UAE and Port Show: Misdirected Outrage and Asking the Wrong Questions | @BooMan by DuctapeFatwa | Feb 23, 2006 |

Millions of Americans unable to purchase medical treatment, "government" programs designed to exterminate the poor, the infirm, the elderly. Swelling ranks of homeless, kidnapping people and disappearing them into torture camps that dot the globe, invading and occupying other countries, Halliburton, Wal-Mart, Abu Ghraib photos.

All these things put together do not hold a candle to the outrage expressed by Americans, all across the political spectrum, over the recently announced purchase by Dubai World Ports (DWP), a port management company based in a US client state, of a British port management company whose contracts happen to include some American ports.

Port security is important, you see, because evildoers who hate freedom might exploit weaknesses in America's port security to smuggle in other evildoers who hate freedom. And dirty bombs and anthrax. Wal-Mart would never let that happen. Or Halliburton.

So let's consider some facts for a change. First, client states. Let's take UAE. No, it is not a democracy. If the citizens of UAE, and other client states, were permitted to elect their own governments, it is almost certain that the governments elected could not be counted on to put US business interests above the needs of the citizenry.

It is equally certain that those elected governments would be opposed to many longstanding US policies, especially those that impact other nations.

This is why Americans pay so much of their hard-earned tax money to ensure that these rogue citizens are kept in strict crackdown, to prevent such terrorist acts as kicking out princes and emirs and electing a government of their own choosing.

Being a client state means that your state owned company cannot buy the UK company unless Washington says it can. And in this case, Washington said it could. And did not stipulate that contracts to manage US ports be excluded, and then award them to the Chinese company. The one that runs both ends of the Panama Canal. Or the one in Singapore. Or the other one that I forget where it is, maybe it another Chinese one.

Now let's consider port security. Drugs, weapons and human beings are the most profitable businesses in the world. Having secure ports could impact, even reduce profits of American entrepreneurs and wealth builders. Risk takers. Owners in the ownership society.

The questions Americans should be asking are:

1. How does maintaining client states at the cost of my well-being and that of my family, in order to facilitate the commission of crimes against humanity assure me the benefit of security, safety, and a future for my children?
   
2. How does corporate rule benefit me, featuring, as it does, cronyism, shady deals, and most of all, putting profit before my well being and that of my family?
   
3. Similar to #2: How does keeping America's ports safe for entrepreneurs and wealth builders who are building their wealth in the profitable drugs, weapons and human beings businesses benefit me and my family?

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