The Tragic Treatment of the UAE Ports Deal

StrategyPage ^ | February 24, 2006 | Harold C. Hutchison

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

I agree completely. I thought I was the only one but didn't dare write a word about it for fear of all the hysterical on-line lynching. There has been so little fact and so much emotion in this case it is frightening. Talk about a virtual riot, both on-line and on the talk-show airwaves, nearly as vitriolic as those recently in the aftermath of 'offensive' cartoons.

[LibLieSlayer]

Wrong on both parts. Your ignorance of facts concerns me! I only fear GOD!

LLS

[Canedawg]

" I think labelling people who have concerns about this deal as "frightened" diminishes them and belittes their argument. Many people who don't applaud this deal are rational people who care about their country."

There seems to be a lot of that belittling going on here lately concerning this port deal. As I mentioned yesterday, some of the condescenders sound like the pseudo-intellectual libs we abhor. But, I let the "frightened" comment slide until you mentioned it again.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

It's all about fear, hysteria, and panic as manufactured by the Left for several political reasons. None of us knew about this port deal until they made it an issue.

[drhogan]

it doesn't sound like there will be a revolution anytime soon in dubai. however, britain in its heyday had communist traitors, as has the US government. dubai no doubt has a handful of muslim fanatics. if they become embedded in this port company, and they are likely to already be there, they will have the potential to create a lot of damage.

[tertiary01]

I'll be for this deal when the UAE sign a public statement acknowledging Isreal's right to exist.

[tertiary01]

It's all about fear, hysteria, and panic as manufactured by the Left for several political reasons. None of us knew about this port deal until they made it an issue.

You have to be kidding. I have been hearing this on many local right wing talk shows for WEEKS, while the MSM was occupied trying to crucify Cheney.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Savage. And I'll tell you what, I had just started listening to Levin in the afternoon a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't believe after only a couple of days of this issue, when we'd just begun to scratch the surface of the information concerning this issue, he had the one he calls Schmuckie Schumer on his show, arms around each others shoulders.

Schmuckie must have peed himself laughing when he got off the phone, having so perfectly cajoled Levin.

Some of these talk-show hosts are part of the problem, all trying to carve out the next "Rush" niche for themselves, kicking each other and everyone else in the teeth to be "THE most independent thinker on the air." It's like they were looking for the opportunity to bash Bush.

[Cornpone]

Thanks for the links. I read the article. I hope you did. Its not exactly a ringing endorsement of religous freedom in the U.A.E. In any case, I was in Dubai. The list you provided had one church there. Someone else said there are four. I never saw one. But I imagine I just didn't look hard enough. If I remember correctly from when I was there the total population of Dubai was about 800,000 people. Of that number about 640,000 were expats. According to CIA estimates about 8 percent or 50,000 were westerners. If 20 percent of that number are practicing Christians you basically have four churches to service the spiritual needs of 10,000 people. I expect that estimate is rather conservative. In any case Dubai doesn't have the mega-churches you'll find in Texas so four small churches to service 10,000 to 20,000 people isn't a lot. Why so few? Because you can't build a church within site of a mosque. At least that's the general rule but I don't know if that is the case in Dubai since I never saw a church. Read the article closely. Each church the author visited served as many as 48 different congregations. As she acknowledged, there isn't exactly freedom of religion in Dubai or the U.A.E...at least not any freedom we would recognize. What freedom there is wouldn't even match U.N. standards of human rights...and we all now how low that standard is.

I'm told things have changed since I was there and I must acknowledge that; but, based on the date of your article I would say they haven't changed that much.

[drhogan]

you can keep telling me that, but i haven't seen specifics yet. stop telling me, and give me the specifics.
i have read that the records will be kept in dubai, and it will be more difficult for our security people to examine them, than if it was a US company.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

How did it become a national issue, from talk radio? Hardly. It became an issue when Clinton and Schumer seized the opportunity for political reasons.

[evad]

In a recent conversation with a friend, he was quite livid over the fact that W "did not know" about the port deal until late in the game. His belief is that it was a fault of his administration not being on the "up and up" with him and specifically he targeted Cheney as a culprit.

I voiced my disagreement with his assessment and offered to him the proposition that all deals don't originate in the mind of George Bush and that when he learns of things will depend on specific circumstances.

Incidentally, he was not opposed to the port deal per se but the fact that president seemed uninformed of something so vitally important.

What's your take??

[syriacus]

I am frankly surprised when Hillary stands up and speaks out against this deal. Talk about balls.

I wonder if she is desperate or merely her usual duplicitous self.

[syriacus]

Is the Cosco related to the membership store Costco?

I'm not aware of any relationship. Though I have to add a "-Costco" to any web searches I do, in order to eliminate Costco from the hits.

[dynoman]

Source for the following list.

1. 1991 Gulf War he branded the United States “our number two enemy” after Israel. Welcoming Terror to U.S. Ports (column) Source

2.United Arab Emirates recognized the Taliban regime in 1997 Source

3. UAE Govt and Bin Laden Report: Considered an ally now, UAE backed bin Laden Source

4. Bin Laden 1996 & 1998 Declarations of War Source Source Source

5. HAMAS and Zayad data: Welcoming Terror to U.S. Ports (column) Source

6. January 2004 - UAE Banks Investigations and Roles in 9/11 Associated Press: U.S. Eyes UAE Banks in Terror Money Probe Source

9/11 -- UAE Funds Transfer -- Money is Moved to the Hijackers Source

7. Al-Qaida money in Dubai banks also has been linked to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania blamed on Osama bin Laden. U.S. Eyes UAE Banks in Terror Money Probe Source

8. Before Saddam Hussein's ouster, this Persian Gulf emirate was a favorite transit point for smugglers sneaking past U.S.-led naval patrols enforcing United Nations trade sanctions U.S. Eyes UAE Banks in Terror Money Probe Source

9. 2002 to 2005 (?) - UAE - Dubai-based companies in the United Arab Emirates have been cited linchpins in the lucrative nuclear weapons black market that has supplied Iran, Libya and North Korea. Computer Firm in Dubai was Hub for Black Market Nuke Network Source

10. May 10, 2005 Saudi/UAE Al-Majd TV: “the fact that [the U.S.] entered [Iraq] … makes it every Muslim's duty to go out against them, not only the Iraqis… Jihad today has become an individual duty that applies to each and every Muslim…

11. July 27, 2005, the Palestinian Information Center carried a public HAMAS statement thanking the UAE for it’s “unstinting support.” The statement said: “We highly appreciate his highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan (UAE president) in particular and the UAE people and government in general for their limitless support Welcoming Terror to U.S. Ports (column) Source

12. UAE Company Hosts Hamas Web Site Source

13. Misuse of passports on the rise in UAE. "Cases of fraud involving misuse of passports are on the rise in the UAE, Khaleej Times, has learnt." Misuse of passports on the rise in UAE Source

[JayAr36]

Aah the ever so "Political Correct," if we just treat them as friends they will become our friends. This is undoubtedly form someone who has not read the Muslim history or has spent any time reading their guidelines in the Koran. From,"Islam History, theology and Impact Upon the World."

"The progression was from Dar al Sulh - when the Muslims are minority community, and they need to adopt temporily a peaceful attitude in order to deceive their neighbors - to Dar al Harb, when the territory of the infidel becomes a war zone by definition."

Trust a Muslim! You willing to bet your life on it?

[kabar]

Thanks for the links. I read the article. I hope you did. Its not exactly a ringing endorsement of religous freedom in the U.A.E. In any case, I was in Dubai.

There are other Christian churches in Dubai. I have visited there about a dozen times. We used to go to the expat Middle Eastern softball tournment twice a year hosted by the Hotel Chicago. It was a good break from Saudi, especially since you could drink alcohol in public. Dubai is a great place.

Someone else said there are four. I never saw one. But I imagine I just didn't look hard enough.

That sounds a little different from your initial statement, "The whole time I was there I never saw a church nor could I find a Bible in their book stores." There are churches in the UAE whether you personally saw them or not. How long were you there?

As she acknowledged, there isn't exactly freedom of religion in Dubai or the U.A.E...at least not any freedom we would recognize. What freedom there is wouldn't even match U.N. standards of human rights...and we all now how low that standard is.

You can practice your religion, but you can't proselytize. It may not be up to Texas standards, but it is infinitely better than Saudi Arabia. I wouldn't minimize what is going on in UAE re religious freedom. The author comes to a similar conclusion.

"So ultimately, after giving this some thought, my conclusion is as follows. The UAE's limited freedom is not ideal, but it is far more than other countries offer. And it is the responsibility of the UAE's guests (which we are) to act within their laws, and to respect the freedom that they have given us."

"There are other ways of convincing people to change their belief systems. But disobeying the law is certainly not going to impress many people."

[mtnwmn]

And most of them are in Alabama!

[tertiary01]

There were lots of others out there beating the drum waaaayyy before Schumer and Clinton. Savage, Levin, Katz, Steve Roberts, Laura Ingraham among others. The reason it took hold because it resonates with those of both parties. You will notice that the Cheney thing never took hold in spite of millions of dollars of push by the MSM because it did not resonate.

Another thing, if the UAE is so fickle that we continually have to worry about hurting their feelings inorder to have their support on the WOT as some on here would have us believe, I can't see that they would make good managers or whatever it is that they are going to do with our ports. Sound like they would be poor business partners.

[BillyBoy]

>> And Libya has given up it's WMD program. Countries can change. <<

Yeah, Moammar Ghadafi must be our "best friend" and "staunch ally" now, going by Bushbot logic (nevermind that he and the UAE were basically forced, post 9/11, to comply in the WOT or face "regime change")

Yassir Arafat condemned 9/11 too, and even became a blood donor to help our the 9/11 victims. Whatta guy!!!

Islamofacists are our true friends!