February 21, 2006
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TUESDAY POLITICSSo bizarre. First of all, how many of us know the geography of the whole darn Middle East well enough to know exactly where is Dubai, let alone the United Arab Emirates? For years now, we’ve been bombarded about terrorists, 99% of whom seem to have come from the Middle East, told to go about our normal lives but be paranoid as hell about anyone or anything in our environments that looks “different” or “suspicious.” Most of us have PTSD left over from 9/11 and pre-PTSD for whatever mysterious form terrorism will take next. And now we’re asked to comprehend that six major American ports will be owned by a Middle Eastern country??!! And that this was apparently just up and decided by the Bush administration without consulting the Senate or Congress or pretty much anybody. On Public Radio coming home from work I heard some shipping corporation type cooing that “what was the big deal”, the UAE would just own the company, they wouldn’t control security, no employees would change there on the docks or in the U.S. port offices. Then I saw a senator or congressperson from Florida on TV when I got home just fit to be tied that there wasn’t any kind of oversight committee about this, and in fact Miami’s mayor has demanded an investigation. And he’s not the only one. Republicans and Democrats alike are fuming. Governor Pataki of New York is pissed and so is Governor Ehrlich of Maryland. It’s not just about Fear of Arabs either. It’s that this would be a country managing the ports through Dubai Ports World (a firm it owns), not just an individual corporation. But the firm IS a corporation and the reason that’s worrisome is that corporations pay attention to their shareholders more than to security. Ports are best run by public port authorities. But Bush says, “who cares”, the deal’s final and the sale is closing March 2. So there. Nine days and counting. Remember when you only had to have someone look crosseyed and the color alarm thing would go to yellow to orange to red? I guess as we count what is it 22 dead in Iraq today the color is green to go on this one. Bizarre……
Deep Thought: “If you’re an ant, and you’re walking along across the top of a cup of pudding, you probably have no idea that the only thing between you and disaster is the strength of that pudding skin.”
Today I am grateful for: Frozen food
Guess the Movie: “Listen. Since I’ve met you I’ve nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at, and chopped into fish bait. We’re caught in the middle of something sinister here, my guess is dad found out more than he was looking for and until I’m sure, I’m going to continue to do things the way I think they should be done.” Answer: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989.
Winner: dharmachild.
‘Partial Birth’ Abortion Ban Draws U.S. Supreme Court Review
by Greg Stohr
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the federal government can ban what opponents call “partial birth” abortion in a case that will pose the first test of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s approach toward reproductive rights. (Rest of article here.)
Comments (29)
Hi, my name is diana and I just dropped in from the island to say hello. I see you are from Oregon. I was born in Portland and lived in the state for the first 24 years of my life. beautiful state just a little wet!
stop over and say hey
Diana
man…gives me the creeps!! Not because of their skin or anything else..just the idea that Bush thinks we don’t notice his lifelong dealings with the prince and the king..geeze!! Are we really all that dumb! I feel like he (Bush) just keeps pushing like a teenager looking for boundaries and we are somehow to indifferent not to smack him upside the head and say, “Knock it off!”
Now we have abortion again!!! gah…being scrutinized, attacked, etc. I really feel the drama of it all and it is getting a bit tiresome…been decided people..step away from the ladys who can make up thier own damn minds!
Canada is starting to look really good again…
I know the movie but as one of your first commentors i will resist answering :>)
When you have people from both parties screaming about it – it scares the hell out of me. Is there any limit to King George’s power? Can’t we stand up to him? Can’t Congress?
If you view this turn of events in a more cynical (some might say crackpot) light, it all makes perfect sense given the probable motivation of those who are doing it — it’s despicable, and it’s disaster for us common folks, but it makes perfect sense for those who are doing it.
Dear Lionne,
I feel so bad. I’ve been over here lately. I read your Brokeback Mountain review before I saw the film. But I haven’t commented much. Liz (the Queen of Swords) mentioned this on her blog and we talked about it last weekend. I told her that the UAE is one of our allies and we buy oil from them. I’m quite liberal and have written against the Iraq war since before it began, but this is business. The United States are heavily in debt, and global economics seems to be the wave of the 21st century. I’m more upset about the fact that Bush is auctioning off National parks. Pretty soon America won’t even exist. I have made extensive notes about a novel I want to write where I said we’d be trading in Euros when the American Stock market crashes in about 5 years from now. I’m not upset about the fact that the company chosen to run the ports is Middle Eastern so much as I’m upset about the complete privatizing of America that this illustrates.
Thank you so much for visiting WhenWordsCollide and commenting today. I’ve been needlessly commisserating over my blogring, and I’ve received nothing but positive comments so far, including yours, which came from out of the blue because I didn’t even realize that you were a member. I invited every one on my sub list in the beginning, and forget how many of you signed up immediately. Thanks for being a member and for your comment on my blog today.
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
The ways of the Bush administration still mystify and astound…sort of like the freak show at the county fair…go figure!
I actually have a friend who teaches in Dubai. It’s a wealthy country run by shieks who keep the populice happy with free health care. It’s not a democracy. Kind of funny that he is so hot to support democracy in some places and gives money to wealthy shieks in other places. The issue is that Bush doesn’t give a shit about any of us or what we want or care about.
I still can’t believe it.
I’m sort of in shock. And to make matters worse. He’s here for another 3 years. I thought it was 2, but my best friend pointed out, nope. 3 years. That’s an awful long time for him to fuck up a country out of spite doncha think?
I figure something REALLY bad has to happen for some people to realize how bad this administration is.
I was wondering what the heck was up with all of that. And so the insanity continues.
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Common Dreams. It’s a great site! Thanks!
Affirmative 2O’clock today at Starbucks, Judi
Ok got it wrong Thursday at 2O’clock. Judi
That’s rather perturbing. Keep it copasetic.
Your blog made me happy to not be an American and sad that I’m not an ant.
You have some very intelligent readers to say the least! I agree with 99% of their sentiments! Good post!
I kept meaning to tell you, but the other day, I was listening to the radio and there was a Jack Handy piece on!
Ha! And people thought I was crazy to suggest that this whole Cheney things was a major distraction from something really sinister about to happen! ;p
LOVE your site. I am so glad I found it before next week. I will have a lot of time on my hands to read and think deep thoughts.
Thank you so much for the blessings.
Peace.
wow, i can’t believe no one answered the movie trivia! Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade… i’d just gotten out of retreat and have been caught up in the olympic coverage, so thanks for enlightening me about this whole port thing, i did not know the whole story. kinda makes me want to go back into retreat!
Finalemente someone got the movie! Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade it is.
I actually thought of Indy but rejected it. (Only saw the first one, anyway.)
On the Dubai-ports thing, my hunch is that it really IS no big deal, but just because of the way this administration is, I think it all needs to be reviewed carefully. I think the U.S. will still have full control of security, for whatever that’s worth.
What’s a bigger deal is that this administration is still in power, and the composition of the Supreme Court makes me ill, and I’m worried about things like local school boards. I’m afraid that the tentacles of the Religious Right have too much of a stranglehold, and something tells me it’s going to get a lot uglier before it gets better. At every level, things are a mess. And the people in power are still smirking too much. I’m scared.
And now it’s the next day. I finally got around to reading Thomas Friedman’s column in the NYTimes on Friday. I feel a little better just knowing that he’s still in the world, writing. It doesn’t help much. But it helps.
thank you for your comment, and yes I have a couple of those issues lurking in my past!
Diana
Thumbs down for Bush.
Thankyou for visiting.
RITA.
I agree with you and your readers. Makes you wonder how far will he go and what is he up to next? I love your post.
Thanks for comimg to my site
That country is so fithy stinking rich (United Arab Emirates). Do you think therein lies the answer to this obvious mistake? Thanks for the brilliant post.
And there is the airport. I think I’ll buy a ticket. It’s almost time that I go there and show them what my real God can do.
My prayers are with you and your family go in peace, Judi