Originally Posted By Beaumandy <<I am not misinformed, and I am not an ignorant fool.>> Gadzuux, you said they were going to OWN the ports. How is that not misinformed and ignorant?
Originally Posted By cmpaley >>If I see a Muslim being a anti American, Taliban type, I am going to hope for their downfall.<< I'll pray for his conversion...like a good Christian should.
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Originally Posted By gadzuux These posts are disappearing faster than I can respond to them. I didn't say that they would "own the ports". What I said was ... >> Are we to believe that selling our ports to an islamic government is the only way we can demonstrate our commitment to a reputed ally? Please. << In the interest of hyper-accuracy, let me rephrase that to 'control of our ports'. There - is that better? Am I now no longer an ignorant fool?
Originally Posted By Beaumandy I don't even think control of the port is an accurate term Gadzuux. We control the port, we handle security, we make the rules, we lay down the law. What happened to your liberal " we need friends in the world! " battle cry? The UAE is actually a friend that was helping us, not screwing us like France and Germany, the countries Kerry likes to bow down too.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe Beau is right on this Gad. They do NOT control the ports as the Brits before them did NOT control the ports. Tom----Just read Al Jazees sp ---the mideast media and you'll see I'm right. You can't say what the moderate Muslims think as I can't.. They are in the streets saying THEMSELVES what they think. You have to look at the mideast muslim media. You cannot respond as a Christian. It DOESN'T work. We WILL see what happens with the U.S. hysterical blunder. The hysterical people here don't matter, only the hysterical repubs and the dems matter and they blew it for politics. Good job U.S.!!!!!
Originally Posted By TomSawyer >>So Tom, why were the libs against this deal again?<< I'm only speaking for myself, but I think something as critical to our infrastructure as ports should be owned and operated by Americans. I'm lucky enough to live in a city where the port is a public entity with an elected board.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe Tom --Aren't you reading my posts? Aren't you watching news? You're not responding but just going on with your own thoughts> How come?
Originally Posted By TomSawyer CCJ, do you really think after invading a country on the flimsiest of evidence, killing tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians, continuing Saddam's tradition of abuse and torture in Abu Gharib, and having double standards in our nuclear stance with India and Pakistan, and half a century of support to a country that is an insult to Muslim sovereignty that this port deal is going to be anything more than just another brick in an already enormous wall?
Originally Posted By cape cod joe Like I just heard, maybe we shouldn't let their planes land here>UAE or Saudi planes? See how ludicrous the thought pattern becomes?
Originally Posted By TomSawyer >>You're not responding but just going on with your own thoughts> How come?<< Post #55 was a direct response to your post #53
Originally Posted By TomSawyer >>Like I just heard, maybe we shouldn't let their planes land here>UAE or Saudi planes? See how ludicrous the thought pattern becomes?<< That is ludicrous, because it doesn't accurately reflect the situation we were faced with.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe You were right Tom until the end? What happened? The port deal takes down the bricks. Don't we start somewhere? Apparently not by hurting one of our only Arab friends. Tom> your analogy is like saying--I weigh 300 pounds so do you really think that salad will help me? YES!!!!!!! It's a start is my realistically positive answer.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe Okay Tom--Still sick here and I have been off and on. My point is SOMEONE has to hold out the olive branch and this was our golden opportunity. That's all> just a trusting start to try to build trust in a distrustful place. I think it makes sense as now we have NO chance?
Originally Posted By cape cod joe 69--It was a talking head who said that Tom>btw smarter than both of us that's for sure. It very accurately reflects the fact that if the UAE or Saudi were that bad, why wouldn't they fly in a nuke? NOT ME so make fun of the people who spend their lives to this.
Originally Posted By bboisvert Are there better ways to show mutual trust than this? Trade agreements? Diplomatic cooperation? Anything other than selling operations of our port security to the highest bidder? Or is that the only way? Heck, we just traded nukes for mangos! If we wanted to show the UAE that we liked them, we could give them some submarines for figs!
Originally Posted By TomSawyer I think you're giving way too much importance to this deal, ccj. I don't think the moderate Muslim facing more pictures from Abu Gharib is going to suddenly find themselves on the fence because the plutocratic oligarcy of Dubai is managing US ports.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe Tom--All I can say is I hope you're right as I think we all do. The point is though, when do we ever start with that diet to make my analogy?
Originally Posted By gadzuux Again - I go back to my earlier assertion - there are plenty of ways that we can demonstrate our allegiance with these allies other than having a foreign government controlling (yes, controlling) our ports. Supporters of this now defunct deal make it sound as if some terrible calamity will now befall us all because it was scotched. I don't see it.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj UAE is sitting on some the richest natural gas deposits in the world. They have been very friendly to U.S. firms like ExxonMobil in allowing those companies to access the deposits -- suppose now that the UAE feels compelled to deal with non-U.S. oil interests in the future? There's definitely an opportunity to play tit for tat if UAE is so inclined.
