they did was… Fund and underwrite university education. The Saudis felt they needed to make sure that academia understood what was “true Islam” (which, according to them, was the Wahabi flavor of Saudi Arabia), and that they were the “true” Guardians of Islam; not just of Mecca. Under the previous Qatari ruler, Qatar just went along with Saudi Arabia on everything. I think now, they’re trying to “out Islam” Saudi Arabia… Who had been trying to “out Islam” Iran. Who they wouldn’t have been trying to “out Islam” if Carter hasn’t screwed up on Iran.

Thanks, fixed.

IrishOtter49 3:47: Yep. Into the 60s as well.

The Scout Oath and Scout Law remain meaningful, notwithstanding what has happened to scouting.

After I aged out of Cub Scouts I elected to forego the BSA, instead becoming very deeply involved in the YMCA — which really and most assuredly was, when I was involved, a Young Men’s Christian Association, and all that the title implies. Although, to be sure, Jews and non-believers were welcome to participate to the fullest in YMCA activities. Non-Christians were not required to participate in specifically Christian activities; by the same token they not expected to make a stink about them. And they didn’t.

It was a good arrangement. There was no friction. Christians respected the Jews, and the Jews respected the Christians. Everyone benefited.