Asturian-American Migration Forum

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00722.html

Is this some kind of sick joke on the American people? Two of the 9-11 terrorists were from the United Arab Emirates, they openly avow the destruction of Israel, and Bush threatens a veto to ensure that they are allowed to operate ports in our biggest cities?

Laid bare is the real impetus behind the administration's motives: money, not protecting our borders.

It's amazing!

Who's G.W. Bush's daddy? The best friend of Bin Laden's daddy. Can you imagine just how much illegal trade, arms and drug smuggle you can do unfettered if you manage any major US port? Plutonium, Uranium - how much you want for it? ... and so on...
The whole thing is so obscene!
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Quién es el papá de George Bush? El mejor amigo del papá de Bin Laden. Os podéis imaginar cuánto comercio ilegal, cuanto contrabando de drogas y armas puede llevar a cabo el que controle un gran puerto de Estados Unidos? Plutonio, uranio - a cómo me lo cobras?...etc.
Todo esto es obsceno!

I would like to hear Barbara, Manny, and Ken's take on this turn of events. Obviously, the Republicans on the Hill are FREAKING OUT about it with the congressional elections coming up... But I'd like to hear the Republican perpective of how Bush can justify this....

This is one issue on which I've agreed with Bush from the start.

I was disappointed with the disingenuous reporting done on the issue and the emotional pandering of our politicians, both Democrats and Republicans like Hilary Clinton, Chuck Schummer, and Bill Frist.

The problem here is that politicians aren't arguing rationally on the facts. They're just adding to the emotionality of our public discussions. There's no way good decisions will result from this fear-mongering and anti-Arab bluster.

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Esto es una cuestión sobre la cual he estado de acuerdo con Bush del principio.

Estuve decepcionado por el reportaje falso sobre la cuestión y el ser condescendiente con el público en un modo emocional por nuestros políticos, tanto demócratas como republicanos como Hilary Clinton, Chuck Schummer, y Bill Frist.

El problema es que los políticos no discuten racionalmente sobre los hechos. Solamente añaden a la emotividad de nuestras discusiones públicas. No hay ninguna posibilidad que decisiones buenas resultarán de esta fomentación de miedo y esta bravuconería antiárabe.

This is what I believe: any country that wants to remain democratic, sovereign and independent has to have state-controlled or "national" strategic industries and activities, i.e. a national railroad system, a national postal system, armed forces, communication system, a national energy industry (oil, coal, power plants), a national health care system and certainly port authorities. Unfortunately the sell-out of all strategic sectors by neo-liberal governments worshipping the new golden calf, Globalization, has come to bear these bizarre fruits: US ports and trade in the hands of an unstable and whimsical "partner" who could turn against you unwarranted and without notice.
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Esto es lo que creo: cualquier país que quiera seguir siendo democrático, soberano e independiente tiene que tener industrias estratégicas propias o "nacionales", por ejemplo un ferrocarril estatal, un servicio de correos estatal, un ejército, un sistema de comunicaciones , industria energética (carbón, petróleo, centrales térmicas), sistema de salud y ciertamente una autoridad portuaria. Lamentablemente la venta total de los sectores estratégicos por los gobiernos neoliberables en aras del nuevo becerro de oro, la globalización, ha dado grotescos frutos: los puertos y el comercio estadounidenses en manos de un "socio" inestable y caprichoso que podría volverse contra ellos sin previo aviso ni mediar provocación.

I was wondering what a port manager does. Here's one summary.

Paul Blustein and Eric Rich, Washington Post wrote:Terminal operators typically lease facilities from a local port authority and are responsible for attracting shipping lines to use their terminal, where their main task is to move the thousands of containers that come in and out onto the right vessels, rail cars or trucks. In the process, they must maintain security at the facility, with the government providing backup and oversight.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01924.html

A foreign company was already managing the ports. It's not unusual in the US to have privately managed publically-owned facilities. There are restaurant concessions in national and state parks. Some of our major airports are privately-managed. I see no need to nationalize these resources. After all, we're looking for expert management.

Yes, managing ports is serious business, but are we willing to ban companies from Arab or Muslim countries from working with us? Not me. I see no evidence that Dubai Ports World would be an "unstable and whimsical 'partner'". On the contrary, the country of Dubai offers a glimpse of what would be possible in a progressive Middle East. And here we are discouraging that kind of future for the Middle East.

I don't see anyone worshiping globalization. (Well, maybe a few best-selling book authors are!) Globalization is probably already a done deal. So, anyone still resisting it is wrestling with the inevitable. Maybe what's going on is that we all know deep down that we can't stop this change, so instead, we - voters and politicians - do the only thing we can: react emotionally.

Unfortunately, Muslims around the world will interpret this incident as reflecting US attitudes toward them. Maybe they'd be right.

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Me preguntaba sobre qué hace un gerente de puerto. Aquí está un resumen.

Paul Blustein y Eric Rich, Washington Post, escribió - wrote: [trans. Art] Operadores de terminales típicamente arriendan instalaciones de una autoridad portuaria local y son responsables de atraer compañías navieras para usar su terminal, donde su tarea principal es de mover los miles de los contenedores que entran y salgan a los navíos, coches ferroviarios o camiones correctos. En el proceso, deben mantener la seguridad en la facilidad, con el gobierno que proporciona asistencia de reserva y vigilancia.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01924.html

Una empresa extranjera ya manejaba estos puertos. No es insólito en EU tener instalaciones públicas que son manejadas por empresas privadas. Hay concesiones de restaurante en los parques nacionales y de los estados. Algunos de nuestros aeropuertos principales tienen administración privada. No veo ninguna necesidad de nacionalizar estos recursos. Después de todo, buscamos dirección experta.

Sí, el dirigir de los puertos es un negocio muy serio. ¿Pero estamos dispuestos a prohibir que empresas de países árabes o Musulmanes trabajan con nosotros? Yo, no. No veo ningunas pruebas que el Dubai Ports World [Mundo de Puertos de Dubai] sería " un 'compañero' inestable y caprichoso". Al contrario, el país de Dubai ofrece una vislumbre de que sería posible en un Oriente medio progresista. Y ya somos desalentadores de esta clase de futuro para el Oriente medio.

No veo a nadie que venera la globalización. (!Pues, tal vez unos autores de libros de mayor venta sean así!) La globalización es probablemente ya un trato hecho. Entonces, los que todavía la resisten luchan contra el inevitable. Tal vez lo que pasa es que cada uno sabemos profundamente en nuestros corazones que no podemos parar este cambio, entonces en cambio, nosotros - votantes y políticos - hacen la única cosa que podemos: reaccionar emocionalmente.

Lamentablemente, los Musulmanes del mundo entero interpretarán este incidente como si refleja actitudes estadounidenses hacia ellos. Tal vez tendrían razón.

Here's an interesting essay on a related topic: the need for countries to maintain their identity and yet not slip into xenophobia:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031306G.shtml

There was an interview on NPR's "All Things Considered" on March 16, 2006 that talked about ways the Netherlands is trying to respond to the challenge of immigrants who are not integrating into the culture.

One attempt is a video, aimed primarily at Moroccans and Turks who want to immigrate to Holland. It shows some of the more liberal aspects of Dutch culture (two gay men kissing, a topless woman on a beach, etc.)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=5284827

You can see a sample of the video by looking for "Work" and then "To the Netherlands" on this site (Click on "Enter", then on the three fish on the far right, then click on "more").
http://odysseeproducties.nl/

Another is an examination which tests fundamental knowledge of the Dutch language and Dutch society and is required of people who want to form a family with someone in the Netherlands and to those coming to the Netherlands to work as religious leaders.
http://www.ind.nl/en/inbedrijf/actueel/ ... gering.asp

One thing that struck me was the speaker's opinion that the Dutch had been too accommodating. If immigrants didn't like some aspect of Dutch culture, the Dutch often tried to change in order to make the immigrants feel more at home. Now that people are aware of the consequences of a large subculture that isn't integrating, attitudes are changing. The speaker asserted that a culture has the right to expect that those who come to their country will learn their language and their behavioral standards.

Obviously, these difficult issues apply to the US and Spain, too.

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Aquí está un ensayo interesante sobre un tema relacionado: la necesidad de países mantener su identidad y aún no resbalarse hasta la xenofobia:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031306G.shtml

Había una entrevista en la programa de NPR "All Things Considered" [Todas Cosas Consideradas] el 16 de marzo 2006 que habló de los modos en que los Países Bajos tratan de responder al desafío de los inmigrantes que no se integran en la cultura.

Una tentativa es un vídeo, dirigido principalmente a marroquíes y turcos que quieren inmigrar a Holanda. Muestra algunos aspectos más liberales de cultura holandesa (dos hombres gayes besando, una mujer top-less en una playa, etc.)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=5284827

Se puede ver una muestra del vídeo por buscando "Work" y luego "To the Netherlands" en este sitio (Haz click sobre "Enter", luego sobre los tres peces por el derecho lejano, luego sobre "more").
http://odysseeproducties.nl/

El otro es un examen que prueba el conocimiento fundamental de la lengua holandesa y la sociedad holandesa y se requiere de la gente quien quiere formar una familia con alguien en Países Bajos y a aquellos viniendo a Países Bajos trabajar como líderes religiosos.
http://www.ind.nl/en/inbedrijf/actueel/ ... gering.asp

Una cosa que me llamó la atención era la opinión del orador que los holandeses había estado demasiado acomodadizos. Si a los inmigrantes no les gustara algún aspecto de cultura holandesa, los holandeses a menudo trataban de cambiarse para que los inmigrantes sentirían más en casa. Ahora que la gente es consciente de las consecuencias de una subcultura grande que no se integra, las actitudes se cambian. El orador afirmó que una cultura tiene el derecho de esperar que los que vienen a su país aprenderán su lengua y sus normas conductuales.

Obviamente, estas cuestiones difíciles se aplican a EU y España, también.

Art wrote:...are we willing to ban companies from Arab or Muslim countries from working with us?

Yes. I am more than willing to ban companies from Arab or Muslim countries from working with us on our ports/airports/infrastructure or any other area which could constitute a security breach. These people (or, rather, a significant subset of them) are actively working toward our destruction. It is very unwise to hand them the keys to the city, IMHO.

The British were running the ports. (For the record, I'm not for ANY foreign entity running our ports...) There is a big difference in the ease of infiltration of a British firm and an Arab firm. To think there isn't is naïve, I believe.