<div>Pat et. al.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>A foreign government operating critical US infrastructure should be a concern no matter what government it is, but Singapore and Dubai present very different problems relating to US security. I doubt Singapore presents the same potential dangers regarding US security and terrorism as Dubai. But US ports across the board should increase security, even if it means widgets at Wal-Mart shipped from the Chinese Communist one party rule human rights violating dictatorship will cost more, and negatively impact quarterly earnings.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>One moment Bush lovers insist we must invade and occupy another nation, Iraq, in large part because of it's WMDs threatening the US (that Iraq did not have when we invaded), and ties (false ties, according to the US government's 9/11 Commission) to 9/11 and Al Queda, as we depose an evil dictator, though the chances of establishing a better society in Iraq by the use of violence and military force were very doubtful (as the US continues business with and send billions in US aid to other dictatorships around the world).
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>But now that the Bush administration is (was) allowing a state owned company, from a nation with well documented ties to the 9/11 attacks and Al Queda, to control critical US infrastructure, many Bush lovers say the warning flags being raised are an exaggerated reaction?
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>An exaggerated reaction? Excuse me?! Maybe if we started bombing Dubai as we rolled in the tanks, announcing another disgusting "shock and awe" campaign, killing innocent civilians in a country mostly unable to defend itself against the greatest military in the world, that might be "exaggerated."
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>And now, to harp again on this related topic...I still cannot fathom why much of the US public still seems to forget or ignore... 15 of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals! And how much money has Saudi Arabia invested in the USA? And why has Saudi Arabia blocked full investigations into the 15 Saudi 9/11 hijackers?
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>"Houston, we have a problem!"</div>
<div>----------------------------------------------</div>
<div> </div>
<div>"The report strongly criticized top Saudi officials for their 'lack of cooperation' before and after the Sept. 11 attacks, even when it became known that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.
One top U.S. official told the joint inquiry staff that the Saudis since 1996 would not cooperate on matters relating to Osama bin Laden. Robert Baer, a former CIA officer, said the Saudis blocked FBI agents from talking to relatives of the 15 hijackers and following other leads in the kingdom."
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><i>Frank Davies, et al., "Bush rejects call to give more 9/11 data," Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 2003.</i> </div>
<div>-----------------------------------</div>
<div>
<p>Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes
known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.
No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.
</p>
<p class="source"> <cite>James Madison, Political Observations, 1795</cite></p>
<p class="source"><cite>--------------------------</cite></p></div>
<div>Ted Moffett<br><br> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 2/25/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Pat Kraut</b> <<a href="mailto:pkraut@moscow.com">pkraut@moscow.com</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">The Singapore company that is in Seattle is government owned also...that's not a good reason. </font><font face="Arial" size="2"></font></div>
<blockquote style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<div><span class="e" id="q_109a4db553273c2d_1">
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial"><b>From:</b> <a title="starbliss@gmail.com" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com">Ted Moffett</a> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>To:</b> <a title="joanopyr@moscow.com" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="mailto:joanopyr@moscow.com">Joan Opyr</a> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Cc:</b> <a title="vision2020@moscow.com" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, February 25, 2006 3:25 PM</div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Vision2020] Lies, Ports, and Saudi Arabia Yet Again!</div>
<div><br> </div>
<div>DC, Joan et. al.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Most US ports are run by foreign based private sector businesses at this time, but the turnover of port operations to the UAE involves a foreign government owned company, not a private corporation, operating critical US ports. This raises different concerns, given the UAE's conduct and connections in the Islamic world.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Dubai Ports World is acquiring London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., a company that operates the port of Miami (yes, the "limeys" already operate some US ports), which in effect means that this very active US port is already associated with this state owned UAE company, and this fact is being fought in court now. Excerpt below from this link/article, that explains the objections to the UAE takeover:
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_049154722.html">http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_049154722.html</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>A company at the Port of Miami has sued to block the takeover of shipping operations there by the UAE owned business. It is the first American courtroom effort to capsize the sale.<br><br>The Miami company, a subsidiary of Eller & Company Inc., presently is a business partner with London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which Dubai Ports World purchased last week. In a lawsuit in Florida circuit court, the Miami subsidiary said that under the sale it will become an "involuntary partner" with Dubai's government and it may seek more than $10 million in damages.
<br><br>The Miami subsidiary, Continental Stevedoring & Terminals Inc., said the sale to Dubai was prohibited under its partnership agreement with the British firm and "may endanger the national security of the United States." It asked a judge to block the takeover and said it does not believe the company, Florida or the
U.S. government can ensure Dubai Ports World's compliance with American security rules.</div>
<div>--------------------------------------</div>
<div>Although the UAE has troubling links to terrorism and terrorists, the fact that two UAE nationals were among the 19 9/11 hijackers is overshadowed by the Saudi 9/11 connections, with 15 of the 9/11 hijackers of Saudi nationality, and the ominous funding trail for the 9/11 attacks that flowed from within the Saudi borders:
</div>
<div></div>
<div><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Fifteen of the hijackers were from <a title="Saudi Arabia" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, two were from the
<a title="United Arab Emirates" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates">United Arab Emirates</a>, and one each came from <a title="Egypt" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt">
Egypt</a> and <a title="Lebanon" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon">Lebanon</a>. </div>
<div>----------------------------------</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The lack of a full well publicized government investigation into Saudi terrorist links to 9/11 and other terrorist activities, and the influence of the 100s of billions of Saudi US investments and US reliance on Saudi fossil fuels, on the US economy and government, is far more of a critical issue than the UAE terrorist connections, though I agree it is good that port security and the terrorist links of so called Middle East "allies" is now more on the media and congressional radar.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>One critical question is how the sad state of US port security has gone so long without public demands for improvement, while we invade other nations spending hundreds of billions ostensibly to keep the US safe from terrorism? The lack of necessary improvements in US port security in recent years raises serious questions regarding the truth behind the agenda of the "War on Terror" and the functioning of the Homeland Security Dept.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>More info on the UAE below:</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://www.thinkprogress.org/2006/02/17/ports-uae/">http://www.thinkprogress.org/2006/02/17/ports-uae/</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div><br>
<p>Some <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" href="http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Dubai_Ports_letter.pdf"><font color="#dd0011">facts about the UAE</font></a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p> The UAE was <strong>one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban</strong> as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.</p>
<p> The UAE has been a <strong>key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components</strong> to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.</p>
<p> According to the FBI, <strong>money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system</strong>.</p>
<p> After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was <strong>not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden's bank accounts</strong>.</p>
<p>-----------------------------------</p>
<p>Ted Moffett</p></blockquote></div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 2/24/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Joan Opyr</b> <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" 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">Area Man Dan asks:<br><br>"Where was all the bruhaha when the ports were taken over by a British<br>conglomerate? I seem to recall them invading us almost 200 years ago,
<br>about 30 years after we kicked them out of the country."<br><br>If this were 200 years ago (and assuming we'd all been transported back in<br>time with our iPods and such), I suppose we wouldn't have entrusted any of
<br>our ports to the British, them being anti-American limeys and all. But,<br>it's 2006, and George W. Bush (not King George III) announced some four<br>plus years ago that we would have no truck with terrorists or the<br>
countries that harbor, fund, and sponsor terrorists.<br><br>The United Arab Emirates harbored and sponsored Mohammed Atta, the<br>purported organizer of the September 11th attacks, and Zacharias Al<br>Moussaui. The United Arab Emirates was the last country in the world to
<br>allow flights into and out of Afghanistan after the rest of the world<br>(including Saudi Arabia) had finally agreed to isolate the Taliban. Last<br>but not least, why couldn't the Clinton Administration "take out" Osama
<br>bin Laden in late 1999 when U. S. intelligence finally pinpointed his<br>location inside Afghanistan? Because they would have taken out half of the<br>royal family of the UAE in the process; it would seem that their royal
<br>highnesses, the dictators of the UAE, were frequent and welcome guests of<br>Osama bin Laden.<br><br>This port deal stinks to high heaven. And what's the whiffiest bit? The<br>Carlyle Group's involvement. Here's a piece of trivia for you -- where was
<br>George H. W. Bush on September 11th, 2001? Meeting with the Carlyle Group,<br>which at that time included Osama bin Laden's brother.<br><br>Show me the money!<br><br>Joan "Grassy Knoll" Opyr/Auntie Establishment
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