Friday, February 24, 2006

UAE gave $1 million to Bush library. UAE gave $1 million to Bush library [The Raw Story | A rational voice - Alternative news] 8:56:41 PM    comment []

Miles Mogulescu: Why Are Any U.S.Ports Owned or Operated by Foreign Corporations or Governments?. There are plenty of good, non-jingoist, reasons to oppose the sale of 6 US ports to a corporation controlled by the government of the United Arab Emirates. But the bigger question is: why are US ports and other strategic infrastructure being privatized, particularly to companies owned by foreign governments? Before the UAE controversy erupted, most Americans probably did not know that many US ports are already owned or run by private corporations, some of which are owned by foreign governments. According to the New York Times, foreign-based companies own and/or manage over 30% of US port terminals. According to Time Magazine, over 80% of the terminals in the Port of Los Angeles are run by foreign-owned companies, including the government of Singapore. In fact, APL Limited, controlled by the Singapore government, operates ports in Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle and Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Chinese government-owned companies control terminals in the Port of Los Angeles and other West Coast ports, as well as both ends of the Panama Canal. You don't have to be an economic nationalist to think that certain strategic infrastructure should not be owned by foreign companies, particularly those owned by foreign governments. Ports certainly fit into that category. Other examples include airports, railroads, and nuclear power plants. If we're going to sell off strategic facilities to foreign companies and governments, why not sell off the FAA, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, or the New York City Police? (I'm sure some Saudi or Chinese security personnel know how to crack heads better than New York's finest.) Senators Clinton and Menendez have announced that they are introducing legislation to prohibit companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from purchasing port operations in the United States. But they should go one step further. Profit-making corporations, foreign or domestic, should not be allowed to own key strategic infrastructure. Corporation's responsibility is to their shareholders, not to the nation. If there's a conflict between security and profits, profits will come first. Strategic infrastructure should be owned and controlled by institutions that put the interests of the American people above profits. This could take the form of government ownership, or more likely ownership by non-profit joint government/private entities. In the end, the issue comes down to the Bush Administration's ideology of privatizing everything from social security to port ownership. The Democrats, if they're not too timid, should expand congressional hearings on the UAE deal to include the larger issues of port security and the ownership and control of America's strategic infrastructure. They should make clear that while Bush may sacrifice constitutional liberties in the name of national security, he will sacrifice national security to further the interests of the global business elite. [The Huffington Post | Full Blog Feed] 8:53:44 PM    comment []

PLEASE READ THEN SIGN. Bob Cesca: Petition: Replace O'Reilly with Donahue. This week, Bill O'Reilly has circulated a petition asking NBC Chairman Bob Wright to replace Keith Olbermann with Phil Donahue -- out of concern for MSNBC's ratings. Oh that O'Reilly. So devilishly clever. In response, I've started a petition calling for Roger Ailes to replace O'Reilly with Donahue out of concern for O'Reilly's growing mental instability. Join me in signing the petition here. "Dear Your Honor Roger Ailes, We, the undersigned, are becoming increasingly concerned about the mental health of the host of your 8:00 PM EST show. This host has claimed: 1) San Francisco should be attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists ("homicide bombers"). 2) There's a conspiracy to cancel the extremely popular Christmas holiday, even though the culture of Christmas is prevalent in America for nearly three months of every year. 3) That opponents of his show favor personal attacks and smearing, while he routinely employs the pejorative "pinheads" to describe anyone who disagrees with him. 4) That he never used the phrase "shut up" even though he's on-record saying that phrase dozens of times. 5) He has yet to publicly address his sexual penchant for soapy falafel sandwiches and female underlings. 6) He routinely misrepresents factual information (often called "lying"), then claims he told the truth, but will occasionally recant and admit to flagrantly misleading his viewers. (For more citations of your 8:00 PM EST host's growing level of dysfunction, please visit: http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/people/billoreilly where there are approximately 400 instances of your host's mental instability.) As a result, we recommend that you uphold your "fair and balanced" reputation and replace your 8:00 PM EST host with popular talk show host Phil Donahue. In a recent petition to MSNBC, your host praised Mr. Donahue's ability to draw a large audience and referred to Mr. Donahue's "honor and dignity" -- a perfect fit for Fox News Channel as your current host obviously endorses Donahue's ability to perform in prime time. So he's a perfect replacement for your 8:00 PM EST host who clearly could use some professional psychological assistance. It is now apparent to everyone that a grave injustice has been done to the previous host for that time slot, Phil Donahue, whose ratings, at the time of his show's cancellation three years ago, were demonstrably stronger than those of the current host. We look forward to the premiere of The Donahue Factor, weeknights at 8:00 PM on Fox News Channel. Sincerely, The Undersigned " Sign the petition. [The Huffington Post | Full Blog Feed] 8:51:04 PM    comment []

ARMED CHENEY TO GUARD PORTS - Shotgun-packing Veep Offers Solution to Port Controversy. Attempting to defuse the controversy over the decision to place the operation of several key American ports in the hands of a company based in Dubai, Vice President Dick Cheney said today that he would personally patrol those ports with a 28-gauge shotgun. By Andy Borowitz . [Borowitz Report] 9:47:37 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 Patricia Thurston.