Posted on 02/23/2006 12:59:55 AM PST by Stellar Dendrite
ping
Gen. Franks may well be correct about our current relationship with the UAE. However its irrefutable that the UAE has supported terror in the past, that some percentage of its population do now, and that theyre in an unstable region. If theyre our stoutest ally in the region today, that still leaves legitimate questions on issues like security checks for staffing changes, security for documentation and manifests, and most important our ability to find local replacements should the UAE change their tune.
Perhaps the proper questions have been asked and answered, but if they have its clear to me that neither the President nor the Secretary of Defense have the answers. The handling of this from the veto threat to the next days admission that the President only knew about the deal for a couple days to Rumsfelds unwillingness to endorse the transaction due to lack of information is amazingly clumsy. The administration has blown it, and at this point its left to Congress to ask the questions and present the answers to the public. Yes, it will become a politicized forum, but they earned that role through the administrations default.
On an only tangential issue, Americans can invest in the UAE only as minority partners. Thats a legitimate policy in developing countries. However when UAE national resources are being used for foreign investment, we should reciprocate. They should be required to operate with majority interest in US operations owned by US firms. Obviously, that issue wont be raised in this context, but in general it should.
Also tangential, if it goes through Id love to see the ability of local port authorities to renegotiate contracts. While the UAE may be the finest nation in the world, its worth remembering that five years ago the Port Authority of New York owned a pair of fine office buildings in lower Manhattan, 4 ½ years ago, at great cost of life, they didnt. The operation was financed by UAE institutions, and UAE citizens participated in the operation. The Port Authority of New York shouldnt be stuck with them for 30 years unwillingly.
I see the union charge made frequently. Can you point me to something that would substantiate the charge that currently unionized facilities would become non-union. I seriously doubt that's the case, this is a simple case of parent company ownership.
Left out of my last comment, were we in a conventional war, where movements of material were considered to be at serious risk, no one would dream of a transaction like this.
Not non-union, but more efficient use of employees, which would decrease the number of employees - many of whom are earning six figure incomes.
When: "Several Bush-administration security officials expressed concerns" over this deal, then maybe there are legitimate concerns.
According to Bill Gertz, it would appear there's a lot of uncertainty by govt officials, including Rumsfeld, who has said "he was reluctant to judge whether the management contracts posed national-security risks because he was not fully informed."
From Bill Gertz's article:
The problem is taxes and regulations. Home companies are taxed to death while foreign firms are not.
Insults add what to a debate? You don't like an opposing view so want them to be silent? Just what do you expect your flame-bait to accomplish?
The UAE govt is a dictatorship, composed of 7 ruling Supreme Council Members who are all Crown prince sheikhs correct?
The UAE has no representative govt. They also support the Palestinian Hamas organization, I believe.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/government/political_system.asp#A
Is Hamas not a terrorist organization?
Does th UAE recognize Israels right to exist? I don't believe they do.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/government/foreign_policy.asp
Personally, I think U.S. ports should all be operated by U.S owned companies. Call me a nationalist, if you want.
I don't buy that, there are plenty of reasons to have concerns about, and even oppose, the deal outside of union influence. Do you think David Horowitz is a union apologist.
I'll remain with Donald Rumsfeld on this, ...reluctant to judge whether the management contracts posed national-security risks because he was not fully informed, and yes, I'll have to hear the risks addressed to support it, the administration has blown the trust issue.
So, David Horowitz is wrong on this and General Tommy Franks is correct? (By the way, how old is this 'Tommy', 6, 8?) And neither one of them wrote the article, so we dismiss the actual General who co-wrote it? I'm confused by all this hero worship, personality cult and inability to think and talk ideas.
The spinners will have to do better than this on the timeline as King was screaming about this on Hannitys radio show last week right after he was briefed on it. That would have been the 13th or 14th. King said he was briefed on Tuesday the 13th. He was making noise at the height of the Cheney fracas so few heard him.
Meaning that if you want to accomplish it, don't broadcast the plan.
Then there is this little gem.
"Two weeks after 9/11, the UAE crown prince warned Washington not to strike innocent Muslims in Afghanistan, but instead focus on Israeli terrorism.
Some people don't like to look before they leap, do they? Or is that look before they repeat talking points/mantra/doxy?
I was able to have some fun with it. See #40 :)
So what if they are? Are only white-collar workers allowed to make big bucks?
If you had crane operators at half the salary and they unloaded 10,000 containers a year that breaks down to about $6 per container. Divide that over the cost of the goods inside the container and you may save about ten cents per item. It that really such a big deal to you?
My problem is that everyone on FR should be able to give an opinion and not suffer insults because someone else disagrees. FR isn't a "group think" forum. Silencing the opposition is Clintonian.
I'll go with Franks.
At least be honest about your reasoning. You'll go with whoever supports the Bush position----end of story. If Franks and Vallely's opinions on this were reversed, you'd go with Vallely.
Not a big deal at all. Nor would it be a big deal if they were to attempt to de-unionize. However, that would be irregular in a transaction like this where Dubai is buying a presumably profitable, ongoing business, not a troubled turnaround. In that context I'd want to know who they were replacing current workers with. What they pay their employees is a non issue.
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