So, Three Muslims Walk Into a Port

Human Events Online ^ | 2/22/2006 | Ann Coulter

[eddie2]

So, Three Muslims Walk Into a Port

by Ann Coulter Posted Feb 22, 2006

The idea that the Democrats have any meaningful interest in America's national security is a joke, so I'm perfectly willing to believe there's more to this port story.

But President Bush is going to need a better justification for turning over management of our ports to an Arab country than he's come up with so far -- especially now that Jimmy Carter has said it's a good idea. Judging from his life's work to date, Carter's definition of a good idea is "an idea likely to hurt America and/or help its enemies."

Bush's defense of the port deal is to say that "those who are questioning it" need to "step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company."

First of all, it's not "all of a sudden." The phrase you're searching for, Mr. President, is "ever since the murderous attacks of Sept. 11." The Bush administration's obstinate refusal to profile Middle Easterners has been the one massive gaping hole in national security since the 9/11 attacks -- attacks that received indirect support from the United Arab Emirates.

There are at least 3,000 reasons why a company controlled by a Middle Eastern Muslim emirate should be held to a different standard than a British company. Many of these reasons are now buried under a gaping hole that isn't metaphorical in lower Manhattan.

Even four years after 9/11, I note that we don't hear Tony Blair condemning some cartoons in a Danish newspaper as "a cultural extremism," or saying their publication represents a "dreadful clash of civilizations."

That was U.A.E. Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Mohammed Al Dhaheri's recent comment on the great Danish cartoon caper.

So maybe Bush could defend his port deal without insulting our intelligence by asking why anyone might imagine there's any conceivable difference between a British company and a United Arab Emirates company.

Bush has painted himself into a corner on this issue, and he needs a face-saving compromise to get out of it. Here's my proposal: Let Harriet Miers run the ports.

Isn't it enough that we're already patronizing the savages over the cartoons? Do we have to let them operate our ports, too?

The Bush administration defended Muslims rioting over cartoons, saying, "We certainly understand why Muslims would find these images offensive." Hey, while they're at it, why don't they invite some Muslim leaders with well-known ties to terrorism to the White House for a reception? Oh wait, I forgot ... They did that right after 9/11. Yes, now I see why we must turn over our ports to the United Arab Emirates.

The University of Illinois has suspended editors of the student newspaper, The Daily Illini, for republishing the cartoons -- even though the kiss-ass editors ran a column accompanying the cartoons denouncing them as "bigoted and insensitive."

That was still not enough for Richard Herman, the chancellor of the university, who wrote a letter to the editor saying that he was "saddened" by the publication of the cartoons. You want sad? The University of Illinois' sports teams are known as the "Fighting Illini." Now they're going to have to change it to the "Surrendering Illini."

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly refuses to show the cartoons on "The O'Reilly Factor," saying he doesn't want to offend anyone's religion. Someone should tell him those endless interviews with prostitutes from the Bunny Ranch and porn stars aren't high on Christians' list of enjoyable viewing either. (How about adding Prophet Muhammad cartoon T-shirts and fleece tops to his vast collection of "Factor gear"? Isn't Father's Day right around the corner? I'd buy those.)

Needless to say, the Treason Times won't show the cartoons that have incited mass rioting around the globe. At least The New York Times has a good excuse: It's too busy printing national security secrets that will get Americans killed. Its pages are already brimming with classified information about our techniques for spying on terrorists here in America -- no room for newsworthy cartoons! The Pentagon Papers and a top-secret surveillance program are one thing; cartoons that irritate Muslims are quite another.

Two days after the Times editorial page justified its decision not to reprint the cartoons as "a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols, especially since the cartoons are so easy to describe in words," the Times ran a photo of the Virgin Mary covered in cutouts from pornographic magazines and cow dung -- which I seem to have just described using a handful of common words! Gee, that was easy!

Taking to heart the lesson that violence works, I hereby announce to the world: I am offended by hotel windows that don't open, pilots chattering when the passengers are trying to sleep, and Garfield cartoons. Next time my sleep is disturbed by gibberish about our altitude over Kansas, the National Pilots Emirate embassy is going down. And mark my words: One minute after "Garfield II" goes into pre-production, some heads are gonna roll. Oh -- and I'll take the San Diego port, please.

[nopardons]

There is no port in Mecca.

Mecca is NOT located in UAE.

If you neither know nor understand a topic, your opinion is worthless.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"We are fighting for a lost cause if we believe we can allow Islam to stand side by side, on an equal footing, with democracy. It can't be done."

Well then by your logic we are doomed unless we subjugate the entire Islamic world to our religion and way of life. We can't just ignore them so our only option is to enslave the Muslims and take away their religious freedom and self determination. Do you think that's what America is all about? Shoot if we start trying to do that I am going to bolt and start burning the American flag.

[farmer18th]

Well then by your logic we are doomed unless we subjugate the entire Islamic world to our religion and way of life.

Anne Coulter had it right. Welcome to the last 1400 years of western history--defeat Islam or be enslaved by it. Ever heard of the Turks getting to the gates of Vienna and almost rolling us back into the 7th century??

There were no Muslims at the Constitutional Convention, nor are there any Christian worship services in Saudi Arabia. Ponder that for a moment.

[MissouriConservative]

"Although that Carter endorsement is truly and genuinely disturbing me very much."

Two things.....lol

First - a blind squirrel can find an acorn now and then.

Second - Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Proud Conservative2]

"It's not a laughing matter. It is serious. We have to live in this world with these billions of Muslims so that both they and us can have the way of life we want. "


I agree, it is not a laughing matter. I don't see how we can BOTH have what we want. They believe in a religion that says they should convert us or kill us....I'm sorry, but the longer we put up with them, the stronger foothold and the more brazen they become(IMHO)

[BubbaTheRocketScientist]

We have to live in this world with these billions of Muslims so that both they and us can have the way of life we want.

The way of life they want is with us dead. Period. Go look up the term dhimmi, read a bit of the Koran, or just listen to what Arab leaders tell their own people (not what they are saying to us, because the stories are different!).

We must fight the terrorists tooth and nail

Agreed.
but I am not up for taking on the entire Muslim world.

At some point it will come to that.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"At some point it will come to that."

This whole thing is about NEVER getting to that point! That's why Bush is handling this in the best way possible.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"They are an ally, an enemy of our enemy; they are not a friend,"

They are our friends and offered us 100 million dollars in aid for Katrina. Wise up!

[Houmatt]

This lady rocks my world.

I think I am gonna propose.

[subterfuge]

This is the second time she has pissed me off.

Well thats it for her then.

She's not much more than a nag and a scold now. She should bump heads with Maureen Dowd. She has nothing to offer but sarcasm and insults.

Ha ha ha! And exactly what did you just do with this post, troll? Why, you seem to merely be offering insults.

[subterfuge]

I'm starting a company and I want to run the port in Mecca. Will the Arabs object to this? If we can't have a business in Mecca, then they shouldn't have one in our ports. Treat them like they treat us.

Sounds logical, but actually, many of the "Arab" countries have entire U.S. Military bases in them, as you may know.

[BubbaTheRocketScientist]

This whole thing is about NEVER getting to that point! That's why Bush is handling this in the best way possible.

Based on history, I'd have to strongly disagree. The Muslim world has been been making war on non-Muslims for the better part of a thousand years. The Crusades, the Battle of Tours, Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Pirates, Black Jack Pershing in the Philippines.

The only reason this issue is prominent here and now, much more than in the past, is because of the globalization of commerce in the last one hundred years which brings more of them to our shores, worldwide demand for petroleum which has allowed them to become wealthy without developing free market economies, and nuclear weapons which would allow them to destroy our cities without having to first fight their way though our Army.

[Frank_Discussion]

It was sarcasm. I should have tagged it.

[jwh_Denver]

It was sarcasm.

I know that. It's just that I'm so tired of seeing it posted. People have been posting that for months now. It's gotten old, real old.