From Anne,

Thanks for your coverage of this bizarre news. My impression is that it's a continuation of Bush's family's long standing connection with the leaders of the UAE. It feels like an act made as payback, perhaps as a sort of blackmail-type protection. I've long felt that the Bush's have made "friends" with the UAE folks as a power gamble... but culturally, inherently the Bush power cannot grasp the UAE's root orientation and intentions. Bush's seem to have sold their souls. I think that ultimately this deal is being made under duress.

From Rick Tobin

The American public is having its attention diverted, purposely. Better look closely at what's going through Congress right now. It's likely to be something that the politicos and the press don't want you to see. This UAE deal is a smoke screen. Heck, the biggest investors in our country burned down Washington about 200 years ago...and now we're good buddies with the Brits. We gave away the Panama Canal to the biggest communist nation in the world under Clinton. Where are the people who let that go by without so much as a peep? The public is being manipulated. Better pull up the wool over your eyes. I smell a shearing going on, and it's not about the UAE running our ports.

From Ben Erwin

When is enough, enough with the public and this president? A lot sure has been piling up on the camel's back. I must say, that I can understand the political "damned if you do/don't" factor in this, but the bottom line seems to be lost which is: why don't we manage our own ports? It absolutely would be racist to say that the British can manage our ports, and that the Emirates cannot. But you can say "We have decided for national security reasons, not to let ANY foreign interests operate our ports, period". To think that all these years port security has been an issue, then I heard a report that no American companies had bid on the contract to operate the ports. What could they be afraid of, terrorism? Its bad enough they are outsourcing the jobs of workers to far away places, but they are outsourcing the profits from operating assets that are physically located here too?! I hope the Mafia puts a Vito this, before the president has a chance to veto legislation to stop the deal.

From Kim Chamberlain (American) - Firenze, Italia

Dear Ellie,

Thank you. Here is a list of the USA 28 ports: "Port authority: A state or local government, private agency, or firm that owns, operates or manages port facilities. Port facilities may be leased, proprietary owned, or licensed. Port facilities include waterways for shipping providing wharves, piers, docks, warehouses, cranes, and other investments at ports. Port services include the transfer and exchange of cargo and passengers between all modes of transportation." Is it a business deal or a national security risk or protectionism?

A port being run as a business to make money for shareholders will first think of their profits regardless from which country has the contract. Will it be more efficient, will the workers get shafted, will the books be closed, who knows. The sellers are London based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. and were not americans. The buyers of P & O are UAE based Dubai Ports World.

Looking at it from a national security angle let's get our color coded stick pins and a map of north america to see who is controlling what and where. Jimmy Carter worked out a treaty between Panama and the U.S. in 1977 which closed U.S. military control of the canal from the United States to Panama effective Dec. 31, 1999. Senate did not dispute this. Ole Jimmy was shocked when Panama turned around and signed a 50 year lease for the two ports at each end of the Canal with the Hutchinson Whampoa company which some say is a front company for the Red Chinese and at least Hong Kong owned and closely associated with Beijing regime. This gives China complete control over the Panama Canal, the West's most strategic waterway. Also Hutchinson Whampoa has control of the extensive deep water port in Freeport, Bahamas just 60 miles from Florida. (Freeport's International Airport one of the largest privately owned airports in the world, state-of-the-art facilities, including an 11,000-foot-long runway that accommodates international jet aircraft 24 hours daily. Refueling and hub operations are managed by The Grand Bahama Airport Company Ltd. (and UK) at its full service terminal, complete with preclearance facilities for U.S. customs and immigration.) Website

COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Company) since the signing of an Executive Order by Bill Clinton in January of 1998, has taken over and totally controls the former U.S. Naval Port Facilities at Long Beach, California. Singapore has contract for Oakland, CA. Add the six ports of NY, NJ, Baltimore, New Orleans (Mississippi River), Miami, Philadelphia to DP World. To me, it would be interesting to investigate each port AND their board of directors. And by the way--last month, the White House appointed a senior DP World executive, David C. Sanborn of Virginia, to be the new administrator of the Maritime Administration of the Transportation Department. Sanborn worked as DP World's director of operations for Europe and Latin America.

From a national security point of view there is a bigger picture than just the ports on American soil and from a business view these international corporations buy and sell and change their names and who knows who really owns them and what fronts they have with who or what and that goes for american owned companies as well. Offshore accounts etc. It is all about profits and power.

In the context of ports and waterways control, I am more concerned with the Communist Red Chinese on American soil, their control of Panama canal, and close proximity to Fla. of the state of the art Freeport shipping port and airport, and Long Beach, CA port, than I am about multinational Dubai. And, some people are using this business deal as another way to insult the Muslim people which seems to be a vicious sport these days. I enjoy reading this website. Check out Feb. 21st article and the Bush connection to Dubai etc.