Little Green Footballs

Friday, February 17, 2006

Wake Up, Minions...

The Bush administration dismissed the security concerns of local officials yesterday and restated its approval of a deal that will give a company based in Dubai a major role in operating ports in and around New York City.
Not surprisingly, Charles hasn't posted about the latest extremely bad decision made by the Bush Junta. As a skilled propagandist in the employ of the Bushies (one way or another), Johnson ignores any news that proves his personal hero is a raving loon and dangerous incompetent. The Minions may force him into some mealy-mouthed acknowledgment of this latest perfidy, but the fact LGF's hyperactive "outrage" needle hasn't so much as twitched, demonstrates perfectly how Squeaky Johnson earns his spurs as a Bush loyalist first, concerned US citizen way way behind.

#182 Charles 4/28/2005 5:51:00 PM I can't believe I once bought into the nonsense that Bush is "stupid." I think he's doing really well. He has good answers ready for every issue and delivers them with conviction.
Concerned Minions should head over to Daily Kos for an adult appreciation of this latest threat to our national security.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes, that was the point of the post -- it has been blessed by the Prince.

So Charles will be as quiet as a good little mouse. $10,000/month salaries are so very comfortable. Sometimes he wonders if they will offer him a job at the Ministry Of Truth. He wonders again if he should cut off his ponytail. He thinks he will. And a new suit, dark blue.. and a tie. He thought about the stock tip they slipped him, the company was going to get a huge contract... it felt so good to be part of a movement, of winners. Leaders. Like him. The new Charles Johnson, Patriot.

CNK said...

This issue has been bothering me a bit because of things like this:

Knowing, as we do, that the Arab Emirate was tied in many ways to the 9/11 hijackers and their deeds, and knowing the critical nature of port security and protecting the nation

Now I may sound naive, but what exactly are these links to the 9-11 attacks and what is being done to bring the perpetraters to justice?

UAE involvement in 9-11 should be justified on more than just insinuations that they must be involved being a rich Arab country. The UAE has more Europeans living in it than Arabs. I am not willing to implicate them nor accuse them of being any more of a security risk than the English company without some or any evidence of their involvement.

Unknown said...

Elemental, the issue is one of operational control. I'd argue that no foreign corporation should have operating control of our critical infrastructure. The ports are part of 'the commons' and the government has an obligation to keep them safe. The Bushies have ignored that obligation, only (for example) checking under 2% of inbound containers. The point is that a Dubai-based company is clearly more vunerable to infiltration by Turrists who wish us harm.

To quote Poppy: "Wouldn't be prudent".

dawud al-gharib said...

hello, i think it's a bit overboard to worry about terrorists infiltrating - they won't be doing the hiring/firing, the daily management is still left to a [British] firm, it just has financial control :
please see
http://www.aqoul.com/archives/2006/02/ports_prejudice.php#more
and the relevant posts at Dennis the Peasant...

second, from experience, the UAE is definitely distinct from Saudi Arabia in business and international monitoring. While this company may own 'Ports Security', trust me, I'm sure American agencies will be on the ground - the CIA has more than a few monitoring stations in Dubai, I'm quite sure.

In short, while it may give a sense of being more 'tough than the Repubs', this is not the issue. Bush may be wrong to sell companies overseas, but it's not outsourcing in this case, it's capital placement that's at issue. And that's a far bigger problem than Ports: you want Saudi interference to worry about? Think about Prince al-Waleed [Kingdom Holding Group] having major stock in FOX... now that gives me sleepless nights.

CNK said...

I wonder if critics on the left and right are aware of just how westernized Dubai actually is? Or do they just hear Arab and piss themselves out of fear.

Dubai has way to much invested in modernity to allow a terror attack via its ports. And they're hardly fundamentalists - liqour is legal and dress codes aren't.

Dawud - good to see you!

Richard said...

I'm surprised to read of your position on this issue. My take is that this is a full-blown racist anti-Arab controversy generated to score political points for the pols involved w. their conservative, pro-Israel constituency. Actually, I don't believe most Jews give a hoot over this issue. But the right-wing fat cats & AIPAC do.

This is not an issue of port security since DPW essentially bought the British company & kept all its personnel & structure in place. This means that port operations including security will stay the same as they've been.

This is a xenophobic, keep-the-Arabs-hands-off-our-country move. Doesn't it trouble you that you're adopting the same position as Michelle Malkin & Captain's Quarters?

Pls. take a look at my post and Lounsberry's for a diff. perspective on this. Dennis the Peasant (PJM's fiercest enemy) has also taken a similar view.

Richard said...

Steve: "Foreign control" is also a spurious issue. Foreign companies run many of the largest U.S. ports & have for several yrs at least. A Chinese government-controlled company runs the ports of Long Beach (CA) & San Francisco. Why no outcry about China's breach of human rights protocols as the Daily Kos post threw DPW's way in claiming UAE violates human rights?

Besides, how do human rights violations in yr home country impact running an overseas port?

Nuclear Cop said...

Since it is a group blog, the post-signing option should be turned on so that is clear to the reader.