i’m not xenophobic. not at all.
but doesn’t it seem a bit odd to let an arab owned and run company buy and operate american port security systems?
i’m not insinuating that all arabs are terrorists, not at all. but most national security experts believe that the most vulnerable points of entry into the united states are the ports.
and many legitimate arab businesses have links to terrorist organizations.
it just seems odd, kind of like if israel were to ask a palestinian company with links to hamas to provide airport security for the tel aviv international airport.
i don’t know, i’m hesitant to post this, as i don’t want to give the impression that i’m xenophobic. i’m not xenophobic, nor do i have any prejudice against arabs or muslims.
it just seems odd, for both practical and p.r reasons, for the bush administration to approve an arab companies bid to run the security at a bunch of our nations ports.
am i crazy for thinking that this seems odd?
-moby
here’s yesterdays ny times article:
more objections to port takeover by arab entity
washington, feb. 19 — 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?” mr. king said in an interview with the associated press.
he spoke in response to remarks that michael chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, made sunday on the abc program “this week.”
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.
peninsular and oriental steam navigation company, a british shipping company, was bought last week by dubai ports world, which is owned by the united arab emirates. peninsular and oriental operates the cruise ship terminal on the west side of manhattan and has operations in new jersey, baltimore, new orleans, miami and philadelphia.
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.
a miami company, continental stevedoring and terminals, has filed suit in a florida court challenging the deal, saying that under the sale, it would become an “involuntary partner” with dubai’s government.
senator charles e. schumer, democrat of new york, urged president bush on sunday to override the agreement.