United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

[thesightless]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

how ? and prove it.

because, and im sure toasty will back me here, all the federal level reps and cabinet members have thier entire investments sold off and put into a blind trust when they take office..... he doesnt own stock in these companies...

[anonin]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

how ? and prove it.

because, and im sure toasty will back me here, all the federal level reps and cabinet members have thier entire investments sold off and put into a blind trust when they take office..... he doesnt own stock in these companies...

man ! i dont know!

[superdave]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

And now -- Bob Dole has been hired by the UAE to help the deal go through. Anyone else notice that Republicans and rich Arab nations seem too cozy?

And Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary, even admitted that the administration should've consulted with Congress sooner about the port deal.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/22/port.security/index.html

[thesightless]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

seriously, someone tell me how the operation actually changed outside of the stock ownership of the parent corp? some news site i was on b4 said that no one has changed employment, it is still actually the same employees. so if its that bad, why havent we been bitching? im serious, why all of a sudden, all this over a stock transaction. NOTHING ELSE CHANGED

[Kobe]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

Well if stock ownership changes, so does the board, who makes policies. This does make a functional difference. Would you let an Arab company take over airport security? The only difference I see is that is a much larger threat. Homeland security my ass.

[thesightless]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

but if the employees are still the same american unions, and the same management, operating under the same restrictions, what happened? i know the board may change, but they still have to use american workers and deal with the autorities in the same manner they did a year ago. im not defending, im just wondering why all of a sudden this outrage is occuring. like i said, what happens if microsoft is bought out? does the government suddenly go to macs?

[deepdarkandtribal]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

This Port story is horse shit and knee jerk politics. If we are going to stop the UAE from "running" these ports then we might as well get the Chinese, Japanese, and French etc... Companies that run ports all over the west coast out as well. Targeting a UAE base company right now would be bad. If they want to change the law and ban foreign companies from running the ports then fine. Go ahead. but targetting the UAE cause it's a muslim country is a mistake as it sends the wrong message. The UAE has helped the USA a lot in the Middle East and along with Kuwait allowed American forces to establish bases on their land, as well as round up terror cells. Hell the UAE should tell US companies and arm forces to get the fuck out of their ports and military bases as well. This is just how the world is: Governments regularly lease ports to companies that have the financial might and expertise to run them. Security is still run by federal agents of the home country and the port employees are all home based. Even if we were to tell the UAE company to fuck off we should still be worried as they run ports all over Europe. Why the hell would this company want to ruin its reputation (and 6 Billion dollar company investment) by helping some terrorist get in at one of their operated ports? If they were found helping assist some terrorist group that would be the end of them from a business perspective. This thing is getting silly, especially considering the Dems who are all against racial profiling at airports but are for racial profiling of Arab based companies.

[anonin]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

This Port story is horse shit and knee jerk politics. If we are going to stop the UAE from "running" these ports then we might as well get the Chinese, Japanese, and French etc... Companies that run ports all over the west coast out as well. Targeting a UAE base company right now would be bad. If they want to change the law and ban foreign companies from running the ports then fine. Go ahead. but targetting the UAE cause it's a muslim country is a mistake as it sends the wrong message. The UAE has helped the USA a lot in the Middle East and along with Kuwait allowed American forces to establish bases on their land, as well as round up terror cells. Hell the UAE should tell US companies and arm forces to get the fuck out of their ports and military bases as well. This is just how the world is: Governments regularly lease ports to companies that have the financial might and expertise to run them. Security is still run by federal agents of the home country and the port employees are all home based. Even if we were to tell the UAE company to fuck off we should still be worried as they run ports all over Europe. Why the hell would this company want to ruin its reputation (and 6 Billion dollar company investment) by helping some terrorist get in at one of their operated ports? If they were found helping assist some terrorist group that would be the end of them from a business perspective. This thing is getting silly, especially considering the Dems who are all against racial profiling at airports but are for racial profiling of Arab based companies.

thank you. good , insightful post.

this is racial profiling and nothing more imo. this whole deal is the equivalent to a cop pulling over a black guy because he was d.w.b (driving while black). People automatically think WMDs are going to pour in just because the company is from the UAE (muslim).

[toasty]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

The more I read about this, the less concerned I am with it from a safety standpoint. It still strikes me as incredibly boneheaded, though...

[FM]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

well, they say surround yourself with successful people and you'll be as well...

I swear Bush surrounded himself with dumbasses..

But agreed; shit was said when the British ran this company, but now everyone's fucking trying to be PC and/or afraid because the word 'Arab' is associated with running the company now...

[neoee]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

Ok I changed my mind again on this after hearing some more facts (below). I guess im a flip-flopper.

Newly learned facts:

• UAE is one of three countries that has assisted and supported both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Other two were Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
• UAE government has assisted in transport of nuclear weapons to rouge nations previously.
• 93% of containers shipped to the US are not inspected.
• Of the 6 mentioned ports only 1 has the capability of checking for nuclear weapons.
• In addition to the 6 ports we have heard about in the news there are 2 additional military ports in Texas that will come under management of this company.
• In the 9/11 comission report, the UAE was reported as having ties to Bin Laden.
• And finally this company is royal family owned, not publicly traded.

[Kobe]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

I just see it as creating a new vulerability. Are the Saudis officially our enemy? No. How many of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi? About 2/3's, IIRC. Dubai is great, the have a friggen PGA Tour event, how much of a thread are they? As a government not much, but they are too close to those that are and the scale of the damage is so great to ignore the possibily.

Is it racial profiling? Hellz yes. Just like the Muslim prayer circle at the football game and the five gang bangers driving a low rider down my block in the middle of the night-- shake 'em down. Have we forgetten everything?

[anonin]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

seriously, someone tell me how the operation actually changed outside of the stock ownership of the parent corp? some news site i was on b4 said that no one has changed employment, it is still actually the same employees. so if its that bad, why havent we been bitching? im serious, why all of a sudden, all this over a stock transaction. NOTHING ELSE CHANGED

read this son! http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP...22/ldt.01.html

[toasty]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

But agreed; shit was said when the British ran this company, but now everyone's fucking trying to be PC and/or afraid because the word 'Arab' is associated with running the company now...

IMO, Bush brought this mess on himself. He's spent the last few years trying to convince us that Arab nations who don't practice democracy are the enemy and are a threat to freedom everywhere -- is it really that shocking that people's knee-jerk reaction upon hearing that an Arab monarchy is taking over over ports was, "holy shit?"

Bush has always said that he doesn't do nuance. In fact, he's been very successful painting things as black or white, good or bad -- you're either with us, or you're with the terrorists -- if you don't support the war, you must not support the troops -- that shit has gotten him far. It's pretty clear to me that had Bush not chosen to paint with such a broad brush early on and had engaged in some "nuanced" discussion of the lay of the land in the middle east rather than just talking in sound bites, this UAE thing might have been an easier sell.

[Jenks]

Re: United Arab Emirates company to take over major U.S. ports

How is it that news of this UAE deal was published first in London October 23, 2005, and the next day in the NY Times, and neither side so much as even chirped about it? But all of the sudden..a deal that has been in the works for 5 months is immediately a really big situation? I guess the Cheney gunshot story is dead now, so, it's time for the UAE story. Fucking politics and news media.

This Port story is horse shit and knee jerk politics.

Amen.