The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is a Saudi Arabian entity controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is worth over $620 billion. It invests in many private projects to boost the image of Saudia Arabia to distract from its horrible record on human rights, such as its investments in the civil war in Yemen, oppressing its own citizens, murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi and sawing him into several pieces in the basement of its embassy in Turkey, etc, etc.
The fund is very secretive and corrupt, but it’s owned by a corrupt government that doesn’t allow freedom to its citizens, so that’s natural.
One way the fund spends its money is to reward someone who defends Saudi Arabia and its murderous Crown Prince. Jared Kushner got a cushy gift from the PIF of $2 billion right after he left the White House. Steve Baby Fishmouth Mnuchin already received a financial gift from the PIF around the same time Jared got his. Naturally, since House Republicans are very concerned about President Biden and his family being influenced by foreign money…they’re not doing a damn thing about the PIF’s gifts to Kushner or Baby Fishmouth.
One way to distract people from your actions of murdering U.S.-based journalists and involvement with 9/11 is to invest in sports. The PIF’s interest here isn’t because they love sports so much or even plan to make a profit from its investments but to distract from the blood on Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman’s hands.
To do this, they had to choose sports where those involved will choose money over integrity. One of those chosen is golf and it was easy.
The PIF invested in the creation of LIV Golf which created new tournaments to sportswash its horrible human rights record and to compete directly with the PGA. It created the richest tournaments that would award the most prize money to golfers with total the intial total being $255 million. It offered the winners of each regular event $4 million in prize money while the PGA offers $2.7.
It made golfer Greg Norman its CEO while enticing some of the biggest stars in golf to jump to LIV, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, and Martin Kaymer. There are several others but I’m as familiar with all their names as I am with NASCAR drivers. Why hasn’t the PIF invested in NASCAR yet?
Greg Norman defended Saudi Arabia with, “We’ve all made mistakes.” Sure. Who hasn’t chopped up a journalist in a basement?
Phil Mickelson revealed he knows exactly who and what he’s doing business with when he said the Saudis are “scary motherfuckers to be involved with. We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights.” Despite that awareness, he joined LIV calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Do you know whose “lifetime was cut short abruptly by murderers with bone saws? Jamal Khashoggi.
Graeme McDowell said, “If Saudi Arabia wants to use the game of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be, I think we’re proud to help them on that journey.” Yes, he’s proud to take their blood money.
You don’t have to play golf to stop murdering journalists, funding civil wars, chopping hands off of suspected pickpockets, or establishing a society that breeds al-Qaida.
The PGA resisted LIV, banned the golfers who jumped to it, and took them to court all while pretending it was over ethics, integrity, morality, and blah blah blah.” Yeah, we saw this coming. Now the PGA is merging with LIV. The PGA is no better than the golfers they banned.
Tiger Woods resisted LIV and turned down what’s been reported as a billion-dollar offer. Rory McIlroy also resisted and said that LIV players were “taking the easy way out.” What will he do now? What will Tiger do? I expect them all to play ball.
The PIF is getting involved in other sports too. The $300 million it offered for Newcastle United F.C. was too much to resist for its owner, though the Premier League initially blocked the deal. But guess what happened. The league caved and the PIF is now the proud owner of a Premier League football team on the condition that the Saudi government-owned company (PIF) won’t allow the Saudi government to be involved with the team. How does that work? Are they going to hire Ted Lasso?
Saudi Arabia buying Newcastle is the worst thing to happen to English football since the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers bought Manchester United.
The PIF also plans to bring the World Cup to Saudi Arabia and is currently hosting numerous World Wrestling Entertainment events in the kingdom. As the Million Dollar Man used to say, “Everybody has a price. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”
Of course, one huge beneficiary of all this is…wait for it…Donald Trump. His shitty golf courses at his bedbug-infested resorts are hosting LIV tournaments. Now remember, Republicans don’t like it when presidents (sic) do business with foreign nations…except when a Republican does it.
The Million Dollar Man character was a bad guy, paying everyone off to steal matches and titles. So if that made him the bad guy, what does that make LIV and the PGA? The Million Dollar Man was a work of fiction. Unfortunately, LIV, the PGA, and all those immoral shitweasels who will accept blood money like Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Jared Kushner, Baby Fishmouth Mnuchin, and Donald Trump are very real.
Everybody has a price, indeed.
Creative note: My first idea on this involved a “Mind if I play through,” which has been used in political cartoons since at least the 1980s. Jack Higgins won the Pulitzer Prize for the Chicago Sun-Times with that idea. But I wasn’t entirely comfortable using it because I was afraid I’d be accused of stealing it from cartoonist Michael de Adder, who made so much noise about it that a lot of people believe he created it. I was also afraid that another cartoonist would use it today and before I finished drawing today’s cartoon, I saw one. So, I’m really glad I did this cartoon, especially after proofer Laura told me it’s one of the “most disturbing” cartoons I’ve ever drawn. I’m weird, so that makes me feel good.
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Watch me draw:
CLAYTOONZ 
So the PGA will manage holes 1-8 and 12-18, the Saudis will do 9-11.
Expect the same joke to appear when this toon gets to gocomics.
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Wonder why Laura found it disturbing, people write editorials about this and there is no cartoon with it that shows the meaning of the editorial. They are a global economic powerhouse that are flexing their $$ around the world, and have people in their pockets. Side note to the golf, your paying twice for LIV golf, once when they buy the oil, second when you buy a ticket – PIF Makes money without you knowing. Good point on NASCAR, what about LGPA, or MLB, or the NFL, or will someone get upset if the get into selling beer? Blood money is blood money regardless who from MBS circle is paying you. Cheers
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Before Covid, before Khashoggi, I stood a few feet away from Crown Prince bin Salman and his brothers at Rocky Mountain Turf Club in Lethbridge, Alberta. No visible bodyguards anywhere close. His horse was running in the North American Arabian Championship. He seemed to be
just a regular guy, cheering on his horse as it came fown the stretch. I have no idea if it even won — I don’t remember seeing him in the winner’s circle. But he did not berate anyone for how his horse ran. He felt the same way I do whenever my horse loses. It’s all part of the game.
The race was not run during Covid, but maybe it will be reinstated now that the pandemic is mostly over. Maybe he will again be in Lethbridge, with no visible body guards, come August or September.
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It is important to get onto the Saudi payroll. If anyone is above the law … the Saudis are.
(witty joke Rabbitdad)
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The Saudi’s are the law. They are not above it or below it. It is a paternalistic monarchy. They operate within the law. I only bring that up to point to the fact that the disease that allows greenwashing of sports is perfectly acceptable in an end justifies the means paternal social construct. In fact unlike us they likely go to bed feeling happy and pleased with themselves that they the right thing has been done. Their conscience is their guide. It’s the species that has the problem.
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I heard rumors last month that Tiger and a few of his compatriots were planning a competitive tour. I suspect he, and others, saw the writing on the wall. The leadership of the PGA has signed the death certificate of the PGA. I wonder if Jay Monahan has ever heard of Jamal Khashoggi? Watch your back Monahan-and your arms and your legs and your head!
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And exactly where is it that Saudi Arabia wants to be???? And how does creating LIV accomplish this goal???
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Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Talk about Brown people taking over the mighty, imperialistic US of A!! … “The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is a Saudi Arabian entity controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is worth over $620 billion. It invests in many private projects to boost the image of Saudia Arabia to distract from its horrible record on human rights” … and more!!
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Reblogged this on Filosofa's Word and commented:
As most of you already know, I am not a sports person. And while I might occasionally enjoy a baseball game if the Mets or the Dodgers are playing, you couldn’t pay me enough money to make me watch grown people hitting a tiny little ball around on a golf course, trying to hit it into a tiny little hole. {yawn} Boring. I don’t follow golf, couldn’t name a single golfer other than Arnold Palmer or Tiger Woods, but my interest was piqued when I read of the merger between the PGA and Saudi LIV. Why anybody in their right mind whose last name isn’t ‘Trump’ or ‘Kushner’ would even do business with the Saudis at this point is beyond me. Of all the articles I’ve read, Clay Jones sums it up the best, and with his, you get a cartoon, too!
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Maybe someone can find a way to identify blood money like blood diamonds? Maybe I see it wrong but how is painting all of golf (disclaimer Lee Trevino was a mentor and friend) with a murders brush different than painting the LBGQ+ as groomers all? I also don’t remember the Saudi people’s vote count for MBS but sure all Russians are Putin.
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