⁂Asterism - astral thinking...
[Bush]'Here we are trying to put a coalition of the willing together to protect America, to win the war on terror, and I would ask the critics and the people who are skeptical, "What kind of signal does it send to our friends in the Arab world, people who are joining us in the war on terror, people who want to fight off the terrorists, to say it's OK for one company from one country to be able to have this management contract but not you?"
I agree with Bush here too, as I agreed with him last year when he was against lifting the weapon embargo against China. However I have not followed up on that so I am not sure how it ended.
And I agree with your post Salam, it is racism, plane and simple.
I wonder what these people think about U.S companies having controll over other countries ports? Say Iraq for example?
By the way today while waiting for something I caught a glimpse of the news, a U.S congressman was speaking against this deal because they have aided the Taliban and they helped Bin Laden once. Now here I am really getting the impression that ALL people in U.S politics suffer from amnesia???!!! The U.S aided Bin Laden, they trained him and the U.S gave millions to the Taliban just a few months before 11 of September. So maybe its time we block the U.S from doing business with itself in the name of national security.
It really scares me the way america is further and further slipping away from what it used to be.. This new evangelic america is being surpassed by the rest of the world, and instead of them looking inhouse as to how to fix their decline, they are blaming everyone else in the world...
scary,,
I hate to stray from topic, but this is related to Iraq:
It is with utmost regret and heartfelt condolences I write of the death of Christian Peacemaker Team member Tom Fox.
Fox loved the Iraqi people and lived in the same conditions as they did in the past few years and helped set up a Muslim Peacemaker Team.
He had a blog: http://waitinginthelight.blogspot.com/
We must all condemn the killing of brother Tom Fox, a crime that is equally against the Iraqi people as it against him, his family, and humanity.
Tom Fox was a friend to the Iraqi people. He had most recently been in Falluja bringing much relief and comfort to the people there after the condemnable US assault on the city.
Please read some of his own words on his blog which he maintained before his vile kidnapping to see what a compassionate human being he was.
God help and bless his loved ones.
well said Truth,,
i also would like to pass on my condolances to his family and loved one.. and i pray for the safe release of all other kidnapped people in Iraq whatever their natiobality might be..
I don't think the ports deal was racism, really. The public was only told by the MSM in the beginning that the security of our eastern ports was being given to a foreign country. The word "terminals", etc, was never mentioned. Elections are in November and it gave alot of spineless politicians a chance to jump on an issue to defeat Bush and look like they were actually concerned about security. I'm embarassed about the way this turned out -- shame on the House and Senate.
I agree with Jan. It has nothing to do with politics. China controls some of the West Coast ports but nobody seem to have a problem with it. Both parties are preparing for this year's election. This played so well for both sides.
I'm specialized in SCM which include shipping lines like P&Q. I know security worries can start with the warehouse workers at the freight forwarding company as much as at the terminals. Unfortunately, when the guy from P&Q went on Lou Dobbe and Hardball programs to explain these things, they gave him smile of the doubt.
It's sad to see the Democrats who got most of the Arab-American vote do this to their voters. Both parties better work hard to get the Arab-American vote in the next election.
I meant, "it has nothing to do with security."
I wanted to commend you on this post, and point out to what extent the American media, led by the likes of Tom Friedman, still managed to hedge over the issue of racism (Friedman called it "borderline" racism, as if there is such a thing in this context). I addressed the issue in a recent piece (http://www.pierretristam.com/Bobst/Archives/
CN022506.htm ) but will be writing on this in my News-Journal column next Tuesday, in the context of other recently unpleasant bursts of xenophobia on the American scene. (I'll be linking to your post in the weekend edition of best of blogs at the site, to be posted shortly).
Ya'll....
Not actual racism, but a manifestation of fear. The images of crazed lunatics exploding in buses and trains has been seared into the American psyche, and those images are "Muslim".
What you have is a case of a few rotten apples, spoilin' the whole port....
One of the foulest outcomes of terrorism is the over reactions that lead, from fear, to distrust and paranoia....
The real problem here is the terrorists. For without them, we're not having this conversation...
Scott - I understand the reaction. But these are your elected leaders who are being pair to act with a more world-wise view. Senators who are not racist would be able to work out for themselves the difference between a 'good' Arab and a 'bad' Arab.
Salam-- Yes, I agree. BUT, politicians being who and what they are, PANDER to their constituency. They have to, or they won't be asked back. Quite often, a politician's judgement is impaired because the group or groups who support and empower him/her have an impaired agenda or, in this case, phobia....
Understanding who votes for you and acting on their behalf, is how it is supposed to work.... Doesn't always make it right, or fair, or reasonable. But consider the alternatives...
Salam, please read these articles. It describes how this happened. The worst part is that the Democrats agreed to a 45-day review which would have explained the ports deal, but they went back on their deal. Shame. You may be surprised to learn that Snow agrees with the first part of what Nadia says.
http://www.creators.com/
opinion_...columnsName=tsn
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/.../03/
188515.html
People here have fallen for the same "sold our ports" meme. This is simply not true.
Incidently, Akbar, just what does "new evangelic america" mean to you? As a secular American, I have no idea.
What utter bullshit all this hyperbole is. Distrust isn't racism. And distrust, if it's rationally based, isn't even prejudice.
Joshua, trust is based on experience and given their track record, the UAE should have been trusted.
Joshua, do you know how many Israeli-owned security companies there are in the US? Companies which oversee everything from home security systems to banks and major financial institutions?
The distrust is based on the notion of the Arab. Maybe if you removed your disgust at the racism that has swept an irrational public and listened to some of their commentary.
It is absolutely shameful.
Free trade ONLY when it is dicated by the West.
That's your free racist trade alright.
Salaam Adil, am really happy you used the word racist.
It is racism that launched the war in Iraq. It is racism that allows the US public not to bad an eyelid when Iraqi innocent women and children are blown away.
Instead we get the tired old line that terrorists are disguised as women.
What utter filth.
Yallah, let's see, anymore racists want to come over and cuss at me?
That's your only forte, am afraid.
By the way, the first link above was to have been Snow's February 24th article, so check at the bottom of the page for archives and click on February 24.
"Free trade ONLY when it is dicated by the West.
That's your free racist trade alright."
One of the odd things about "the West", TAI, is that it contains ll races. So you'd have to sift through the races and remove the favoured ones for your statement to make a decent cake....
Trade issues are based a lot on need. If I don't "need" what you got, and you need what I got, then I have the upper hand. Oil would be a case in point if it were not for the fact that some nations who will not be named NEED the west's know-how and equipment in order to extract and sell the oil to begin with....
It is a form of reverse racism on your part to make this 'racist' claim. Instead of lamenting the unbalanced bargaining position within the trade construct as a 'racist' act, try lamenting the societal conditions that create the imbalance and point your finger there.
Once again, simply blaming "the west" for the troubles of less salubrious societies will get you a whiner's award and nothing more.
First and foremost, Scottie, you said "Trade issues are based a lot on need. If I don't "need" what you got, and you need what I got, then I have the upper hand."
Noble, yes, but totally irrelevant in this discussion.
Because none of the radio-talk show hosts spewing racist filth, congressmen waving their paranoia of 9-11 Arab theories for the viewers to lap up, or the media pundits ever stopped to consider it.
Market forced DID NOT come into play here. Manipulation of fear, powerful lobbying by AIPAC, and the public's ignorance and arrogance of countries they could never locate on the map are what played a role here.
I appreciate your effort, feeble as it is, to put a positive spin on this.
The UAE and the US are currently negotiating a free trade agreement.
The day after Dubai ports announced it was pulling out, the UAE and US deferred talks on the FTA.
Hmmm ...
Secondly, and this I call a classic "Doh, mah foot's in mah mouth" complex.
You said: "Once again, simply blaming "the west" for the troubles of less salubrious societies will get you a whiner's award and nothing more."
I just love how one is called a reverse racist when one complains of racism in the first place.
Israel is causing misery to the Palestinians it occupies. Shut up, you're anti-Semitic.
The US has caused sectarian strife in Iraq. Shut up, you're anti-American.
Gee, Ghandi and MLK, terrorists. I guess that's why the FBI had MLK's phones wiretapped, huh?
Also, "less salubrious societies". Ouch. Don't that smack of bigotry? It sure does.
Scott, how did you come by this judgment of which societies are considered "less salubrious"?
I want to see your methodology and the template you used.
Or, did you simply determine which societies could be called "less salubrious" by comparing them to the norms and standards set by "salubrious" societies.
Let me guess. You belong to a "salubrious" society, right?
Yeah. They call that ethnocentric thinking.
But thanks for proving my point.
Keep talking.
"The issue is about racism, plane and simple."
I think you reached the exact point in this entry. As an Iraqi whose country is occupied by the US, I was kept in the US immigration office for more than two hours when I first arrived there few months ago just because I am an Arab. Weird, ha?! They have the freedom to occupy and destroy our country but it is not easy for us to go to their country! But you know what? I am not so much surprised because racism and discrimination is still inside the hearts of some Americans. They treat each other like this, so what about treating people from other countries?!
BaghdadTreasure, absolutely right on all accounts.
For example, as British Special Air Service's counter-terrorist Ben Griffin says in this article in The Telegraph:
""The Americans had this catch-all approach to lifting suspects. The tactics were draconian and completely ineffective. The Americans were doing things like chucking farmers into Abu Ghraib [the notorious prison in Baghdad where US troops abused and tortured Iraqi detainees] or handing them over to the Iraqi authorities, knowing full well they were going to be tortured.
"The Americans had a well-deserved reputation for being trigger happy. In the three months that I was in Iraq, the soldiers I served with never shot anybody. When you asked the Americans why they killed people, they would say 'we were up against the tough foreign fighters'. I didn't see any foreign fighters in the time I was over there."
"As far as the Americans were concerned, the Iraqi people were sub-human, untermenschen. You could almost split the Americans into two groups: ones who were complete crusaders, intent on killing Iraqis, and the others who were in Iraq because the Army was going to pay their college fees. They had no understanding or interest in the Arab culture. The Americans would talk to the Iraqis as if they were stupid and these weren't isolated cases, this was from the top down. There might be one or two enlightened officers who understood the situation a bit better but on the whole that was their general attitude. Their attitude fuelled the insurgency. I think the Iraqis detested them."
Although Mr Griffin has the utmost respect for his former colleagues and remains fiercely loyal to the regiment, he believes that the reputation of the Army has been damaged by its association with the American forces."
Why is anyone surprised? Please, the intention of invading Iraq was never about freeing it from its people. They brought Saddam. Kept him well-fed, used Iraqis as pawns against Iran and then used that as a pretext to invade.
Invasion was about 1) destroying Iraq top to bottom; 2) rendering it dysfunctional as a political and military entity; and 3) robbing it of its wealth so that it could NEVER be a sovereign nation again.
Freedom? ha!
And why should we expect the US military which had My Lai in its history, the firebombing of Dresden, the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Agent Orange in Vietnam do anything humane in Iraq?
"Scott, how did you come by this judgment of which societies are considered "less salubrious"?
I want to see your methodology and the template you used."
Actually, TAI. I spent alot of time volunteering in these "less salubrious societies", trying to bring the level of poverty up a few notches and (I am a builder) aiding in the construction of things like orphanages and elderly housing and schools and such. My methodology is simple. What is the living conditions of the people living there? How is their health services? Is their water clean? Do children have access to education? What is the over attitude of the people? Are they relatively happy? Or profoundly miserable? Or in between.
Pretty simple observational methodology, if you ask me. Got a problem with it? Or do you just like ranting and whining? You seem to be pretty good at it. Perhaps you've been practicing?
[salam adil] “Joshua, trust is based on experience and given their track record, the UAE should have been trusted.”
That
’s right. The UAE has been schmoozing up to the USA since forever.
Which leads me to conclude that this comment: [TAI] “The distrust is based on the notion of the Arab.” Is correct. As Fayrouz said, if frickin’ CHINA has some of the ports contracts … then the US does not have a fig leaf to cover itself with if it comes to the ‘security’ angle of refusing the deal on those grounds.
Yes, Bruno. It is based on the fear that an "Arab" will use the aquisition of the ports to unleash a diabolical plot against unsuspecting Americans in their sleep. When was the last Chinese "terrorists" on American soil?
Terrorism by Islamic nutjobs has caused the world to distrust and fear Muslims, in general. Seems to me, if I were Muslim, I'd be barking at the nutjobs who stand in the street and cheer on terrorism. I'd be marching in droves against the use of terror. And I would mention my opposition to terrorism, in everything I wrote....
Or we can just blame America and Israael and keep this thing going for another thirty years....
Give me a break. The Arab world is responsible for most of the world's problems, is racist to the point where it makes the Ku Klux Klan look moderate and hasn't done anything constructive in like a 1000 years. Blame Jews and Americans all you want but the bottom line is that you put yourselves in this position. So just sit there and wallow in your own mess.
joe, the mess and problems you are talking about are created by your own governments which always intefere in the arabs' affairs and destroy their countries. and don't tell me that america succeeded in the war on Iraq. everyone saw what happend and what is happening, destruction and disasters everyday in Iraq. "liberation",huh!!
I wonder your "non-racist" country allowed or will allow an "african American" man or woman to be the president of the United States or a country in Europe.
An american friend of mine once said if Condy wasn't african american, she would have been the president of the United States. let's look at ourselves and then criticize others.
"joe, the mess and problems you are talking about are created by your own governments which always intefere in the arabs' affairs and destroy their countries."
The Arab countries are way messed up independent of whatever can be blamed on the West. Blaming the West instead of fixing your society is a big part of the reason why you are in the position you are in now.
"and don't tell me that america succeeded in the war on Iraq. everyone saw what happend and what is happening, destruction and disasters everyday in Iraq. "liberation",huh!!"
The primary goal was accomplished and now it's mostly up to the Iraqis if they want to join the 21st century as opposed to just killing each other.
"I wonder your "non-racist" country allowed or will allow an "african American" man or woman to be the president of the United States or a country in Europe."
I never said that there are no racism problems in the United States, but even you can't deny that it's far more advanced in terms of race relations.
"An american friend of mine once said if Condy wasn't african american, she would have been the president of the United States. let's look at ourselves and then criticize others."
If only the Arabs would start doing that instead of worrying about what the Jews are doing then you wouldn't be in such a mess.
Let´s face it folks, we all are, to an extent, racists. If all here in this blog could see themselves as I try to see my self, there would no division of humans in races. So here I introduce my self as world-mongrel of Amazonian indian ancestry, mixed with Europeans(Portuguese mostly, which includes both Arab and Jewish blood, in addition to some nordic blood, they all mixed in Portugal) and Africans, thanks to all races mentioned folks. Nothing close to Asia, aparentely, but if we look deeper, Amazonian indians migrated ages ago from Asia, so here
´s a living example of non-racism: I´ve got all races in me. Quite frankly, the Portuguese having started to mix all races in Brazil since 1500, have created the only solution for racism: become a mongrel Brazilian with a great tan ! A new, tropical civilization of exotic, great looking people with as much mixing in the cultural and religious blend. And a great tan !
Scott, imagine the reaction in the US if American businesses were refused the right to do business overseas because they were American, and as everybody knows, Americans are bloodthirsty war savages down to the last man and child? Imagine the reaction.
Actually, it would be more analogous to say, Jordan refusing Canada a business deal because of what America has done.
[scott] "Or we can just blame America and Israael and keep this thing going for another thirty years...."
I guess I should apologise then.
I was under the delusion that America invaded Iraq on false pretexts, and that tens of thousands of Iraqis have died as a result. I was under the delusion that it was US soldiers that murdered Zeyad's cousin, that it was US soldiers that killed hnk's uncle, that it was US soldiers that nearly blew off Truth-Teller's head.
But now you tell me it was the fault of "Arabs" all along.
Wow, what an amazing revelation that all I have read for the last three years was a lie!
Thank you, Scott.
[joe] “Blame Jews and Americans all you want but the bottom line is that you put yourselves in this position.”
Again, see above argument.
Baghdad Treasure is quite right.
If the US had nothing to do with the Middle East, if it had no troops there and had engineered no coups there … I would be on YOUR SIDE. But the fact of the matter is YOUR troops are thousands of miles from YOUR country and are directly responsible for their actions and the consequences of their actions.
I mean, really, how daft must you be not to understand the action-reaction principle?
And BTW, what is it with this US obsession of bringing Israel and Jews into every discussion? Americans harp on about how the Arabs blame the Israeli Jews for everything but quite honestly, I have not witnessed Iraqis blaming anything on them. It
’s always the YANK who says America and Israel in the same breath. Just put an extra star on your flag already!
"And BTW, what is it with this US obsession of bringing Israel and Jews into every discussion? Americans harp on about how the Arabs blame the Israeli Jews for everything but quite honestly, I have not witnessed Iraqis blaming anything on them. It
’s always the YANK who says America and Israel in the same breath. Just put an extra star on your flag already!"
Ignoring anti-semitism in the Middle East would be like ignoring anti-semitism in Nazi Germany. Sorry but it's pretty hard to ignore something which is one of the biggest factors in the entire equation.
⁂Asterism - astral thinking...
[Bush]'Here we are trying to put a coalition of the willing together to protect America, to win the war on terror, and I would ask the critics and the people who are skeptical, "What kind of signal does it send to our friends in the Arab world, people who are joining us in the war on terror, people who want to fight off the terrorists, to say it's OK for one company from one country to be able to have this management contract but not you?"
I agree with Bush here too, as I agreed with him last year when he was against lifting the weapon embargo against China. However I have not followed up on that so I am not sure how it ended.
And I agree with your post Salam, it is racism, plane and simple.
I wonder what these people think about U.S companies having controll over other countries ports? Say Iraq for example?
By the way today while waiting for something I caught a glimpse of the news, a U.S congressman was speaking against this deal because they have aided the Taliban and they helped Bin Laden once. Now here I am really getting the impression that ALL people in U.S politics suffer from amnesia???!!! The U.S aided Bin Laden, they trained him and the U.S gave millions to the Taliban just a few months before 11 of September. So maybe its time we block the U.S from doing business with itself in the name of national security.
Nadia | 03.10.06 - 3:58 pm | #
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It really scares me the way america is further and further slipping away from what it used to be.. This new evangelic america is being surpassed by the rest of the world, and instead of them looking inhouse as to how to fix their decline, they are blaming everyone else in the world...
scary,,
akbar | 03.11.06 - 1:08 am | #
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I hate to stray from topic, but this is related to Iraq:
It is with utmost regret and heartfelt condolences I write of the death of Christian Peacemaker Team member Tom Fox.
Fox loved the Iraqi people and lived in the same conditions as they did in the past few years and helped set up a Muslim Peacemaker Team.
He had a blog: http://waitinginthelight.blogspot.com/
We must all condemn the killing of brother Tom Fox, a crime that is equally against the Iraqi people as it against him, his family, and humanity.
Tom Fox was a friend to the Iraqi people. He had most recently been in Falluja bringing much relief and comfort to the people there after the condemnable US assault on the city.
Please read some of his own words on his blog which he maintained before his vile kidnapping to see what a compassionate human being he was.
God help and bless his loved ones.
Truth About Iraqis | Homepage | 03.11.06 - 4:04 am | #
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well said Truth,,
i also wou
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