Ronald Reagan

[Pekka]

OK! Time to engage into some serious discussion.

I've seen a lot of folks (especially Americans) bash Reagan. I have to admit, all those have flown right through my head, because it's always a statement 'REAGAN IS TEH EVIL!'. I never understood why exactly?

Ok here is what first comes to my head, I'm not very educated on this matter I admit, but here are my associations by default right now, and I hope to further my knowledge on him:

- Was president from early 80s to late 80s. Basically the 80s.
- Actor
- passed away last year after being sick for a long time with the one you forget things, even your relatives etc.
- Wife Nancy
- Good looking couple
- Conservative
- anti-communist
- assassination attempt failed on him
- Turned the heat on in Cold War, but ended up with a victory, against evil empire.

So far, I don't see anything evil in here. So what gives?
-

[Imran Siddiqui]

Teh Reagan

One of my favorite Presidents.

[Theben]

Wife Nancy isn't bad enough for you?

[chequita guevara]

Smashed unions
tried to start a nuclear war
anti-gay
anti-pornography
aided the Chrisitan right in taking over America
liked Finland

[Lawrence of Arabia]

teh Reagan

one of the worst presidents in the history of the US. when he was done screwing the united states over we were morally and financially bankrupt.
Reagan did such great things as:

-slap tariffs on Korea and Bangladesh over textiles, even though he was a free trader
-sent marines to lebanon with no clear mission. 200 of them got blown up intheir beds
-****ed around in iran, nicaragua, panama, ecuador and presided over a CIA who killed off democractically elected officials in some of these countries
-spent billions on star wars - a defense system that makes america less safe and 20 years later we still dont have a working system
-got us invovled in afghanistan, and now its come back to bite us in the ass (see Osama)
-got us invovled with Saddam, and now its come back to bite us in the ass (see Saddam)
-single handedly created the problem we have now - terrorism.

[Pekka]

che, please elaborate on the trying to start a nuclear war?

[Pekka]

LoA, star wars, yeah I know that one.

I don't know much anything about south american trials and tribulations. I've HEARD things but I can't say that I know about it.

[reds4ever]

Reagan probably had sex with Margaret Thatcher

[Lawrence of Arabia]

I don't know much anything about south american trials and tribulations. I've HEARD things but I can't say that I know about it.

when Ecuadors president refused to allow oil companies preferential deals, the CIA had his assassinated (helicopter blown up)
when panama's president refused to give back to the US the canal zone, and was thinking about making another canal with japanese money with no locks that could handle larger boats, and when he refused to play ball with americans companies, the CIA attempted to have him assassinated. they failed and then the US invaded panama.

in both cases, the next presidents put in place, who owed their position to the US, quickly agreed to what the US companies wanted.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Pekka
che, please elaborate on the trying to start a nuclear war?

Reagan said it was possible to win a nuclear war and even joked once to reporters that he'd started one. TeH Reagan was a dispensationalist, and at that time, one of their beliefs was that the U.S. was God's instrument on Earth to destroy the atheist USSR and bring about Armeggedon. Fortunately for humanity, the Soviets surrendered instead.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Reagan probably had sex with Margaret Thatcher

politics is a mans world.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by reds4ever
Reagan probably had sex with Margaret Thatcher

Nah, Reagan hated gays.

[Pekka]

che, that doesn't sound right. Maybe you are telling a myth about the armageddon part. Anything else, saying those thigns does not mean trying to start a nuclear war.

LoA, oh yes the Panama thing I remember. But are there more sides to this story?

[Imran Siddiqui]

(paraphrasing from something che said to Ned... though this time its about starting a nuke war)

How's the crack, che?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

LoA, oh yes the Panama thing I remember. But are there more sides to this story?

nope, other then the desperate PR put on by those american companies alleging that the democratically elected officials in those countries were commies, which is a flat out lie, designed to cover and give a reason to go in and take em out.