Thursday, February 23, 2006

My "Port Deal" Analysis

The port deal is not the beginning, nor the end of hypocrisy of United States policy. Most ideals expressed by Republicans are inherently hypocritical.

My point, that I did not make earlier, is looking beyond the human rights and government that the UAE has, coming down them for taking over our ports just because they are foreign, is bigoted. The fact is, ports all over the west coast are run by Chinese, Russian, Australian and British companies.

Even looking at it from a free-market standpoint, businesses that sanction terrorism in the United States will not be doing that business here for long. Dubai Ports World is a for-profit entity. UAE has already milked its country dry of oil. Of Middle Eastern countries they allow the most "Westernization" of their country, and that's relative. The country needs to broaden its economy. They will go down in flames for sanctioning terrorists. Don't underestimate the power of self-preservation.

I'm providing the other side's argument, not supporting it. Don't underestimate the power of religious fervor, either.

If we protest this deal, we've gotta protest all the other ports run by corporations not based in the United States. Not just the ones with skin darker than ours. The idea of spreading democracy to the Middle East is that they are not inherently evil, and can accept it. That was just one of the many assumptions prior to violating Iraq's sovereignty.

The ports were highlighted as one of the biggest weaknesses of our homeland security by the 9/11 Commission. Five percent of cargo is actually checked. The weak security of ports, or lack thereof thanks to a free-market Administration, has been known, this deal has just brought that weakness to light.

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