Feb. 21, 2006 - 00:19 MST

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO

This is an entry for Monday.

Hearing things like this make me paranoid, probably because I am so ignorant. Gives rise to many questions in my mind too. An article in Monday's Rocky Mountain News by Will Lester of the Associated Press follows quoted in full:

ARAB FIRM CONTROLLING U.S. PORTS DRAWS FIRE

WASHINGTON -- "U.S. terms for approving an Arab company's take over of operations at six major American ports are insufficient to guard agains terrorist infiltration, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday."

"I'm aware of the conditions, and they relate entirely to how the company carries out its procedures, but it doesn't go to who they hire or how they hire people," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y."

"(The terms are) better than nothing, but to me they don't address the underlying conditions, which is how are they going to guard against things like infiltration by al-Qaida or someone else ?" he said."

"King spoke in response to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's comments Sunday about conditions of the sale. Chertoff defended the security review of Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates, the company given permission to take over the port operations."

"Chertoff said the government typically builds in "certain conditions or requirements that the company has to agree to make sure we address the national security concerns." But he declined to discuss specifics, saying that the information is classified."

"London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., was bought last week by DP World a state-owned business."

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Seems when questions are asked it soon gets to a point that information is not forthcoming because it IS CLASSIFIED.

Apparently things like this have been going on for some time, Quoting Mr. Chertoff, "Chertoff said the government typically builds in "certain conditions or requirements that the company has to agree to make sure we address the national security concerns." So how long has this been going on ? ? ? ?

Googling a bit I find that the six ports where the Arab company will control operations are: New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

The whole thing leads me to think that I have read of Asian countries buying land and businesses in the U.S. And somewhere I have heard also that some of these foreign countries own controlling shares of stock in many of our corporations.

Just what earthly reason does our country have to sell the right to control operations of any of our ports or control of any U.S. businesses." Are we as a nation unable to come up with people knowledgable and competent enough to oversee the operations of any of our ports ? What's wrong with this picture ? ? ? ? ? Does not compute to my mind.

I do remember when I was in Japan (late 1960s) that a foreigner could not own property there. I had a friend, a parachute rigger on the U.S. Base at Atsugi who was married to a Japanese lady who owned title to their house, and car (I also believe), because of that. I had an idea the other business and personal affairs of foreigners in Japan was kept under the finger of national ownership and management and bureauocracy.

So my mind puzzles over this. How much actual land do foreigners own here in our country ? How many businesses do they own ? How many concerns in which they have controlling shares of stock ?

I do remember reading that before World War 2 General Motors had interests in German auto factories and businesses and received reparation monies after the war was over because of damage to German auto factories. Seems like companies like to be international, as long as the money is coming in.

How much did the Arabs pay -- ? to who -- ? to get control of the operations of six of our biggest seaports here in the U.S.

Shouldn't we be exercising more control of affairs in our country ?

Much like our federal government has been trying to privatize many things once run by our federal government. Now we have many privately owned and operated prisons in our country. Seems that if we ran something ourselves and then privatized it the companies taking over would have to realize a profit above and beyond what it cost our government to do the damn thing itself. Or am I too totally naive to understand something as complex as giving foreigners control of seaports, real estate and businesses ? I sit here and shake my head and figure that perhaps I am like Lou in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO . . . . . .

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