Posted on 02/24/2006 10:18:56 PM PST by Reagan Man
“This Dubai port deal has unleashed a kind of collective mania we haven’t seen in decades ... a xenophobic tsunami,” wails a keening David Brooks, “a nativist, isolationist mass hysteria is ... here.”
The New York Times columnist obviously regards the nation’s splenetic response to news that control of our East Coast ports had been sold to Arab sheiks as wildly irrational. In witness whereof he quotes Philip Damas of Drewry Shipping Consultants, “The location of a company in the age of globalism is irrelevant.”
But irrelevant to whom?
Why is it irrelevant, in a war against Arab and Islamic terrorists, to question the transfer of control of our East Coast ports from Britain to the United Arab Emirates?
Our cosmopolitan Mr. Brooks lives in another country. He has left the America of blood and soil, shaken the dust from his sandals, to enter the Davos world of the Global Economy where nationality does not matter and where fundamentalists and flag-wavers of all faiths are the real enemies of progress toward the wonderful future these globalists have in store for us.
“God must love Hamas and Moktada Al-Sadr,” snorts Brooks, “He has given them the America First brigades of Capitol Hill.”
To Brooks there is little distinction between Islamic mobs burning Danish consulates and America First patriots protesting some insider’s deal to surrender control of American ports to Arab sheiks.
But the reflexive recoil to this transaction between transnationals is a manifestation of national mental health. The American people have not yet been over-educated into the higher stupidity. Common sense still trumps ideology here. Globalism has not yet triumphed over patriotism. Rather than take risks with national security, Americans will accept a pinch of racial profiling.
Yep, the old America lives.
Like alley cats, Americans yet retain an IFF, Identify-Friend-or-Foe radar that instinctively alerts them to keep a warier eye on some folks than on others.
But in rejecting a deal transferring control of our ports to Arabs, are Americans not engaging in discrimination? Are they not engaging in ethnic prejudice?
Of course they are. But not all discrimination is irrational, nor is all prejudice wrong. To discriminate is but to choose. We all discriminate in our choice of friends and associates. Prejudice means prejudgment. And a prejudgment in favor of Brits in matters touching on national security is rooted in history.
In the 20th century (if not the 19th), the Brits have been with us in almost every fight. It was not Brits who struck us on 9/11, who rejoiced in the death of 3,000 Americans, who daily threaten us from the mosques of East and West, who behead our aid workers, bomb our soldiers and call for “Death to America!” in a thousand demonstrations across the Middle East. And while not all Muslims are terrorists, almost all terrorists appear to be Muslim.
As Mother Church has a “preferential option” for the poor, there is nothing wrong with America’s preferential option for the cousins.
Does this mean all Arabs should be considered enemies? Of course not.
The folks from Dubai may detest the 9/11 murderers as much as we do, for those killers shamed their faith, disgraced their people, and bred a distrust and fear of Arabs and Muslims that had never before existed here.
Yet, just as sky marshals seat themselves behind young Arab males, not grannies taking the tots to Disney World, so, Americans, in deciding who operates their ports, naturally prefer ourselves, or old friends.
Why take an unnecessary risk? Just to get an A for global maturity on our next report card from the WTO?
The real question this deal raises is what happened to the political antenna at the White House? Did it fall off the roof about the time President Bush named Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court?
Anyone in touch with Middle America, especially after 9/11 and endless warnings of imminent attacks on U.S. soil, would know this country is acutely sensitive to terror threats. Surely, before approving this deal with Dubai Ports World, someone should have asked:
“How do you think Bubba will react when he’s told sheiks will take over the port of Baltimore where, in Tom Clancy’s ‘Sum of All Fears,’ Arab terrorists smuggle in an a-bomb and detonate it?”
Apparently, no one bothered to ask, or the question was brushed off in the interests of hastily greasing the deal.
Now this episode is going to end badly. Bush, who has denied advance knowledge of the deal, is being ripped by liberals for living in a pre-9/11 world and being out of touch with his government.
As for our remaining friends in the Middle East, they have been given another reason to regard Americans as fickle friends who, down deep. Don’t like Arabs.
Unquestionably, this will result in a victory for those who wish to sever America’s friendships in the Arab world. But it is Bush and his unthinking globalists, not the American Firsters whom Brooks cannot abide who engineered this latest debacle.
Yea, thats it. China, Singapore and Kuwait all manage terminals in US. Maybe racist is a little harsh how about more like xenophobe. But, theirs no denying that Pat is an A**hat.
We are in the middle of a war against jihadism. The UAE was responsible for partital funding of the 9-11 attacks. They do sponsor terrorism throughout the ME. For me this is an easy choice. I'd rather see no foreign nation having any control over any part of the operations for US ports of entry.
Since I dislike Pat Buchanan, does that make me coulrophobic?
Ahh don't worry I knew what you were saying. I try not to be anal about typos and stuff like that.
Precisely.
"Some muslims are terrorists, therefore no muslims can be trusted."
No, MOST terrorists are Muslim, therefore no Muslims can be trusted.
Kind of like most rattle snakes are piousness, therefore no rattle snakes can be trusted.
"Ahhh..........this nails those questions down for me!"
I don't like it either but do you want to kick out China and Singapore too? Hell, since you say they funded 9/11 maybe we should attack them instead of delivering those f-16's Clinton sold them?
If this was February 2002, instead of February 2006, this deal would not have been approved. Period. And since little has changed since February 2002, this deal should be DOA!
LOL!
Ah, at least four of them boarded a United Airlines plane at Newark airport.
Should we boycott both of them, too?
and $250,000 used to bankroll the 9/11 attacks was wired through Dubai banks.
Through Citibank! Shall we boycott all countries that use Citibank now? Are they terrorists, too?
It's considered totally bad form to NOT PING the person you're trashing.
I doubt you care though.
"Yea, thats it. China, Singapore and Kuwait all manage terminals in US."
Yes, and when the ports on the west cost were turned over to China, we here on FR, were screaming that Clinton was a Commie... And was selling out the country.
Pat has degenerated into a real enemy of this country and of the conservative cause. Just disgusting.
You ought to change your screen name to Hillary Man.
"It's considered totally bad form to NOT PING the person you're trashing."
Ehat's only true when there are more than 50 posts... How long have you been here?
I wouldn't blame them at all, would you?
What country would want to do business with us if they know liberals, and some unappeasable so called conservatives, might just trash them to make political points.
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