Calif. high-speed train contractors with Holocaust ties

Hello,all. I thought this might be of some interest.
http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=30665

It's a bill introduced into the California legislature, it's hasn't even passed through one committee, and has a long way to go before becoming law. Try posting this again once it is state law.

hmmm , 60 years or so doesnt seem to matter . i dont know if sncf had much choice in the matter .

Seems to me like a transparent attempt to ensure that only American companies qualify as contractors. This in turn would basically would be a nail in the coffin for the project as no American companies have suitable HSR experience. Besides, probably every person who profited off of these past atrocities is long dead. Really, what exactly is to be gained by this provision? I doubt it'll ever see the light of day, regardless, but to me it all makes little sense. SNCF 2010 isn't the same company as SNCF 1940-1945. I really hate when we evaluate past deeds by the standards of the present. In that context, all nations, including the US, come up way short.

David Benton wrote:hmmm , 60 years or so doesnt seem to matter . i dont know if sncf had much choice in the matter .

I think it's mainly a ploy to introduce Protection against foreign imports - a very bad practice. World Trade Organisation rules, to which the US is a signatory, prevent protection so people try to find ways round these rules.

I think myself that Japanese suppliers might be better, as they have experience with earthquake prone areas. (Forget their grandfathers' activities in the second world war.)

jtr1962 wrote:Seems to me like a transparent attempt to ensure that only American companies qualify as contractors

I do not recall the empire of Japan being involved in the Holocaust per se. Certainly, none of the Allies (save the USSR) were; even thinking that Britain was involved in the Holocaust is patently absurd.

I do not recall the empire of Japan being involved in the Holocaust per se. Certainly, none of the Allies (save the USSR) were; even thinking that Britain was involved in the Holocaust is patently absurd.

I was referring to the Japanese actions in the second world war. We do not judge their expertise today by what their grandfathers did, but by whether their engineering is good. The same applies to SNCF - though it is not so much the state company as their private suppliers who might be interested in designing a high speed system. The "objection" about what SNCF was involved in has no merit at all. It is merely an excuse to avoid dealing with foreigners. But what is needed is best practice wherever it can be found.

george matthews wrote:

David Benton wrote:hmmm , 60 years or so doesnt seem to matter . i dont know if sncf had much choice in the matter .

I think it's mainly a ploy to introduce Protection against foreign imports - a very bad practice. World Trade Organisation rules, to which the US is a signatory, prevent protection so people try to find ways round these rules.

I think myself that Japanese suppliers might be better, as they have experience with earthquake prone areas. (Forget their grandfathers' activities in the second world war.)

They also have a superior high speed rail network, when compared to other nations. That alone should be enough to contract out to our closest ally in Asia.

They also have a superior high speed rail network, when compared to other nations. That alone should be enough to contract out to our closest ally in Asia.

Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese engineers developed their systems themselves, and had to think about earthquake protection. They are likely to do a better job than either the French or the Chinese.

amtrakowitz wrote:

jtr1962 wrote:Seems to me like a transparent attempt to ensure that only American companies qualify as contractors

I do not recall the empire of Japan being involved in the Holocaust per se. Certainly, none of the Allies (save the USSR) were; even thinking that Britain was involved in the Holocaust is patently absurd.

Well they had their own "Holocaust" - they just didn't limit it to any special group other than "non-japanese"

remember the Bataan Death March? or the Rape of Nanking for openers????

george matthews wrote:

They also have a superior high speed rail network, when compared to other nations. That alone should be enough to contract out to our closest ally in Asia.

Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese engineers developed their systems themselves, and had to think about earthquake protection. They are likely to do a better job than either the French or the Chinese.

I wasn't referring to China with that, was referring to Japan. We're far from close allies with the Chinese ( in fact there's somewhat of a heated rivalry between China and the U.S. ). The Japanese also played a role in the Chinese high speed rail system. Japan undoubtedly qualifies ahead of any nation when it comes to high speed rail.