So I finished “Crack” on Netflix, and they got Iran-contra in there, but not to the degree I’d like. I am continually shocked that the GOP continued to exist *at all* after Iran-Contra. This won’t be one of those super smart threads but I worry they aren’t teaching this in school

In 1979 a leftist group called the Sandinistas overthrew the long standing autocratic Somoza dynasty in Nicaragua. Regan- architect of the Hollywood Blacklist and HUAC hearings, HATED leftists, so this wouldn’t stand on his watch.

He tries to sell weapons to the Contras, loosely organized Nicaraguan counter revolutionaries (some would use the term “Death Squads”) but congress refuses to fund his adventure in a veto proof vote. What’s a Red-Scare-Mongering pretend cowboy to do?

On the other side of the world, Iran is locked in a brutal war with Iraq, currently under control of a guy we’re finding and supporting in that effort by the name of Saddam Hussein. Regan & Co. decide “well congress doesn’t know we’ve got the CIA selling weapons to Iran...”

(Gotta pause here to point out that Regan’s veep is George Bush Sr., formerly head of the CIA. He got there because he was just barely untainted by Nixon and in the firesale that followed the collapse of that admin, her got CIA)

So we’re publicly supporting Iraq against Iran, but secretly supporting Iran (can someone say war crimes?) and the admin has been told in no uncertain terms “you may not assist the Contras” but the Iran money is secret so... they launder it into weapons for Contras!

So we dumps loads and loads of weapons and training into Nicaragua and the thing about a plane that *used* to carry weapons is that it’s empty... so they got filled up with Cocaine and flown back to the US. Why? To pay for more weapons for the Contras!

Or also maybe just to make various CIA types richer. Why didn’t Regan care about flooding American streets with MOUNTAINS of dirt cheap cocaine? Wasn’t he responsible for all that “just say no!” And “D.A.R.E.” Shit?

Well his veep was part of that first term Nixon admin that really created the “war on drugs” for the *express* purpose of outlawing both the “counterculture” and blackness/brownness. John Eherlichman said so himself https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-richard-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/index.html

So team Regan was fine with accelerating the process. It worked in their interest. Wanna know the extra fucked up thing? They got caught.

Iran-Contra was a MASSIVE scandal. Literally ONE Republican election victory post Nixon and here we go again, massive treasonous crimes and the whole admin is gonna go down in flames... but wait... a hero emerges...

This little marine Lt.Gen you’ve never heard of called Oliver North claims it was all his idea and shields Regan & Bush from reprisal by falling on his sword. Regan serves two terms. Bush gets to be president. Ollie goes to Fox News and Russian Times before moving up to the NRA

To recap: The president of the USA illegally sold weapons to our enemies, who we were publicly engaged in a proxy war against (war crime) so he could illegally give weapons to terrorists in Nicaragua and flooded American cities with cheap cocaine as a bonus.

It’s like a Warcrime+Treason hat trick! You know how they say if we don’t hold the insurrectionists to account they’ll come back bolder, stronger, and more dangerous? That goes all the way back to Iran-Contra. Failing to hold the GOP to account THEN lead to Trump+Jan.6

People frequently talk about how bad Bush Jr. was, but I’m pretty sure if you added up all their lifetimes of evil and compared, Bush Sr. did VASTLY more to make the world a worse place than his son.

None of this Iran-Contra stuff was secret. It was major televised news, there were public hearings. If your parents or others say things like “Regan was a great/the greatest president!” They’re including his treason and war crimes in that assessment