Gaddafi’s Sordid Past … or Future?

The international magnifying glass has been pointed at Muammar al-Gaddafi since violence has erupted on the streets of Libya. As Gaddafi continues to hang on and fight against the Libyan people, we dive into his past and focus on a crime Gaddafi committed right here in the U.S.

Gaddafi had been known throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s to both fund and actively support a wide variety of terrorist groups. In 1981 he had gone as far as to plot an assassination attempt on then U.S. president Ronald Reagan.

By the late 70s, Libya had already been seeking nuclear materials and weapons technology from various countries, despite being part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In 1985, the efforts came to a head here in the states.

A group of Libyan terrorists had acquired plutonium by raiding a nuclear power plant. The group, which would have certainly been funded by Gaddafi, recruited the help of Dr. Emmet Brown of Hill Valley, CA to assist in the making of a nuclear weapon.

They were, however, being played by Brown, who had agreed to help so that he could take the plutonium for use in his DeLorean Time Machine. And that’s exactly what he did. Brown had said that a nuclear reaction was required to “generate the 1.21 jigowatts of electricity.”

Gaddafi’s terrorists learned of the betrayal and tracked Brown to Twin Pines Mall (aka Lone Pines Mall) where Brown was demonstrating his machine to friend, Martin McFly on the morning of October 26, 1985.

Two Libyans in a Volkswagon Bus attacked the two, shooting Brown and attempting to shoot McFly who jumped into the DeLorean and sped off as his only means of escape. The Libyans gave chase, but were unable to catch McFly before the Time Machine reached 88 mph, vanishing with McFly into 1955, and sending the disoriented Libyans crashing into a photo stand.

Fortunately for Brown, McFly had enough sense to write a letter describing the events of October 26, 1985, and give it to Brown in 1955. Brown initially rejected the letter, refusing to read it on the grounds that the knowledge contained could disrupt the space-time continuum, but later figured, “what the hell!” McFly returned to 1985 just in time to see the events unfold “again.” He was relieved to discover that Brown had read the letter and wore a bullet-proof vest.

As Gaddafi continues to murder protesters and slam down his iron fist, we would do well to remember the plights of Brown and McFly. They are an example of everyday people rising up against Gaddafi and his goons, and succeeding. I like to imagine that somewhere in space and time, Brown and McFly are listening to the news coming from North Africa and rooting for those brave protesters on the streets of Tripoli.