posted 03-07-2003 12:22 PM            

March 4, 2003
Swing Blades
Rumsfeld Filled His Pockets with Pyongyang's Nuclear Loot

By CHRIS FLOYD
http://www.counterpunch.org/floyd03042003.html

It's a well-known fact--oft detailed in this column--that the boys in the Bush Regime swing both ways. We speak, of course, of their proclivity--their apparently uncontrollable craving--for stuffing their trousers with loot from both sides of whatever war or military crisis is going at the moment.

That's why it came as no surprise to read last week that just before he joined the Regime's crusade against evildoers everywhere (especially rogue states that pursue the development of terrorist-ready weapons of mass destruction), Pentagon warlord Donald Rumsfeld was trousering the proceeds from a $200 million deal to send the latest nuclear technology--including plenty of terrorist-ready "dirty bomb" material--to the rogue state of North Korea, Neue Zurcher Zeitung reports.

In 1998, Rumsfeld was citizen chairman of the Congressional Ballistic Missile Threat Commission, charged with reducing nuclear proliferation. Rumsfeld and the Republican-heavy commission came down hard on the deal Bill Clinton had brokered with North Korea to avert a war in 1994: Pyongyang would give up its nuclear weapons program in exchange for normalized relations with the United States, plus the construction of two non-weaponized nuclear plants to generate electricity. The plants were to be built by an international consortium of government-backed business interests called KEDO.

Rum deal, said Rummy: those nasty Northies would surely turn the peaceful nukes to nefarious ends. What's more, even the most innocuous nuclear plant generates mounds of radioactive waste that could be made into "dirty bombs"--hand-carried weapons capable of killing thousands of people. The agreement was big bad juju that threatened the whole world, Rumsfeld declared.

Of course, that didn't prevent him from trying to profit from it. Even while he chairing commission meetings on the "dire threat" posed by the Korean program, Rumsfeld was junketing to Zurich for board meetings of the Swiss-based energy technology giant, ABB, where he was a top director. And what was ABB doing at the time? Why, negotiating that $200 million deal with North Korea to provide equipment and services for the KEDO nuclear reactors, of course!

Yes, nuclear proliferation is ugly stuff--but you might as well squeeze a few dollars from it, right? A smart guy always plays the angles--and, as the hero-worshiping American media never stop telling us, Rumsfeld is one smart guy.

In fact, he's so smart that he's now playing dumb. A Pentagon spokesman says Rumsfeld "can't recall" discussing the Korean deal at ABB board meetings. And his erstwhile ABB corporate colleagues say that it's possible the subject never came up. Of course it didn't; going into the nuclear business with a Communist tyranny that very nearly launched a nuclear war against the West just four years before, in a deal that involved high-level negotiations with the governments of the United States, South Korea, Japan and the European Union--that's certainly the kind of thing that would be handled by a couple of junior executives in a branch office somewhere. Nothing for the bigwigs--especially hard-wired government players like Rumsfeld--to trouble their pretty heads about. A perfectly reasonable explanation.

And so Rumsfeld joins the roster of Bush Regime multimillionaires who once trumpeted their "business savvy" as selling points for their right to national leadership but now claim to have been "hands-off" figureheads who had no idea what their companies were up to. Bush, in his sinkhole of insider trading and stockholder scamming at Harken; Cheney, making fat deals with Saddam Hussein (yes, after the Gulf War) and muddying up the corporate books at Halliburton; Army Secretary Thomas White, gaming the power grid and stealing millions for Enron in the manufactured California "energy crisis"--all of them went from mighty moguls to mere "front men" the instant their corruption was brought to light. None of it was their fault; nothing ever is.

Whatever happened to Bush's much-trumpeted "era of responsibility?" These guys are not only chiselers, hustlers, hypocrites and war profiteers--they're a bunch of gutless wonders as well. So you'll pardon us if we are just the tiniest bit cynical about the "moral arguments for war" and other such buckets of warm spit this gang is now forcing down the world's throat.

Postscript 1: Losing the Plot And what became of that 1994 pact with North Korea? UN inspectors entered the country to make sure the weapons program was put on ice. Pyongyang signed a number of lucrative deals with various politically-connected Western firms, like ABB, to build the promised energy plants, while waiting for the normalization of relations with the United States to begin--a move which most observers thought would set North Korea on a course toward China-style "moderation" of its monolithic regime.

But normalization never came. Clinton, pressured by rightwing forces (such as Rumsfeld's commission) who opposed any truck whatsoever with godless commies, did his usual folding number, with much windy suspiration of forced breath--and no action. The KEDO companies pocketed Pyongyang's cash but dithered about the actual construction. Pyongyang--while not exactly a font of smiling cooperation itself--concluded that the pact was being deep-sixed. This suspicion was confirmed when Bush took office, calling Korean leader Kim Jong Il a "pygmy" and declaring the county part of the "Axis of Evil."

Pyongyang then accelerated its weapons program, kicked out the UN inspectors, and is now threatening to unleash a nuclear war if Bush, a la Iraq, makes a "pre-emptive strike."

A dicey situation, sure--but at least Don Rumsfeld made some money out of it.

Postscript 2: Red Don Rising The Korean caper was not the first time Rummy signed up for both teams, of course. There is the little matter of his former financial tryst with the leaders of Communist China -a most Bushian affair, featuring ruling family members profiting from Daddy's government power.

It happened on this wise. A few months after Rumsfeld joined the Bush Regime stable, the American master of war bagged an estimated $500,000 by cashing in his joint investment with Jiang Mianheng, son of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin. The pair had been partnered in Shanghai's Red Flag Software, which is used by the godless Chinese commies to, er, block attempts by American spies to penetrate Beijing's computer networks. Naturally, Red Rum was not bothered by these national security considerations--not when there was easy money to be had.

Politically-Connected Insiders of the World, Unite!

posted 03-07-2003 12:36 PM            

how come these don't contain the words OP ED mech...because there's certainly no facts in them...only bitter soiled opinion...

posted 03-07-2003 12:45 PM            

Facts mean NOTHING to Seeker.

posted 03-07-2003 12:57 PM            

it will get you one day...

posted 03-07-2003 01:13 PM            

quote:

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it will get you one day...

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posted 03-07-2003 02:14 PM            

that will get you

to me it is very obvious mech don't think for himself...he is led...not of his own...and that will get you...

have you taken a sensitivity course recently or something ? seems lately you've been reading a bit too much into things...cigars exist as cigars you know...

as a Christian you of all people should know that forces are all trying to lead you astray...

time and time again I've pointed out glaring inconsistencies, outright
lies, slander about the military, government, bush and capitalism WHICH IS VERY OFFENSIVE, mech has posted this...daily without conscience...

there's a difference between questioning authority and accusing bush, and the bush family everything from pedophilia to planning of 9-11....this stuff is madness...

and of course the famous lines of mech's bush is satlin bush is hitler....

this is not questioning authority it is riddicule...and a product of someone very much consumed with hate...

posted 03-07-2003 02:33 PM            

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Seems like they are talking about the Bush Clan to me. Dumbya keeps invoking the name of God, but would Jesus do what he is about to do? Since Bush went against the Pope, it seems like he lost a few million Catholic votes in 2004. These political animals will say anything for the vote. Like Gore with the environmentalists, as him and Clinton tore up protections worse than Bush Sr.

posted 03-07-2003 07:08 PM            

Nope, no sensitivity training.

Swamp, excellent verse. I agree that Bush is not what he seems. His family is neck deep in the NWO hoopla and some very luciferian acquaintances IMO.

I am not going to judge his salvation, that is for the Lord but as far as his profession of faith, he has NEVER renounced Scull and Bones among other things that leaves many questions and he is on record that you do not necessarily have to go through the cross of Calvary for salvation. This is a stance that he changed from his time as governor (when it served him to court the Christian right) and his run for presidency. Someone who understands what it means to be born again could not issue such an ecumenical statement.

There are evil forces seeking to lead people astray, especially Christians. There are evil people seeking to force you astray too. As a Christian, which I am, you know that I believe the NOW and coming global tyranny is a platform for the rising of the beast system (cashless society), world religion, and the anti-christ (no Seeker it's not Mech) sent to delude if possible even the very elect.

To me global tyranny isn't a conspiracy theory it's biblical prophecy from the inerrant word of God. My God. My bible. (KJV)
I don’t push my beliefs on anyone. But since it was brought up there’s my 2 cents.

posted 03-07-2003 07:13 PM            

quote:

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I believe the NOW and coming global tyranny...

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posted 03-07-2003 09:33 PM            

I pray for Bush, I pray for OBL and Saddam too. Mostly I pray for their repentance, as I do my own.

you really are a Christian, kook...

posted 03-07-2003 11:23 PM            

What I'm talking about is that this forum in general was set aside for alternative news,and conspiracies. There are those that will always view what they won't believe as theory.

posted 03-07-2003 11:51 PM               

This coming from someone who smokes rosemary...LOL...consider the source seeker.

>>The world would be a better place with more rosemary and less marijuana<< http://www.chemtrailcentral.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/001004.html

Talk about needing a pooper scooper.

Sheesh.

posted 03-08-2003 01:34 AM            

good heavens ! molliani needs to sit down after that !

camels are bad enough !!!!!

I'm not saying it's not Mech, but all the truth in the world staring him in the face won't change Seeker's entrenched mindset. He's made that clear. In his view as a legitimate member here on this forum is that what we see so clearly is still conjecture to him.

hmmm....that's a damn good line of text...a stage setter....I'm not sure how to respond....

posted 03-08-2003 03:25 AM            

L and S
I doubt if the average size pooper scooper can handle your load.

posted 03-08-2003 05:29 AM               

After reading that I think I'm ready for a big hit of Rosemary... and maybe some... pasta... with a glass of cabernet?

posted 03-08-2003 11:54 AM            

quote:

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hmmm....that's a damn good line of text...a stage setter....I'm not sure how to respond....

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Wasn't baiting or fishing Seek. You have been clear that what some of us here see as truth you see as theory. You have every right to your opinion as do any other member here.