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His administration was scandal ridden from the first day to its last day with over 170 top officials indicted or forced to resign because of criminal behavior. However, if they wrapped themselves in the flag and praised the Lord their crimes were swept under the rug. He pressed Congress to label ketchup a vegetable so he could cut spending for the school lunch program and expand his Star Wars program. He sent Marines ashore in Beirut and when the Hezbollah murdered hundreds of them, he ran like a whipped cur. He then invaded tiny Grenada scaring the bejeebers out of a few Cuban construction workers. Now that’s a war to be proud of American tanks against Cuban wheelbarrows. He thought ICBMs could be recalled after they were launched. It’s a miracle that he didn't blow the shit out of this planet. He cut the taxes of the rich and afterwards raised the taxes on the poor and middle class. The CIA's report on the downfall of the Soviet Union proves Reagan had nothing to do with the downfall of communism. In fact, the report points out that Polish unions and other dissidents were a major cause in the downfall of the Soviet Union. Dissidents not unlike the antiwar protesters Reagan threatened to massacre. The only legacy he left for America was more than doubling the national debt by spending more than all 39 of his predecessors combined.
Moreover, Reagan was the only American president ever found guilty by the World Court for war mongering for the mining of Nicaragua's harbors. In 1987, Reagan was forced to admit that he made a deal with the Iranian terrorist for the hostages. In return for the hostages Reagan armed the Iranians with missiles and the world had the first look at the terror Reagan had unleashed on Central America. Profits from the sale of the missiles were used to fund the Contras. Furthermore, the cargo planes delivering the arms to the Contras were used to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. on their return flights. The report on Guatemala states: "In 626 massacres government forces completely exterminated Mayan communities, destroyed their dwellings, livestock and crops." Additional proof that Reagan was waging a genocidal war in Guatemala comes from the statement of a fundamental minister visiting the Reagan White House after his return from Guatemala: "The Army doesn't massacre the Indians. It massacres demons, and the Indians are demon possessed; they are communist." Many of these fundie ministers not only observed the torturing of Indians but also took an active part in it.
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http://colombia.indymedia.org/news/2004/06/13836.phpA generally accurate recollection of President Gipper's accomplishments