Conditions set by the federal government for approving an Arab company’s takeover of operations at six major American ports are not enough to guard against terrorist infiltration, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday.
“I’m aware of the conditions, and they relate entirely to how the company carries out its procedures, but it doesn’t go to who they hire, or how they hire people,” said the chairman, Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York. Mr. King said senior administration officials had shared details of the sale with him.
“They’re better than nothing, but to me they don’t address the underlying conditions, which is, how are they going to guard against things like infiltration by Al Qaeda or someone else? How are they going to guard against corruption?”
Guard against corruption? On the waterfront? Let me go get my rubber boots.
When I was a traffic manager exporting through New York City, we had to give every driver a $100 bill just to get in the gates at the pier. Probably the only thing that’s changed since then is the size of the bribe.
Mr. Chertoff defended the security review of Dubai Ports World, the company given permission to take over the port operations, but declined to discuss specifics, saying that information was classified.
“We make sure there are assurances in place, in general, sufficient to satisfy us that the deal is appropriate from a national security standpoint,” Mr. Chertoff said.
Well, we know what that means, too. Dick Cheney’s “blind” trust is sufficiently invested in the corporation.
Critics of the deal have cited the United Arab Emirates’ history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Of course they’re not up to the scale of Saudi nationals and companies. See any rush to keep Saudi princes and kings out of the Oval Office?
How much should I bet that the BFEE (Bush Family Evil Empire) has an account on the Dubai end of this deal?
I should add… I was never asked for a bribe in the Port of Dubai. It was a bit bureaucratic but I encountered no hint of corruption. I have lots of friends who have shipped stuff in and have heard not stories of bribes from them, either.
So, maybe having a Dubai company run the ports would be a security IMPROVEMENT! 😉
Bribe-taking creates a HUGE vulnerability to terrorism. No matter how many billions you invest in security, it’s worthless when a hundred dollar bill gets someone in the back door.
So, instead of worrying about Arab managers, congress and FOX should worry about the corrupt white guys who crawl around these ports.
I think the negitive reaction has two reasons.
First because of Arab discrimination. Those dang Arabbs killed 3000 good Americans flying into the World Trade Center. Those dang Arabbs are ripping us off with all that oil. Those dang Arabbs are all suicide bombers.
Second because this is outsourcing of American jobs. We should not be giving those dang Arabbs jobs that good Americans can do.
I don’t think many people realize that this Dubai company bought the foreign company running the ports NOW. Yup, P & O is British and they have been running these ports for several years now. Only the top ownership will change. The management, supervisors, and employees will remain the same; be they good or bad.
Fox and other won’t investigate the port corruption because the need stuff shipped out of them. The Dubia corruption usually is higher up and cost more, if there is any. They may have cleaned up in the past 2 decades but it was not uncommon to bribe Arabs years ago.
I do laugh at everyone making a big deal out of this. Let drugs, guns, people and God know what else are already coming into this country.
“Second because this is outsourcing of American jobs. We should not be giving those dang Arabbs jobs that good Americans can do.”
WTF Mr. Fusion how is this outsoursing? This is upper management. The dock workers will mostly likely be american or mexican. Also maybe they will straighten up the dock corruption we have now.
Mr. Fusion makes a great point. How will this tempest in a teacup play around the world? Let’s see.
The firm was owned by Brits and no one raised a peep. Even though, for example, Reid — the show bomber — was from the UK.
Now, the firm is going to be owned by Arabs — and the sky is falling.
Jet fire
“Second because this is outsourcing of American jobs. We should not be giving those dang Arabbs jobs that good Americans can do.”
WTF Mr. Fusion how is this outsoursing? This is upper management. The dock workers will mostly likely be american or mexican. Also maybe they will straighten up the dock corruption we have now.
The first sentence is the genesis of my point. The second sentence is sarcasm at the knee jerk reaction. If you read the very last two sentences you would see I said exactly that.
Only the top ownership will change. The management, supervisors, and employees will remain the same; be they good or bad.
Did I mention, great pic, fantastic movie.
after the septeber 11 the only two planes that were in the air was bush and osama and his family this whole saddam thing is just a smokescreen over osama think about it