Posted on 02/22/2006 7:49:10 PM PST by eddie2
I have a couple of different issues with allowing the UAE to take control of any American port not just the fact this deal represents six major US ports.
First, the UAE is a Muslim country. Terrorism against America is being funded and fought by Muslims. The 'conservative' or 'quiet' Muslims are not united in criticizing terrorism, they are simply not voicing any public opinion which tends to make me think they are just educated radicals waiting for the right moment to strike.
Second, having fought in a combat zone I know how American troops react to a few weeks of peace and quiet. They tend to get sloppy in regards to maintaining a high alertness. I'm going to the head or to the showers and I can leave my unloaded rifle here. Where three weeks earlier we would have had 24/7 a fully loaded magazine in locked in, safety on, within arms reach. If you went to another tent across the walk you took it with you but now because of a few nights quiet sleep it is ok to leave it behind and unloaded when you are going 300 feet away. That sloppy attitude last only until the next attack.
Civilians have no idea what I am talking about. If you think that civilian security guards give me any sense of security, you are way off base. They are looking at the girls walking by and doing the absolute minimum to keep their jobs. The are like a police force. They react after the incident occurred instead of maintaining high alertness and preventing the situation from every getting a foothold.
To think that UAE Muslim executives are going to have the same sense of pride and patriotism that I do towards America is simply horsemanure. They will view port security as an overhead cost that should be reduced because it impedes freight movement. The slower freight moves into and out of the port has one effect and one effect only in their eyes, lower profits. Reduce the time spent examining trucks, CONEX boxes, personnel background files and the profits multiply. Hurray!
Reducing the number of personnel doing security work and most certainly reduce the necessary qualifications for security personnel because all of these things which cost money will be their goals. Cut down the overhead costs will be a continual rant of the CFO's and lower executive managers. Let's increase annual bonuses by cutting overhead costs 10%. On and on.
I'm sorry but you can talk until you are blue in the face and you will never convince me that a foreigner, especially a Muslim is going to protect America to my standards. I want an America that is safe from terrorist attacks and it sure would be nice if the President thought the same way.
89 posted on 02/20/2006 8:15:10 AM PST by B4Ranch
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1576547/posts?page=89#89
SAFETY AND SECURITY: Americans in the United Arab Emirates should exercise a high level of security awareness. The Department of State remains concerned about the possibility of terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world. Americans should maintain a low profile, vary routes and times for all required travel, and treat mail and packages from unfamiliar sources with caution. In addition, U.S. citizens are urged to avoid contact with any suspicious, unfamiliar objects, and to report the presence of the objects to local authorities. Vehicles should not be left unattended, if at all possible, and should be kept locked at all times. U.S. Government personnel overseas have been advised to take the same precautions. In addition, U.S. Government facilities may temporarily close or suspend public services from time to time as necessary to review their security posture and ensure its adequacy.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1583729/posts?page=74#74
- TLP
But he is still just a human being...I do believe he is a good man, but this is a very complicated matter.
We are not at war with another state...and not even with an ideology. We are at war with a religion (and only with the devout side of it).
GW is a good man (of that I am confident)...but he is blind to the snake-like qualities of this sect. I do not blame the muslims, but I do blame the cult by which they are imprisoned. Bush thinks it is a religion and deserves some space. He is wrong (IMHO). It is a religion alright...but a Satanic one...and it deserves our fear and trepidation.
Case closed. Good night.
Well a port going up in smoke and flames because of poor security will certainly reduce profits won't it. For this reason they will have every incentive to see to it that the ports are secure. The profit motive is good not bad. They run ports in other countries too and if one thing goes wrong because of terrorism their entire multi-billion dollar company will collapse. I happen to believe that they love profit so much that they will do everything they can to make sure the ports are run safely and securely.
Look at the date in which she stated that quote. What exactly were you saying two days after 9-11? Personally, I wanted to kill them all, not just the leaders. (The fact that I still feel that way is not really germaine to this conversation) :-o
I intuitively thought it was a bad idea, and when Jimmy Carter endorsed it, I knew it was a terrible idea.
Southerners are a fine bunch (maybe too fine)...I spent my career in NYC. I am a Southerner tried and true. But I ain't quite as fine as some of my family and friends...I am close to the Yankee mindset and know its errors too.
Wahhabism is our enemy. It will eat us alive if we don't kill it. The Prez is walking a fine line. He is listening to his faith and the voice of his friends in islam. Islam (IMHO) is a demonic lie! I really don't know if the President knows that!
Their state of mind and character is definitely all our fault.
Perhaps you can point to where I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that port security is now and will remain in the hands of the Coast Guard.
I understand your concerns and agree that in theory they are valid. I don't, though, see how many of your concerns are eased by a British company owning the ports versus a Muslim country, particularly considering the fact that Muslims have so thoroughly infiltrated Britain.
Of our Middle Eastern allies (excluding Israel), the UAE has been one of the better ones in the WOT. The UAE is trying very hard to make Dubai a major tourist spot ... if they're assisting in cutting off the heads of infidels it works against them.
Besides, as I said, our ports are not safe as it stands, and this won't change that, but unless there is some critical part of this deal that I haven't seen, this doesn't make it worse.
If we are going to fight this war effectively, we're going to need allies in the ME. Tying their pocketbooks to our safety is a good incentive, IMO.
I'm going to read your links now. Maybe that'll change my mind.
I agree with you and believe profits are a strong, driving force. Although that Carter endorsement is truly and genuinely disturbing me very much.
Has she recanted? Changed her mind? Apologized?
If Bush or any of his people would say something like Ann Coulter said, then I would not blame the Muslims for hating our guts.
Exactly!! This is just common sense.
Who cares what Carter thinks? He's an idiot. Tommy Franks says he trust the UAE. And he's no idiot.
"Has she recanted? Changed her mind? Apologized?"
Maybe she has, maybe she hasn't. I really don't care and will admit that I don't agree with a lot of things she comes up with. However, I maintain that none of us have to apologize for anything that was said in the days following the attack.
"Hey Dude...don't jerk your knee like that."
I guess it could have been a knee-jerk, but I get so tired of conservatives being called Nazis. I know it was not intended to insult, but Nazi imagery is typically a PR no-no.
Goody for me then. You won't blame me for hating muslims for striving in the ugliest ways possible to make the world population be muslim or be dead.
She didn't say that at all, which is probably why you didn't hear it. She wrote: "attacks that received indirect support from the United Arab Emirates."
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