<div>Joan et. al.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I'm not sure my post was "thorough," but thanks for the comment. And given that Vision2020 is a voluntary non-profit public forum freely accessible to all, I don't think you need my permission merely to read a Vision2020 post, that makes no claim to any "copyright," on non-profit public service oriented KRFP for your show, but you have my blessing anyway, and thanks for asking. However, if you and Brother Carl go big time, I want a cut! Air America, maybe?
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>One concern I had, though, was about my comment that "port security has gone so long without public demands for improvement." This is not quite correct, or fair. Families and friends of the 9/11 victims have been among the most vocal in raising the issues of domestic security from terrorist attacks, exposing how lacking the response has been on domestic security since 9/11, a fact made glaringly obvious after Hurricane Katrina. Indeed, the 9/11 Commission, which was resisted by the Bush administration, was pushed aggressively by 9/11 victim relatives. Here is a web site associated with families of 9/11 victims, that reminds us that today twelve years ago the WTC was bombed, with commentary on the Dubai Ports World deal:
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="http://www.voicesofsept11.org/">http://www.voicesofsept11.org/</a>#</div>
<div> </div>
<div>And here below is an article on 9/11 families reaction to the Dubia Ports World takeover, a rather negative reaction, "surprise, surprise, surprise," as Gomer Pile once said. Cronyism in the Bush administration? Impossible! After all, they brought decency and high moral values to the White House. Read excerpt below from this article:
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="http://sev.prnewswire.com/homeland-security/20060222/DCW04322022006-1.html">http://sev.prnewswire.com/homeland-security/20060222/DCW04322022006-1.html</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>"Doyle charged the administration with a conflict of interest in supporting the deal, noting that the White House's nominee for administrator of the U.S. Maritime Commission is David Sanborn, a top executive of Dubai Ports World. "Cronyism in the war on terror is no better than surrender," he said."
</div>
<div>-----------------</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Ted Moffett</div>
<div> </div>
<div><br><br> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 2/26/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Joan Opyr</b> <<a href="mailto:joanopyr@moscow.com">joanopyr@moscow.com</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">My apologies to Ted and the list. I posted my piece in response to Pat's<br>comments before I read Ted's more thorough and thoughtful analysis. (I'm
<br>reading my email backwards, most recent post first. Think I'll stop that!)<br><br>I'll only add this to the detailed analysis and information Ted has<br>provided: I should think that the anti-statists among you (to borrow a
<br>phrase from Dale Courtney) would immediately see the difference between<br>private company management and United Arab Emirates management of the<br>ports in question. Private company versus dictatorship, private company
<br>versus dictatorship . . .<br><br>I believe that the "war" on terror is a sham and a bust, but surely George<br>W. Bush doesn't believe that. Why then should he approve and fight for a<br>multi-port management sale to a country that remains a persistent burr
<br>under our counterterrorism saddle?<br><br>Too bad we killed Pablo Escobar. Perhaps we could have outsourced that<br>other great sham and bust, the "war" on drugs, to his highly-sophisticated<br>operation.<br>
<br>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment<br><a href="http://www.joanopyr.com">www.joanopyr.com</a><br><br>PS: I'm appending the whole of Ted's post below because I think we would<br>all do well to read it again. With Ted's permission, I'd like to print it
<br>out and read it on the AE and BC Show next week. I only wish I could hold<br>George W. Bush down and read it to him. Maybe if I glued it between the<br>covers of My Pet Goat . . .<br><br>> DC, Joan et. al.<br>><br>
> Most US ports are run by foreign based private sector businesses at this<br>> time, but the turnover of port operations to the UAE involves a foreign<br>> government owned company, not a private corporation, operating critical
<br>US<br>> ports. This raises different concerns, given the UAE's conduct and<br>> connections in the Islamic world.<br>><br>> Dubai Ports World is acquiring London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam<br>> Navigation Co., a company that operates the port of Miami (yes, the
<br>"limeys> "<br>> already operate some US ports), which in effect means that this very<br>active<br>> US port is already associated with this state owned UAE company, and this<br>> fact is being fought in court now. Excerpt below from this link/article,
<br>> that explains the objections to the UAE takeover:<br>><br>> <a href="http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_049154722.html">http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_049154722.html</a><br>><br>> A company at the Port of Miami has sued to block the takeover of shipping
<br>> operations there by the UAE owned business. It is the first American<br>> courtroom effort to capsize the sale.<br>><br>> The Miami company, a subsidiary of Eller & Company Inc., presently is a<br>> business partner with London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam
<br>Navigation<br>> Co., which Dubai Ports World purchased last week. In a lawsuit in Florida<br>> circuit court, the Miami subsidiary said that under the sale it will<br>become<br>> an "involuntary partner" with Dubai's government and it may seek more
<br>than<br>> $10 million in damages.<br>><br>> The Miami subsidiary, Continental Stevedoring & Terminals Inc., said the<br>> sale to Dubai was prohibited under its partnership agreement with the<br>> British firm and "may endanger the national security of the United
<br>States."<br>> It asked a judge to block the takeover and said it does not believe the<br>> company, Florida or the U.S. government can ensure Dubai Ports World's<br>> compliance with American security rules.
<br>> --------------------------------------<br>> Although the UAE has troubling links to terrorism and terrorists, the<br>fact<br>> that two UAE nationals were among the 19 9/11 hijackers is overshadowed<br>by<br>
> the Saudi 9/11 connections, with 15 of the 9/11 hijackers of Saudi<br>> nationality, and the ominous funding trail for the 9/11 attacks that<br>> flowed from within the Saudi borders:<br>><br>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks">
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks</a><br>><br>> Fifteen of the hijackers were from Saudi<br>> Arabia<<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia
</a>>,<br>> two were from the United Arab<br>> Emirates<<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates</a>>,<br>> and one each came from Egypt <
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt</a>> and<br>> Lebanon <<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon</a>>.<br>> ----------------------------------
<br>><br>> The lack of a full well publicized government investigation into Saudi<br>> terrorist links to 9/11 and other terrorist activities, and the influence<br>o> f<br>> the 100s of billions of Saudi US investments and US reliance on Saudi
<br>fossi> l<br>> fuels, on the US economy and government, is far more of a critical issue<br>> than the UAE terrorist connections, though I agree it is good that port<br>> security and the terrorist links of so called Middle East "allies" is now
<br>> more on the media and congressional radar.<br>><br>> One critical question is how the sad state of US port security has gone<br>so<br>> long without public demands for improvement, while we invade other<br>
nations<br>> spending hundreds of billions ostensibly to keep the US safe from<br>> terrorism? The lack of necessary improvements in US port security in<br>recen> t<br>> years raises serious questions regarding the truth behind the agenda of
<br>the<br>> "War on Terror" and the functioning of the Homeland Security Dept.<br>><br>> More info on the UAE below:<br>><br>> <a href="http://www.thinkprogress.org/2006/02/17/ports-uae/">http://www.thinkprogress.org/2006/02/17/ports-uae/
</a><br>><br>><br>> Some facts about the<br>> UAE<<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Dubai_Ports_letter.pdf">http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Dubai_Ports_letter.pdf</a>><br>> :<br>><br>
> – The UAE was *one of three countries in the world to recognize the<br>> Taliban*as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.<br>><br>> – The UAE has been a *key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear
<br>> components* to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.<br>><br>> – According to the FBI, *money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers<br>thro> ugh<br>> the UAE banking system*.<br>><br>> – After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was *not
<br>> cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden's bank accounts*.<br>><br>> -----------------------------------<br>><br>> Ted Moffett<br><br><br>---------------------------------------------<br>This message was sent by First Step Internet.
<br> <a href="http://www.fsr.com/">http://www.fsr.com/</a><br><br><br></blockquote></div><br>