The Front
THE OPINION
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Could Donald Rumsfeld be the greatest threat to humanity since Adolf Hitler? \‘Jtrrds: Mark Brown
he idea of world domination is a figment of .lrll)lr'\ Ilu/trl's
scriptwriters' imaginations. r'iglit'.’ If only life was so simple.
In reality. there is a man. with vast amounts of military. political. economic and media power at his disposal. who makes the bad guys faced by Sean (‘onnery look like pussycats. Ilis name is I)onald Rtrtnsfeld.
The l'nited States defence secretary is. arguably. the most powerful man on the planet. I realise that role is. technically. reserved for the president of the [8. but I think it is safe to assume someone is pulling his strings. The principal puppet-master is Rurnsfeld. Back in l‘)‘)7 he and his cohorts began an ultra-right wing organisation named the Project for the New .-\rnerican ('entury. The I’.\':\(‘ states its central principle as being that ‘.r\rnerican leadership is good both for America and for the world'. It continues that ‘such leadership requires military strength'. _ _
To see what that means. we need InvaSIOn Of only look back to a letter sent by the Ira was I’.\'A(‘ in “)98 to then-President q (‘linton advocating unilateral military action against Iraq. It states that the
['8 ‘can no longer depend on our
partners in the [UNI] Gulf War attaCKs Of 1 1 Coalitioth and should invade Iraq
with or without l'.\' support.
The PNAC issued a report in the year 2000 in which it called for a decisive shift in favour of a more aggressive American foreign policy. This process would be slow. the report acknowledged. unless there were. 'some catastrophic and catalysing event. like a new Pearl Ilarbour'.
In other words. the invasion and occupation of Iraq was planned long before the attacks of II September 200i. Both ‘)/l I and the non—esistent weapons of mass destruction were Used as pretestr for Rurnsfeld and the I’NAC‘ to pursue their objective of untrammelled I'S imperial power across the globe. Those who have any doubt that Rumsfeld's new imperialist project is all about control of the world's resources and. in particular. oil should consider the recent research by energy expert Jeremy Rilkin. Ile calculates that. at current levels of consumption. ['8 oil reserves will last ten years. Saudi Arabian reserves 55 years. and Iraqi reserves an incredible 520 years.
It isn‘t only Iraq. Following the Afghan war. the ['8 now has military bases throughout the former Soviet republics of central Asia. giving them extraordinary power over the opening (‘aspian oil field. This immense economic power was gained through the use of barbaric weapons such as daisy cutters (huge chemical bombs) and depleted-uraniuin tipped missiles (which spread radioactivity into the air. the water table and the food supply ).
Now we know the real meaning of the phrase ‘militar‘y/industrial complex‘. And we know why Donald Rumsfeld and the I’.\'.-\(‘ pose a greater threat to the human race than any government since Ilitler and the .\'a/is.
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10 THE LIST 1:? Jail-3 Jul 3303
1 Eminem/SO Cent
Music Slim Mathers returns to these shores accompanied by his hip hop protege in one of the most potentially exploswe shows of the year. See Feature. page 24. Hampden Park. Glasgow.
2 Whistler
Art It‘s 100 years since the American dandy- boy and radical artist died. His iconic mother's coming over especially for the occasion, along with some other lovers and landscapes on canvas. See Art. page 86. Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow.
3 Led Zeppelin Video/DVD/Records The original young gods of rock shown in all their glory. Who could resust 23 minutes of ‘Whole Lotta Love"? See Buy it this Fortnight. page 101. Warner.
4 Melting PotlTraxx/Death Disco
Clubs An almighty party of epic proportions this one. as Ladytron, Stacey Pullen (pictured) and Danny Krivit come together in a funky soundclash. See Clubs. page 75. Arches. Glasgow.
5 Arab Strap
Music The Falkirk boys embark upon a Highland tour to promote their wonderfully manic Monday at the Hug 8 Pint. See Music. page 46. Cort/er. Glasgow.
6 lvansxtc
Video/DVD Hollywood gets a right royal kicking with Bernard Rose's magnificent take on Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illyich. See Video/DVD, page 108. Tartan Video.
7 Bread and Butter
Theatre An eccentric friendship between two working class Jews is the basis for this moving tale by GP Taylor. directed by Mark Rosenblatt. See Theatre, page 65. Arches. Glasgow; Traverse. Edinburgh.
8 Trembling before G-D
Film This truly powerful documentary from Sandi Simcha Dubowski should shatter a few myths about sexuality and religion. See Gay, page 72. Cameo, Edinburgh.
9 Bernard’s Bombay Dream TV The Mancunian comic dubbed a gag machine by some and a despicable bigot by others leaves the UK for the second time to perform in India. of all places. See Answer machine. page 128. Channel 4.
1 0 Mars Volta
Records Wild prog-punk shapes from some of the men who used to be At the Drive-In. lt’s pretentious, unpredictable and utterly absorbing. See Records, page 107. Universal.