This Doesn't Sound like much of a Homeland Security triumph. . .

Instapundit ^ | February 12, 2005 | Glenn Reynolds

[cricket]

THIS DOESN'T SOUND like much of a Homeland Security triumph:

The city's ports, considered a major target of terrorists, are about to be taken over by a firm based in the United Arab Emirates, a country with financial links to the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Dubai Ports World is set to complete a $6.8 billion deal to purchase Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., a London company that already runs commercial port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans and Miami.

Color me unimpressed./posted at 08:50 AM by Glenn Reynolds

[jamaly]

This is insanity in action. Even in N.O. where it is difficult to get enough workers for ANY job, this is ridiculous. I don't care if we have to pay high wages and ship people in from all over the U.S. or militarize the ports. Foreigners should NEVER be in control of the security of our ports.

That being said, it might not make any difference anyway. A huge number of the ships coming into the U.S. ports are foreign flagged (operating under foreign laws) and staffed with foreign crews. It is not uncommon for these crew members to jump ship and just disappear. That has been going on for years. I can't remember any middle eastern crew members. IIRC, usually they are from China, Russia and Philipines.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

21

[cricket]

This buck should land on the President's desk. . .but are you are certain that this is the work of President Bush per se. . .and not those Clinton governent hangovers/kling-ons, determined to do business 'their way'?

Whatever the case. . .this stuff needs to share the 'front and center' of Bush's attention. . .

. . .somewhere on his already full plate of the Left's determined distractions thrown there to stop any and all forward momentum by GW. . .

[cricket]

Foreigners should NEVER be in control of the security of our ports.

Surely the critical 'bottom line' here. . .

[cricket]

Thanks for link. . .(I think. . .this is painful. . .)

[cricket]

We watched a movie last evening called "The War Within" about a suicide bomber who came to the US in, you guessed it, a cargo shipping container. It was a little slow at first but, the movie really took the audience inside the mind of a suicide bomber.

Interesting. . .if I were to have guessed; would have thought this was a movie about our 'home-grown' enemy. . . of Demrats.

[Let's Roll]

Yes, because the point of the story on FOX was that almost none of these shipping containers are inspected.

Shipping containers whose contents are destined for ALL parts of the country.

Also, occurred to me that they could shut down all east and gulf coast shipping and then China could just happen to close the Panama Canal.

[cricket]

I hope this is a case of "keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer". . .But this just sounds like a d-mned stupid idea

Agree. . .and has been offered. . .we should 'never underestimate the power of stupidity'. . .surely the worst slippery slopes are made of it.

[cricket]

I cant help but wonder if Mr Glenn Reynolds was euqally unimpressed when the Panama Canal was turned over to the Chinese/

Did think that perhaps Reynolds suffered a 'loss for a word' here. . .

[cricket]

Yes, because the point of the story on FOX was that almost none of these shipping containers are inspected. . .Also, occurred to me that they could shut down all east and gulf coast shipping and then China could just happen to close the Panama Canal.

I would like to know what, if anything. . .has occurred to those who have allowed this deal to come forward. . .besides 'practical profitting' perhaps. . .

SURELY. . .there are red flags waving here that cannot be missed. . .or worse dismissed.

[cricket]

I too saw this story on fox yesterday, and cannot believe someone thinks this is a good idea!

. . .Unbelievable, when you think of the things that could go wrong -- in the fox segment, it was mentioned that it would be so easy for nukes to be shipped in this way.

Too bad they did not go just a little further with this and say WHO thinks it is a good idea. . .

I want to know<. . .who has moved this forward and why.

[Stellar Dendrite]

bump

[bert]

The problem is general ignorance that lumps all Arabs in the Same pile.

Some day the realization will hit that the reason for the Gulf wars was the security of America and it's strong allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The GCC is Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar , UAE and Oman. I would suspect that iraq will be asked to join before too much time passes.

[cricket]

I don't care about the 'who' of our foreign friends. . .foreign countries should not own our ports. . . or any areas that speak to the security of our country.

[johnny7]

I caught this on FOXNews yesterday... just a blurb... and nothing more about it today. I think this is insanity no matter HOW good/bad our security & intelligence is.

[Stellar Dendrite]

wow a whopping 36 responses....

[cricket]

wow. . .a whopping 36 responses. . .

think the title is a bit innocuous and non-threatening.

Now if the title read. . .Security Alert!: American Government selling city ports to foreign interests. . .

. . .might be a few more interested 'hits'. . .(but still. . . :^+!)

[AmericanChef]

Oh, I know we have issues here, too (plus a muSlum population), believe me.

[texasbluebell]

bump!