So is the United States not allowed to have any national security?

[FormerRepublican]

Many years ago, I used to work civil service at a military base. This was in the midst of the cold war and not too long after Vietnam ended. It was drilled into my head that I should watch for foreign agents trying to glean military data. No one thought this was racism - it was clearly national security matters.

Back in the day, foreign countries were not allowed to have contracts on military bases (but lordie, they sure do now!). Everyone who worked on the base had some kind of background check. And heaven help you if you had any odd contacts with someone who MIGHT be foreign (Russian, Vietnamese, Communist, whatever). This was not racism - it was national security.

I was on base a couple of times when bombs were loaded on aircraft prior to some skirmish or another - we were told to keep our mouths shut (and rightfully so, IMO), and we knew better than to talk about it to anyone who might not have American best interests at heart. What we said to the wrong person could get Americans killed. Back then, saying something that might get an American killed MATTERED! American lives meant something - and we valued them enough to keep quiet.

We were attacked on 9/11, we're supposedly in the midst of the War on Terror, but now we aren't even allowed to think about national security or we become racists?

We're not allowed to protect our country anymore, but must allow it to be destroyed so we're not labeled as racists?

Defending our nation against foreign influences who might not have our best interests at heart is racist?

WTF?

[SeattleGirl]

1. The "racism" accusation is just more right wing BS

Just another pile of crap flung at those of us who disagree with the Bush administration, so they can get what they want.

I agree with you, FR. It's about national security. It is NOT about racism!

[nonconformist]

2. I totally agree, and it's very frustrating. nt

[Burried News]

3. It is a difficult line to walk I agree. It would be much simpler if we

had an administration that was honest, a military that refused to violate the Geneva Convention, a Legislature that at least reminded us of our founding fathers AND a Republican Party that put the Eagle above the Elephant. We don't.

Much of the issue here is that those giving the orders have been corrupted to the point that we can only see their basest motives at work. A Tom Delay destroys his country in many ways - one of them is that we can't TRUST him to ever do the right thing.

The story of who puts our country at risk and HOW is at times a very subtle one. And America's racist past created a very serious and ongoing vulnerability. As I see it, for the most part people of color have been remarkably willing to go along with security measures that undoubtedly rely on profiling. It has been almost 5 years since 9/11 surely our policies can at least be discussed from the viewpoint that they do impact some of our citizens differently.

[FormerRepublican]

7. If we were talking about Americans who were being mistreated....

...regardless of which race they belong to, then I'm right with you. Every American has the same rights in our country, and I will defend that ideal vehemently. The only exception I have to that is if said American has loyalty to another country over our own, and in that case my objection is limited to security issues (they need more scrutiny before I'm willing to trust them with national security).

However, we're talking about a foreign government here, not our fellow American citizens. Why should they be trusted to manage an area of our country where we're most vulnerable to attack? Why do we think they'll put our national security interests before their own?

What do you think would happen if the ME exploded over some foolish, blundering thing Bush does - like invade or bomb Iran, or tell Israel it's OK to bomb the Palestinians back to the stone age after a series of terrorist attacks? Will they shut down our ports in protest? That's what national security interests are all about!

[Burried News]

8. I didn't realize you were focusing on the ports UAE deal.

The scenario in your last paragraph is interesting and quite conceivable.

[Alcibiades]

4. It's also completely arbitrary

China isn't allowed to own an American oil company that owns a trivial amount of oil rights, but is allowed to buy IBM's PC division.

Meanwhile, Dubai, one of the world's leading locales for money laundering and smuggling, is to be given the keys to our port facilities!

Bush is using the racism thing as a fig leaf. The real issue is Wahabbism. All of the oil dudes in the Gulf are Wahabbi princes, or, at least, princes who have Wahabbi populations they don't want to piss off. No matter what, whether it be flying Bin Laden's relatives out of the US when all other flights were banned, or walking hand in hand with a Saudi prince, or getting rid of the largest threat to Saudi security, Bush has shown us who his real friends are. He never met a Gulf oil prince he didn't like. He feels real at home with them, they are his people.

He likes them enough to veto any action Congress might take to stop the Dubai Ports World purchase! All those fat Republican pork-barrel budgets he let go right by, not even threatening to veto, but by God he will go to the mat to defend the right of rich autocrats to buy American assets! What a man!

[Magginkat]

5. Racism.........

I doubt that there is a bigger racist in either party leadership than George Bush. I can recall one of his first appearances after that first fraudulent inaguuration. I think he was at Annapolis. A young black man won an award, ran up on stage grabbed Bush all the while jumping up and down in excitment.

Bush looked like a terrified rabbit, standing as stiff as a board until the young man let go of him...... at which point Bush brushed his sleeves as though the young man had left something disgusting on them.

No matter how much they have made him practice over the past five years he still acts as though he might catch some disease if he touches a black person.

[mondo joe]

6. Funny how many claim our actions in the middle east have caused the

world - and the ME in particular - to hate us, yet say we should have no reason to think we face any threat from that part of the world.

Similarly, so many on DU say Bush failed to act on warnings of terrorist threats, but now say there reallly are no terrorist threats and if you think there are you've been brainwashed by Bush.