Now that the lustre of the ‘Iron Man’ movie has worn off I can delve into some of the subtext that I encountered in the film. What was interesting to me was how this film openly expressed the all too cozy nature that our government has with the military industrial complex and how arms dealers can comfortably trade weaponry with nations states and political actors no matter who those weapons might be trained against the following morning.
Stark Industries was for all practical purposes General Electric. We regard G.E. mostly as a company that manufactures washing machines and benign lightbulbs, but the big profit for G.E. over the last decade has been in their tactical weapons manufacturing. The domestic appliance division is doing so bad that their CEO is looking to sell off the entire operation. It makes all the sense to sell to the Asians since that is where the customer service call center is located anyhoo.
In the ‘Iron Man’ movie when Tony Stark, the fictional CEO of Stark Industries decides that his company will only manufacture domestically beneficial goods the company’s stock fell through the floor. Why is death and destruction so profitable? This is where Hollyweird gives us an actual glimpse into the world we live in. Weapons contractors have an incredible sway over our military and they don’t have to play by any of the rules of engagement. We tumble along headlong towards the precipice where the real bad guys will have the real good guns.
Don’t ever forget that U.S. manufacturers armed the Iraqi government. Everybody on this side that works in the Pentagon and has an info clearance tag worth a damn can tell you the exact amount of bullets that we have shipped to them. When we went looking for WMD we did it as the repo man. Even if the arms were outdated, and they were, we still didn’t want them falling into the wrong hands. Meaning, people that didn’t pay for them.
You have taken note of some of the shipments of arms and supplies sent to Iraq that have gone missing? In all my life I have never seen white just shrug his shoulders when shit goes missing. Nope, he goes in there and gets his shit that was stolen and prA’li takes some shit for himself. Just because. The real story of Iron Man is about people so greedy and without morality that they would sell arms to someone just to try out their latest weapon in order to take their guns and bombs back.
These are the children of the same dudes that brokered land treaties with the native Americans. Since when do you think they have anytime to care about anything but money? ‘Iron Man’ was the fantasy that a man could rise above the code of greed embedded into his DNA after generations.
With only a little over six months left to his dual (duel) term presidency you would think that G DUBBZ would be busy trying to nail down some credibility for the legacy of his administration. Instead all you can see is the unraveling of a political machine that was jury-rigged from the word go.
I laugh to keep from crying when I learn how cynical and manipulating this administration truly is. The taped recording of an off-the-record luncheon with Pentagon officials that was attended by former Secretary of Defense DONALD RUMSFELD is the latest in a long string of incidents that demonstrates how much disregard and contempt this administration has for the American public.
The recording also shows how very ill-prepared these leaders were in their plans to overthrow the regime of SADDAM HUSSEIN. At the end of the day HUSSEIN is exactly the leader that Iraq needed to re-stabilize itself after the foreign occupation and civil war.
Who knew?
Plenty of people knew the deal and this administration actively sought to silence their dissenting views.
DP Dot Com’s very own Sue Simmons better known as MAXINE brings us the link of the ageless NBC anchorwoman asking someone on the set of her news broadcast the timeless question…
The rendering above is of the retrofitted Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Those of you that have grown up in the boro of Kings over the last thirty years should be quite familiar with the older version. Even though I was raised in Corona, I visited this building often because it was located in Mr. PENN’s former ‘hood.
I have enjoyed a pretty fantastic professional career thanks to the architects that schooled me in my post-high school dropout years. I have been able to take a firsthand account of the revitalization of New York City’s greatest immigrant county. More importantly, I have had the opportunity to deliver some of the best architectural projects to the people of the city since the days of the great depression.
I know that my dad and the Old Jew are proud of me. Without their stern lessons, and mostly their love, I would never have made the journey. I have to take a moment to thank AAUM for both of them. For my mind, there is no doubt that they both helped me get through this project. Their steadfast resolve and discipline are the biggest things I think of when the going gets tough.
This past week the ribbon was cut for the grand re-opening of this state of the art cultural science learning center. The Brooklyn Museum of Art has a grand facade made of steel and tempered glass. The Brooklyn Central Public Library has a gorgeous plaza and brand new multi-use auditorium. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum has all of that, AND it is expressly for the children.
Some of the people at the opening gala who have become accustomed to seeing me with a raggedy beard and shiny sneakers were shocked and amazed to see me in my pinstripe suit. I’m sure they all thought that I cleaned up my act to impress the politicians. What I didn’t bother to tell them was that my haircut and suit were donned out of respect for the men that put me in the place that I am.
