Posts In Time

My major point of contention in this deal is not that the company is UAE owned but that it is NOT USA owned.

A private company in Britain has managed major ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. Now, a UAE-owned company called Dubai Ports World is buying the London Company, which will put Dubai Ports World in charge of the U.S. ports. I wrote about the effort to repeal the Jones Act (Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 requiring that all cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried in ships which are U.S.-owned, -built and -crewed) in the 90’s. What I believed then still holds true for me today. We need to stop the outsourcing of our country to the highest bidder.

We are not considering who gives us tech help, who made the shirt we wear; we are discussing a major method of transportation of goods, services, and military supplies for our country. There is an inherent danger in this decision. Call me an alarmist if you wish, but, control of our ports is essential to our economy, security, and military capabilities. Our ports are vital to our economy and to the international economy. That makes them top terrorist targets. We do not outsource military and law enforcement operations and duties. Why hand our port operations over.

As far as the UAE and Dubai go, I do not know much about their country. Dubai is the second largest emirate and commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates. The capital of UAE is Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate; the other members of the federation in addition to Abu Dhabi and Dubai are Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Known until 1971 as the Trucial States, each of which had separate treaty relationships with Britain, the seven emirates came together to establish a federal state officially entitled Dawlat al Imarat al Arabiyya al Muttahida (State of the United Arab Emirates). Each of the component emirates of the Federation already had its own existing institutions of government and to provide for the effective governing of the new state, the Rulers agreed to draw up a provisional Constitution specifying those powers which we re to be allocated to new federal institutions, all others remaining the prerogative of the individual emirates. The new federal system of government included a Supreme Council, a Cabinet or Council of Ministers, a parliamentary body, the Federal National Council and an independent judiciary, at the peak of which is the Federal Supreme Court.

Here are a couple of pictures from The Dubai International Convention Center web site. I can not come to know a people by looking at pictures and web sites but it is a start to understanding.

If only I could recreate in such a place
Here is a flash presentation with a map from the site.

The DP World team is set to explain that the P&O business controls only the leases of container terminals at the ports. It says security at the ports is mainly the responsibility of outside bodies, including the US Coast Guard. News FT.com

All Arabs are not terrorists. All American’s are not like Timothy McVeigh. Regardless, it is not in our countries best interests, to allow our ports operations be handled by a foreign country. It is a legal failure that needs to be dealt with.

From the mpeachinator on Smell Test states:

If this administration gets away with warrantless spying then we’ve given up the freedom and liberty we say we are trying to spread throughout the world. We’ve already lost the war on terror if we give up these ideals.

1. warrantless spying
2. spreading our ideals around the world
3. war on terror

If you have read some of my blog I am sure you know that I am against standing by while the government nibbles away at the rights of American citizens. First I have to ask myself, when is it OK for my government to spy on anyone.

“Congress gave me the authority to use necessary force to protect the American people, but it didn’t prescribe the tactics,” Bush said, adding that the government needs to know why people linked to al Qaida are calling into the U.S. “One of the ways to protect the American people is to understand the intentions of the enemy.”

Yes, the government has the responsibility of protecting its citizens. They do not need to bypass the normal procedure of getting a warrant. Even if a warrant is received after the fact, we at least know the government values and holds true to our system of checks and balances. By going around the normal procedures we are all at risk of being spied on and put on some watch list.

Bush’s rhetoric is very selective and insincere. A superpower must be perceived as truly granting liberty and freedom to be trusted as a transmitter of them. Even the vote in Iraq did not convince the world that the United States supports the principles of freedom and liberty rather over that of neo-imperialism. Spreading democracy requires allies, particularly among the targets of one’s consideration.

How is terrorism defined and can a country war against it? If terrorism is defined as actions outside the bounds of conventional warfare can it be fought against using conventional tactics. If the term is defined to mean that the violence of an enemy is random, immoral, wanton, and unjustified and to justify violent reprisals we have scenerio where violence begets violence. What changes a National social consciousness from racism to racial equality, approving Bush’s tax programs to disapproving them, or from favoring war in Iraq to being against it. We need an answer. The future of the human race may depend on a radical change in political and social consciousness. Social conscious must force the American political conscience to uphold the fundamental concepts set forth in this countrys CONSTITUTION and BILL OF RIGHTS. The Separation of Powers were written in for a reason!

A story with a moral:

A guy has a dog that only barks, a lot. So he got tired of hearing it bark and decided to take it to the vet. After the doctor checked the dog, he told the owner: listen, this dog is deaf, blind and can’t smell! The dog owner asked: then why is it barking all the time? The Doctor answered: because it is the only way remaining to persevere his identity! from Sabbah’s blog.