Decision on ports roils political waters

Re “Bush to Fight for Port Deal,” Feb. 22

No foreign companies, Arab or otherwise, should be allowed to run our ports. After 9/11 and the continued bombings around the world and threats from Al Qaeda, control of U.S. ports should be in the hands of U.S. companies only. The United Arab Emirates was one of only three governments that recognized the Taliban regime. Two of the 9/11 hijackers were from there, and it served as a financial base for the hijackers.

The Middle East is extremely unstable politically, and there is no guarantee that those who claim to be our “friends” today will continue to be our friends in the future.

DORIS MCNARY

Van Nuys

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Have we gone completely insane? We are going to lease the operation of six major ports to the United Arab Emirates? Outsourcing is at best not too good for our country in general, but to do this with our ports, and with an Arab country of all things, is unbelievable.

ALBERT COHEN

Sherman Oaks

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As a Democrat, I find myself forced by the ports controversy into the strange position of supporting the Bush administration against those xenophobes in both parties who would favor discrimination against a country simply because its people are Arabs. That individual terrorists or terrorist money may have originated in or passed through the United Arab Emirates is irrelevant; the same could be said of the United States, Britain or any other country.

I am particularly disappointed -- indeed disgusted -- that our own Sen. Barbara Boxer would choose to jump onto this bandwagon of bigotry. I too would like to see a Democrat in the White House in 2009, but not at the cost of stooping to such cheap and hypocritical methods.

MARK C. EADES

Oakland

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Does anyone seriously believe that Dubai Ports World made a $6.8-billion acquisition of a British port management company without prior assurances that its U.S. contracts would not be canceled? Who in this administration did the Dubai and British companies communicate with to get these assurances? How was the public kept unaware that a group from the United Arab Emirates, a country that recognized the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, was buying a company with American port contracts? The public was better informed when a Chinese company attempted to buy Unocal.

Is there no other company that can provide port management? Or does the Bush administration just feel more comfortable dealing with monarchies?

HAROLD WALTER

Northridge