[kach22i]

The quote below is from another forum, and a well informed poster:

cookie12
http://boards.charlierose.com/board/topic.asp?ti=16314
Realist, glad to hear you wrote to your Congressmen. Please copy to your Senators too? I urge everyone to do the same. If this is not an important issue, what is?

On Lou Dobbs' news program tonight, he spent considerable time on this story. It is out in the news now, with Senators and Congressmen speaking out in outrage.

Apparently, the Committee on Foreign Investment which okayed this deal, is highly secret and is accountable to NO ONE in government. It is headed by the Secretary of the Treasury, John Snow. Its other members are unknown, held secret!

And this is the same Committee that okayed the sale of Unical to China! Do you kind of get the picture that we have major traitors running this country????

Interestingly, Mayor Bloomberg of NYC has said he would scrap any deal with the UAE company to run New York's port. Lou Dobbs seemed to think he would not hve the authority to overrule the federal gov't in this matter. Interesting legal debate there...I don't know if the feds have the authority rather than the state or this city to appoint the Port Master.

Btw: in Lou Dobbs' CNN poll asking viewers to pronounce their views on this deal, 98% replied in outrage, saying that Congress should put a stop to it.

GoKnow - GK



US Lawmakers Question Foreign Management of US Ports
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200602\POL 20060216b.html

By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
February 16, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - Both Republicans and Democrats are urging the U.S. government to take a closer look at a deal that would turn over management of major U.S. ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates.

Right now, a private company in Britain manages major ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. But a UAE-owned company called Dubai Ports World is buying the London company, which will put Dubai Ports World in charge of the U.S. ports.

At a press conference on Thursday, a group of Democratic and Republican senators and representatives will ask the U.S. Treasury Department to "review the new arrangement and carefully and openly scrutinize all security issues before control is turned over."

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has warned that U.S. ports remain top terrorist targets. "Just as we would not outsource military operations or law enforcement duties, we should be very careful before we outsource such sensitive homeland security duties," the Washington Post quoted him as saying.

Schumer is among the lawmakers calling for a closer look at the UAE deal. The others include Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Reps. Vito Fosella (R-N.Y.), Chris Shays (R-Conn.) and Mark Foley (R-Fla.)

They believe a U.S. government panel that oversees foreign investment in American industry was too quick to approve the deal.

Various newspapers agree.

Allowing a country like the United Arab Emirates to take control of American ports is a "step in the wrong direction," the New York Times opined on Thursday.

"Do we really want our major ports in the hands of an Arab country where al Qaeda recruits, travels and wires money?" the Washington Times opined on Wednesday. "President Bush should overrule the committee to reject this deal," the newspaper said.

"If that doesn't happen, Congress should take action. The country's ports should not be owned by foreign governments; much less governments whose territories are favored by al Qaeda."