Political Betrayal of Allies

Lee Ellis

A combination of Republicans and Democrats have been able to do what the terrorists could not; they have convinced many of our allies, especially a strong one in the Middle East, that America cannot be trusted to work closely with them. Our friends have learned that elected members of Congress will betray an ally anytime a poll indicates that people want this to happen whether or not the public actually knows or even understands the true situation. Mob rule is back again. Can our own Bastille Day be far behind? Vive le guillotine!

And what makes these highly educated mavens of Congress think that anything American-owned is safer than something foreign-owned? As I recall from my history books, and as my American Indian friends remind me, the USA is composed of foreigners who became Americans.

On March 8, this year, The NY Times reported: "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is failing to properly screen truck drivers allowed onto port terminals, according to a new federal report that found that nearly half the drivers whose backgrounds were checked had possible criminal histories. Most of the histories involved minor crimes, but there were also many felony convictions on narcotics, arson and weapons charges. The report, prepared by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, suggested that the failure to screen drivers left ports vulnerable to criminal acts and even terrorism."

It would seem to me that the Dubai Ports owners would have been more experienced in knowing or sniffing out al Qaeda agents than many of our naive American citizens who have had few or no ties with Middle East nations. Worse yet is that some dangerous felons who now make a living driving trucks might be easily bribed or persuaded by a local al Qaeda agent to "move" a package for him (or her) on or off a ship. No one remembers the "Mata Haris" of other wars. Also, WMDs now come in very small boxes.

Thanks to the Patriot Act, along with the NSA program, we have been able to arrest many saboteurs and traitors living in Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon and Florida. We also know, that the Wahabi sect has built "schools" in nine of our states and is still spending money buying up USA property.

Most Arab nations live in squalor and lack the knowledge to build up their country. But, one nation, the UAE, has rivaled many capitalistic countries in creating new businesses and many jobs. Dubai is becoming a giant magnet for tourism with five-star hotels and elaborate sights. The UAE reports that its state-of-the-art tourist infrastructure with numerous world-class hotels, sports events and shopping spectaculars held annually, ensures its position as the Middle East's number one tourist destination. J. Henderson, an investment banker in New York City, writes a great article about Dubai and the UAE for http://www.mises.org/story/2078 . In this commentary, he writes, "Instead of persecuting Dubai, the US government should be encouraging its embrace of globalization and social openness. It could also learn a thing or two from Dubai's remarkable example of decentralized power. Each of the seven emirates within the UAE retains a substantial degree of sovereignty and independence. Dubai has effectively opted out of OPEC oil production quotas despite the UAE's membership in the cartel. In an era of high oil prices, this kind of competition in the Arab world is welcome.

It has become a sad day for this country when politicians think that getting re-elected is more important than doing what is best for the safety of this country. Do we now have more Benedict Arnolds than Patrick Henrys in power?

Between the "drive-by media"(as Rush likes to call them) and the public anti-Bush, anti-war statements by many Congressional members, our enemies are being aided constantly in their goal to defeat us. They brag about using the media as a major weapon against America. NBC-TV news reported that the foreign press carried stories stating in essence that Bush, the American President, had lost complete control of his government and was no longer in charge! On the Dubai.com web site, I found that the top headlines read, "Congress Declares War on Ports Deal" and "U.S. Criticizes Arabs on Rights."

Al Jazeera must love Reid, Schumer, Pelosi and Kennedy because they get to use comments from them almost daily! Now add Reps. Peter King, Duncan Hunter and Jerry Lewis for their part in insulting our strongest ally in the Middle East and for pushing politics over and above true security for our ports.

What good does it do to get reelected to Congress if another nation's flag is soon raised over the Capitol as a result of one's ego and lust for power rather than the patriot's need for freedom and the America envisioned by our Founders, who, by the way, were foreigners coming here from other nations!

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Lee Ellis is a retired journalist and narrator, formerly with both CBS and Gannett (USA Weekend). He was also a combat veteran of WWII, having fought in the South Pacific invasions. He had the pleasure of interviewing Ronald Reagan as an actor and then later working to help him become Governor of California. At the age of 80, he is keeping busy writing and doing free lance narrations for radio and television. He is an active member of Rotary and the VFW.

indiolee@dc.rr.com