Impeach Them All!

I began by warning of the outright stupidity of selling nuclear reactors that had the capability of producing weapons grade uranium, the building block of nuclear bombs. I explained that the sale was only being made with the action of the President and Congress creating outright lies about China's recent human rights record and its weapons export history. These corporately owned bozos claimed that not only was Communist China somehow honoring the rights of its citizens for the first time in its history but that the sale of missile technology to Iran in just the past three months was proof that they had ceased selling that technology.

I know. That makes just as little sense now as it did then but, gentle readers, both Clinton and Congress base national policy on a whole lot less. We all know, of course, that there was no need of truthful information since the Corporate American owners of both Clinton and Congress wanted the huge markets of China to be opened to them and we all also know that Corporate America has absolutely no interest in human rights nor do they worry about which nation may murder millions of Americans in some future war. All that Corporate America cares about is profit and its vaporous worth on Wall Street. The deaths of humans are never even considered, unless the portion of Corporate America we discuss is the funeral or casket making companies.

Trent Lott, abusing his position as Senate Majority Leader, tried to blame only President Clinton for the fact that secret technology was leaked by American corporations repeatedly. Lott's inability to remember the episode of Ronald Reagan, the only God that today's Republicans seem to worship, gave very advanced anti-aircraft, shoulder mounted weapons to the very terrorist nation, Iran, that had kidnapped and even murdered American citizens in the name of some hazy beliefs of some religious fanatics is sad but business as usual for him. Also, as he so pointedly ignored, it took Congressional approval for the sale of the nuclear reactors, in the first place. Those of us who have yet to surrender our minds can see that everyone involved in this must accept their share of blame in this travesty.

What ignited this particular uproar was the firing of Wen Ho Lee, a Taiwan-born scientist who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory and refused to respond to FBI questions about unauthorized transfers of technology. The technology, for those who want a reason for some sleepless nights, was data on making small nuclear warheads, the kind used for multiple-warhead missiles.

What started the initial inquiry was questions that had arisen regarding even greater illegal transfers of technology to China by Hughes Electronics Corp. and Loral Corp. over the last few years. Even with this investigation into these huge representatives from Corporate America being conducted, no one in the Clinton administration nor Congress raised even a peep at selling the reactors when Westinghouse, General Electric and other corporations with business interests in the nuclear reactor sales demanded the okay to do so.

Suddenly, the Republican Congress is making noise about blocking China's long desired entry into WTO, the World Trade Organization, as a punishment but I doubt that they will anger their corporate owners for long. In fact, this issue has become a divisive one in the GOP with what is termed "business-oriented Republicans" wanting to do whatever it takes to get access to China's vast markets while so-called "social conservatives" want Beijing to improve its record on human rights.

Many Republicans are remaining silent for the moment while they await word from the offices of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the probable Republican presidential candidate in 2000. His father, President George Bush, was instrumental in increasing trade with China as well as increasing political interaction between the two nations. Gov. Bush, however, refused to comment claiming that he preferred to concentrate on the business of Texas and has avoided taking any positions on national issues.

A bit of history is called for. In April of 1996, Energy Dept. officials informed Clinton's deputy national security adviser, Samuel Berger, that the department's chief of intelligence, Notra Trulock, had uncovered information regarding the Chinese new found ability to make their warheads much smaller than would have been possible without the assistance of a spy within Los Alamos National Laboratory. In fact, Berger was informed, the spying must have been going on for at least a decade and that the spy was most likely still in place. The Clinton administration took no action. In April of 1997, the FBI strongly recommended tighter security measures, a recommendation that was ignored by the administration. By July, Berger was again briefed on the spy. Berger briefed Clinton but the issue came at a time when Clinton was busy trying to forge not only the "strategic Partnership" summit but was also the target of congressional investigation into illegally funneled campaign funds from China into the Clinton-Gore 1996 campaign.

At this point, the Three Stooges appear to have assumed charge of the episode. First, Berger assigned a National Security staffer, Gary Samore, to look into the problem. Samore asked the CIA to create a theory other than the spy scenario offered by Trulock. The CIA designated Trulock's theory an "unsupported worst-case" scenario and that no one could determine even if a spy was involved.

While the spy continued to pass along new information, the National Security Council designed a new and improved security plan for Los Alamos. In February 1998, Clinton ordered the reforms to be put in place. Energy Secretary Frederico Pena simply never followed that order and nothing more was done until October of 1998 when Pena's successor Bill Richardson instituted them.

The New York Times reported that the House Intelligence Committee requested that Trulock brief it in July of 1998 but acting energy secretary Elizabeth Moler instructed Trulock not to do so, even though she did not remember the incident when asked by the Times. Trulock has since stated that the permission was refused for fear that the information would interfere with Clinton's China policy.

So, what have we learned? Clinton has, through his inaction, allowed China to come into possession of secret technology that may well be used against the United States or its allies in the future. Through his actions, he has allowed China to own nuclear reactors capable of producing weapons grade uranium. The Republicans, who have been pliant in regards to opening China's vast markets at any cost, are now trying to behave as if they were innocent of allowing Corporate America to sell technology of great potential for harm to China. Instead, they pretend to be upset with what any intelligent person could have predicted would occur.

Gentle readers, our children may well face the results of this entire sorry episode in a time of terrible war. The entire world may face the consequences of this stupidity should the hatreds and petty jealousies that are so rampant in this world degenerate into a world wide nuclear conflagration. By providing China the tools to destroy so much, this administration may be remembered as the idiots who armed the world and began the suffering of the planet to begin. That is, of course, if anyone remains to carry the memory.(1, 2)

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