Any Port In A Storm?

I read too friggen much. When I don't get housework, bike maintenance, car maintenance, or other things done its because I've been reading something. Something could be a magazine like the New Yorker, Comic News, Funny Times, the electronic copy of the New York Times and both local newspapers as well as at least three books in progress. Then there is the blogs I try to keep up with, the websites I enjoy like Salon, The Onion, or The Brushback, and more. Last there are the internet friendships I have with A in Ohio, C in Wisconsin, E in North Dakota, and a couple of people I talk via email or chat with right here in River City. That is only naming a few. Its a wonder I ever get around to shaving my head and washing under my arms.

Back to the subject. In my readings I've learned a few things to do with the latest uproar in Congress. For once, I find myself agreeing with the Shrub (Bush). I've forgotten the numbers exactly, but suffice to say there are about 100 port/terminal installations around the United States. Of those only about 10 are controlled or operated by US based firms. The rest are European, Asian, or other country operated. It would take these mostly small US companies an almost impossible level of expansion to take over them all. That is they would have to instantly grow 10X to take the other 80-90 installations over. Its not going to happen.

The Dhabi company that is planning to take over from a British company has an awesome reputation. They have branched out in part because the country they are from has dwindling supplies of oil. They cannot depend upon their oil base to supply their income. So, they diversified. They have shown an ability to modernize and make more efficient any port they operate. They are considered the premiere manager of port installations. Some of their leadership is American. I heard an interview with one on public radio and he had been with the company for several years.

So, what we have is a very successful multinational company with Americans in their management leadership. Isn't this the American way? Do we complain when Ford sells cars in Europe or elsewhere? Yes, they might rename them so the local folks can pronounce the name of it. So what.

Security at a port isn't controlled by the management company. That still and always has remained with the Coast Guard and other government control. And when those folks that eventually flew planes into the World Towers, who was responsible for their security? Our own government. Those trainers of the folks that flew those planes were also American I might point out. So who is to be certain just whom is the best at protecting our country? It remains to be seen that anyone can screw it up.

So in my mind what this comes down to is bigotry. We Americans have become strongly adverse to people of the middle east controlling some piece of our pie. Tough. I mean, they've earned that ability elsewhere, and proved their ability, and bought this piece of our pie fair and square. I think the folks like Hillary that have gotten all relied up are using our bigotry and the related fear to their advantage. In that trade they are denying middle eastern people that earned this. We should be ashamed.

I must point out that I learned all this from the "liberal" media. The media that supposedly picks on the Shrub every opportunity it gets. And the fact is, the more they dug in, the more they showed that A) This wasn't a decision that Bush needed to be involved in, and B) The decision seems to be made properly and fairly and that the right team "won". I didn't learn this from Faux news, which I detest and NEVER watch. Nor any of the horrible local talk news which has crud like that tubby drug addict Rush. I now wonder what shrill crap they are spewing out.

Next. Hamas. They won the election fairly. There was no word of stolen ballots or preventing people from voting. So we and Israel backed the wrong team. Hamas won because they suggested they would try to stem the corruption. Isn't that what we in general would want? Yes, I know we don't like how they don't recognize Israel. Talk about denial.

Yet, isn't it denial for us to ignorethat the people have spoken? And spoken with a strong mandate. I really believe that we have to begin talking to Hamas. Dialogue with the winners.

I don't think that cutting off their funds is fair. Isn't that taxation without representation? See, as I understand it, the Palestinians pay their taxes when they work in Israel. And now, Israel won't give the money back to Palestinians as they have in the past. Isn't that fundamentally wrong? Isn't that taking the bat and ball and going home when they have been thrown out at second base? To me this smells unbelievably evil. And it suggests to me that the Israelis don't want peace either.