Chertoff says ports deal would improve Homeland Security

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Chertoff says ports deal would improve Homeland Security

RAW STORY
Published: March 7, 2006

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Chertoff_says_ports_deal_would_improve_0307.html

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday said the proposed takeover of terminal operations at five U.S. ports by a Dubai company would give U.S. law enforcement a better handle on security at U.S. terminal operations, the paid-restricted Wall Street Journal reports Monday. Excerpts:

But the unprecedented access that the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies would have to monitor the United Arab Emirates shipping company's personnel and business records would "evaporate" if Congress stopped the deal from proceeding, he warned.

Mr. Chertoff has said on many occasions that he didn't consider Dubai Ports World's proposed $6.8 billion buyout of London's Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. a security threat to the U.S. However, his statements to a group of Wall Street Journal reporters marked the first time that he has said that Homeland Security had something to lose if the deal fell through. "We are in a position now where we can and, assuming this deal goes through, we intend to have a deep look into their practices, certainly in the U.S. ports," Mr. Chertoff said.

Mr. Chertoff described the arrangement as a template for other foreign-owned port-terminal operators. "This actually gives us a better opportunity to raise the baseline of security, first with this set of terminal operators, but eventually, hopefully, unless Congress says you can't have foreign companies own or run terminal operations, we'll be able to raise the level for all them too," he said.

[wordpix2]

1. WTF? Put the deal thru & THEN "look into their practices?" When is Jerk-

toff getting fired, like he should be?

snip: "We are in a position now where we can and, assuming this deal goes through, we intend to have a deep look into their practices, certainly in the U.S. ports," Mr. Chertoff said.

[TAPat]

2. Am I crazy or did I read just a couple of days ago

that DHS opposed the deal even before it became public? :crazy:

[Sensitivity]

3. It Seems DP World operations and security is ENVY of ports around world

But, because it is an Arab company they are subjects to the most disgusting
and denigrating scrutiny.

As a non-white who went to Stanford I know exactly how that is.

[liberal N proud]

4. USS Cole

[Sensitivity]

6. Exactly. Don't dock in Yemen. Dock in UAE with DP World assistance

[KurtNYC]

7. Envy is one of the deadly sins

Why would anyone envy the UAE when:

– The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

– The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.

– According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.

– After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden’s bank accounts.

And that's the facts.

[pauldp]

9. You forgot to mention

that they are Osama's hunting buddies.
Partying in the desert with OBL after the East African embassy bombings.

[Sensitivity]

11. It is called "Cherry-Picking" -- aka how Iraq war is justified

When intelligence and security proffesionals say otherwise we can take that into
account. Otherwise, this is just about MONEY - Arabs have it, Brits want it, and
some Americans what their share of the game.

[KurtNYC]

12. Nope that is the whole cherry TREE

Let me try to come up with some positive spin for UAE:

- 8 of the 19 hijackers did NOT come through the UAE
- half the funding for 911 came from countries other than UAE

...I'm not doing so well with that.

[Sensitivity]

13. Dubai is the Financial and Trade Center of the Region -- like NY, London,

Berlin, Geneva.

Similar attacks on many other countries regarding "connections to terror" can be made in the same way, if it suits our purpose :

NY -- money "channeled to terrorist" "mosques harboring" "Air Ports permitting safe passage"
London -- "clerics promoting" "shoe bomber breeding" "20th hijacker instigating"
Berlin -- "Home of many terrorist groups" "terror financing center" "9/11 terror base"
Geneva -- "principal bankers of terrorists worldwide" "bankers for Iranian terror-supporting regime" "headquarters of the Saudi BinLadin Group"

But it the NeoCons who should be playing these games. Not us.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. BCCI

[land of the free]

5. And we trust his opinion, because...

hmmm, I can't think of why I'd trust his opinion on what HHS needs to be successful. So far, he hasn't done a heckuva job.

[lldu]

10. This is like how they did the Medicare vote.....

Let's vote it in even if it is a bad bill, then we can fix it.

A$$e$

[patdem]

14. Well, if you let the pedophile move INTO your home you could,

theoretically keep a closer eye on him/her. But of course if you were to make even a SMALL MISTAKE it could ruin your family!