It isn't racist to be upset that a UAE company is running our ports

[dsc]

but we can't be saying the Arabs are running the ports. The problem isn't that these people are Arabs, it is that this particular country gave us two of the hijackers, funds mandrasas, and suicide bombers. If there is an enemy in this war, this is it. This is like letting Germany run our ports during WW2. Don't let them back us off with false charges of racism. We also need to not give them an opening by saying Arab this or Arab that.

[DS1]

1. Yes, I was thinking the same thing

but after all the saber-rattling and fear-mongering it's not up to the neocons to explain to the ignorant masses why some Arabs good, some Arabs bad.

Painted themselves into a box.

[NanceGreggs]

2. I know what you're saying ...

... but in THIS case, let them say 'Arab this and Arab that' all they want.

THEY are the ones who instilled a total distrust in their own supporters of ANY Arabs - and THAT's the mindset that's coming back to bite them in the ass.

They've SET THE TRAP that they are now going to have to chew their own legs off to escape ....

[spindrifter]

3. I have a problem with one of the items

in the list...madrassas are schools. In Pakistan, the madrassas are pretty much the only way a kid will learn to read and write, and for some of them, it is also a way to eat, as the schools feed them. The thing we should stick to is that it is unconscionable and irresponsible to outsource port operations for security and trade reasons.

[dsc]

10. they are school of hate

teaching people to kill Jews. Sorry, no dice. They could easily fund school which didn't teach that stuff.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. And that's why they were on the list in the OP

madrasses in and of themselves don't have to teach hate, but the ones UAE funds do. I think this was the point that was trying to be made.

BTW, not all Islamic schools teach hate. The school run by my Sufi Order in India doesn't, because the keynote of our order is tolerance for all faiths. They teach widows a trade so they can support themselves as well as teaching children.

[AlamoDemoc]

4. you wrote;

"The problem isn't that these people are Arabs, it is that this particular country gave us two of the hijackers, funds mandrasas, and suicide bombers."

do you have any concrete evidence or a link that can say or back-up on your thinking with regard to UAE?

[dsc]

8. there is plenty of evidence

Farenheit 9/11 mentions the two hijackers to site one example for that. Both the mandrasas and the bombers have been reported in several places.

[AlamoDemoc]

21. There is no evidence UAE had anything to do with 911..period

[dsc]

23. 2 of their citizens surely did

and that is what I wrote.

[AlamoDemoc]

25. What you wrote was no evidence

of men holding UAE's passports

The 9/11 commission report never identified any UAE passport holder or citizen of Abu Dubai...even our government can't identify who was the total of the 19 so called participants of 9/11 of where they were from. As you may aware, UAE is seven Arab gulf nations...yet many like yourself purport that the so called 9/11 nineteen were from UAE...in fact many of the so called 19, are not determined even if they ever existed and that the FBI now realizes their passports were used by others who were involved in 9/11, hence, would explain that why many of them are still living and working in the ME.

[shance]

5. So in other words the Administration is running those companies that are

"running" the ports?

It does look that way.

[mzmolly]

6. Exactly! This is about Bush's statements to the effect:

"We will not distinguish between those that harbor terrorists and the terrorists themselves." Thush, by BUSH'S OWN standard he's putting terrorists in charge of "securing" our ports.

However, WE must be careful how we address this. I don't think the issue should he with "Arabs" but with "foreign interests who may sympathize with terrorist sentiments."

I agree with the WW2 analogy and we could toss in a Russian/cold war metaphor to boot.

[elehhhhna]

7. CNN's been pushing this line HARD. I think Karen wrote it...

Karl's not that stoopid and she thinks she's Miss PR BridgeBuilder Number One Diplomat for World Peace

[Timefortruth]

9. Not in the least.

But the claim will be great spin, another hight tech lynching so to speak.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. I agree

the thing that we need to stress is the NATION that is running the ports, and what that nation has done to help the terrorists. Think, people! If this were back in the Cold War and, say, East Germany was guarding our ports, we wouldn't be talking about the fact that Germans were doing it, but that their nation supported Communism.

[Metta]

12. Doesn't the UAE actively support Al Qaida?

I think I saw this in another post here. Plus, wherever the Carlisle group is involved, I'm suspicious that altruistic motives are absent.

[shance]

16. And the bigger question is who supports/funds Al Quaida?

Some call AlQuaida, Al CIA da.

[Timefortruth]

17. Al Qaida isn't all bad, they have a generous vacation policy

it's just bigoted to say they are all the same.

[CJCRANE]

13. It's important to rub this in the freepers' faces

to push them into total disconnect mode until they just can't handle the absurdity of Bushco's talking points.

[liberal43110]

14. Even more...

The issue isn't just UAE's sketchy history. The issue is this: it's insane to put national security in ANY company owned by ANY foreign government. The UK is arguably our closest friend. It would still be wrong to put national security interests in the hands of a British company.

[dsc]

19. actually whoever runs airport security in Israel

would be great to be in charge of it here.

[Boomer]

15. Outsourcing the ports to ANY country is insane

You don't hand over major security locations to ANYONE outside your country, whether it be Finland or the UAE. That's just a no-brainer for anyone who happens to have the best interest of their own country as a priority.

What amazes me is that Bush isn't being hung in effigy by his rah-rah I'm-such-an-American-patriot base. This is a major slap in the face to anyone who has swallowed his bullshit professions of concern over national security.

If they don't choke on this, this country is well and truly screwed.

[Lars39]

20. It's a matter of national security.

Doesn't matter if it's a London company or a UAE company, it should not be any foreign or domestic company.

Context:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2471757

[jeffrey_X]

22. It's also a matter of hypocrisy....

How many times have we been told that "everything has changed since 9/11" and now this recent sterotyping and generalizing of muslims over the cartoons.

I have no idea that the people that work for this company can do the job just fine. But if this administration and the right in general have set the tone of what goes and what doesn't go in this new age of terrorism, then they certainly can't be comfortable with this transaction.

I know people are throwing Carlye's name out there, but I haven't seen a rock solid connection to this transaction as of yet.

[radio4progressives]

24. i agree. I heard that comment come out of bill mahr's mouth friday night

and it was just freaking lame. but then, bill mahr is lame, so...

this issue isn't about being "politically correct", that he likes to always try to assert .. it's kind of like stereo typing jews in some way is not something we'd want to promote. but he's got no problem with it apparently.