Dear Editor:
In a seeming momentary lapse of reason, the Bush Administration has approved a commercial transaction that would grant control of major shipping operations in ports across the United States to a company that is wholly owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. The affected ports include ones in New Jersey and New York. Two of the hijackers responsible for the September 11th attack were from the United Arab Emirates; that nation was an operational hub of the plot, as well as a conduit for money that financed the scheme. In light of these facts, the UAE is clearly not in any position to be trusted with oversight of US ports, which are already a weak point in homeland security. But, despite the UAE’s recent history, the Administration insists that the ports deal go ahead.
The history of Hoboken’s port during wartime is instructive. At the outbreak of World War I, many of the piers, properties and ships that lined the Hoboken waterfront were owned by German companies. Once the United States declared war and entered the hostilities, however, the government promptly seized the German property and ships and appropriated them for national use. This measure was not done for political or financial advantage, or out of animosity toward the German companies or people. Rather, the property was taken as a precautionary measure, because leaving it in German control would risk permitting a fifth column to develop where we were most vulnerable: our industrial and population centers. The same threat of a fifth column lurks behind this current ports deal. We were at war then, we are at war now, and business-as-usual is a necessary casualty of wartime.
I applaud Senator Robert Menendez for proposing legislation and Governor Corzine for initiating litigation that aims to thwart this misguided and dangerous arrangement. The ports deal may be a natural byproduct of globalization and free trade, systems from which the United States draws many benefits. But, the Administration must acknowledge that its most important concern is our national security, which is not for sale.
Peter Cammarano
Hoboken councilman