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Just so I am clear on what constitutes being a racist-xenophobe nowadays, was it racist after 9/11 to give extra scrutiny to people attempting to obtains visas from Saudia Arabia, the UAE and Egypt?

Just so I am clear on what constitutes being a racist-xenophobe nowadays, was it racist after 9/11 to give extra scrutiny to people attempting to obtains visas from Saudia Arabia, the UAE and Egypt?

Absolutely not, what a stupid question.

NOBODY is arguing that you are a racist if you notice a person is arab or a mulslim. If you feel nervous or do a 'double-take' if a guy in a turbin gets on your flight. Or that an extra wand wave, or a an extra security check (like this deal went through) would be wrong either.

In those cases, you are certainly making a 'race' judgment, but the downside is small, understandable, and so negligible.

In the ports case the 'arab-phobia' flys SO MUCH in the face of everything the UAE has done for the past decade. They ARE our main arab ally PERIOD, there was all kinds of extra scrutiny done, all kinds of military up and down are for it, "Israel" is for it (doesn't mind that quasi-boycott), and the only reason against it "why trust an arab at a port".

When 'race' starts TRUMPING all that, and overriding all kinds of logic and perspective... thats when I would call it xenophobia, and that is EXACTLY what is going on here.

Don't try to act like I'm some doe-eyed lib that buys into the whole Islam is this "Relgion of Peace" BS. I'm not. I'm just not so shortsighted as to make every arab country our enemy and send the message that it is WORTHLESS to even try to ally with us, we'll screw you in the end NO MATTER WHAT 'because you are a-rab'

Blair gets all kinds of shit for being "Bush's lapdog", well the UAE does 10X more, in 10X more 'difficult' situation and area of the world. And they still get DISSED big time, and VERY publicly. You don't think that might be more dangerous to 'national security' when alot of people might have to make the choice (in the very near future) between throwing in with a nuke-enabled Iran, or embrace the west? (why try when you can SEE how stacked the deck is AGASINT you)

If you are worried about national security, you should be listening to all the 'effing military people who are for the deal up and down. Anyway, I'm glad so many are so eager to create a few more millions of enemies in the name of national security.

"Just so I am clear on what constitutes being a racist-xenophobe nowadays, was it racist after 9/11 to give extra scrutiny to people attempting to obtains visas from Saudia Arabia, the UAE and Egypt?"

Of course we should trust totalitarian slave trading Arab dictators but we certainly can't trust 80 year old grandmas to board planes without a humiliating search for fear they are wired for sound....