Changing Journal Purpose
It has been almost 14 months since I last updated.
The original random complaining this journal started as almost 4 years ago became obsolete as my life gained some traction and I started dating the girl to whom I am now married. I am changing this journal to a more or less life/politics journal where I throw in my 2 cents and invite comments. Please limit comments to issues specifically addressed in my entry or reply (talking about the port deal is not related to Bush "lying" about whatever your personal issue is). I would also ask that anyone who cares enough to comment that they limit themselves to 2 comments per entry. I will try to respond fairly and in a decent amount of time.
I will open this new era with a brief message about my two cents on the port management issue.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a foreign company managing logistical operations at US ports. For the sake of brevity, I will not speak to the recently bought-out British firm's distinguished history. I also believe that, from a rational statistical standpoint, a company based in a country with a difficult to distinguish population of those who would compromise information about US ports is generally undesirable. Should that automatically disqualify the company as Chuck Schumer would have you think? no. I support the deal going forward for the following reasons. First, I have no reason to believe the agencies in charge of vetting such deals have failed. Second, a new review, as proposed by some in congress, would not change the facts of the situation or the outcome... it just strikes me as a waste of time. Third, even though there is undeniably SOME heightened risk of security problems, I find dubious the claim that it is significant to tie up our commercial ports for months straightening things out. Moreover, if the US is to gain trust and make allies around the world, as Democrats would normally claim is very important, we should not back out of the deal now that the whole world will know that we did so purely to exclude an Arabic country. If Dubai is good enough for every carrier war group to stop at on its way by, surely those people are good enough for moving some crates full of cheap plastic things you'll find at Wal Mart.
The original random complaining this journal started as almost 4 years ago became obsolete as my life gained some traction and I started dating the girl to whom I am now married. I am changing this journal to a more or less life/politics journal where I throw in my 2 cents and invite comments. Please limit comments to issues specifically addressed in my entry or reply (talking about the port deal is not related to Bush "lying" about whatever your personal issue is). I would also ask that anyone who cares enough to comment that they limit themselves to 2 comments per entry. I will try to respond fairly and in a decent amount of time.
I will open this new era with a brief message about my two cents on the port management issue.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a foreign company managing logistical operations at US ports. For the sake of brevity, I will not speak to the recently bought-out British firm's distinguished history. I also believe that, from a rational statistical standpoint, a company based in a country with a difficult to distinguish population of those who would compromise information about US ports is generally undesirable. Should that automatically disqualify the company as Chuck Schumer would have you think? no. I support the deal going forward for the following reasons. First, I have no reason to believe the agencies in charge of vetting such deals have failed. Second, a new review, as proposed by some in congress, would not change the facts of the situation or the outcome... it just strikes me as a waste of time. Third, even though there is undeniably SOME heightened risk of security problems, I find dubious the claim that it is significant to tie up our commercial ports for months straightening things out. Moreover, if the US is to gain trust and make allies around the world, as Democrats would normally claim is very important, we should not back out of the deal now that the whole world will know that we did so purely to exclude an Arabic country. If Dubai is good enough for every carrier war group to stop at on its way by, surely those people are good enough for moving some crates full of cheap plastic things you'll find at Wal Mart.