dictation's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ronnie's legacy Remember how Nancy Reagan, after she became First Lady, went on television and told Americans to "just say no" to drugs? Drugs are evil. Just say NO! Nance neglected to mention the identity of the number one supplier of cocaine to American citizens: The guy she slept next to. El Presidente. In the early 80s, Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. masterminded what came to be known as the Iran-Contra Affair (illegal gun sales to Iran and a massive cocaine trafficking operation to fund a Nicaraguan right-wing paramilitary campaign). Part one of Iran-Contra involved a guns for hostages deal Bush Sr. and Reagan made with Iran that resulted in the delay in the release of American hostages. The purpose was to secure the election for Reagan. In October 1980, Reagan was running neck and neck with Jimmy Carter for the US Presidency. Carter was on the verge of successfully negotiating the release of 52 Americans that had been held hostage by Iranian militants. Reagan had the brilliant idea that if he could delay their release it would weaken Carter's chances and give himself an edge. George Bush Sr., eventual VP, visited Iran and successfully negotiated a secret arms for hostages trade. The Iranian government agreed to influence the militants to hold on to the hostages until the election was over. They negotiated a release date. The pay off for Iran was lots and lots of guns. The pay off for Ronald Reagan, champion of American values, who ensured 52 terrorized Americans continued to stay imprisoned, was the fulfillment of a dream to become president. Although potentially perilous, the tactic worked. Ron won the election, the hostages were released (long after they would have been if Jimmy Carter's negotiations hadn't been undermined) and Ronnie looked like the hero. (That is, until the whole scheme got blown wide open and he was exposed.) Part two: the ongoing profits from the secret gun sales were used by President Reagan and VP Bush to fund the Contra campaign to establish a military dictatorship in Nicaragua. The Contras tortured, raped, and murdered tens of thousands of peasant farmers. They were also responsible for the brutal rape, torture and murder of four American nuns working as missionairies in Nicaragua. All of their funding came from the US government. To add more money to the Contra pot, Reagan and Bush cooked up a cocaine trafficking operation that employed mercenaries and CIA agents to transport tons of cocaine, under the radar, from Columbia to a remote depot in Arkansas. This cocaine got distributed to dealers for sale to American citizens, the very ones Nance addressed in her teevee anti-drug campaign. Guess she should have said "Just say No to the Gipper!" The Contras received training in torture techniques and murder at the School of the Americas run on US soil by the US government to assist South American paramilitary movements. This school continues to operate today. This most notable achievement of Reagan-Bush has not been mentioned once by any of the networks. It's missing from all the obituaries. Ron's legacy doesn't end there. Onward and downward we go... 2. Ron engineered Star Wars and intensified the Cold War, creating an atmosphere of fear throughout the 1980s not experienced since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Massive anti-nuclear movements blossomed in North America and Europe as a direct result of his policies. 3. In his first days on the job Ron fired federally employed air traffic controllers who were legally on strike fighting for improved safety conditions. He dissolved their union and deregulated the airlines. (I will never forget that because I was at the Portland airport when it happened.) 4. During World War Deux Ron joined the army and "fought for my country." (Oops, nudge nudge Ron. You were in Hollywood making propaganda movies for the gov't, remember?) Ronnie - apparently teetering on the edge of delusion even prior to Alzheimer's, confused fantasy with real life several times during his tenure as President. Making him even more scary. 5. Thirty years ago Ron, together with Nance, planned the elaborate state funeral that got broadcast on the teevee a few days ago. Like decent people everywhere, many Americans can't believe that a chummy, American-as-Apple-Pie individual like Ron is capable of evil. So they either disregard or dismiss the truth or they decide the truth is more evil than the man who commits it. That last one surprises me, but I think I understand it. When people who otherwise appear to be "nice" or "normal" or "good" commit despicable acts (historic examples abound), the implications are too horrifying to contemplate. It's much easier to be an ostrich about it. The events and the facts clearly show that the Gipper was a self-serving, demented, and extremely dangerous individual whose carefully crafted media persona belied his nature. Maybe he was a great hubby to the wife and a nice guy to chomp burgers with at the annual barbecue, but his actions destroyed many innocent lives. Today, as a result of the funeral he engineered and the willingness of many people to bury the truth about him, he's been virtually cannonized. Amazing isn't it? 12:50 p.m. - 13 June 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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