All the elected representatives from my State of Washington vigorously defend Boeing Corporation whenever so-called "defense" contracts are up for consideration. They always "sell" this support to the public via corporate owned media by saying that they are supporting jobs and the economy.
This argument always seems to work because it has a small element of truth to it, and corporate media endlessly repeats the argument without allowing any kind of criticism or alternative points of view. Of course, the argument is such a shallow one.
It would only have merit if it could be argued that if corporations weren't allowed to make weapons (usually of mass destruction), they could not make anything else. No, they couldn't build high speed rail systems, build bridges, other mass transit systems, develop alternative energy systems, etc.
Of course, they could; but next quarter's financial statements will be greatly enhanced if they sell highly profitable weapon systems while maintaining the Empire's access to cheap raw materials, cheap labor, and markets so that the ruling classes can become even richer and more powerful.
Also, although little publicized, Saudi Arabia has a terrible human rights record. But that doesn't bother our ruling class. Whereas it does bother them in states they don't like such as North Korea, China, Venezuela, etc.
Torture and ill-treatment persist, as do incommunicado detention, prolonged detention without charge, and unfair trials. There are scores of political prisoners and possible prisoners of conscience. Saudi Arabia continues to use flogging and amputations as punishments. Executions, beheadings with a sword, occur regularly and are disproportionately carried out against foreign nationals. Foreign workers are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, particularly female domestic workers, who have virtually no protection at all.
Nowhere has the discussion of political reform been more animated than on the issue of women’s rights, though there has been little real progress. Municipal elections were held in early 2005 for half the seats in the Kingdom’s municipalities, but women were excluded for participation, and proposals to allow women to drive have been shelved. Awareness of the problem of violence against women has increased as a result of the severe beating of well-known TV personality Rania al-Baz by her husband, but there have been few changes to prevent or provide redress for such violence. Suspected homosexuals have been subjected to flogging. Though there has been some improvement, freedom of expression remains extremely curtailed, and discrimination on the basis of religion is absolute. Shiites face discrimination in all walks of life, and non-Muslim foreign nationals are subjected to harassment, detention, abuse and summary deportation. Executions have been carried out for witchcraft and apostasy.
Like all their other counterparts in the rest of the US, my Washington State representatives really represent the corporations who fund their campaigns.
