BigSqwert

QUOTE(YASNY @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 09:36 AM) Shortly after posting that poll, the liberal Soxtalk contingent swarmed in and unanimously dismissed it as irrelevent because it wasn't conducted scientifically, including, if memory serves, the very person that posted this poll. I made sure to include the 'not a scientifically valid survey' note in the image.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 08:13 AM) Patience is a virtue my friend. Dang. I'm on the road for work. Only have small windows of time to check Soxtalk. Oh well.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 08:06 AM) Honestly, you have no idea what I am getting at here. I guess not. Seemed like you were questioning why people were opposed to the deal. I'm not sure where you're going with this.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 04:53 AM) This is totally hilarious. I just wonder, is there anybody around here that can tell me why? Texsox, you might be able to do so. You honestly have no idea why people have issues with this? Amazing. There are 11 pages of material you can read through in this post.

Damon going to pitch for them too?

BigSqwert Go figure

QUOTE(kevin57 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 08:10 PM) The airline industry in this country is in terrible shape, save for a couple of the "mavericks." Read in today's USA Today that Jet Blue posted a loss for the first time.

Rick Santorum on Hardball (in a few minutes) discussing this with Chris Matthews.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 04:37 PM) March 20th is now officially "Steak & Blowjob Day." Cool...that's my birthday.

QUOTE(AbeFroman @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 05:07 PM) Minors must be the biggest Bush apologist on this board. Will he ever break step with the president? He seems to stand side-by-side with him on every single issue. I am a democrat, and I generally try to respect the opinions of others. Most GOPers on this board tend agree with the president on most issue, but often disagree on some things. Do you have any opinions of your own on any matters? If not, there might be a future for minors in the Bush Press Office.... You've read my mind.

QUOTE(samclemens @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 04:49 PM) this UAE company is going to be managing the ports. effectively, they will be scheduling who comes and goes. remember, the US coast guard and customs officers will still be there. i wrongly spoke too fast earlier. i cant fully endorse the deal just yet. but as more facts come out, its affirming what i initialy thought. Well at least we can add 1 more person to the list of 6 people in this country who think this is a good idea.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:43 PM) Would it have been OK after 9/11 when the whole world held a favorable opinion of the US? And like I stated already. I think it's a bad idea for a foreign state-owned company to control part of our infrastructure. So if it was after 9/11 or if it's 10 years from now I think it's a bad idea.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:43 PM) Then what do opinion polls have to do with that? The point was that the government there seems to support terrorism, they are 1 of only 3 nations that recognized the Taliban, 2 of the hijackers were from the country, the UAE military funded a hijacker in Germany, and 7 out of 10 of their citizens probably (my opinion) wouldn't mind if something terrible happened on our soil. The poll was just another reason, maybe not a good one, to raise an eyebrow.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:37 PM) I was against this deal, and am still against it, because the company is controlled by a government who seems OK with terrorism (and might even support it), and a company whose ports are obviously questionable in their security record. And further, now learning more and more, it seems even more clear that this deal did not follow process, and was effected by some underhanded dealings without our own government. Yeah...what he said.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:34 PM) So are you proposing quit doing business in China, France, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, etc? http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=247 No. Just don't want foreign state-owned companies controlling our infrastructure.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:21 PM) I'm not quite sure what you are saying, but is it that we shouldn't be doing business with companies in countries that have unfavorable views of us? I know this is a stretch but I compare it to letting a state-owned German company take over a port in Poland in the 30s.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:15 PM) 1. This is about the company in question, not the people of the UAE 2. Never trust a Zogby poll. His methods are shoddy at best. Just saying that 7 out of 10 of the people working for this company hate Americans. Seeing that this is a company that is owned by a nation that has ties with terrorism raises red flags.

Granted this is 2 years old but just shows you the attitude of the people of the UAE. Why do we want a company that is owned by a goverment, where the people hate Americans, control our ports?? "Arab/Islamic hostility toward American policy translates into enmity for the U.S. as a whole. A March 2004 Pew Research Center poll of four Muslim countries found unfavorable views of the U.S. outnumbering favorable views by 61 to 21 percent in Pakistan, 63 percent to 30 percent in Turkey, 68 to 27 percent in Morocco, and a remarkable 93 percent to 5 percent in Jordan. A Zogby International study taken three months later found even deeper hostility toward the United States in six Arab states: those with unfavorable views of the U.S. outnumbered those with favorable views by 69 percent to 20 percent in Lebanon, 73 percent to 14 percent in the UAE, 88 percent to 11 percent in Morocco, 78 percent to 15 percent in Jordan, 94 percent to 4 percent in Saudi Arabia, and 98 percent to 2 percent in Egypt." Source: http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=12645

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 12:19 PM) All of the major companies in the Middle East and China are state owned. So, by extension, that means we can never have any of those interests in our country? We don't need those types of companies controlling our infrastructure.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 12:13 PM) This isn't about what I want. I would personally rather our governement handle all our ports. I think it was a London based company that was sold to the UAE...I wouldn't have liked that London company either...I didn't know s*** about then though. Why can't we manage our own ports? I vote for Kapomet's start up company...he seems like a good enough guy and he's not from the UAE so right there is big plus for everyone. Big difference between a privately held company and a state owned one.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 11:56 AM) They are profiling. That's bulls***. We dont think the UAE is supporting terrorism, we know it.

For someone who is all gung-ho about vetoing any attempts to block this deal I'm starting to wonder how well informed he is on the matter. Turns out he heard about the deal after it was already made. Bush Unaware of Port Deal Until After Approval

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 11:49 AM) I hear you. And I'm inclined to agree, on the surface. However, again, on principle, we shouldn't be buying a DROP of oil then - Iran, Saudi, UAE, etc. Well you're talking to a tree-hugger who doesn't own a car. I would love that we didn't buy oil from that region and I would have supported a bold move like that after 9/11. But that's another topic all together.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 11:38 AM) First let me say that I don't like this deal, so I'm not arguing in favor of it. I'm just saying blocking this company because they are Arab owned and from the UAE is the discrimination and racial profiling that is deemed reprehensible when used against an individual. Why is it ok for so many politicians to be discriminating against this whole country. If 5 people from the UAE were to come to this country to work, a company could not say we can't hire you cause you came from UAE. The ACLU would be on that company in the blink of an eye. Just as American Airlines can't say, you came from UAE so we're going to have to check you a little more closely than grandma over here. It's a STATE-OWNED company. The UAE owns, or partly owns, this company. The UAE has had terrosist ties. There should be no reason that a terrorist-supporting government manages American infrastructure on our soil. It is ludacris. That's why an overwhelming majority of Americans and politicians are opposing this deal.