Security Risk

Ride the Ducks has its work cut out for it in Philadelphia. The duck-boat company is facing a number of lawsuits and trying to get city approval to resume operating. And now the feds are breathing down its neck. Chief Judge Theodore A. McKee of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and other federal officials have told the National Park Service and city officials that Ride the Ducks' former loading zone along 6th Street north of Market poses a security risk to the federal courthouse.

Politicians, port officials and security experts worried aloud yesterday about the Bush administration's decision to allow an Arab company to become a major player in U.S. seaport operations. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wrote a stern letter asking for details about the process that led to a pending deal's approval by a secretive committee based in the U.S. Treasury Department. Its Newark container terminal is part of the transaction. Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.)

A lot of people in Conshohocken were happy to see Kiwon Lee buy a vacant, deteriorating corner grocery and begin renovations for a new dry-cleaning store in their small suburban town. Until they saw his very urban plans for security. Lee, a 41-year-old Philadelphia businessman, decided the large plate-glass windows in front would be too big a security risk. So he did what any discerning city merchant would: He installed rolling steel gates over the windows and the front door to prevent nighttime break-ins and vandalism.

President Bush, brushing aside opposition from Democrats and some powerful Republicans, said yesterday that he would veto any effort by Congress to stop a deal allowing a company owned by the United Arab Emirates to run seaports in Philadelphia and five other U.S. cities. "I'm trying to conduct foreign policy by saying to people of the world, 'We'll treat your fairly,' " Bush said aboard Air Force One. "And after careful scrutiny, we believe this deal is a legitimate deal that will not jeopardize the security of the country, and at the same time, sends a signal that we're willing to treat people fairly.

For 10 1/2 years, Ailish Nic Phaidin had what she considered a prestigious job - administrative assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Ireland. The good pay and working conditions came to an abrupt end on Feb. 26, 1987, when Phaidin was called by her boss and told, without explanation, that she was being fired as a "security risk. " On Monday, a Philadelphia lawyer filed a suit for Phaidin in U.S. District Court here. The suit names Secretary of State George P. Shultz, U.S. Ambassador Margaret M. Heckler and three other embassy officials.

DEAR HARRY: One of my chief financial concerns is having control of my finances. I have set up a will, legal and medical powers of attorney, etc., through a lawyer who specializes in elder law. I'm still leery of online banking because of the security risk, the risk of errors, the possibility of getting confused. I am nearing 83 years old and feel that I'm slowing down. I'm thinking of setting up an automatic-payment plan to handle my monthly credit-card bill. For years, I have had direct deposit for my Social Security and my pension, as well as automatic payments for all my bills other than my credit card.

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Right-wing extremists shout Nazi salutes and attack a man they believe is Jewish. Black-booted militants frighten aging Holocaust survivors. Writings of authors linked to a pro-Nazi regime are recommended reading for schoolchildren. Hungary is seeing a rise in anti-Semitism, which the prime minister is now vowing to fight. Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a gathering of Jewish representatives Sunday that anti-Semitism is "unacceptable and intolerable. " The meeting of the World Jewish Congress is being held in Budapest to draw attention to a rise in anti-Semitism in this Eastern European country.

Mayor Street says that the Philadelphia Gas Works' plan to build a terminal for tankers hauling a liquid form of natural gas "could be a great thing for the city. " When asked about the mayor of Fall River, Mass., who is opposing a similar project in his city for homeland-security reasons, Street said, "Everything poses a security risk these days. " Two LNG projects, two mayors, two very different reactions. How come? The answer may stem from the fact that the PGW project is unlike any other in the country.

THE SCHWEIKER administration has issued a ruling that, for now, affects only reporters, particularly those who work in the state Capitol newsroom, but has the potential to harm some innocent people. The policy could also adversely affect the way reporters cover state government and thus the news the public is entitled to. Those are my reasons for not submitting to the order that requires reporters to pay $10 for a criminal background check conducted by the state police to determine whether members of the press are a risk to security.

An inmate who escaped from the Chester County Farms Prison on Friday was still at large yesterday, although warden Thomas Frame said he did not believe that the inmate presented a great danger to the public. Duane Robert Riley, 41, escaped by jumping a six-foot fence in the recreation yard of the prison's pre-release center Friday afternoon, a day after he was moved into the center because of overcrowding at the prison. He had been incarcerated since August on an 11- to 23-month sentence for terroristic threats against his estranged wife.

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Right-wing extremists shout Nazi salutes and attack a man they believe is Jewish. Black-booted militants frighten aging Holocaust survivors. Writings of authors linked to a pro-Nazi regime are recommended reading for schoolchildren. Hungary is seeing a rise in anti-Semitism, which the prime minister is now vowing to fight. Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a gathering of Jewish representatives Sunday that anti-Semitism is "unacceptable and intolerable. " The meeting of the World Jewish Congress is being held in Budapest to draw attention to a rise in anti-Semitism in this Eastern European country.

DEAR HARRY: One of my chief financial concerns is having control of my finances. I have set up a will, legal and medical powers of attorney, etc., through a lawyer who specializes in elder law. I'm still leery of online banking because of the security risk, the risk of errors, the possibility of getting confused. I am nearing 83 years old and feel that I'm slowing down. I'm thinking of setting up an automatic-payment plan to handle my monthly credit-card bill. For years, I have had direct deposit for my Social Security and my pension, as well as automatic payments for all my bills other than my credit card.

We have to move away from the divisive "guns or no guns" debate to avert a cycle of senseless violence. Vice President Biden and his new task force on gun violence should consider the long-term potential of new technology to address the problem. We have tried a variety of approaches, including background checks under the Brady bill, the assault-weapons ban, increased police protection, and public awareness campaigns. These options may have temporarily or partly addressed the problem, but none have worked well.

Questions that need answers Journalists need to pursue the following questions concerning the resignation of CIA Director David H. Petraeus ("Lawmakers question FBI probe of Petraeus," Monday): How does a journalist/author deal with a source with whom there is a sexual relationship? And vice versa? Both of them are compromised, right? And if the source is the head of the CIA, then there is no limit to the end of questions that raises. When will someone ask them? If the FBI seemingly stumbled on this relationship, when did the FBI director know?

HARRISBURG - Not so long ago, in the name of security, top state House leaders championed the need to give the chamber's guards the power to carry guns. Not anymore. House officials have quietly decided to strip the roughly 16 uniformed guards, who also act as the chamber's sergeants-at-arms, of their firearms. They did so after discovering that one had been carrying a gun for years despite a criminal history. That security officer was fired in early May, and three who supervised him resigned shortly afterward, according to House records and interviews.

Ride the Ducks has its work cut out for it in Philadelphia. The duck-boat company is facing a number of lawsuits and trying to get city approval to resume operating. And now the feds are breathing down its neck. Chief Judge Theodore A. McKee of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and other federal officials have told the National Park Service and city officials that Ride the Ducks' former loading zone along 6th Street north of Market poses a security risk to the federal courthouse.

And now, for something completely bizarre featuring a rapping rodent named G-Hog and a gaggle of flashdancers trying to get teenagers interested in health careers. Clearly, I'm in need of some counter-programming after all the gun violence and vicious political ads of recent weeks. But how to do justice to one of the strangest uses of $4,157 in taxpayer money in Pennsylvania history? I'm talking about the Department of Labor and Industry promoting Health Careers Week (Nov. 5-9)

A plan to move Camden County probation offices from Camden to an office complex between Routes 38 and 70 has some Cherry Hill residents up in arms. Flyers protesting the move were sent out Thursday by the Woodland Civic Association, a neighborhood association, to businesses and hundreds of homes in the township. "We are concerned about safety, the additional burden on the Cherry Hill police, the value of our property, the effect on area businesses and the image of our community," the flyer reads.

Moving the Regional Produce Market to the Navy Yard would create serious security risks and block major growth at the Port of Philadelphia, maritime business and labor leaders said yesterday. Uwe Schulz, president of the Ports of the Delaware River Marine Trade Association, pressed port officials to fight a plan by Gov. Rendell and State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D., Phila.) to put the new produce terminal on the Navy Yard site, just south of the port. The association is the employer group that hires labor for the port.

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio, who as a congressman crafted the law to prevent foreign investments deemed security threats, says the controversy over a United Arab Emirates-owned company managing U.S. ports might have been avoided had Congress exercised more scrutiny. Florio also criticized President Bush for failing to make clear why his administration was confident the company, based in a region where anti-American sentiments run high, does not represent a potential security threat.