[Note this is from The Guardian/The Observer, as close to Marxist as you can get.]

Britons left in jail amid fears that Saudi Arabia could fall to al-Qaeda

Martin Bright, Nick Pelham and Paul Harris Sunday July 28, 2002 The Observer

Saudi Arabia is teetering on the brink of collapse, fuelling Foreign Office fears of an extremist takeover of one of the West's key allies in the war on terror. Anti-government demonstrations have swept the desert kingdom in the past months in protest at the pro-American stance of the de facto ruler, Prince Abdullah.

At the same time, Whitehall officials are concerned that Abdullah could face a palace coup from elements within the royal family sympathetic to al-Qaeda.

Saudi sources said the Pentagon had recently sponsored a secret conference to look at options if the royal family fell.

Demonstrations across the kingdom broke out in March, triggered by a fire in a girls' school in which 14 pupils died after the religious police stopped them escaping.

Unrest in the east of the country rapidly escalated into nationwide protests against the royal family that were brutally suppressed by the police. The Observer has obtained secret video footage of the protests smuggled out of the country last week that shows hundreds of Saudis, including women, demonstrating in support of the Palestinians and opposition to the regime.

The Foreign Office believes that the failure of Abdullah's recent Middle East peace plan could have terminally undermined his position.

The Crown Prince's main rival, Prince Sultan, the Defence Minister, has been vocal in his opposition to Abdullah's pro-Western policy. His brother Prince Naif, head of the Interior Ministry, has led a crackdown on the Saudi media in the wake of the demonstrations to stop any word of them leaking out.

Abdullah has even sent his own representative to Washington to counter the influence of the ambassador, Prince Bandar, a son of Prince Sultan.

Anti-Abdullah elements within the Saudi government are also thought to have colluded in a wave of bomb attacks on Western targets by Islamic terrorists.

The authorities have blamed the attacks on an alleged 'turf war' between Westerners involved in the bootleg alcohol trade and have jailed five Britons, a Canadian and a Belgian for the bombings. But British intelligence sources have confirmed that the attacks were carried out by Islamists linked to al-Qaeda.

Earlier this year, the accused men were handed sentences ranging from execution to long prison terms. But lawyers acting for the Britons have told The Observer that they could soon be free.

The tensions between the royal factions will intensify with the death of King Fahd. The condition of the king, in hospital in Switzerland, is 'unstable', doctors said.

British-based Saudi dissident Dr Saad al-Fagih said: 'There is now an undeclared war between the factions in the Saudi royal family.'

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2002

Answers

If there is unrest in Saudi and the supply of oil dries up or is reduced, I hope the Russians and/or other countries will quickly bridge the gap.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2002

I guess I'm going to have to get a vehicle with high gas mileage regardless of whether I like it or not.

Honda Civic Hybrid? Or maybe the other one, which actually looks kinda neat.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2002

Very scary article. I think we need to emphasize conservation, which this Administration so far has refused to do.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2002

Barefoot, my approach when I went to buy (my first) new car last year was to start with the highest gas mileage available, and work my way down the list until I found something I could live with. Fortunately, #1 (the Honda Insight) was livable for me, and I have been very happy with it. At the time I was also nursing along ye old station wagon, but eventually it didn't like only being driven for a few miles once a week. So I gave the station wagon to my neighbor (mechanic), figuring that if I really needed something other than the Insight I could either borrow the wagon, impose on one of the neighbors (in an emergency) or rent something. It just didn't make sense to me any more to have as my regular car something I would rarely ever use. Right-tool-for-the-job kind of thing.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2002

Insight! That's the one I was thinking of.

I agree with the mileage factor idea. Our needs are simple enough.

Two cars. We both drive 30 miles a day for work. Fifteen each way. Our shopping, mainly food, is close by, say max five miles for BJ's each way. The others are much much closer.

The Insight by Honda would be sufficient for one of the cars, but we have a need for a truck for hauling things like yard debris, and the boat when going fishing. The boat goes in the bed of the truck, it isn't large enough to need a trailer and all that expense.

the thing about the Insight that I don't like, and this goes for our current car as well, is the size. When going to work the roads are filled with large vehicles, Ford Expeditions, Excursions, Suburbans, Escalades, and all the full size trucks as well as the midsize SUV's. They are very popular around here. Small cars are at the mercy of these monsters, and I haven't even mentioned all the semi's and dump trucks and delivery trucks, etc.

I'm tired of having these monsters pull out in front of me or cut in front of me as if I wasn't there. I know they see me because I have my headlights on all the time. Not just the daytime driving lights that the new cars have, I mean headlights. [I just put the new blue lightbulbs in the Toyota yesterday because one of the headlights burned out on Saturday. After ten years, I suppose it was to be expected.] I'm not the only one that has to deal with this situation. These large vehicles have no qualms about ignoring small cars. Seems that large vehicle drivers forget that small cars can go fast. they seem to think of us as some version of pedestrian traffic.

Currently our other vehicle is the Chevy S-10. That lease ends in June 2003. So, we have to consider what to replace that with next year. Hence, our ordeal of which to get first, the truck or the car. We don't need two trucks, but if we do the truck first, and finance a new car next year, it may be easier than if we get a new car now, and then a truck next year. Or maybe the other way around.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2002

Barefoot, I think my approach still stands. Start with The List and work your way down until you find something you can live with.

My only size issue was that I needed to make sure that all 3 cat carriers would fit in it. I even took them with me on the test drive. (I told the Honda saleswoman to show me the controls and then shut up because she could only lose the sale by "helping". Being a bright young thing, I barely heard a peep out of her. She didn't even smirk when I transferred my carriers into the Insight to make sure it would work, but she did admit it was a first for her.)

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2002

When I replace my Accord, I'm going to get a Civic or Camry, depending on which dealorship gives me the best deal and has the best color available on the lot. I really like the Insight, but I also have to drive 160 miles round trip, occasionally (often at the last minute!), in very rough weather, and driving an Insight, on any of the local freeways during a near white-out would scare me!

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2002

My knees need lots of room :) I think that's why I really like the Accord. The Hungarian's Volvo wagon has good knee room too.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2002

Never did have to use my Insight during bad weather last winter, so I don't know how it would handle. The main issue is really tire pressure.

Honda is modifying the Civic to be its next hybrid offering. I think it should do well because it is not only 4-seater it is also more familiar to the public.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2002

The Honda Civic hybrid is already available, with a 2000.00 Federal Tax Credit.

If I end up with a small car, that's the first choice. Next would be the Hyundai Tiberon. real sporty, that one is.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2002

Well, there is SUPPOSED to be a federal deduction (not credit), but I believe the next one goes down to $1,500, and depends on the regional IRS office whether it will be allowed (mine apparently did not). Some states also allow a deduction.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2002

Something else to consider... Honda was presumably selling the Insight at a discount. That would probably apply to the Civic as well (just a guess).

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2002

$2,000 Clean-Fuel Vehicle Tax Deduction for Honda Insight and Civic Hybrid Buyers

http://civichybrid.honda.com/landing.asp#

The link is a pop up window from http://civichybrid.honda.com/landing.asp so you may have to go to this link first. Torrance, Calif. 05/31/2002 -- Two Honda models powered by ultra-efficient gasoline-electric powertrains - the Civic Hybrid and Insight - are eligible for a $2,000 federal tax deduction as confirmed in new guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

In just issued guidance, the IRS clarifies that hybrid vehicles are eligible for the "clean-fuel" vehicle deduction provided by section 179A of the Internal Revenue Code. Vehicles considered hybrids include those powered both by a gasoline internal combustion engine and an electric motor that is recharged as the vehicle operates.

For hybrids purchased in past years, the IRS has said "the deduction would apply not only to returns being filed for tax year 2002, but also for the previous two years for which hybrid vehicles were available. The deduction could be claimed for a past year by a taxpayer filing an amended return."

Under current law, the clean-fuel vehicle tax deduction is phased out for tax years 2004 to 2006. The above is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute tax advice. For details on the deduction, consumers should check with their tax advisors or the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

Introduced in April 2002, the new Civic Hybrid sedan uses Honda's patented gasoline-electric Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) technology and never needs to be plugged in. Its 1.3-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine and 10-Kilowatt electric motor achieve an EPA estimated fuel economy of 46/51 city/highway, squeezing 650 miles from a single tank of gas. The Civic Hybrid seats five passengers, is available with an automatic or manual transmission, and has a starting MSRP of $19,550.

The Honda Insight, a 2-passenger hatchback, also features Honda's gasoline-electric IMA technology, a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine and a 10-Kilowatt electric motor drivetrain. The Insight has a starting MSRP of $19,080 and the model equipped with manual transmission achieves an EPA estimated fuel economy of 61/68 city/highway.

Media information and high-resolution photography of Honda vehicles can be found at www.hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at www.honda.com and tax information is available at www.irs.gov.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2002

That's encouraging. The IRS guidance in effect when I filed this year said it was going down to $1,500 next year.

The IRS knocked a bunch off my very conservative (except for the clean vehicle deduction) this year, without explaining why, just a number that looked very close to the deduction. Yahoo hosts a discussion group, and the issue of whether the federal deduction applied was part of a raging, ongoing debate. This newest guidance sounds like it might straighten much of that out.

The discussion group (specifically on the Insight) was very helpful to me before deciding to test drive one. (That's why I told the saleswoman to keep it zipped.)

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2002