Ports Deal

Let's talk about the ports.

When news got out last week that a private Arab company was about to take over the management of U.S. ports around the country, all hell broke loose. People were up in arms with the prospect of handing over our national security to enemy terrorists.

C'mon! People need to calm down. Not all Arabs are terrorists. The company is based in the United Arab Emirates -- not Iraq, Iran, or Afghanistan. The whole uproar smacks of racism and creates further divisions between the West and the Middle East. Do people actually believe that all Arabs are untrustworthy terrorists?

If we were having a dispute with France, would we not allow an Italian company to run our ports on the basis that Europeans can't be trusted? I highly doubt it. (Of course, we also have to question why any foreign company should be managing our ports, but that's a whole other discussion.)

And while Republicans in Bush's own party are upset about the deal, Democratic politicians are making a big stink about it as well.

But I wonder how threatened Democrats actually feel about the Arab company. It seems that they are simply seizing an opportunity to attack Bush and point out his hypocrisy. If that is the case, then it's too bad that creating hysteria over Arabs is the price of their attack.

- Jean Chen