How come the administration will allow the UAE to run 6 major seaports, but when I took a picture of an Amtrak Train I was questioned by the FBI.
Because they’e out to get YOU personally. They’re outside your dwelling NOW, they’re monitoring your computer as you read this.
You’re from central Illinois? Do you think that building just south of Pekin on Route #29 is really a Federal Prison? Look at its location. Just between the CN/IC and the UP. And ever so close to the power plant, the UP Illinois River bridge and the sacred ex C&IM. Do you think it was located there by accident? Oh no! It was not an accident. It was all part of the “so called” “Federal Prison Plan” when it was built and its location is no accident.
Want to check it out? Good luck. You’ll never get in past the razor wire and guard towers.
Well, if you belive the UAE is going to “run” 6 major seaports - you’ll belive this. It’s a false story put out by someone with a very political agenda. And The Media, as usual, is going right along with the hystaria without checking facts.
Questioned and released though right? That would suggest to me that the FBI (assuming it was them and not the state police) were just being vigilant and talking to anyone they feel is acting strangely. Those agents may have no idea that people watch and photograph trains as a hobby so they see someone lineside and become suspicious. It does sound as though you might expect to be asked a few questions lineside these days but so long as you’re straight with the authorities there should be no problems. Interestingly over here the Police don’t seem bothered - I’ve never been hassled while trainwatching. The editor of one of the modelling magazines was questioned (just post 9/11) while taking photos of the rail operations behind an airport expansion project but this was by a private guard rather than the real thing. The incident was mentioned in the editorial section to show how rare it was.
If you were a strategic partner cooperating closely with US military ambition in a global hot spot, sitting on an ocean of oil, and cleared the same background checks as UAE has, they probably would stop a train for ya, just so you can blow the horn, if you wanted to.
The key words are “run by”. Security remains in the hands of the Coast Guard. Before you fall for all the hoopla of politicians making hay from their vigilant service don;t forget they said it was unconstitutional to single out men of Middle Eastern decent for searches at airports and that your 90 year old grandmother needed to be strip serached in the interest of fairness even though 100% of people hijacking planes in the last 15 years are Middle Eastern men. They also tried to do away with the Patriot act and then claim not enough is being done. If our first line of defense is searching every freaking container coming into the country we have a far more serious problem than the UAE unloading them. A strong CIA operative force working in the bad guys groups that Clinton gutted is far more important to prevent anything even reaching our shores. Also don’t lose sight of the fact that Timothy Mc Vay (sp) and his ilk did a dastardly act without any outside help from Arabs.
As a former member of the esteemed news media (for 18 years) and a frequent business traveler to Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE, I must inform you that the hoopla over this is so incredibly hysterical, I am ashamed of my former colleagues.
Unfortunately, I think this whole issue and hoopla is a function of election year politiics, exacerbated by politicians who never let a chance to gain “face time” go by unused.
I too, at the start of this whole dust up was concerned,and it did seem like we were doing the equivalent of giving the hen house to the foxes . But after doing some reading and listening to people familiar with the ports situation there is no American equivalent operation that can step in and run these national assets efficiently, on the scale of Dubai Ports World… Maybe that is the shame of this, and a realization that this is an area that needs correction and oversight, not outsourcing.
For those of us who live near the area of the Port of Nerwark, considered to be one of the most dangerous areas of the country, we are all a little apprehensive about the whole thing. they are trying to stop it.
These are tulmultuous times we live in. Most railfans, statistically and in general, are not questioned about train watching or photographing. But if it does happen…best thing to do is be cooperative to the official, even if you’re standing on public property.
No need for paranoia, but let’s face it…there are hundreds if not thousands of sick twisted extremists that want us scared, crippled and dead. Trains carrying loads of chemicals are incredibly vulnerable. Vigilance should be viewed today as a necessity.
The problem appears when the country involved was also the country of origin of two of the 9/11 hijackers, a country that refused to cooperate with the US in their post 9/11 investigations, and one of three countries that officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The problem isn’t that they are Arabs, but because they have more connections to al-Qaeda and the 9/11 terrorists than Iraq ever did!
We’re also talking about a deal that has plenty of ties to the Carlyle Group and high figures within the Bush administration, but none of them seem to know anything about it “until they saw it in the news.”
The problem, as the OP pointed out, is the double standard–a high-level business deal is considered sacrosanct by the federal government, with a reasonable expectation of privacy, but a private citizen doesn’t have the same expectation
This organization is the same one CSX sold all its international port operations (ex Sealand?) to years ago. Didn’t seem to be a problem then. And there hasn’t been an increase in container based terrorism since the transaction.
Maybe we would be better off if everybody would get their information from more than one news source. To me, the most balanced coverage seems to come from the WSJ. Today’s issue has a number of good articles about this subject.
My understanding is that this UAE organization is only going to run a part of the ports, much like an airline renting gate space from an airport. To carry the arguement farther, should we stop all flights from the Middle East?
Jay
If you are question while railfanning which I have never been be polite, answer question respectfully etc. Don’t be rude about it.
I just hope Bush knows what he is doing. Tommy Franks the famous military commander said last night that he has full confidence everything is OK.
I’m going out with my camera to get some good prototype photos now for my layout.
The fact that the terrorists where from a particular country is irrelevant. If we used that logic, we should have nuked Saudia Arabia and stayed out of Afgahnistan and Iraq. The terrorist organizaions that were responsible for the 9/11 attacks had their location in Afgahnistan, and it seems that when that avenue was closed they relocated some operations to Iraq. Some of the current problems there are al-quaeda, others are foreign fighters and insurgents from Iran and Syria.
The only people responsible for port security and inspection is the U.S. Government. That will not change. Why should we disciminate against a country just because they are Arab? Should we discriminiate against a country if they are African as well??? Some might call that racism. . . . . .
As for being questioned by law enforcement while railfanning - If you are on private property they have every right to quesiton and even arrest you. You are tresspassing, and it is the same as if someone was standing uninvited in your living room
New update:
Original story was that it was only going to be six ports. Latest news is 22 ports.
22 Ports!!!
Good Lord, they’ve sold Duluth!!
What 22 ports? What “news”?
Every nook and cranny on every commercially navigable inlet, river, or lake likes to call itself a “port”. There are only a slight few that amount to anything internationally, especially with containers, which is what this is all about.
Again, “what 22 ports”?
What amazes me is that people actually believe this stuff. This is no different than allowing say, Royal Jordanian Airlines to land at a US airport and operate its own baggage handling and air freight service. Do you want to really screw things up – then cut off trade and commerce with the Arab/Muslim part of our world. That’ll do it, big time.
This is nothing but racism and prejudice directed at a politically correct target for racism and prejudice.
Actually it is they will be the stevedores of terminals now stevdored by P& O. The problem with this is our military uses regular steamship lines to resupply our troops. The shipper MUST describe on a document presented to the stevedores what is inside the container. Since the stevedore also controls access to the terminal it would be easy for him to allow terrorists in in the middle of nite to do whatever they wanted to do to the military containers. Also, the stevedore can “forget” to load containers that he would deem not in the interests of his cause. Further in case of a buildup well the Arab stevedores will know exactly what we are shipping & to whom[:(!]
…Most of the above seem more assured than I do…and I’m willing and anxious to wait for proper oversight on the matter, whatever it takes…If it takes legislation to stop it, while that happens…so be it. “Trust Me” doesn’t have that good sold ring to it that it used to with what has happened these last few years…Now something will have to be done within a few days as I understand it so it doesn’t take effect…All I want is a safe America…and I’m wanting all the facts to be investigated satisfactory to have that…!
Let’s not try to look at this at the worse case scenario, and remember that there are plenty of US-based companies doing business in the Middle East. How would you feel if those countries restricted us and didn’t trust us? It’s a global marketplace, and it’s a two way street.
The sky isn’t falling.
Before this gets much more political, I’m locking it.