The Dubai Ports World battle has trumpeted the gaping holes in our seaports' security systems, but few ask: Why are U.S. ports so poorly protected nearly five years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001? Why has the government spent just $630 million -- less than 4 percent of the $18 billion-plus we have spent since 9/11 on airport security -- to make ports safer?

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said it best: "[We] talk about having strong homeland security, checking 100 percent of cargo containers. In the end, our commercial interests get ahead of us."

Those commercial interests are led by the world's largest retailer and the United States' biggest importer, Wal-Mart...

Re: Wal-Mart's dirty secret is out

Why am I not surprised? They probably contribute to around 60% of our total imports.

If wal-mart is capable if dictacting to us howto run our ports, then we are all in serious trouble.

All it takes is one attack on Bush's clock and the past 6yrs will have been a total waste.