Saudi Time Bomb

The first lecture of the series (which is on the indymedia calendar) was very well attended (come early). The speaker, Lowell Bergman, showed his 20-minute Frontline Documentary, on the excellent HDTV overhead screen. Chilling, is what it was, because it had waaaay lot of Prince Bandar, for 19 years the Saudi Ambassador, and close buddy of the Bush tribe. What a weasel! You may have seen him on TV, smirking, grinning, and winking his realpolitik. The gist was that everybody is a crook, uses the people, and manipulates, so why is the US upset that the Saudis veil their women, have no votes, and abuse their servants.

Bergman's speech was well done, chatty, and full of the sort of inside track that makes UC lectures so much fun, and so informative.

It's hard to avoid a feeling of doom when you realize the vast forces these politicos have at their disposal, and yet they are so afraid of information getting out that they wouldn't let Bergman into Saudi Arabia. Go figure!

Email your friends in Saudi and have them send us some articles.

I'm a lecture junkie, although I missed Big Bill last night, due to a cold. I did catch Reich, Dawkins, and a few others last semester. These lectures will be a regular occasion until 5/13, so pencil them in, and come early (6:30). The hall isn't big enough. Check the website in case they upgrade the hall.