Reply #4: Okay, Okay... There's a smidgen of truth there...

[neoblues]

I admit, after having considered the issue, I just can't conclude that Arabs and Muslims have come through the recent decades free from some relatively negative stereotypes attached. However, since I'm not at all convinced that some of these views aren't indeed merited, I can't call them discriminatory.

In any case, the point is that we can't have a company based out of a region that's beyond our control, intelligence and security measures, which is also home to a much higher percentage of individuals with connections to radical Islam and/or Al-Qaeda and/or terrorist organiztions... a company that may well be more easily and frequently penetrated by individuals who may act as spys or even inadvertent sources of information... just can't be allowed the kind of access to U.S. security and intelligence information, nor can we be sure to trust it (all of it's employees) to provide the necessary and proper intelligence information on the cargo manifests moving through our ports (from which, or upon which, our Customs/Coast Guard and intelligence agencies depend for what "Port Security" they do manage to provide). Simply put, as Senator Biden has said, there are significant differences between so-called "allies". You just can't compare the UAE to Britain (or even other members of NATO). It's just obviously an unwise decision in terms of national security--and has nothing whatsoever to do with racism.

The only association to "racism" would be that the world currently faces much greater international terrorist activity from Muslims, especially Arab Muslims, and that such belief systems--since they vary by geographic/national boundaries, and the percentages of racial denominations also, likewise vary along geographic boundaries, and that such religious and social world-views also... vary along racial boundaries... and... alas, currently, it can be said that a terrorist with aims to harm Americans and American interests is statistically much more likely to have cultural, national, racial and religious backgrounds that resemble Arab, Middle-Eastern and Muslim designations which are shared by the people of the UAE. This doesn't say anything about a given individual, and doesn't make most of the people living there "bad" or any such thing... it just means that they surely are or will be associated with a higher percentage of persons who themselves are associated with groups known to be threats to our national security. Sorry, it's just a fact.

It may not "sound" "politically correct"... and since negative stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims do exist to varying degrees within the population of America--it's easy to accuse any such reactions against allowing people and businesses from such regions, religions and ideologies to have access and even control over important elements of our national security, of being racially motivated or involving discrimination... but while it's true that there are such feelings and suspicions--many are based on facts and real issues which can't be ignored when it comes to something as important as allowing a foreign company to handle major components involving entry of goods and material into our country. It's such a sort of private and personal issue, it's shocking to most Americans that we'd let anyone outside of our own country handle such a mission--much less one that is far from being a "trusted" ally.

So... Sorry you feel offended, it's nothing personal really--we just can't trust you--and you're not alone--we wouldn't trust anyone/businesses from most nations of the world either! Nor should we!