Posted on 04/13/2006 6:33:11 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
When a company from an allied country tried to take over the non-security-related management of a group of American ports, a firestorm of criticism forced it to withdraw. But when a company with close ties with an emerging enemy is poised to screen U.S.-bound cargos for possible terrorist threats, no one makes any fuss. And when the senators who were vigorously opposing the former deal are now supporting the latter deal, then something is wrong with this picture.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, and Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, were two key players in blocking Dubai Ports World, a Dubai company owned and operated by the United Arab Emirates, from taking control of six U.S. ports including New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.
So when Hutchison Port Holdings, a Hong Kong company owned by Li Ka-shing, recently named by Forbes as the 10th richest man on the planet and someone who enjoys very close ties with the Chinese Communist regime, is going to be awarded a no-bid $6 million contract to detect nuclear materials inside cargos passing through Freeport, Bahamas, about 60 miles off the coast of Florida, I expected these great champions of national security would jump up and down to wave the red flag again.
And yes, they did say something.
Mr. Schumer accused critics of being ignorant on how effectively foreign companies maintain port security. Testifying at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on March 30, he said, “Hong Kong is more advanced than any American port I’ve seen.” Mr. Coleman, chairing the hearing, seemed to agree. He said, “I believe the Hong Kong concept holds great promise to achieve this goal of enhancing inspections without impeding commerce.”
Each year, about 11 million shipping containers enter U.S. sea ports; another 11 million containers enter the U.S. by truck; and another 2 million by rail. In the post 9/11 world, the Homeland Security Department launched the Container Security Initiative (CSI) to “push out our borders.” U.S.-bound containers are scanned and inspected in forty-three foreign ports by local officials but with the presence of U.S. customs officials before they reach the American shores. “We accompany them or do it in conjunction with them,” Kristi Clemens, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. “It’s the foreign port operator’s equipment, but we must be allowed to also inspect the cargo that is being transshipped.”
The deal with Hutchison would be the first time a foreign company will be involved in running a radiation detector at an overseas port without American customs agents present.
If Dubai Ports World, a company apparently without any prior suspicious deals, constitutes a threat to U.S. national security, then Hutchison, a company which was singled out by the U.S. government a few times before, should be deemed an even greater threat.
Three years ago, the Bush administration effectively blocked a Hutchison subsidiary from buying part of Global Crossing, a bankrupt U.S. telecommunications company, on national security grounds. In 1999, a U.S. military intelligence report cited Hutchison as a potential risk for smuggling arms and other prohibited materials into the U.S.
Hutchison’s port operations in the Bahamas and Panama “could provide a conduit for illegal shipments of technology or prohibited items from the West to the PRC [People’s Republic of China], or facilitate the movement of arms and other prohibited items into the Americas,” the now-declassified assessment said.
And of course, in 1996, the U.S. tried to block Hutchison from being awarded fifty year concessions at both ends of the Panama Canal, viewed as vital to American trade and security interests.
Hutchison Port, the largest port operator in the world, does have a good and sound system which allows 100 percent of the cargos to be screened in Hong Kong. Its Hong Kong terminals have enjoyed a number of high-profile U.S. visitors in the past months: Mr. Coleman was there last December, Mr. Schumer paid a visit last month, and Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security secretary, was the latest guest earlier this month. They are all very impressed with what they saw.
I don’t doubt Hutchison’s ability to do a fair job. What I worry about is what retired U.S. Customs investigator Robert Sheridan said: “Money buys a lot of things. The fact that (low-paid) foreign workers would have access to how the U.S. screens various containers for nuclear material and how this technology scrutinizes the containers—all those things allow someone with a nefarious intention to thwart the screening.”
After all, as Mr. Coleman admitted in the hearing, Hong Kong is not perfect. Last year, on two separate occasions, dozens of illegal Chinese immigrants were smuggled through Hong Kong into Los Angeles using maritime shipping containers.
One Trojan horse cargo among the 11 million would already be far too many.
Is Norm all done getting to the bottom of Oil for food yet?
Money talks. The majority of our congress critters are nothing but whores out for their own self interest. I have reached the point where they actually disgust me.
Yes most of who we elect are Anti American Communists !
<< .... Schumer, New York "Democrat" and ... Coleman, Minnesota "Republican," were two key players in blocking Dubai Ports World, a Dubai company owned and operated by the United Arab Emirates, from [Operating some cargo-handling facilities at] .... six U.S. ports including New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. >>
The Singapore-Lee-Temasek/Hong Kong-Li-Huchison-Wampoa/Communist China conglomerate, that already, by fair means and [Mainly by corruptly] foul, controls many of America's Ports, including those at both ends of our Panama Canal and our Totalitarian-China-USA trade routes, is in lockstep with the mobsters and with the mobbed-up union thugs from all of whom so many of America's putrid politicians take their marching orders.
All our UAE allies were offering, on the other hand, was an impeccable track record of efficient cargo-handling management coupled with only one "threat"
To the politician/mobster/mobbed-up union gang.
That its bribes might be less than those shiploads of money lavished on all comers by the Asians and that its wharf and port laborers might have to actually do the occasional day's work for their $150,000.000+ wage packets.
Now ask me a hard one.
I don't like Chna dealing with it either. If anything they're more problematic than Dubai. All I can do now is point it out to liberals.
Put it to them this way: If we ever get Trojan-horsed bigtime by China through Hutchison Whampoa, it'll be "blue" (actually pink) voters who get fried, and "blue"-voting cities that get blown away.
See if that helps their perspective.
Not.
I think we need to repeal the 1988 law that set all these wonderful semi secret sweetheart deals into motion. It's a 9-11 world.
BTTT!
I accuse Chucky's critics of being ignorant of just how many votes and how much money he gets from illegal Chinese immigrants.
But then again, their are those on this forum who contend that our only illegal immigrant problem is Mexican. (Slaps own wrist)
Do you think Sean Vannity will be all over this tomorrow?
Oh no! I hadn't seen this!
Will Sean work on GOOD FRIDAY?
To answer your question: ah, I don't think so.
He'll avoid this like the plague.
I missed this, glad you pinged. I only scanned the first paragraphs but I'l read it good later. I don't think a lot of people are going to want to talk about this
I don't know if you read about the Dubai business that's going to buy an Brit Co that makes some military parts for us but here's the thread. It's interesting.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1614158/posts
But the good news is Sean Vannity and Michael Weiner can now save the nation again with this Chinese outrage...and known threat to our security.
I haven't even been watching much of H&C, they just seem to go over and over the same old stuff. Colmes is getting downright unbearable. You're right though, H will probably jump on this. I'll keep an eye open.
I have to agree with onyx...I think Vannity will stay as far away from this as he can. He lied about the Dubai ports deal from day one and kept lying about it.
I can't understand why he didn't come around and say he just made a mistake. He pounced on it in the very beginning and when more info came out he seemed to ignore it. He must just be a stubborn guy who doesn't want to admit he was wrong.
I can't understand why he didn't come around and say he just made a mistake. He pounced on it in the very beginning and when more info came out he seemed to ignore it. He must just be a stubborn guy who doesn't want to admit he was wrong.
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