Please do not remain silent

[TroutBum]

Dear fellow PUPers,

I realize that we are all busy at this time of year.
However, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on how blessed we are to live in this, the greatest country on Earth.  

I don't know how many of you are following the case of the 19 year old girl in Saudi Arabia who was gang-raped for having the temerity to appear in public with a non-related male.  Adding insult to injury, she was sentenced by a religious court to 200 lashes for allowing herself to be in that position.

Please write to your Congressional Representatives to ask them to put pressure on the Saudis to grant this poor young woman a reprieve.  (//www.rallycongress.com is an easy way to email your representatives).

This isn't an issue like Global Warming or the War where people of good conscience can have an honest disagreement.  It transcends politics and speaks directly to that which makes us fundamentally human.

I realize that this is not the most appropriate venue to vent my frustration, and that my post may well be deleted as inappropriate for this forum, but I feel compelled to at least try.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

[AlanTn]

As much as I hate to say it, and I agree it's a horrible situation, but it's their country and I think it's probably non-productive for the US to put pressure on them about their laws anymore than you/we'd feel about another country trying to interfere in OUR countries laws. If nothing else, it's a matter of nationalistic pride and it causes hostility towards the one seeking to dominate the other. Think how you'd feel if say france or even cuba tried to tell us how we SHOULD apply our laws or what our laws should be. We'd say fark off, it's OUR country.  Think how you'd feel if a neighbor simply thought you should raise your kids better or differently in THEIR opinion. You'd probably be offended and say the same......fark off. What they did is not right but life is not fair and it's their country. We can only think ourselves lucky to be born in a country that still adheres to basic human rights. Pressure usually backfires unless enforced with a gun or money. In the case of Saudi Arabia, we need their oil more than they need our meddling. They can get the money from everyone else in the would. I know this isn't probably going to be the popular view but it's true. I think the US has overdrawn the goodwill they had in the world following WW2 into being thought of as a bully and this would be just another case. BTW.......I'm as conservative as they come but I think we overestimate our power to change the world. That being said, this is probably the WAY wrong forum and website to talk about this so feel free to delete the whole thread.

[LimeJeeeep]

she should legally imigrate to our fine country...alantn other countries try to tell us what to do now.the UN wants to impose a tax on us.the kioto treaty comes to mind as well.there is a many other examples of this