Carmakers Fight Anti-Terrorism Import Law

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

You'd think "just-in-time" production techniques wouldn't extend to, say, Korea (Aveo) or China (Equinox engine). But you'd be wrong. And The National Association of Automakers view new anti-terrorism legislation– that's been six years in the making— as a threat to their business. "The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bureau wants shippers to collect 10 new categories of data for U.S.-bound cargo 24 hours before it's loaded on ships in foreign countries," The Detroit News reports. "As well as to provide data about the physical location of cargo aboard a U.S.-bound vessel and status messages that report container movements… Automakers say the rule could upset the delicate 'just in time' shipping of parts to arrive at auto factories as they are needed for vehicle production, which saves the companies the cost of stockpiling parts… The automakers argue the rules would do little to make the country safer." And might be extended to Canada and Mexico. "Automakers argue in their letter that 'there is a better way,' saying that CBP [Customs and Border Protection] should focus 'on importers, exporters and countries that pose a risk.'" Isn't that exactly what they're trying to do?

Robert Farago
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  • Potemkin Potemkin on Aug 23, 2008

    There is little we can do to break the mullah's power. Any attempts to aid factions that oppose the radical Islamists will will give them more proof of western interference in their religion. History teaches that lasting change must come from within. The Muslims themselves must take control from the militant jihadists. We need to stand back and let things unfold. If we are attacked again, as on Sept 11, we need to respond financially. Any government that harbours terrorists gets financially ostracized with no trade with the west. Anyone supporting the terrorists, like the Saudi princes and the Chinese gets their western assests frozen. The difficulty here will be to get the west working together.

  • Landcrusher Landcrusher on Aug 23, 2008

    " Any government that harbours terrorists gets financially ostracized with no trade with the west." Right, you will get the EU to go along THIS time?

  • Potemkin Potemkin on Aug 23, 2008

    Okay, we can't bomb them out of existence, rooting them out on the ground is only fattening Haliburton's bank account, their own oil rich cousins bribe them out of fear and the world can't agree to punish those who help them. What to do. Hunker-in-the-bunker until they sort things out, in say 500 years?

  • Landcrusher Landcrusher on Aug 23, 2008

    What we don't do is limit ourselves to believing that we are doomed to failure because we don't understand their culture. You have to take your best shot, no matter what. You also can't let them know you aren't prepared to simply start killing them all if they really go to far themselves. You need them to realize that behaving one way gets positive results, but behaving others gets bad ones. My best guess is that we go wrong when we fail to go to war against the people of a country rather than just their government. We should let everyone know that all peoples are self determining. If you live next door to the presidential palace of a criminal, or even the hut of an international terrorist, you might want to do something about that before they cross the line with us. Our laws allow us to go after people who conduct acts of war on other countries and we enforce those laws. We should expect them to do the same.

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