Oh, okay, so we do need Switzerland to run our ports for us. Too bad they’re land-locked and aren’t involved in maritime operations, and there really isn’t a single nation completely uninvolved from terrorism or other issues from that standpoint and to hope so is hopelessly naive and idiotic, but what can I say, your location field is rather telling to us all.
By the way, I sure as hell never told you that Saddam had UAV’s loaded up with chemical weapons.
I’m not saying UAE is a terrorist nation. I’m saying some shady things have happened on their watch. Didn’t AQ Khan smuggle a bunch of weapons right through UAE’s ports? Acknowledging the Taliban as legitimate?
I’m doing my best to weigh UAE on it’s own merits.
Post #132
“I’d rather we not outsource anything dealing with our ports.”
UAE, UK, Switzerland, fantasyland included. I just think operating and securing our ports should be left to us.
p.s. I was totally unaware that UK was managing our ports.
Well no fucking shit, you’re not going to eradicate terrorism any more then you will the color blue. We are the wealthiest and most technologically advanced nation on the planet. We should be able to run and secure our ports as well as, if not better then anyone else. If we can’t, we have bigger problems.
No, but the same admin telling us “People don’t need to worry about security.” (quote from CNN front page 5 minutes ago) did.
There are basically no American companies in the field today. They all failed or sold out a few years ago when the industry was in a downturn. The remaining players are all basically foreign. (Heard on NPR this morning.)
Well then what can we do. <shrug>
Not be racist assholes and let the market run the basic logistical side of our port infrastructure.
Am I racist because I think Americans should control our nuclear stockpiles too? :wally
What the fuck happened to all the fucking profanity!!! You motherfuckers almost sound like you’re having a fucking civil conversation about this shit!!! God-fucking-damnit, at least use a few fucking exclaimation points or something, you stupid fucks!!!
Fuck off!!!
Stranger
I called him a putz, what more do you want?
So you’re saying the problem is not with Arab companies, but foreign ones in general? Can I therefore conclude that, in the absence of any American companies that can do the job, you’re as unhappy with P&O running the ports after being acquired by a UAE company as with P&O remaining in British control? Because “shady things” have happened on every country’s watch, US and UK included.
Anyway, back to the OP. If the OP were set to music, it would sound like this [warning: SFW video file with wonderfully NSFW audio].
Yes, you can conclude that.
Yes, I’m aware of this.
So then, Mr. World Eater, where the hell were you for the last five years?
I read in the news today that some guy (can’t remember his name or title) from Washington said that anyone who opposes this port deal is helping The Enemy (scary music). After so many years of hearing from Our Gubmint that the Evil Swarthy Ones want to kill us all and eat our souls etc etc etc, isn’t it sort of strange that now, after “the people” have learned to hate and fear all The Swarthy Ones, they are now being scolded for taking that rather dubious lesson to heart?
I also read some (probably very) anti-Bush websites that claim he is so insistent on the deal going through because his family has some sort of business dealings with these guys from way back. My apologies for not including the URLs and stuff, I was surfing da news during my lunch break. Still, if The Evil Ones From The East are so evil, as we’ve been told, I guess this would mean that profits outweigh National Security security security (cheap ass echo effect)?
I smell about a ton of bullshit, but I’m not sure yet.
Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but the one thing that unquestionably pisses me off the most about this entire sordid episode is that I sold my P&O stock not too long before the company disclosed the initial approach from DP World, sending the shares about 30% higher in a day. (And that was before the bidding war with Singapore’s state-owned investment company started.)
C’est la guerre, I did fine on my position and can only complain about my return in comparison with what I would have had if I had kept holding, but still … fuck!
