46 Comments
Dec 1, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

Damn I forgot about Fawn Hall! If we look back at our history we could surmise that the rise of terrorism was caused by our own government. All the guns and money that were given to Contras and other groups helped lead to distain for America. Look forward to the 5 Eight tonight!

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Dec 1, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

Read the Rolling Stone article about Kissinger for the “terrorism caused by our own government”,

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/henry-kissinger-war-criminal-dead-1234804748/

But even he was only continuing what others had done before (The earliest that I am aware of is toppling Iran’s elected government in the 1950’s because they nationalized their oil fields)

Of course we made pacts with the Native Americans & broke them & killed them & herded them into reservations (is that where Israel got the idea they should do the same with the Palestinians?)

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Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

I’ve made several of the same comments lately on this(Substack)platform. Our skirts are so bloody they positively reek.

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Well put.

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One less war criminal...

We've been doing awful, awful things pretty much since we arrived. But Cuba in Spanish America War, Panama splitting off from Colombia under TR...lots of stuff.

The Nazis absolutely got the idea of driving the indigenous population off and/or killing them from the US, and said so. See the documentary "Exterminate All the Brutes."

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Yes we have. Thanks for reminding me of these others for the list. I’ll look for that documentary.

So much to read, watch, learn. Too bad we spend so many years in school & come out knowing so little.

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Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

Well said

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We've been fomenting revolutions for a good long while, beginning at least with the Spanish American War and the manufactured incident in Cuba. It tends not to end well.

I hope you enjoyed the show!

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Dec 1, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

I was a Junior in College when the hearings took place. But I remember watching them. If I remember correctly, they suspended all other TV programming to play the hearings on the major networks. At that time cable tv, streaming, social media didn't exist. All we had were the major network channels. I doubt the orange blob would be where he is today if we only had a handful of channels to watch/inform us. The town I grew up in, Evanston, IL, is passionately blue. There was never any question in my mind that what the Reagan administration did was wrong and a lie. I may also have been influenced by some of my College Professors. I just remember that everyone around me thought the same things that I did. I remember hearing that Oliver North was the "fall guy" and I felt sorry for him then (so naive). I know better now! Someone made an interesting comment yesterday on one of my other Substacks. We were discussing Kissenger and the person pointed out that most of these major scandals happened during Republican administrations. Could that be one reason the Republicans impeached Bill Clinton? Deflection is their superpower.

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I thought Republicans were looking for a Democrat, any Democrat, to accuse and investigate ever since Nixon. Payback.

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Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

And probably still are...

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To be fair, it's not like Bill was blameless. But there's a huge difference between having a consensual affair and, you know, war crimes.

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Just a bit. I continually think back to HRC trying to tell us about the ‘vast right wing conspiracy’ that was loose in republican circles and how republicans brayed nastily about how insulted they were. She had some nerve! Then a few years later, someone(I’ve forgotten who)wrote a book confirming HRC’s premise because he had been a part of it and found his way out.

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Roger Stone’s reason for living

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When I think of Oliver North, and I try not to, it's his scrunched up forehead as he lied that stands out. It's a tell for many. Think Mike Pence.

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Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

Ha! Yes!

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I have to look for that!

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That must have been why I saw it, in the pre-cable news everywhere days. I'd been wondering about that.

Kissinger's fingerprints are all over SO MANY of the world's atrocities since the late 60s. Awful, odious, evil man.

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Dec 1, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

I forgot so much about Fawn Hall, although I remembered the name, that I had to look her up -- the "NSC Shredder," apparently. I remember the hearings taking place, but I didn't really lock onto them as a "thing." I think I was just busy turning 30 and working at the time. Besides, I thought, it's stupid Reagan, how bad could it be? I've learned most of my recent history long after it happened!

It's interesting to note that it seems as though while the United States as a whole, wants to be part of spreading democracy across the world, Republicans are only interested in spreading THEIR version of democracy, which always has an ugly right-wing bent to it. And when they're not being xenophobic assholes (rare), they do it to this day. Ugly group.

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So much of all the bad goes back to Reagan...if it didn't originate with Nixon. It would be nice if we stopped putting selfish, evil heartless men in power.

I'm not even so sure we've been so great about spreading democracy, although we are very good at talking about it...

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Dec 1, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

I also thought Oliver North was an asshole, and I was certainly old enough to understand what was going on. But for most of my life I didn’t care enough about history or politics to take the time to really understand. Why? I ask myself. Maybe some psychic part of me anticipated that I’d have Google in my back pocket, so that I could find out—as I just did—that Warren Devon’s song was released in 1978 and Iran-Contra was 1981-1986. Or maybe I was waiting on someone who cared enough to boil it down to two sentences in what is, for me, Politics for Dummies! Thanks, Greg, for what you do! Every week!

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Thanks, Earl! The Zevon song is so good. My favorite line, which comes after "send lawyers, guns, and money" is: "Dad, get me out of this."

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founding
Dec 1, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

You bleeding heart good person. You.

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Thank you. : )

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Thanks once again Greg for this article. History really does repeat itself

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I came across a great line from Voltaire: "History doesn't repeat; men do."

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Yes that’s true

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Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

After reading about all the skullduggery that Henry Kissinger and tricky Dick got into in all sorts of “foreign” countries they didn’t like, it’s no wonder Reagan thought he could get away with all his bullpucky. I vaguely remember the details because-life, but I do remember Ollie North and thinking then that he came across as a slimewad. It was about this time too that news was beginning to impact my brain more too. It’s taken a while but enough hindsight can bring events into pretty sharp focus. What we are witnessing these days is eye-opening and not in a good way.

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It's always instructive to look back at what happened before. I always come across surprises.

These days are terrifying. Not in a good way at all!

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Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

..and then they cried demantia...

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man woman person camera TV

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😂

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founding
Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

I want you to think about the super-smart guys of MI-6. Disfigured, or in a chair. Think about that love story. Even playing field. For Once. That is stupid. It is NOT. Best love stories.

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founding

I am desperately jealous of that love story.

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founding

For sure, I write.

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I'm not sure what you're referring to...send to me, please. Thx!

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Dec 2, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

If i had a hero, I'd start with Gary Webb reporter for San Jose Mercury news. He exposed the Iran/Contra Schedule and kept at it until the CIA with the assistance of corporate news pushed him to commit sucide by shooting himself in the head, TWICE!. My friends

Charles Bowden, an author and his colleague Molly Molloy published in Meduim Matter, "Blood on the Corn" on this matter

Ronnie didnt have a clue.

His decesion making was primarly made by Nancy's Astrologer.

These events along with fucking Jimmy Carter werr another failure by the CIA.

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The Merc! Poor Gary Webb. It's hard to be the truthteller when powerful forces want the truth not known.

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Hey, Greg. I'd like to share your latest karaoke song "Don't Fence Me In." Do you have a separate link for it? Thanks!

In the midst of listening to Five/8. So far, it's a winner!

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Ask and ye shall receive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbY5mgmYKG0

Thanks!

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The remarkable thing about the uncovering of the Iran-Contra scandal, was the person who ameliorated the scandal, that person was Willian Barr, sent to Trump by friends or perhaps I should say, Bush senior, the second in command and also a one term president. Barr became Reagan’s fixer just like he tried to do for Trump. I was late 20’s during Reagan’s disastrous for American workers, having signed free trade agreement in 1988, busting unions taking all manufacturing jobs away to find cheaper labour elsewhere, meaning more profit for corporations. During that time, Reagan/Bush sr put half of American workers out of a job, some never retrained, never got another job that could come close to paying as well as they had been making. The rust belt is a true wasteland dedicated to Republican greed. Remember Trickle down economics? Reagan’s fiscal plan to give Republican donors a tax holiday while the R’s have the WH... look how all of that turned out for US...We can never allow Republicans to be in majority anywhere. They’ve brought US to the brink or authoritarianism, to the brink of not paying our debts, or of funding our government. Yes it’s good to have an opposition party but NOT one devoted to breaking our Democracy for them to profit...

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And yet, Ronnie brought Rupert in to blame “libtards” for all the evil his cronies concocted. Best propaganda ever, better than Goebbels…

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Exactly right…

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What a great song to borrow for this excellent piece with! (⚖️ 🔫 & 💸)

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And Fox (Not) News is responsible for repeating Trumps big lie nightly, and having endorsed him in 2015, helping him Steal the 2016 election. It is the dystopian nightmare that corporations run America, choosing its leaders in congress to meet their needs, including deregulation and tax breaks for all those corporations, and managers that make $millions 💵💵💵 each year.

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