While I agree with you, the point is I don’t hold the “government” of UAE to be all that dependable. They seem to have a history that warrants further investigation with regards to some shady dealings.
http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/dubai/transshipment-milestones.html
Hell, up until 2001 the UAE recognized the Taliban.
No one is suggesting that DPA supported the 9/11 hijackers. What I’m suggesting is we know the WTC operation was in part planned in the UAE. We know Funds where transferred to and through the UAE. Finally, we know a couple of UAE citizens participated in the execution of it. Now until evidence presents itself we’ll assume the gov is clean of the whole thing. However we need to look at the possibility that the social climate over there may be beneficial in planning and executing more attacks. The banking regulations are lax, their shipping port appears a bit porous, and some of their citizens’ ties to other countries are suspect. If such incompetence and or apathy can take place over there, we ought to ask ourselves if we want these people managing our ports?
I’m not saying 100% no, but we need a hell of a lot more insight then we’ve had thus far.
The devil is often in the details.
I’m curious; were you this angry and foaming at the mouth when the US controlled the Panama Canal, or when Britain and France controlled the Suez Canal? What do you think about the US’s control of the Cuban port of Guantanamo Bay? Or the numerous military airports it controls in Germany, Kyrgyzstan, and other places in Europe and Asia?
Well it’s finally happened, hasn’t it? The thing I’ve been trying to balance for several years now. Arab = terrorist in the US now, for a large part of the Congress on both sides of your house, and no doubt the majority mouthbreathers like the OP. Not long until it’s official policy, I predict. Fair play to Bush for keeping a level head.
The UAE government may have recognised the Taliban, but then so did Unocal, which publically hosted Taliban representatives in Texas while GWB was governor.
I’ve been to the UAE several times, and it’s fine. First thing I did was hired a car direct from the manager of the Avis branch, who was a very beautiful Arab woman, wearing a sharp suit, with lots of makeup and no headcovering.
One of my fondest memories there was chugging beer during Ramadan next to a mosque, with my wife, who was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. And getting drunk at the Irish bar there.
I guess you’re in sympathy with a great number of Iraqi insurgents, then.
Which means nothing unless you’re somehow tying the UAE government into it. Are you or aren’t you? Oh, here:
Phew. Then you’d just been spouting nonsense up until then. Oh, wait, then there’s this:
Og the blessed and merciful! That’s what it’s come down to now?
Which is why you need to begin to explore them before you make a fool of yourself.
I’m not saying UAE is sponsoring terrorism. I’m suggesting they’re running a lax operation resulting in an environment conceivably beneficial to terrorists furthering their goals. You seem to have difficulty making that distinction. Foreign control of key entry points to our country concerns me. Allies today could be advisaries tomorrow, and having key insight to infrastructure and domestic operations as well as increased access could most certainly pose a threat sometime down the road. While viewing every country on the globe as a potential enemy is not wise path to pursue, we must sadly exercise more caution then ever before.
I’d say attempting to invalidate my argument on the basis that I’m nitpicking to be far more foolish.
More terrorists attacks have been planned and excuted in the UK than anywhere else, so you should feel safer that P&O are no longer running your ports.
I don’t quite follow you. Do you mean to say more attacks have been planned and executed from the UK?
What you’re saying now is that more attacks have been planned in the UK and been executed inside the UK. What that has to do with the current discussion is beyond me.
So where does that imply that the expertise to perform terrorist attacks lies?
I dunno, you tell me. I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about. Let’s take a step back to what you first mentioned because it has two interpretations.
More foreign attacks have been planned in the UK?
or
More UK attacks have been planned and executed domestically?
The second one.
I was being facetious.
Hard to tell these days.
Anyhoo, I’d rather we not outsource anything dealing with our ports.
Dumbass, everything you’ve just said about the UAE could be said about the USA.
I guess we’re gonna need Switzerland to rn our ports.
Or let me guess, any other part of our economy, because when it comes right down to it, everything except the Tickle-Me-Elmo sector is in some way critical to national security.
Somone had better call Pat Buchanan; he’s got a country to run!
Interesting, I missed the part where 9/11 hijackers were American.
I’d say port security as at the top of the list. I’d also say that you would agree.
How about the fact that they lived and trained in America for years and years. Would that count?
Finally, port security is important, so it’s a good thing that this company isn’t in charge of that.
Seriously, why the fuck cannot some Ay-rabs be in charge of contracting who the hell’s going to operate the crane and buy the toilet paper for the bathrooms?
Believe me, I understand where you’re coming from. The US certainly meets the criteria of “aiding” terrorists. Don’t forget, OBL and SH were our boys. That being said, I find bringing a country in that suffers from similar issues to guard our ports only compunds the problem.
The same people that are telling me “it’s only cranes and toilet paper” and everything is perfectly cromulent securitywise, are the same people that said SH had WMD bursting out of his bunkers, mobile nerve gas labs, and UAVs that could dispense chemicals.
And which company would have more insight into port operations and security aspects? A company that operates the port or one that doesn’t?
It doesn’t matter that they don’t control the security, they will certainly have a better idea of how it functions.
Toilet papers and cranes no problem, insight to security, problem.
What’s more disturbing, World Eater, than the tenuous links you are drawing to imply that the UAE is a terrorist nation, is the implicit assumption that an Arab company is, by dint of its geography, likely to compromise security.
I don’t recall anyone complaining so hard when we were in charge of your ports. Both the UK and the UAE are allies of the US. Given that by your silence you implicitly trusted P&O for the past few years, which other allied country’s company is good enough? Bahrain? Kuwait? France? How non-Arabic do they have to be?