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Will it become portgate?
Accuracy in Media ^ | February 27, 2006 | Cliff Kincaid

Posted on 02/28/2006 4:29:52 AM PST by Stepan12

Will it Become "Portgate?"
By Cliff Kincaid |

February 27, 2006 Some of the negative reaction to the deal stems not from racism or Arab-bashing but the fact that initial federal approval of the deal sidestepped a legally authorized 45-day investigation. The initial outcry from the conservative blogs and talk radio over an Arab state-owned company taking over terminals at some U.S. ports seems to have subsided, as the Bush Administration, the Arab/Muslim lobby and their representatives and lobbyists have moved quickly to dominate the media debate.

The firm, Dubai Ports World, is owned by the United Arab Emirates, an Islamic regime that is now being regularly described in the media as a U.S. ally. But the democracy we're fighting for in Iraq does not exist in the UAE. Inside the UAE, according to the State Department, there is no freedom of the press and Internet access is restricted.

Sunni Islam is the official religion and the International Religious Freedom Report of 2004 says that while non-Muslims in the country are free to practice their religion, "they are subject to criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and deportation if found proselytizing or distributing religious literature to Muslims."

In addition to the expensive lobbyists who have been deployed on Capitol Hill in support of the deal, Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been appearing on cable television to insist that opposition is based on anti-Arab racism. But the media have failed to note that CAIR has strong financial ties to the UAE

(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alarabya; bloggers; dubaiproblems; hastiness; moneylaundering; ports; uae; xenophobes
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To: atlaw

I meant mute as in silence not moot as in having nothing to do with it. I believe in your 2nd para and review and sovereignty. My point was that the law that was posted as a reference was the incorrect law.


21 posted on 02/28/2006 7:08:26 AM PST by edcoil (Reality doesn't say much - doesn't need too)
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To: Stepan12
initial federal approval of the deal sidestepped a legally authorized 45-day investigation.

Fraudulent Democrat Party talking point. Witnesses to the Senate Committee documented it took 90 days to complete the investigation. Doubtlessly the Democrat stooges screaming this lie will point to some aspect of the investigation that took less then 45 days to claim that "proves their point" but the statement is a lie as Witnesses have all ready repeatedly told the US Senate hearing. Just more Leftist propaganda from AIM. You can see it in their accusation that it was "Right wing talk radio and the blogs" when the people PUSHING this Arab Hating story are Chucky Schumer and the Senate Democrat Election Committee. More nonsense propaganda from the Port Deal Hysterics.

22 posted on 02/28/2006 8:12:07 AM PST by MNJohnnie ("Good men don't wait for the polls. They stand on principle and fight."-Soul Seeker)
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To: Stepan12
The law said a 45 day investigation which the deal bypassed.

Fraudulent statement on your part. As the Admin witnesses have documented repeatedly, they spend 90 days investigating the deal. Just another Democrat Talking point lie.

23 posted on 02/28/2006 8:14:17 AM PST by MNJohnnie ("Good men don't wait for the polls. They stand on principle and fight."-Soul Seeker)
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To: atlaw
Only problem of course is their is no transfer of infasture as the Port Deal Hysterics know. Leasing a port terminal is NOT transfer of infrastructure. The local Port Authority still holds title. The leases have to be renewed. More deliberate obfuscation from the Port Deal Hysterics.
24 posted on 02/28/2006 8:16:53 AM PST by MNJohnnie ("Good men don't wait for the polls. They stand on principle and fight."-Soul Seeker)
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To: atlaw

Factually incorrect. Witnesses to the US Senate hearings have all ready documented that they spent 90 days reviewing the deal. The 45 day lie is just a fraudlent talking point being thrown out there by the Democrat Senate Election Comittee. It is a lie.


25 posted on 02/28/2006 8:18:16 AM PST by MNJohnnie ("Good men don't wait for the polls. They stand on principle and fight."-Soul Seeker)
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To: MNJohnnie
The 45 day lie is just a fraudlent talking point being thrown out there by the Democrat Senate Election Comittee. It is a lie.

I guess that explains why Dubai is willing to hold off the deal long enough to have the 45-day investigation in question performed.

You really need to get your facts in better order before accusing someone else of lying.

26 posted on 02/28/2006 8:21:06 AM PST by dirtboy (I'm fat, I sleep most of the winter and I saw my shadow yesterday. Does that make me a groundhog?)
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To: MNJohnnie
Right. No review was even necessary. The CFIUS was just wasting time and eating donuts. Because DP World, of course, didn't actually buy anything tangible from P&O, and consequently DP World won't actually own, control, or manage anything in the US. They only get to put their name on a few terminals. That's it. And DP World paid $6.8 billion to P&O to acquire P&O's worldwide and US naming rights, along with P&O's other intangible, non-possessory, nonexistent assets. It's really kind of like a company buying the right to put its name on a ball park. Nothing more.

Is that about right?
27 posted on 02/28/2006 8:29:59 AM PST by atlaw
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To: MNJohnnie

Oh brother. Read this and stop talking through your hat.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/13968628.htm


28 posted on 02/28/2006 8:33:16 AM PST by atlaw
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To: Stepan12
as the Bush Administration, the Arab/Muslim lobby and their representatives and lobbyists have moved quickly to dominate the media debate.

Man I hate it when they do that. Damn Bush Adminsitration and Arab/Muslim lobby... always getting in te way of MSM factual reporting...

29 posted on 02/28/2006 8:51:39 AM PST by presidio9 ("Bird Flu" is the new Y2K Virus -Only without the inconvenient deadline.)
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To: bobsunshine
Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988

The key word is "competitiveness." The very fact that the UAE company is "state owned" should rule it out from doing business in our country. We are supposed to have free competition in our system, something that cannot exist when governments own businesses. The merging of the roles of government and business is illegitimate in our political and economic system. Free enterprise and competition are seen as necessary to maintain not only our economic freedoms but our political and civil liberties as well. We have absolutely no interest as a free and self-governing people in rewarding and encouraging the business model of this UAE "firm" -- government ownership -- that has more in common with mercantilism than with free market principles.

It seems to me that the lack of discussion of this subject indicates that either our elected officials and media elites do not understand the requirements for maintaining a free and competitive economy as well as our individual freedoms or they have already given up on it. I am beginning to wonder if the brave new globalist world we are being marched toward by our elites will consist of ceding our rights to self-government to autocratic government/corporations and international mega-businesses around the world whose purposes extend only to gaining and maintaining power and to profit and who are not accountable to anyone.

30 posted on 02/28/2006 8:58:44 AM PST by politeia
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To: politeia
Some Information. China (state owned) leases some port terminals in Long Beach, CA and that was approved by Clinton. Second, the other bidder in the P&O deal was PSA. Who is PSA. Sea2Sea has done some extensive research on the subject, so read on. PSA is also State Owned.

What sets DP World apart from other foreign companies controlling terminals at U.S. ports is that DP World is state owned. According to Carroll, the only other state-owned shipping company to have leased a U.S. port terminal is the Singaporean company Neptune Orient Lines.

So who is NOL? According to their website...

The NOL Group was publicly listed in 1981 and is the largest shipping and transportation company on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX). NOL currently has 1,454 million shares on issue and is a component stock of major local indices including the Straits Times Index, DBS 50 and the MSCI Singapore Free Index.

Temasek Holdings - the investment arm of the Singapore Government - is the largest single shareholder with 68%.

Hummmmm... Temasek Holdings. Now there's a familiar name that rings bells. Temasek Holdings owns 100% of the shares in PSA Int'l, per their website. Let's see... 100% of ownership of PSA by "the investment arm of the Singapore Government", who ALSO own controlling interest in a ports operations company already with leases in US ports.

I do believe that this revelation brings us back full circle. What P&O obviously had was a bidding war between two companies - both gov't owned ports operations management businesses. The only apparent difference being that one is Asian (Singapore) owned... but less obviously at a quick glance... and the other overtly, in-your-face Arab (UAE) owned.

http://sea2sea.blogspot.com/2006/02/po-options-only-other-bidder-also-govt.html
31 posted on 02/28/2006 9:53:50 AM PST by bobsunshine
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To: bobsunshine

I appreciate the information you provided but it doesn't speak to the principle that I asserted, that government ownership of business is incompatible with our freedoms and that state owned companies should not be allowed to do business in our country. The fact that two government owned businesses were competing for the contract or that a Chinese government owned company may be doing some business here already doesn't change the principle or the need to address the question. We as a self-governing people must decide whether we will demand observance of our free market principles or not.


32 posted on 02/28/2006 10:21:31 AM PST by politeia
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To: politeia

I understand your concern. I think in the global economy, we will be facing more and more of this same situation.


33 posted on 02/28/2006 11:24:04 AM PST by bobsunshine
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To: bobsunshine
Thank you. I have been trying to find someone who understands these concerns. It is one of those "why aren't we talking about the elephant in the living room" type of issues.

This debate involves an argument over what business model will prevail in our brave new globalist world: a mercantilist merging of business and government or a free market, competitive system that the is the basis of our society's freedoms. We should at least demand observance of our free market economic principles here in our own country and should be advocating these principles to the rest of the world. I don't think that taking this position in defense of our American way of life is too much to ask of our President and Congress.

34 posted on 02/28/2006 11:50:39 AM PST by politeia
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To: Stepan12
This deal bypassed the legal 45 day investigation.

The Exon-Florio amendment that mandated the 45 day investigation refers to foreign purchase of U.S. companies. This is a foreign purchase of a foreign company.

Nobody has been able to explain how the amendment applies to this situation at all, yet that's what all the talking points are hitting.

35 posted on 02/28/2006 11:54:08 AM PST by Not A Snowbird (Official RKBA Landscaper and Arborist, Duchess of Green Leafy Things)
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To: Stepan12
But don't you think a 45 day investigation is required in a transaction of this nature?

What we think isn't relevant. Only the law as written is relevent.

And again, this is not a foreign purchase of a U.S. company.

36 posted on 02/28/2006 11:56:33 AM PST by Not A Snowbird (Official RKBA Landscaper and Arborist, Duchess of Green Leafy Things)
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To: UseYourHead

If Chuckie Schumer knew about this, and waited for the chance to spring, why didn't Bush know, and why did he put his foot in his mouth and say he would veto any attempt to stop something he knew nothing about?


37 posted on 02/28/2006 1:15:19 PM PST by jeremiah (The biggest threat to Americas survival today, meth usage.)
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To: Stepan12
At this point, anyone who tags a "gate" onto any political scandal is a .... (fill in the blank with any bannable derogatory word or phrase)

The use of "gate" has jumped the shark....literally around the same time the Fonz did.

It's childish.  It's old.  It's tedious.  It's a grasping for a turn of the phrase by someone who is incapable of original thought.  People who use it should be ignored for the morons they are.

Don't perpetuate the slack-jawed, drooling incompetence of "gate".

 

38 posted on 02/28/2006 3:00:46 PM PST by Psycho_Bunny
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To: SandyInSeattle
But don't you think a 45 day investigation is required in a transaction of this nature? What we think isn't relevant. Only the law as written is relevent. And again, this is not a foreign purchase of a U.S. company.

No? Mr. Kincaid quotes the law (wherever it is) as thusly:>>>Some of the negative reaction to the deal stems not from racism or Arab-bashing but the fact that initial federal approval of the deal sidestepped a legally authorized 45-day investigation. The law requires such a probe when "the acquirer is controlled by or acting on behalf of a foreign government" and when the acquisition "could result in control of a person engaged in interstate commerce in the U.S. that could affect the national security of the U.S." By reluctantly agreeing to have a 45-day investigation, Dubai Ports World only recognized what the law required<<<<<<<

Sounds like a 45 day investigation of this deal is mandated in my humble view. The company is engaged in interstate commerce in the U.S. and it concerns national security. Cliff Kincaid doesn't say it has to do with it being an american company that is acquired.

39 posted on 02/28/2006 4:07:02 PM PST by Stepan12
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To: Stepan12

Here's where I think it gets squishy... what you quoted is true but there's more to the statute. A literal read of the statute says those conditions apply but only to foreign aquisition of U.S. firms. Not to get into a discussion of "is", but it's simply the difference between AND and OR.

If in fact these conditions apply to foreign aquisition of a foreign firm that would AFFECT the U.S., then it's a badly written law and needs to be clarified. I can understand the interpretive differences that are being bandied about.


40 posted on 02/28/2006 4:11:40 PM PST by Not A Snowbird (Official RKBA Landscaper and Arborist, Duchess of Green Leafy Things)
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