Many Republicans stand by Ronald Reagan as an example of a great Republican. I admit I used to think he was a great man myself. Reagan’s public speeches on limited government and personal freedom were inspiring, and still are.

Reagan imposed quotas on Japanese auto manufactures to encourage them to build their auto manufacturing plants in the U.S. hnn.us This worked quite well, bringing jobs to the U.S. This should be an example of why we should be weary of propaganda telling us tariffs are bad.

Where I lost faith in Reagan was The Iran Contra Scandal, October Surprise, and his war on drugs. The Iran Contra Scandal was the CIA selling Arms to Iran to fund the Contra Rebels in Nicaragua. That in it’s self is pretty bad, but the Contras were mass murderers. The Contras were actually running drugs into the U.S. on plains being provided by the CIA. That just sounds crazy doesn’t it? The sad thing is there’s a lot of documentaries and documentation out there to back this up.

How could Reagan support criminals who were running drugs into the U.S. while waging a war on drugs? What the hell was he thinking?

Reagan’s war on drugs violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution by allowing the police to confiscate people’s property to pay for his war on drugs:

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The Future of Freedom Foundation has compiled a list of examples where Reagan’s drug war laws have opened the door for an abuse of property seizures.

For more information watch:

Bill Moyers PBS 1987 documentary Secret Government Constitution in Crisis

John Pilger’s documentary War on Democracy.

Sag Harbor Basement Productions Orwell Rolls In His Grave

William Eldridge Odom is a retired U.S. Army 3-star general, and former Director of the NSA under President Ronald Reagan, and outspoken critic of the Iraq War.

General Odom: Situation In Iraq Senate Foreign Relations Committee

William Odom on Iraq January 12th 2007

MSNBC Countdown : Iraq : Petraeus Testifies Congress : 1/2

MSNBC Countdown : Iraq : Petraeus Testifies Congress : 2/2

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Books by William Odom

• The Soviet Volunteers: Modernization and Bureaucracy in a Public Mass Organization
• On Internal War: American and Soviet Approaches to Third World Clients and Insurgents
• Trial After Triumph: East Asia After the Cold War
• America’s Military Revolution: Strategy and Structure After the Cold War
• Commonwealth or Empire? Russia, Central Asia, and the Transcaucasus, with Robert Dujarric
• The Collapse of the Soviet Military
• Fixing Intelligence For a More Secure America
• America’s Inadvertent Empire, co-authored with Robert Dujarric

Bonus Clip

What Dick Cheney knew about Iraq in 1994

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