Reason Online’s Kenton Kelly has an article about the port deal that pretty much sums up the hysteria by both the Left and Right on this issue.
In the rush to judgment, few bloggers have bothered to discuss who actually “runs” ports. U.S. ports are run by either a state, local or multi-state government or port authority. In the case of the Port of New York/New Jersey, the Port Authority is the operator. Peninsular & Oriental (P&O) runs the passenger line terminal and a single cargo terminal that represents less than 5 percent of the berthing space available. P&O isn’t a major player there in terms of terminal management. Similar situations exist at ports in Baltimore, Miami, and elsewhere. The truth? P&O doesn’t “run” a single port in the U.S.; it operates a small number of cargo terminals at six of our ports.
Beyond that, port security is not in the hands of terminal operators; it is handled by four agencies of the federal government as well as state and local law enforcement agencies. A number of port authorities, such as New York/New Jersey’s, have their own police forces. While terminal operators have a variety of international and domestic security regulations to comply with, they are not in charge of any aspect of port security. The fact is that P&O never has had the responsibility for providing port security.
So…this is what the issue is about. The ports will still have the same level of security irrespective the company involved.
This leads to the question: is it really security that is at issue…or maybe something a bit more insidious such as racial and religious animus?
To review the actions and policies of the Emirates since 9/11 is to see an Arab Muslim state quietly providing meaningful, material support in the War on Terror. In other words, a country doing exactly what we have stated we want it to do.
For example, is it true that U.A.E. financial institutions provided money laundering for terrorist organizations? Yes. But what about the fact that the U.A.E. is the financial center of the Middle East? Nope, you hear almost nothing about that from Michelle Malkin, Duncan ‘Atrios’ Black, Captain Ed, an others? Do you hear anything about how the U.A.E. changed things to counter such money laundering after 9/11? Again not from these sources. Wonder why they keep this information to themselves?
