US Port security sold to Arabs!!! WHY???

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Harry Vest

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Of all the strange and illogic things the Bush administration has ever done this takes the cake. Why on earth would Bush do this - a better question is why would Karl Rove ever allow the President to do this. I'm somewhat of a conspiracy nut who beleives certain aspects of the conspiracy theories of the stolen election, 9/11 and Iraq. This move doesn't make ANY sense in ANY way - what is going on here. Does someone in the Republican party want the Republicans to lose the elections of 2006??? What are they up to???? No one could be that stupid...No one!!!! There has got to be a reason beyond greed. There are a million better ways to make your friends rich - this issue will NOT GO AWAY with Joe Public (Republican/Democrat/Independent) - you've really got to wonder at the absurdity of it all. Something strange and as yet unseen is going on here.
 
OH MY GOD!!!

ARABS??!??!??

This clearly means that they're going to sneak in terrorists and weapons, because they're all the same, you know!! Those shyster freedom-hating Arabs, always plotting the death of America, every last one of them!!

[/sarcasm]

Either the title of this thread is unbelievable sensationalism, or this is the most racist thread in the history of Interference.

Christ on a BIKE.
 
Did you know some Arabs pose as people with brains and blood just like you and I? :ohmy:




Disclaimer: if you need this disclaimer to tell you that this post is sarcasm, that's sad.
 
Yes, but the brains are filled only with thoughts of killing Americans and subjugating women, and the blood is ice-cold.
 
And president Bush supports the deal, it really must be a sinister plot - maybe the UAE is actually under the sway of Zionist Neocons and these "Arabs" are really Jews.
 
Geeez,
You guys are great.
No serious answers.
Accusing me of racism for saying the word "Arabs".
Not even attempting to tackle the questions raised and not one comment on the big question...
WHY would Bush do this???
It's political suicide and ya I know he can't get elected in 2008 but why would he do this when there's an election coming up - never mind that - WHY WOULD HE DO IT AT ALL.
You'd think a country the size of the United States would hire Americans (including Arab Americans) to secure the country's ports. And for those politically correct facists out there who jump on every statement they don't like and call it racist...
Fuddle Duddle!!!
 
Harry Vest said:
You'd think a country the size of the United States would hire Americans (including Arab Americans) to secure the country's ports.

Americans ARE in charge of port security and will continue to be... at least for what passes as port security today.
 
Harry Vest said:
Then what the heck is all the hoopla about???

:shrug: I dunno, you tell us. You're the one that started the thread about how allowing an Arab nation to participate in any extent would mean the death of us all.

We discussed this issue at length at school this past week. One of my business professors, who grew up in third world Africa and has since done business and consulting in every country in the WORLD is behind Bush's decision. My prof's #1 reason for support: there are gazillions of American business thriving in the UAE. To not allow them access to the ports, when other countries have this access, simply because they are Arab is not only racist and backward, it would destroy significant global business relationships.
 
Like somebody alluded to in the other thread, when you make a boogeyman out of Arabs, what do you expect? You can't run on platforms of fear and they're out to get us and then act shocked that people don't like this idea.
 
You obviously misunderstood my intent on this subject - I don't even live in the US and you guys can do anything you want with your port security...my point was WHY would Bush (who at least pretends to lead the so called "War On Terror") go out on a limb, even against many is his own party as well as the MAJORITY of American civilians and stick to his guns on this issue. Where was Karl Rove whispering in his ear "Don't do it" - I just cannot fathom these guys allowing Bush to look even worse than he ever has - it makes me suspicious of the intent of all this controversy.
 
I don't know much about the issue, but one possibility could be that Bush/the Republicans have always been on the side of business, and veto-ing in favor of the UAE definitely sides with business.
 
Harry Vest said:
my point was WHY would Bush (who at least pretends to lead the so called "War On Terror") go out on a limb, even against many is his own party as well as the MAJORITY of American civilians and stick to his guns on this issue.

$$$$$$$$$$$
 
Harry Vest said:
You obviously misunderstood my intent on this subject - I don't even live in the US and you guys can do anything you want with your port security...my point was WHY would Bush (who at least pretends to lead the so called "War On Terror") go out on a limb, even against many is his own party as well as the MAJORITY of American civilians and stick to his guns on this issue. Where was Karl Rove whispering in his ear "Don't do it" - I just cannot fathom these guys allowing Bush to look even worse than he ever has - it makes me suspicious of the intent of all this controversy.

Because he is making the correct decision. I would be far more disappointed with a leader who simply follows the results of polls, focus groups, or the mood of the moment.
 
For once, I don't think Bush is making a mistake. Just because the potential buyers are Arabs doesn't make any difference to me.
 
But why not "sell" it to the Chinese, The Irish, The Ukranians or take control of it yourself dummies. In this day and age for Bush to even suggest that the US give it to UAE is beyond ridiculous - it's downright suspicious. Remember the Bush/BinLaden connection - or have you all forgotten???
 
Harry Vest said:
But why not "sell" it to the Chinese, The Irish, The Ukranians or take control of it yourself dummies. In this day and age for Bush to even suggest that the US give it to UAE is beyond ridiculous - it's downright suspicious. Remember the Bush/BinLaden connection - or have you all forgotten???

The government isn't giving anything away. This is a private transaction between two foreign companies.

I am unaware of any US companies who bid on the port deal.
 
A_Wanderer said:
And president Bush supports the deal, it really must be a sinister plot - maybe the UAE is actually under the sway of Zionist Neocons and these "Arabs" are really Jews.

Darn you Wanderer......you know TOO MUCH for your own good!

:evil:

I believe I've already addressed the issue of our expansionist policy and us taking control of the U.S. ports is just a drop in the ocean......

But seriously folks,
I am not totally familiar with the entire story of the port deal and therefore can't comment on it. However, I really don't think its fair to file all the Arab nations under the same "terrorist" file. That's like saying that all Americans are the same as Timothy McVeigh, Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer.

I have no doubt whatsoever that there are many plain, law-abiding and peace loving people in the Arab countries who are just fed up with all the fighting and terrorism and who just want to live normal and productive lives - including normal relations with the rest of the world. I'm sure none of them want to be considered terrorists just because they are Arabs.....and it is not fair to characterize them as such.
 
Well the influence is so utterly pervasive, the drain cover in my shower has holes in the exact shape of a Magen David, coincidence or not :confused:
 
A_Wanderer said:
Well the influence is so utterly pervasive, the drain cover in my shower has holes in the exact shape of a Magen David, coincidence or not :confused:

I think I speak for everyone who read this post when I ask the the HELL Magen David is.
 
AussieU2fanman said:


I think I speak for everyone who read this post when I ask the the HELL Magen David is.

LOL......

The Magen David (or "Shield Of David") is more commonly known as the Star Of David. a six-point star which is the universal symbol for Judaism, much like the cross is the symbol of christianity and the crescent is the symbol of Islam.
 
Back on Topic. This is a good view on the deal.


Joseph King, who headed the customs agency's anti-terrorism efforts under the Treasury Department and the new Department of Homeland Security, said national security fears are well grounded.

He said a company the size of Dubai Ports World would be able to get hundreds of visas to relocate managers and other employees to the United States. Using appeals to Muslim solidarity or threats of violence, al-Qaeda operatives could force low-level managers to provide some of those visas to al-Qaeda sympathizers, said King, who for years tracked similar efforts by organized crime to infiltrate ports in New York and New Jersey. Those sympathizers could obtain legitimate driver's licenses, work permits and mortgages that could then be used by terrorist operatives.

Dubai Ports World could also offer a simple conduit for wire transfers to terrorist operatives in the Middle East. Large wire transfers from individuals would quickly attract federal scrutiny, but such transfers, buried in the dozens of wire transfers a day from Dubai Ports World's operations in the United States to the Middle East would go undetected, King said.
 
Scarletwine, I think it's best not to bring detailed analysis and expert opinion into this debate.

Any concerns about this issue must automatically be anti-Arab 'racism' and 'scaremongering', right guys?
 
What detailed analysis?

Any UAE based company operating in the US could engage in the activities suggested by Joseph King. Were they a concern before, or are port operations somehow unique?

To the extent Mr. King raises valid concerns, they should be addressed across the board - tighten the procedures by which visas are distributed and scan all outgoing wire transfers for potential terrorist operatives.
 
Another little blip on the deal.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395502196&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

Exclusive: Dubai ports firm enforces Israel boycott
By MICHAEL FREUND
The parent company of a Dubai-based firm at the center of a political storm in the US over the purchase of American ports participates in the Arab boycott against Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The firm, Dubai Ports World, is seeking control over six major US ports, including those in New York, Miami, Philadelphia and Baltimore. It is entirely owned by the Government of Dubai via a holding company called the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCZC), which consists of the Dubai Port Authority, the Dubai Customs Department and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Area.

"Yes, of course the boycott is still in place and is still enforced," Muhammad Rashid a-Din, a staff member of the Dubai Customs Department's Office for the Boycott of Israel, told the Post in a telephone interview.

"If a product contained even some components that were made in Israel, and you wanted to import it to Dubai, it would be a problem," he said.

A-Din noted that while the head office for the anti-Israel boycott sits in Damascus, he and his fellow staff members are paid employees of the Dubai Customs Department, which is a division of the PCZC, the same Dubai government-owned entity that runs Dubai Ports World.

Moreover, the Post found that the website for Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone Area, which is also part of the PCZC, advises importers that they will need to comply with the terms of the boycott.

In a section entitled "Frequently Asked Questions", the site lists six documents that are required in order to clear an item through the Dubai Customs Department. One of them, called a "Certificate of Origin," "is used by customs to confirm the country of origin and needs to be seen by the office which ensures any trade boycotts are enforced," according to the website.

A-Din of the Israel boycott office confirmed that his office examines certificates of origin as a means of verifying whether a product originated in the Jewish state.

On at least three separate occasions last year, the Post has learned, companies were fined by the US government's Office of Anti-boycott Compliance, an arm of the Commerce Department, on charges connected to boycott-related requests they had received from the Government of Dubai.

US law bars firms from complying with such requests or cooperating with attempts by Arab governments to boycott Israel.

In one instance, according to a Commerce Department press release, a New York-based exporter agreed to pay a fine for having "failed to report in a timely manner its receipts of requests from Dubai" to provide certification that its products had not been made in Israel.

The proposed handover of US ports to DP World has provoked a political storm in Washington, where Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed hostility to the plan, citing national security concerns.

In an attempt to stave off opposition, DP World agreed over the weekend to a highly unusual 45-day second federal investigation of potential security risks
 
Executive blasts 'myths' surrounding ports deal

John Negroponte, national director of intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the assessment was provided to a government review board after a one-month inquiry on DP World's impending purchase of P&O, the British-based operator of cargo terminals.

"We didn't see any red flags come up in the course of our inquiry," Negroponte said.
 
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