Posted on 03/10/2006 10:28:49 AM PST by RWR8189
PROTECTIONISTS, REJOICE! The dastardly United Arab Emirates company that would have presumed to unload containers of underwear and toothpaste on U.S. soil has backed down, and it will now divest its U.S. port interests to an American entity. Rest assured, the nation is now safe from dangerous Middle Eastern accountants and port logistics specialists.
Dubai Ports World did what was necessary, if not necessarily fair, on Thursday by agreeing to give up the U.S. operations of its newly acquired British ports company. The House Appropriations Committee had voted 62 to 2 on Wednesday to block the deal; a similar bill was pending in the Senate.
Although President Bush rightly stood by the acquisition and vowed to veto any bill that stood in its way, he was fighting a losing battle that only deepened a growing rift in the Republican Party. Dubai Ports World officials wisely recognized that they had to put some distance between themselves and their new U.S. assets. The company probably will sell its U.S. assets or create a U.S. company with a separate board to run them.
Much as we wish it would go away, the fight may not be over yet.
For one, the terms of the divestiture remain unclear, and some members of Congress are demanding more details. Will it be enough for Dubai Ports World to create a U.S. subsidiary? Will it have to open headquarters in the United States? Pay its employees in dollars?
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Well our citizens outnumber UAE citizens 394 to 1. Their total population is less than 1/14 the population of NY. We can just let them land in NY. NY would never know the difference and you would have a hard time finding one to get you. Or we could limit them 1 to a town.
You misundersand me.
I just haven't "met" you in any other discussions here on FR that I'm aware of, and was trying to get a measure of who you are, so to speak.
It sounds like you probably didn't disagree with the folks who were spreading the baseless fears? Unless I misunderstand you.
Have a good one.
I know what you are saying, I really do. God knows I'll be in a permanent state of indigestion if McCain wins the primary.
But I won't willingly or by default help a RAT get into office.
From what I understand you could just take away all their golf clubs and that would give them all heart attacks. :)
But will you willingly vote for an R who will just support the Ds?
I won't vote for an R this fall -- unless they opposed Schumer and Hilly's anti-ports agenda.
Ditto, as you well know.
I trust Frank Gaffney, Congressman King, Curt Weldon, and Duncan Hunter etc. on this. They are the Gold Standard on Defense and Security issues.
You have to go with who you can trust. We conservatives know we can trust them.
And the Administration only made its own credibility worse throughout the debacle... Even an 'in the tank' supporter Bill O'Reilly couldn't help commenting that the Administration's "claims they knew nothing about the deal didn't pass the smell test. And even if true, you don't say you didn't know. You just don't say that. It looks bad. It makes you look incompetent."
For your consideration, A 45 ft sailboat entering NY harbour from anywhere could easily contain some looney muslims and a nuke....for detonation in mid-river. If you are familiar with the harbour...big sailboats come and go freely.
No....The masses and most here on FR followed Schumer and his media supporters on the "security" non-issue like lemmings.
There will be huge economic penalties for the U.S. and no security gain. Boeing stands to alone lose billions in lost dreamliner sales....and there are others that the dems didn't think about.
You don't see many of them crowing now on the media about how smart they were. They damn well know what huge economic harm their self serving politics will do....but its too late.
Then explain with the Pentagon is comfortable docking Navy ships at Dubai.
An "infidel" is an unbeliever concerning central tenets of a religion, often used in a pejorative sense to describe those who explicitly deny them (especially regarding asserted aspects of a religion's deities). More generally, an infidel is one who doubts or rejects a particular (usually heirarchical) doctrine, system, or principle
Can't figure out who's hated and not hated. Is it the Christians or the Muslims that are going to kill all the infidels. It would appear both are bigots.
Then explain why the Pentagon is comfortable docking Navy ships at Dubai.
Likewise.
It seems that you decision is based on fear and emotion rather than fact. Knee jerk reactions and the decisions based on them are wrong.
Your first post intrigues me.
"Yeah, call those who oppose this protectionists. And I would call those who support the deal anti-semites. Fair enough."
Seems you equate this deal with Israel for some reason. But the people who support this deal are anti-semites? I am an anti-semite? The head of Israel's largest shipping company is an anti-semite? Seems to me that a lot of people throw that term around just for the effect, like it will add weight to their argument. Interesting indeed.
Your next comment is just as interesting.
"They were bigots first."
So if someone is a bigot towards us, that gives us a right to be bigots back? I always thought two wrongs don't make a right, or am I wrong? The "they did it first" argument is pure emotion, and not a good way to make any decisions.
And the comment that I posted to....
"I have looked around. How many countries in the ME support Israel or even their right to exist?"
We do business on a daily basis with countries who do not support Israel, so are you saying that we should not do business with these countries? I seem to recall Israel doing business with China, who does business with Iran, who recently called for the utter destruction of Israel...what does that make the Israelis? Suicidal?
Business is business, politics is crap. Looking at this deal logically, I see a country that is an ally in the WOT. I see a country that is going in the direction that we like, away from radical Islam, even going so far as to root out radicals from the educational establishment. They are becoming a modern economy. They are building on tourism and commerce. Now why would they embrace radical islam when their economy would fall if they did? Another piece of logic states that the port security does not change hands...the US Coast Guard as well as US Customs will still be in charge as well as the same American longshoremen will be offloading the freight. The only thing that changes will be who writes and signs the paychecks.
Do me a favor and take a look at the board of directors of DWP...seems more Americans/westerners are on the board than arabs. Logic should reign.
Which Christians have said we should kill the infidels? Billy Graham? I must have missed it.
So what that if Lockheed Martin is not yet owned by a foreign company? For all I know, on Monday one of them could make a bid, and then the same situation will appear. Luckily, on further consideration the oversights can be corrected, like this port deal has been. As I see it, the question is whether the ports in question are strategic enough to deny OAE ownership, or not. If yes, then the congressional reaction is absolutely correct.
Congratulations, Dominic. Slam dunk here. All the logic is on your side. That's why when you confront them with sheer logic (as you have intelligently done here), they fold.
Foodfight round 4. This is the cage match that will determine whether the Racists, Bigots, and Islamophobes can hold off the Appeasers, Sellouts, and Islamophiles!
:-D
Those are just jokes . . . he says.
I apologize but I am just too tired of arguing this to read your entire post right now. I will read it later and answer to the best of my ability.
You seem really determined to keep the arguments going. I thought the deal was off (at least for now) so what is the point?
Be very careful of the words you choose to condemn others, especially when they reflect your own weaknesses.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.