Frist Proposes Face-saving Dubai Deal

Time Magazine online ^ | Feb. 25, 2006 | Timothy Burger, Mike Allen & Matthew Cooper

[Marine Inspector]

Get it through your head, no one is "handing over our ports".

DPW is leasing terminals at a seaport. Not unlike SuperCuts leasing a shop in a shopping mall.

[nj26]

That's a matter of opinion, I guess.

Anyway, Dubai Ports World loses either way. The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey has a clause in its lease requiring it to approve the transfer of any leases. DPW never sought that approval, and now the Port Authority is going to court to break the lease (and very likely to be able to do so, according to local reports.)

Not sure about Baltimore or Los Angeles, but I suspect local political pressure will force a similar outcome.

Local news coverage in NY has been very negative about this deal, with a lot of favorable PR for Schumer, Hillary, and the newly-appointed Senator Menendez of NJ.

Either way, DPW is not going to get the leases on these ports, and it's too bad the Republican Party is suffering for a lost cause.

[Cold Heat]

What you're suggesting is taking a huge risk (handing over our ports) with the hope that maybe we can appease the Muslims into not hating us.

I don't support appeasement.

By the way, has the UAE government publicly apologized for its role in laundering al-Qaeda money and harboring participants in the 9/11 attacks?

We are not handing over the ports, we are allowing them to lease a single terminal at 6 of our ports that we control.

It is not appeasement! We are not being forced politically and through leverage into any agreement, it is a simple business deal between two foreign corporations.

Have the U.S banks apologized for being in on this as well? Have we admitted just how many home grown terroists we have? Some of them are currently alive and well in Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan and currently working against us.

So what makes the UAE a boggy man?

You also neglect to mention what has occured since and the fact that the UAE has been our best friend in the region, with Kuwait a close second, followed by Pakistan.

[DoughtyOne]

I wonder if someone who leases space in a shopping mall becomes intimately familiar with the policies and procedures and security measures taken at that mall.

[nj26]

"I wonder if someone who leases space in a shopping mall becomes intimately familiar with the policies and procedures and security measures taken at that mall."

Exactly. I wouldn't want a Muslim government to be leasing a storefront at the Mall of America, either.

[Reagan Man]

Well, I have a way of speaking out and telling the truth. If you don't like seeing the truth posted, I suggest you don't read my posts. The facts are quite clear. The UAE is a Muslim nationstate, whose citizens support Islamic jihad. The UAE did fund the 9-11 attacks, they did support the Taliban-Al Qaeda govt in Afghanistan, they did run cover for Osama Bin Laden and they have been a willing partner in terrorism for decades. Those aren't the people I want managing commercial operations of US ports of entry on the American homeland.

[claudiustg]

DPW also runs a number of terminals in China and has recently closed a huge deal in Pusan, ROK.

http://www.dpiterminals.com/subcats.asp?SubCatID=1&CatID=1

[Candor7]

"This is why 80%+ of Americans are making bad conclusions. They are being feed bad info from the MSM and not bothering to do their own research or speak with the real experts, not the Washington security experts that have never set foot in any port of entry."

Marine Inspector is Right. Also he and I along with CWOJackson and many others canvased this issue fully on this THREAD:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1585600/posts

Our president wants to flood the middle east with US produced goods in his next phase of conquering Islamofascism, much as we did with Europe after WWII, THE DIMS KNOW IT AND WANT TO STOP HIM from succeeding.

BTW CWOJAckson was a carreer officer in the Coast Guard, and he supports this deal.

Wise up and stop getting into bed with a bunch of Dimocrat fluff heads. We have the terrorists on the run, now we must use American products to change the tide in Islamic Society, and the only way of getting those products there cheaply and in sufficient quantity is with the help of this Dubai/P&O deal!!!

Thankyou MarineInspector for taking the time to enlighten the poor MSM influenced sods on this list, they have been had and are too stubborn to admit they are on the verge of RINOism. OH YE OF LITTLE FAITH !!!!

You Xenophobes can pick up your new Tee shirts here, up until now they been selling them mostly to Wing Nut Dims:

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

64% of Americans are clueless or racists.

Ah yes, the old racist card. That reminds me, I have to wash my KKK sheets tonight for the upcoming white power banquet.

[claudiustg]

Maybe you should pass this "information" on to the Navy! :^)

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/jebel-ali.htm

[reformedliberal]

DPW purchased 50% of P&O. Maersk, which is Danish, holds the other 50%. Maersk is presently operating the terminals (NOT PORTS).

UAE is working with Israel to improve relations.
http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/1027_israel_talks_to_uae.htm

Saudi Arabia has operated Marine Terminals since 1991
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1584235/posts

This morning, FNC is still stating that UAE will *own* US territory. While people with port, security, Coast Guard, Navy and maritime shipping experience have posted substantiated facts that show this is not unique and does not make us insecure, and is simply an operation of terminals, some cruise ships and some perishables and only some containers, the same anti-administration, anti-GOP, anti-capitalism talking points keep getting repeated.

I have seen you on most of these threads. You seem to ignore every expert statement offered. I have no idea if anyone opposing this deal is a racist or a xenophobe. I do think they are all knee-jerk reactionaries, Nativists and isolationists that operate on emotion, cannot adapt to changing environments and seem to enjoy being angry.

There is no "control over vital American interests". From my own research, the *American* companies that handle container loading/unloading are all owned by foreign countries. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, China. All the workers are Teamsters. I have read repeatedly that these workers are vetted. None of those with maritime operations experience have said otherwise.

Our imports are cleared at point of departure by forward deployed Customs, Coast Guard, DEA, FDA agents. Manifests are examined while these ships are in transit. There are protocols in place to identify problematic containers. These are hand screened prior to any container ship docking. Recall the scare a couple of years ago over a load of Spanish clay tiles. NEST arrived while the ship was held miles offshore and examined the entire ship before clearing it. Experts have posted that we have the tech that will soon be put into place to screen every load entering the US without shutting down the economy. With this tech, we will have 100% screening at US ports of entry.

Remember when Daschle got the Teamsters to shut down the West Coast ports and it turned out to be about union jobs? This is exactly the same thing. The DPW will modernize operations and some Teamster jobs (DNC votes/thugs) will be made superfluous. Serve the guys at the DPW ports right if shipments instead go to other ports and their hours are cut.

FReepers have embarrassed themselves, as have the GOP critters and Senators and Governors who are grandstanding for Teamster dollars and a chance to bash Bush. So far, McCain and Ehrlich have been the most adult on all of this.

Just what do all the nay-sayers really want? Federalized ports? Teamsters with government union contracts? Another huge bureaucracy? Clinton as POTUS? Bush impeached by the donks so that we lose all control, have taxes raised, socialized health care and an unbreakable donk hold on the politics and tax receipts of this nation? No Navy dockage in UAE? No air bases in UAE? No accommodation between the UAE and Israel?

Does anyone think Tancredo, Pence or Ron Paul could ever be POTUS? They obviously do not, as they haven't run and show no signs of doing so.

If anyone was going to get a bomb or WMD into the USA, they have had 16 years to do it via the Saudi-operated terminals. We catch people trying to smuggle themselves and others in via container and these stories have been made public repeatedly since 9/11. We bust Teamsters for drug importation almost daily, from the articles I have seen on line over the years I have had internet access. I don't know that I trust Americans who aren't Muslim any more than I trust any modernizing Arab country.

I did my time on the left. They are they enemy. Anyone who aids and abets them is also an enemy of the America we are fighting to keep. Putting up a stink over the administration on this issue aids and abets the donks. It is just the kind of play the conservatives fall for, over and over.

And those 64% who are against the DPW deal? They had no real information and instead, were bombarded by union and leftist propaganda for 5 days prior to the poll, echoed and amplified by our own hysterical conservative outlets and commentators who took all their intitial reactions from MSM articles that were slanted and egregiously incorrect. Note that the FR opinion has reversed as the real facts were posted over and over again, with cites and by experienced, informed people willing to post their own qualifications.

We are never going to be *secure*. Life is never going to be risk-free. We cannot sacrifice the good because it isn't the best. Perfection is not going to occur here on Earth.

The horse is dead and it is time to stop beating on it.

[Cold Heat]

This is a sad state of affairs.

Foreign policy by polls and media induced public opinion.

This will lead to something that could damage everything we care about, including the war, and it is all to get Bush.

When you get tired of having your strings pulled, let us all know.

Thinking does not hurt much...............

[Willie Green]

I wonder if someone who leases space in a shopping mall becomes intimately familiar with the policies and procedures and security measures taken at that mall.

I'm sure that one of the first things they notice is what time the mall police take their coffee breaks.

[Marine Inspector]

Anyway, Dubai Ports World loses either way. The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey has a clause in its lease requiring it to approve the transfer of any leases. DPW never sought that approval, and now the Port Authority is going to court to break the lease (and very likely to be able to do so, according to local reports.)

I just hope that New York/New Jersey has some company that can pick up the lost import traffic and revenue, not to mention the exports. They will most likely do more harm then good.

Not sure about Baltimore or Los Angeles, but I suspect local political pressure will force a similar outcome.

I would think they do, and the same thing will happen, more damage to the economy.

Local news coverage in NY has been very negative about this deal, with a lot of favorable PR for Schumer, Hillary, and the newly-appointed Senator Menendez of NJ.

Well, if the deal gets canceled, it will only help Hillary get into the White House. I'm not convinced terrorists are worst then Hillary

Either way, DPW is not going to get the leases on these ports, and it's too bad the Republican Party is suffering for a lost cause.

Canceling the deal will cost the Republicans more in the long run.

[Siena Dreaming]

DPW purchased 50% of P&O. Maersk, which is Danish, holds the other 50%. Maersk is presently operating the terminals (NOT PORTS).

This is a great point that I have not heard mentioned in a couple of days and, if true, needs to be reiterated over and over again.

[Marine Inspector]

Yes they do.

[Marine Inspector]

Use bleach.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for the response.

[claudiustg]

---I did my time on the left. They are they enemy. Anyone who aids and abets them is also an enemy of the America we are fighting to keep. Putting up a stink over the administration on this issue aids and abets the donks. It is just the kind of play the conservatives fall for, over and over.---

Amen! We could be beating up on the Dim instead of watching Frist try to sweep this under the carpet, but no, the Stupid Party shoots itself in the foot again...

[Democratshavenobrains]

I wonder if anyone here was opposing all the weapons we've sold the UAE over the decades. If we really can't trust them, I would think that would be worse than letting them manage some ports.