Comments on: This Whole Port Thing… http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/ Refunds Cheerfully Given To All Who Disagree Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:29:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » More On - What Else? - Ports http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-13244 Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » More On - What Else? - Ports Fri, 24 Feb 2006 21:38:10 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/#comment-13244 [...] In other words, the White House’s “admission” that President Bush was unaware that Dubai Ports World, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, had purchased Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., a company based in Britain — and thereby obtained management control of the business operations of six U.S. ports — strikes us as completely unnecessary. Why should the president know? Twelve government departments and agencies, including the departments of Treasury, State, Defense and Homeland Security, had examined the deal over a three-month period and found it acceptable. Perhaps the White House should have anticipated this week’s political storm and prepared for it. But because the objections are irrational, even that complaint is questionable. On the other side of the coin, Rick Moran is upset about the tone of the deal’s supporters: I don’t like waking up in the morning and discovering that I’m an “Islamaphobe” or “Un-American” for calling the Administration a bunch of rabbit heads for the way they’ve managed the unveiling of this idiocy. To tell you the truth, I resent it. It bespeaks a certain kind of intellectual laziness when the best one can do to counter an argument is to indulge in an orgy of name calling and finger pointing. Better to have the facts at one’s disposal and try and counter an opponent’s argument in a logical and rational manner. Well, agreed…and for the record, I DID state (and do believe) that there is some racism involved in SOME of the opposition to the port deal. I certainly hope I never implied that that was the case for everyone’s opposition…there are principled arguments that can be made on both sides of the issue. [...] [...] In other words, the White House’s “admission” that President Bush was unaware that Dubai Ports World, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, had purchased Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., a company based in Britain — and thereby obtained management control of the business operations of six U.S. ports — strikes us as completely unnecessary. Why should the president know? Twelve government departments and agencies, including the departments of Treasury, State, Defense and Homeland Security, had examined the deal over a three-month period and found it acceptable. Perhaps the White House should have anticipated this week’s political storm and prepared for it. But because the objections are irrational, even that complaint is questionable. On the other side of the coin, Rick Moran is upset about the tone of the deal’s supporters: I don’t like waking up in the morning and discovering that I’m an “Islamaphobe” or “Un-American” for calling the Administration a bunch of rabbit heads for the way they’ve managed the unveiling of this idiocy. To tell you the truth, I resent it. It bespeaks a certain kind of intellectual laziness when the best one can do to counter an argument is to indulge in an orgy of name calling and finger pointing. Better to have the facts at one’s disposal and try and counter an opponent’s argument in a logical and rational manner. Well, agreed…and for the record, I DID state (and do believe) that there is some racism involved in SOME of the opposition to the port deal. I certainly hope I never implied that that was the case for everyone’s opposition…there are principled arguments that can be made on both sides of the issue. [...]

]]> By: peter http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-13129 peter Wed, 22 Feb 2006 14:48:32 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/#comment-13129 Regarding out-sourcing: I think that one could question why a British company handled it before -- isn't there an American company with the expertise to do this? Perhaps not -- but if so, other things being equal, shouldn't a US company get an infrastructure contract? Re the UAE: while we might be comfortable with a British company running things, we sure wouldn't let an Iranian or Libyan compay do it -- the UAE is somewhere in between the two extremes -- as this is a judgment call, probably better to err on the side of caution -- Regarding out-sourcing: I think that one could question why a British company handled it before — isn’t there an American company with the expertise to do this? Perhaps not — but if so, other things being equal, shouldn’t a US company get an infrastructure contract?

Re the UAE: while we might be comfortable with a British company running things, we sure wouldn’t let an Iranian or Libyan compay do it — the UAE is somewhere in between the two extremes — as this is a judgment call, probably better to err on the side of caution –

]]> By: All Things Beautiful http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-13126 All Things Beautiful Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:07:20 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/#comment-13126 <strong>The Sum Of All Fears</strong> Rescind Mr. President. Faith is a misplaced emotion in the long war on terror, and the assurance that U.S. ports will be secure when they are managed by a firm owned by a government in one of the most volatile parts of the world, is worthless. The Sum Of All Fears

Rescind Mr. President. Faith is a misplaced emotion in the long war on terror, and the assurance that U.S. ports will be secure when they are managed by a firm owned by a government in one of the most volatile parts of the world, is worthless.

]]> By: AJStrata http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-13122 AJStrata Wed, 22 Feb 2006 05:01:19 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/#comment-13122 You should be Mark, It's what you do best and what we all admire about you my friend. BTW - I haven't lost yet! You should be Mark,

It’s what you do best and what we all admire about you my friend.

BTW – I haven’t lost yet!

]]> By: Mark http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-13117 Mark Wed, 22 Feb 2006 03:57:32 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/#comment-13117 The second objection, I think, is a red herring - a British company was handling it before, and no one raised a stink then...as to the UAE being a source of terrorist funding, well, that may be, but the ports' security will not be handled by the Dubai-based company, and here's a quote from a man who should know (same link as the post above): <em>"This whole notion that Dubai is going to control or set standards for U.S. ports is a canard," said Kim Petersen, head of SeaSecure, a U.S.-based maritime security company, and executive director of the Maritime Security Council, which represents 70 percent of the world's ocean shipping.</em> The second objection, I think, is a red herring – a British company was handling it before, and no one raised a stink then…as to the UAE being a source of terrorist funding, well, that may be, but the ports’ security will not be handled by the Dubai-based company, and here’s a quote from a man who should know (same link as the post above):

“This whole notion that Dubai is going to control or set standards for U.S. ports is a canard,” said Kim Petersen, head of SeaSecure, a U.S.-based maritime security company, and executive director of the Maritime Security Council, which represents 70 percent of the world’s ocean shipping.

]]> By: peter http://informedspeculation.com/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-13116 peter Wed, 22 Feb 2006 03:44:35 +0000 http://decision08.net/2006/02/21/this-whole-port-thing/#comment-13116 The objection is that there is a history of terrorist funding from the UAE, and presumably their involvement is susceptible to infiltration. One could certainly imagine people with terrorist leanings seeking these jobs and bringing their friends. Morover, one wonders why it has to be out-sourced -- there aren't any American companies capable of doing the job? The objection is that there is a history of terrorist funding from the UAE, and presumably their involvement is susceptible to infiltration. One could certainly imagine people with terrorist leanings seeking these jobs and bringing their friends.

Morover, one wonders why it has to be out-sourced — there aren’t any American companies capable of doing the job?

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