02 March, 2006

Nonstop from Dubai penetrates US airspace twice daily

TIME.com: A New High Flyer -- Mar. 28, 2005 -- Page 1

Here's how one shock jock talk radio host spins this "news."

Most Americans will recognize this sort of blather for what it is.

More about this high-minded personality. Of course that's in his past, so I suppose it's not relevant to the discussion.

4 comments:

فهد المحمود said...

This guy has been living in a cave for long time ... He doesn't know anything about what is going on outside his radio station ... He just found out about about the direct flights from Dubai to New York .... And he is very surprised that the flights leave Dubai at 1:30 am ....

Good thing he's been fired!

B.D. said...

This "shock-jock" commentator is using sarcasm to point out how RIDICULOUS the whole DP World uproar is. If Americans need to be so afraid of the UAE (a nation that supports terrorism) running US ports, then they damned sure ought to be petrified that the same country flies 2 flights directly into New York every single day!

And wasn't 9/11 about planes--not ships--crashing into buildings? So what the US really ought to worry about is not DP World but Emirates Airlines. They even got an Emirates Airlines representative on the phone who was trying to cover up the airlines invlovement with 9/11!

The whole piece is good sarcasm. But I guess that is one of the problems with sarcasm. Those who are well, less familiar with this rhetrical technique will think it's real.

John B. Chilton said...

Well, BD, you checked that out more than I did. I did poke around the web about the guy and in general I wasn't happy with what I saw.

I usually know sarcasm when I see it. If I missed it this time, my plea is this guy didn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

If The Onion had used this fact to ridicule American's fears I would have gotten it. And it would have been useful in changing minds in favor of DPW.

But I don't think this guy's support is helping the DPW cause.

B.D. said...

It is quite interesting in fact if you consider that the whole anti-DP World argument is based on 1) Dubai may have terrorist's links or at least terroist infiltration 2) DP World, as a government entity, is vulnerable to or in league with such terroists 3) the ports are especially vulnerable in such a scanario.

Now consider that in the case of Emirates Airlines, we're talking about the same Dubai (or UAE), the same type of quasi-government entity and actually even greater vulnerability as was demonstrated on 9/11/01.

So, where's the logic in suddenly seeing the DP World deal as such a threat? Using such logic every airliner from any less than stalwart ally--or from any country of the stripes--and you have a grave terrorist threat.

It would be nice if such an argument were presented more frequently.

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