Stories below the fold (rant)

StrategyPage article on the Arab world points out the "invisible people" are the ones actually running the place.

Thus 90 percent of employed Saudis work for the government. In the non-government sector of the economy, 90 percent of the jobs are performed by foreigners. These foreigners comprise 27 percent of the Saudi population, mostly to staff all the non-government jobs and actually make the economy work. 

and that doesn't include the maids. A million Pinoys work in the Middle East: Remember that when you read about the "Christian exodus": they are driving out local Christians (many reports of this being done in Iraq, Syria, and Egypt) but the "temporary" migrants are never seen and counted. About a third of these overseas workers are Christians.

Most of the smaller countries allow them to practice their religion as long as they don't cause a nusense, but Saudi makes you throw your bibles and rosaries away on entering the country, and can deport you if you attend church services (usually they don't, but they can).

The bad news is that now the Islamicists in Libya are arresting "christians" for "proselytizing": meaning ordinarly migrant workers are being arrested for having a Bible.

Don't hold your breath about this being publicized. If the US had forcibly intervened after Benghazi, there would have been a "headsup" that Uncle Sam is watching. The coverup however sent a message (similar to the message sent by the Blackhawk Down incident) that no one will stop the bad guys from taking over.

Sigh.

And when Drudge reports Ann Romney blames the press, maybe you should remember how Candy Crowley stopped Romney from bringing up this issue in the debates....

If you read the entire article at StrategyPage, you will note that this discusses the problems of Arab culture: The Iranians are not Arab, and closer to the west in culture. So even without the bomb, the Iranians are probably a better bet than the Saudis for taking over the place.

Which is why the fight in Syria is a proxy fight between the Saudi backed Sunni Arabs and the Shiite/Druze/Christians. The Russians are backing Iran, because of ties with the Orthodox Christians in Syria, whose rights were protected under Assad, but will disappear in a Saudi inspired Muslim state.

The Turks are in the middle.

If Obama encouraged fracking, the US could tell the Saudis to go to hell, but he would lose the adoration and money from the greens.

But none of this has anything to do with us in the Philippines, except that our workers are coming home from Syria, meaning things are getting pretty bad there...