/Nexus - 0217 - New Times Magazine/pages/0007/image.png)
Page Content (OCR)
» Industry spends US$1.4 billion a year implementing classification regulations. * The Department of Energy has 800 manuals, all classified, that specify what is to be classified. Three million people hold security clearances. Confidential, secret and top-secret are just the start: a bewildering list of ‘caveats’ impose extra restrictions on how official documents are han- dled, and thousands of ‘comrpart- mented’ programmes require addi- tional, special clearances—even to learn the programme’s name. (Source: US News & World Report, 22 March 1993) BIG BUSINESS w A move to repeal Section 936 q of the Internal Revenue Code has < been proposed by Sen. David Pryor, D-Ark. Section 936 of the Internal Revenue Code allows pharmaceu- tical companies, probably the greediest and most self-righteous of America's industries, to avoid paying about $3 billion in US taxes. It has proven such a boon to pharmaceutical companies that nearly half of all prescription medicine consumed in the United States is now manufactured in Puerto Rico. Pharmaceuticals isn't the only industry that has taken advantage of the tax gimmick to eliminate jobs on the US mainland and move them to Puerto Rico. Incidentally, Puerto Rico's non-voting The Agency for International representative in Congress supports Pryor, Development—the government candy store pointing out that only the industrialists, for foreign dictators and politicians—spent bankers and lawyers benefit, not the tax dollars to encourage, with tax subsidies [Puerto Rican] people. and tax breaks, American manufacturers to (Source: Charlie Reese misc.activism pro- lay off people in the United States and gressive, 4 March 1993, downloaded via move the jobs to Central American sweat- Pegasus Networks) shops, where Guatemalan women are paid 85 cents a pair to cut and sew blue jeans 1 that will be sold in America for $20 to $50 THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ARMS a pair. DEALERS ARE... A Federal Reserve study says 1 percent The Congressional Research Service of us owns 37 per cent of everything in the reports that Britain, Russia and the US sup- United States, and their friends, the other 9 plied 85 per cent of all Third World percent own 31 per cent of what's left. weapons exports in 1992, The remaining 32 percent is divided, | The US provided 57 per cent—a 200 per (probably unevenly), by the remaining 90 cent increase since the outbreak of the per cent of us. Persian Gulf War. The TIS hae nanred 118897 MEDIA MOGHULS & MEGA-MERGERS ing The Mega-Merger (or, When Bell Atlantic and Tele- sts, Communications Inc. announced on 13 the October that they planned to merge, Wall Street was delighted. The news media 'ro- reported that the potential $33-billion via deal—the biggest in US history—sent com- tks) munications and other high-tech stocks soaring. AS The merger of Bell—a multimillion-dol- lar phone company—and TCI—the world's biggest cable corporation—will create, we are told, a “revolution in information and up- communications". Long articles have tld appeared in various big-business organs . describing how this new conglomerate Per could combine the computer, television, the cable and telephone industries into one giant mega-information highway. ice THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ARMS DEALERS ARE... The Congressional Research Service reports that Britain, Russia and the US sup- plied 85 per cent of all Third World weapons exports in 1992, The US provided 57 per cent—a 200 per cent increase since the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War. The US has poured US$27 billion worth of arms into the Middle East in the last three years and stands to rake in US$46 billion more in arms sales to Third World nations; 90 per cent of which are ruled by unelected leaders. (Source: Earth Island Journal, Summer 1993) SECRETS OF THE CLASSIFIED-DATA UNIVERSE * 6.3 million new documents were classified in 1992. ¢ 5,793 officials have the authority to classify documents. 6¢NEXUS _ DECEMBER 1993 - JANUARY 1994