> > Ask the families of our war dead if they think we should hand
> > over security of our ports to a foreign government. The very
> > idea of it is obscene. ...

The control of these ports is already in foreign hands.  The UAE company is 
in the position of managing the US ports, because it bought the British 
company that was managing them until now.  They would manage 6 of the 33 US 
ports.  Of the other 27, several are managed by other foreign companies, 
including Chinese and Singaporean companies.  By the way, I'm not sure this 
deal is about "handing over security."  That is still the job of the Customs 
Department.

I do not offer these comments to support the deal, only to clarify it.  We 
definitely need to ask the question of whether foreign concerns should be 
operating US ports, and whether adequate safeguards are in place.  We need 
to avoid xenophobia, however, and apply the same standards to friendly Arab 
countries that we apply to other foreign concerns.

Our president needs to engage in dialogue with Congress to determine whether 
this is a reasonable deal, rather than simply threatening a veto, as if 
Congress has no right to question the deal.  It is their duty to ask those 
questions.

John Clogg

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