Well at least this guy is. Killing journalists to me is a form of terrorism. And though not all Saudis are terrorists, I feel those on top most certainly are. They at least help fund 9/11.

I'd call the Saudi state a despotism rather than a terrorist state. Historically, there has been funding and logistical support for terrorism, but in recent times, MBS has shifted to a more Ba'ath-party-style model of secular totalitarian dictatorship and, in the case of his war against Yemen, a more traditional model of imperialist state aggression against an impoverished civilian population.

I hear a lot about Saudi Arabia from people I know who live there. I'll say no more about that, since more detail would disclose personal info that's not relevant here. Suffice to say, I know a lot of people who are well-placed to talk about what life is like there.

There has been considerable social progress, within constraints: it's now a much less restrictive society in terms of things like seeing movies, couples living together, women driving and working, etc. The infamous Muttawa'a (The Society for Encouraging Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the morality police) are now muzzled. Women won't get beaten up for showing an ankle. You can see sports and stand-up comedy, though both are obligingly self-censored. But you'll still get tortured or murdered if you challenge the powers that be (or happen to be Shi'a).

I'm tired of hearing about them. We can get bombed too for all I care, but they're closer to each other.