Australia: Exercise extreme caution in the UAE because of terrorism

[PhilipShore]

Baltimore Sun
Green light for port transaction raises red flags
February 22, 2006

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.thomas22feb22,0,3415014.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines

ARLINGTON, VA. // The Australian government recently issued the following alert to its citizens:

"We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in the United Arab Emirates because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning attacks against Western interests in the United Arab Emirates. Commercial and public areas frequented by foreigners are possible terrorist targets."

The United States has approved a business deal that would turn over the operation of six major American ports to a company that is owned by the UAE, the very country Australians are to be wary of visiting. The obvious question is: If it is dangerous for an Australian to travel to the UAE because of terrorism, isn't it even more dangerous for a company owned by the UAE to own the rights to American ports where terror might be directly, or indirectly, imported?

There have been some dumb decisions since the U.S. was attacked on 9/11, including the "welcoming" of radical Muslim groups, mosques and schools that seek, by their preaching and teaching, to influence U.S. foreign policy and undermine the nation. But the decision to allow the sale of port operations in New York; Newark, N.J.; Baltimore; Miami; Philadelphia; and New Orleans to a company owned by the UAE may be the dumbest of all.

[Trevelyan]

1. I am glad to read something definite that it is something other than racis

that makes us wary of UAE.

[Trevelyan]

2. But I am not glad that Bush is a moronic traitor.

This will be the test to see if we are already under a dictatorship.

Do the Dems have any power at all?

[Violet_Crumble]

7. We've got a very right-wing and anti-Arab govt right now!

DFAT's travel advisories are politically motivated most of the time, and our current PM is a bigoted little conservative toad. Given his govts tendency to interfere with the workings of departments, and that DFAT is currently a bit red-faced over what it knew about the AWB wheat scandal, I'd like to issue a common-sense advisory and urge people to exercise extreme caution when reading any governmental missive :)

Violet...

[Crazy Guggenheim]

3. Did you notice who wrote it? Cal Thomas ...........

:popcorn: :popcorn:

[sandnsea]

4. This Cal Thomas?

Gads, surely the world must be coming to an end when Cal Thomas makes sense.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

5. That's him!

:popcorn:

[Violet_Crumble]

6. There was also a travel advisory for the US post-Sept. 11

And if you checked the travel advisories on the DFAT site, you'll see that there's warnings of risk of terrorist attacks on the advisories for quite a few countries, including the United Kingdom. Here's what the advisory says about the UK:

'We advise you to exercise caution and monitor developments that might affect your safety in the United Kingdom because of the risk of terrorist attack.

Pay close attention to your personal security and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security threats.'

After Sept 11, there were travel advisories telling us not to travel to the US. Does that mean I should be concerned at all the sensitive contracts that the US has here?

Just curious, but what radical Muslim groups have been welcomed into the US since Sept 11 and how are they influencing US foreign policy? I find that a bit hard to believe, considering the anti-Muslim frenzy the right-wing there whip themselves into at the drop of a hat, and that discrimination against ordinary Muslims in the US is at a pretty high level...

Violet...