Killing Journalism

THE SAUDI ARABIAN journalist lived in the United States, in the Washington area, and worked for the Washington Post, writing articles about Saudi Arabia which were not always complementary, often highly critical of the Saudi government. he walked into the Saudi embassy in Turkey, presumably thinking he would gather material for an article, and vanished, disappeared. The Turkish government says that a hit squad of Saudis, disguised as diplomats, were sent to the embassy by the Saudi government specifically to kill the journalist, which they did. Afterward, a theory has been circulating that they cut up the body into small pieces, and smuggled it out of the building for transport to some unknown destination, or, they ate it before leaving the embassy building. So, its created quite a stir, so to speak. the Saudi government quite predictably denies any involvement. The young Saudi head of state, king, crown prince, sultan, whatever his official title, is a most impressive young man, darkly hidden behind his full black beard and head covering, a darkness ab out him, his eyes glowing and alert, hes demeanor regal, above the fray, his mannerisms indicate that he has been raised from early childhood to become king, and he has taken to the job smoothly, with obviously high intelligence and education. He is to be commended for liberalization of Saudi society, at least to an extent; recently, women gained the right to drive. Clear the roads, right guys? While being interviewed by western journalists about the disappearance of the Washington Post writer, the king, when informed that American due process requires a full accounting for the journalist's whereabouts and fate, and that, rather than murdering a critic of the Saudi Arabian, the man should either have been left alone to his opinions or at least give due process, including arrest, indictment, and a fair trial, was not happy to receive a lecture on American due process, "Saudi Arabian values are not American values", he dismissively replied. We,, maybe not, but...aren't certain values, such as fair play and sanctity of human life, more than American? Are they not universal? Aren't all the highest values concerning human life universal? It makes one appreciate being an American where criticism of the government is not only perfectly acceptable, it is a requirement for good citizenship. president Trump, between a rock and a hard place, doesn't know whether to insist on justice for the missing journalist, or just let it go, to preserve relations and military equipment sales to the Kingdom. Trump, a we Americans well know, is not exactly a great champion of the media, and the journalist profession, so any defense he offers of journalistic freedom and the safety of journalists rings quite hollow. But at least we Americans, who often fail to live up to our own values, can insist that there are human values and moral precepts which transcend national borders. Surely one of these is the right to disagree without being murdered because of it.