Enough already...

Is anyone else completely sick of hearing about this fucking port deal with Dubai? In my last post I said I wasn't sure where I stood but that people should make up their own mind instead of falling inline behind the dumasses in Congress. Well I've made up my mind. I've continued to listen to this debate and the facts from both sides. And those opposed to this deal are FULL OF SHIT. There is no added security concern. 80% of the ports in this country are controlled by foriegn corporations. And most of those are either state owned or have very close ties to their governments.

But you might say, "Jason, if all of Congressmen are against it and even President said they should have briefed them, then isn't it possible that we should be concerned?" And to that I would say, "No fucking way." In this game the Democrats are pissed because they see it as a way to attack the President. They would attack him for anything. Don't get me wrong, it's good to descent but right now they're just shouting at the rain. And Republicans think their base is too stupid to hear the facts. Leave it to them to take the path of least resistance. Its always easier to take the bull-headed intolerant stance because it does not require you to think. Or explain logically why you feel the way you do.

This is a business deal between two companies that will not affect us at all. Port operations has NOTHING to do with who manages the security. If you want to be concerned about something then you should be worried that in general our National Guard and customs officials are inept. But that has nothing to do with Dubai Ports World. And don't tell me that there's a slightly higher risk with them because of their Middle East origins. There is no higher risk of them using their limited abilities to affect our security than there is from ANY OTHER one of the port operations companies. All they do is tell the boats WHERE TO DOCK and WHEN.

And besides all of the facts that tell us this is not something the government should be involved in...I'll give you one more. If our leaders insist on waging war on radical Muslims with ties to terrorism then we need someone in our corner. The UAE is a moderate state of Arabs. Blocking this deal will tell anyone left over there that might think the USA is still okay that, "No, we're really not okay. We're racist. We allowed a state with 'Arab' in their name to scare the hell out of us despite the facts." Any friends we might have in the Middle East will see us as fearful or intolerant of Arabs if we block this deal.

Okay, that's the last I'll say about this deal. Stop worrying about it. Its not a concern. Forget about it.

This UAE deal over the port operations has really got people in an uproar. Honestly I'm not sure where I stand on the matter. There's legitimate concerns on both sides of the fence. However, I do find it disturbing that some people are not in opposition because of legitimate security concerns based on tangible evidence. They're concerned because the word 'Arab' is in the name of the state.

Most port terminals are already operatred by foreign countries including China, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Great Britain, & Denmark. This event comes at a bad time for Americans. To quote Daniel Schorr, "Its a case of globilization meets xenophobia." Globilization is everywhere we look. Hell, everytime I turn around IBM is sending more of our work to Brazil or India. This is a global market and with that comes ownership of operations in the states by foreign companies.

There are conerns to be had. And there are arguments to be made that this is nothing more than an economic transaction that will not impact the port security or labor population at all. Either, way I wish people would seek the facts and make up their minds based on the facts and not their fears. Check out this article for a good comprehensive look at the issues...and then make up your own mind. Don't let the Democrats, looking to oppose Bush for the sake of opposing him, or Republicans, looking to stir irrational fear tell you how this is going down. Jump

Quick Draw McCheney

Initially I didn't think I would blog about the shooting accident. I mean it was just an accident right? These things happen. It was negligence, that's for sure. One of the first things they tell you in any hunting safety course is, "Don't shoot your hunting companion in the chest." But anyway.

So now the press and the Democrats are criticizing Cheney and the Whitehouse for not telling everybody what happened. There are references being made to how this administration has always been secretive and this is more of the same. And you know what? I get it. I know they're secretive. Everyone does. That's old news. What really pisses me off is when they try to talk to us like we're children and blow smoke.

Cheney finally came out today and said that he intended to let the ranch owner report the story to the local paper. He thought that's how it should have been handled. WAIT A DAMN MINUTE... So you're telling me that an administration that LOVES to control what information makes it to the media, that repeatedly refuses to disclose information that it, frankly, just doesn't want to give up planned the release of this news to a local newspaper? Okay, now let's say I'm a Washington crony or even one of the executives. I love to control the flow of information. I've done it with the 9/11 commission, I've done it with the war in Iraq and the intelligence reporting WMD's, I've done it with pictures of Jack Abramoff & Bush. But then the VP shoots a guy in the chest with a 12 Gauge...ah hell...we don't need to control this. Its just a little hunting accident that almost killed a man. I'll just let the local podunk paper report the story. Yeah we don't have a problem with that all.

Christ almighty... Why doesn't he just tell the truth. He shot a guy in the chest and spent most of the first few hours worrying about his friend and making sure he was okay and had medical care. Then he realized that he's a Republican 2nd Amendmant proponant who loves to brag about how he's an avid hunter...and he just shot his buddy in the chest. And he's worried. So worried that he and the Whitehouse don't know what to say. By then the story breaks in the local paper and they spend another couple of days trying to decide how to spin it. Then and only then...he comes out and says he meant for it to unfold that way. Oh of course...that make so much sense.

A Litany of FUCKUPS

Well the House investigation released their report today on the Katrina fuckup. They called it a failure at all levels of government. They placed blame on FEMA, federal, state, & local governments. So this begs the questions...are we safer today than we were before the administration set up the DHS? I'm going with 'NO'. Can all the blame be placed on any one person such as the president? Or even on just his administration? No, of course not. This was one inept person after another screwing shit up. BUT...this administration has continually used fear & the promise of safety to combat anyone that would oppose them. All this shows is that after 4 years their little plan crashed and burned. They...no, WE are no more prepared for a large scale disaster than we were before. Nice going douchbags.