They really stepped into a giant Cow Pie with this Port deal

[Armstead]

This morning watched CSPN Washington Journal and a lot of Republicans were calling in ourraged by the Bush administration approving of us giving away our ports to the UAE.

This evening tuned into Lou Dobbs, and heard Bush administration being slammed left and right on the same thing. Even GOPers Rep. Peter King and Ed Rollins and GOP-leaning analyst Bill Schneider were attacking this in the way they'd usually reserve for a Democratic administration.

This seems ti have hit a nerve -- or several nerves.

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. But really, what can be done? I thought this was a done deal?

[babylonsister]

5. I've heard it's a 'done deal' but haven't seen any proof. Anyone? nt

[w8liftinglady]

16. here

http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_049154722.html

-snip-
The Homeland Security Department has said it was legally impossible under the committee's rules to reconsider its approval without evidence that DP World gave false information or withheld vital details from U.S. officials. The 30-day window for the committee to voice objections has ended, the department said.

[BelgianMadCow]

18. "The 30-day window for the committee to voice objections has ended"

says it all, doesn't it

[babylonsister]

19. What a pile of horseshit. So no one has an inkling of what's

going on until it's a fait accompli? Democracy inaction...:grr:

[Armstead]

6. Congress could block it -- I think Bush can too

It was an approval of the deal. Congress could step in, or Bush could override the decision and blame it on lower level functionaries.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Sean Hannity - "It's just wrong"

Yup, heard it just this afternoon.

[Inland]

4. But Hannity followed with "Clinton did worse", right? nt

[Armstead]

8. Even if he did the fact that he dared to criticize St. George ...

...means something. Usually Hannity would defend the administration even if they were found drinking the blood of goats in a satanic ritual.

[Canuckistanian]

44. Not this time

He even half-apologized for the criticism.

[bullwinkle428]

37. Wow - Hannity speaking out against *? I think I see the 4 Horsemen

approaching from the horizon!

[Canuckistanian]

43. And they're all wearing Club Gitmo shirts!

[Inland]

3. The freepers have been complaining that a PRC corp had rights

in Long Beach. Now, a foreign corporation IS the port. IS SIX ports.

The defense I heard on Ed S. today was that the terrorists won't be able to take out all six ports at once, anyway, so no worries. If that's what one has to accept to back the Bushies nowadays, there's going to be an about face forced by Congress in about a week.

[katmondoo]

12. They highjacked 4 planes at the same time

so why not 6 ports?

[Montagnard]

7. They didnt step

the are wading in it and its getting deeper.

[tanyev]

9. Oh, yeah. Look at the email I just received from the AFA.

First time I ever signed one of their petitions.

Help Keep Our Country Secure By Keeping Control Of Our Ports

Dear _____,

Normally we don't ask you to participate in issues such as this, but we feel that this one justifies your involvement.

Our port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia have been, or soon will be, purchased by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned company in the United Arab Emirates, a firm that manages port facilities. The purchase was cleared by an obscure federal panel, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, with little fanfare.

The United Arab Emirates government is generally pro-U.S., but the September 11 hijackers traveled easily through the country, and Al Qaeda-linked groups have used its banking system. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is pleading with the administration to reverse the decision. At a press conference outlining his opposition, he said, "Handing the keys to U.S. strategic ports to a regime that recognized the Taliban is not a sound next step in our war against terror."

Several Senators and Representatives are calling for hearings into the matter. This is a matter which deserves a full and complete hearing. Ask President Bush to override the agreement and conduct a special investigation into the matter.

To read the Washington Times article on this, click here. http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060220-121022-8852r.htm

Click Here to send a letter to President Bush now!
< https://secure.afa.net/afa/afapetition/takeaction.asp?id=187 >

Thanks for caring enough to get involved.

If you think our efforts are worthy, please click here to send a small donation.

Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

[karlrschneider]

24. Sno-kones in Hell...I actually found something to agree on with Coburn

somebody pinch me...
:eyes:

[Karenina]

10. "This is a test. This is only a test

Had this been an actual emergency..." :sigh:

[THUNDER HANDS]

11. racism is a powerful force

not even loyalty to the GOP can contain it

[Armstead]

14. I don;t think it's all racism

Personally, I think the business should go to US companies -- or better yet, it should be a government function since they are part of the nation's public infrastructure.

But apart from that, a company based in a part of the world that is the focal point for what is perceived as a major source of conflict doesn't make sense.

[THUNDER HANDS]

20. if it was an Israeli corporation

would anyone have a problem? Israel is in that part of the world too.

[KoKo]

26. Amazing...you sort of hit the "orange button." while "orange suits" are

the "rage for torture" many other issues get "swept away."

Wasn't there a great song about "Swept Away?" I wonder if the lyrics would be relevant today? :shrug:

[northzax]

28. but there was the same uproar

about a UK company running the ports, don't you remember?

there was one, right?

please tell me there was one.

come on, someone tell me about all the complaints about Brits running our ports.

anyone?

is that a pin drop I hear? must be using Sprint.

[HeeBGBz]

29. I don't want the Brits running the ports either

I just didn't know they were until all this hoopla. They should be run by locals.

[northzax]

33. not sure I agree with you

but that's ok. I don't think it really matters where the company comes from, what matters is what they do, and how they do it. There are Americans just as corrupt or sloppy as some Brits, I'm sure. And after all, US companies were handling the security on 9/11, so maybe US companies can't be trusted either?

[HeeBGBz]

35. No they probably can't be trusted either

It's just another form of outsourcing.

The thing is if there is an incident at one of these ports, the UAE is set up to be the scapegoat. If things were handled in-house, there could be no finger-pointing at another country to say "you let it happen" let's bomb your ass, too.

[northzax]

36. hey, If I were them

I wouldn't want these contracts either, they bought a company knowing they operated ports in the US. that's not politically smart, even if it makes good business sense.

[HeeBGBz]

38. I would at least be suspect

That they were being set up.

[SPKrazy]

45. It Isn't All Racism

The Security Moms, (so to speak) are freaking out over this.

[KoKo]

13. No...it's been worked out to work against us...

I haven't figured out "how" ..YET. But I know that "between the lines" and after the spin." it means something bad for the Dem Left.

I know you are not a Dem Lefty...so whatever it is seems "okay by you" no matter "WHO" gets it out.

But, this DU'er is very suspicious. :-(

[Armstead]

15. Don't giive them so much credit

It's possible they simply "jumped the shark" and did something that was a massive political blunder.

[KoKo]

21. You should know better than that....having been here in the trenches in th

early days...That you have "no suspicion." Ugh...

[Armstead]

39. I have seen them screw the pooch many times..

It hasn't caught up with them yet, but that's been more a matter of luck than their intelligence or ability.

For some reason a loot of people seem to be able to absorb and accept a lot of stupidity. And there's been plenty of that in this administration.

I suspect that if 9-11 had not happened, we'd probably have a President Kerry right now.

[babylonsister]

25. They're pretty good at that, so it's a distinct possibility. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. Or the neocons know they won't be out of power anytime soon through

what ever illegal means they need too take, so selling control of US ports doesn't scare them politically.

[TahitiNut]

17. Well, gee ... what are those folks gonna do with all those dollars?

When we have a 'balance' of trade that's flooding China and the Middle East with dollars, those poor folks have to spend those dollars on something, eventually on 'something' sold in the U.S. That's how Pebble Beach and Rockefeller Center became foreign-owned.

Is there anything left of any value? Yosemite Park? Yellowstone Park? How about the entire Mississippi River? All we'd need to do is exercise eminent domain and sell it to China.

[KoKo]

30. Well...I think if Yellowstone wasn't so "compromised" it could be a GREAT

Disney Theme Park.

I think the Dubai location with "indoor ski slopes," "tropical palm created lakes" and the new "Space Port for the Rich and Famous" to plunk down 20 MIL a Pop...is sort of where it's at these days.

But then,...I only read about this stuff...I just don't have the bucks to live the LIFESTYLE...

Now...if you allow me to GAMBLE on the new SLOT MACHINES that will be INTERSTATE ATM...I probably could trust my great investment savvy and in no time at all...I too could compete with Carlyle Group or Dubai.

But...then...I drift, here.

[Armstead]

40. That's an important dot -- security aside

We're selling off all of our assets and systems. Pretty soon we'll be tenants in our own country.

[Road Scholar]

22. Yes and this is when the Repugs realize Bush is a fucking moron

[wakeme2008]

23. The Free Republic is also attacking Bush over this

:)

[pretzel4gore]

27. maybe a distraction....

those monkeyfarts do so much that would get any normal political gang hanged, and it seems too easy to say they've finally gone over the line (they crossed the line years ago)....bush and company are in 'survival' mode, they are playing to save their lives and so on; please ignore the mediawhore productions rolled out everyday and remember that bush was NOT elected in 2000 and that was it-everything else is bush shit. bush and the pigmedia committed the only crime necessary or of interest when they plotted to openly take power, using the screwed up system to fukk over the majority whio do not want them in power! They were not elected (even they admit they weren't elected in 2k) and that should be the nexus; if we try play along with the pigmedia, years from now people will be saying 'finally, bush having millions of usa citizens rounded up and killed has the entire country enraged and now he's finished!' Americans are gonna find out that it's about systems, SYSTEMS- stalin and hitler and even saddam hussein were insignificant men w/out the systems they used to terrorise the population and maintain their lives; bush is in the same boat! so if we keep running after every media psyche op the monkeyfarts run on us, then we waste time etc, they love it! THE 2K ELECTION COUP WAS THE ONLY CRIME BUSH HAS COMMITTED! the gopigs are terrified that we REALLY look at that, taking illegal control of the system, judge bushinc guilty of THAT and drag them away.(btw does anyone think they're not going to use the 'mistake' of the ports issue to claim 'hey, we're such ninnies we aint even watching out fer our own backs! etc, relax, we're just a buncha bozos')?

[louis-t]

31. Someone posted earlier that this was a ruse (as was Harriest Myers)

only this time it's so the contract can go to Halliburton.

[Armstead]

41. They don;t usually bother to sneak that through

I sinerely doubt they would get everyone pissed at them on this one just to get sympathy for a Halliburton contract. That's not their MO. They just give 'em the contract...."Who cares what you think?"

[mom cat]

34. Too many people really bought into this whole "terrorism" myth and

they are outraged that Bush would endanger the country in such a manner. Too bad they can't turn all of their outrage into a real investigation of 9/11, and who the terrorist really are.

[Marie26]

42. A racist nerve

But whatever works, I guess. This seems to be rallying the hate crowd pretty well. It isn't a coincidence that the Freepers are screaming the loudest about this - they have the most fear of foreign countries. But I have to wonder why the Bush Ad. would deliberately do something to inflame thieir base like this - I have to think they're pushing the "fear" button again (for whatever reason).

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

46. and all 911 airports serviced by Israeli owned company

ALL THE 9-11 AIRPORTS SERVICED BY ONE ISRAELI OWNED COMPANY
Posted Feb 20, 2006 06:38 PM PST
Category: 911


A flashback since everyone is in such a huff over Arab countries getting
the port security contracts.

Sure enough, a visit to ICTS' own web site at http://www.icts-int.com/ confirms that ICTS is in fact an Israeli owned company, and that it sells services to every airport from which the hijacked planes operated, including security, sometimes through wholly owned subsidiaries like Huntleigh USA Corporation.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ICTS.html

[Bushwick Bill]

47. Just think about this.

It is all so laughable. 15 of 19 alleged hijackers from Saudi. 2 from UAE. The head of Pakistani intelligence wires 100K to Mo Atta and is in DC on 9/11. Poppy Bush meeting with OBL's brother on 9/11. And, somehow, the Bush crime family still gets in bed with and bends over for Saudis and Pakistanis and now UAE in our fraudulent war on terror, go to war with a guy who had nothing to do with the attacks, then we hear sh-- from Republicans who can't see the conflicts of interest and have the gall to say Democrats are soft on terror. Unbelievable.