The claims and counterclaims in this case vary widely, but as it stands, Eric Williamson, of Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC is being accused of indecent exposure.

As a woman, who was walking her 7-year-old son to school tells the story; Williamson has shown himself butt-naked twice through the windows of the house he was living in.

Williamson, in turn says that he just got up and was preparing breakfast in his own house, totally unaware that anyone could see him.

It is also interesting to note that the accusing woman is a wife of a Fairfax County policeman.

Police showed up very quickly. One of the five cops who went into his house reportedly called Williamson a pervert and others looked through his belongings. They left but returned a short time later to take him to the magistrate.

A police spokeswoman would not comment on Williamson’s claim that officers entered his room without a warrant, but she did say “We don’t arrest people for being nude in their house.”

Williamson in turn, says Fairfax County police treated him “like an animal” at his home.

Considering the huge brouhaha about a sex-related show in Saudi Arabia and the sentences of lashes and prison for those involved (apparently now pardoned by King Abdullah), or the stoning and other punishment in Afghanistan and Pakistan, our domestic morals might not seem to be that strict. On the other hand, how does walking naked around one’s own house compare to miles and miles of nude people on many European beaches? Who could be considered more advanced from the cultural and moral point of view, we wonder…

Technorati Tags: afghanistan, Alive, lashes, man, Morals, naked, Pakistan, police, Puritanism, Saudi Arabia, US

Saudi Arabia is President Obama’s first stop on the whirlwind tour, of which arguably the most important segment will take place Thursday, when at the newly spruced-up University of Cairo he will deliver the long-anticipated speech to the Muslims of the world. The speech itself might not be such a huge deal in its own right, but combined with U.S. diplomacy’s firm insistence on Palestinian rights it actually may turn out to be a very important occasion.

From Cairo, the presidential entourage heads for Germany, for a chitchat with Angela Merkel and a visit to the Buchenwald concentration camp – a very good tactical and even strategic move in our opinion. From there, Mr. Obama heads for the 65^th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy and hopefully a renewal of French-U.S. relations, which have descended to a new low during the Bush years.

Speaking of  the Saudi segment of the trip, there is no doubt that from the moment Barack Obama stepped off Air Force One (which for some reason departed Tuesday night from Dulles International Airport, instead of Andrews Air Force Base for a change) the visit started with pomp and pageantry fit for a king.

King Abdullah staged an elaborate welcome ceremony, showered Obama with compliments, put up the president at his lavish desert horse farm and gave him a bulky gold necklace that the king says carries special meaning.

“Those are only given to the very few friends of the king, and you are certainly one of those,” Abdullah said as he presented the thick chain and large medallion to Obama.

We would love to see Mr. Obama wearing the half a pound, or so of gold around his neck for the rest of the trip, but don’t hold your breath. The expensive trinket will most likely be stored somewhere safe. Considering the price of gold, it might also serve as a down payment on the trillions of dollars of taxpayer’s money given out to all of the financial shysters.

As a matter of fact, President Obama took it off after a few minutes and a few photographs.

It was actually more than a mere, heavy and expensive necklace, but rather the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit, Saudi Arabia’s highest decoration.

Though we haven’t been able to confirm it for sure, George W. Bush appeared to receive that very same award during a stop in Saudi Arabia in January 2008. Wonder what he did with it…

Technorati Tags: award, Cairo, Muslims, necklace, obama, Saudi Arabia, trip