The Reagan Administration were ardent foes of the Sandinista's for years. The alleged tie in between the CIA and Contras, was via a LTC North and an Admiral Poindexter who was NSA advisor to the Reagan Administration. LTC North was Deputy Director of the National Security Council for the Reagan Administration. Both lost their jobs because of the Iran-Contra Affair.
Both fell on their swords to protect Mr. Reagan from any possible connection to the above scandal but have done well in any case since those years.
Back to the 'hoods, I can not speak to the accuracy of the program in how many of the plot turns went. I have only been to L.A. when forced to land at LAX to change planes and any other chance of being there is lost in the fog of time as a small child of 4 or less.
According to the show, it was NOT the L.A. gangs that started the crack epidemic that swept those areas and so many other to this day. It was an entrepreneurial college dropout just out of high school guy who was looking for "his" spot in the game (drugs)? For sure, the gangs were quick to pick up on the bucks in play and in future shows will probably surface to take it over?
What I did not know and have never read about anywhere else that I can remember is that the process for making the crack cocaine was supposedly developed in Oakland, California gangs? That was very eye opening to me but maybe should not have been since Oakland has been a hot bed of insurrection/ revolution since the middle 1960's that I can remember?
But the show did present the coming together of the L.A. entrepreneur, the local cocaine traffickers and the CIA operative(s) in L.A. who were said to be working on the issue of money from drugs to buy arms?
And, I did combine earlier my experience of attempted recruitment as a member of a team to control/ command an infantry battalion of Contras. This plus a novel I read by a reporter who did extensive investigation into the issue plus the show is a pretty good indicator of what did go on to one degree or another? I continue to look back on a lifetime of experiences and wonder how the Hell I am still here today?
As I have said time after time, is that I regret not going on what would have been my "last campaign" of the times. But I had reached a point where the years of good living such as it was had begun to catch up with me. I could not readily see me going up and down those hills in the jungle, no matter the Country in Central/ South America I would have ended up in It was only at the end of the Program that I found out the team was destined for the Contra's? A close compadre of mine at the time told me I could just stay in base camp. I looked at him and remember asking with a grin "Can you see me sitting around in base camp"? He replied also with a grin "No, you will go out and get your A** killed". But as this posting, I still miss not going as it would have been a challenge/ test to "ME" and what I had trained to do for years.
The danger still of a Hydrogen Bomb being exploded over the Pacific Ocean seems to be ignoring the potential and probably damage to the denizens of the area it went off over. The radiation would be devastating in the killing of unknowable numbers of fish and other water living animals such as possibly porpoises, whales and so on. It could be the extinction of numerous species that are prevalent in a particular area? And for those just mutated by the exposure, what horrifying things would we find in the water in just a few years?
The short term issue is the most likely war to start with N. Korea, the U.S., Japan and S. Korea? That will be multi million casualty count I think? But notice in all the foofaraw, no one is yet mentioning the sea life devastation? Many place are far, far more dependent on Fish for food than we in the U.S. Fish is the Beef of Asia for many.
So, we will continue to wait and see if China really puts the brakes on the Banking System between itself and N. Korea? Or will it be more of the lip service and wink- wink that has gone on for the past 25 years?
How can China who has clearly been noted is instrumental in the quick development of its Weaponry Systems suddenly turn on a dime? Anyone ever heard of Politics which the Chinese Communists excel at? Plus they are having to face the problem of how many N. Koreans coming over the border in human waves as they flee N. Korea as war goes? I am going to bet a $1.00- 2.98 that it will number in the Millions?
And now with the N. Korean Foreign Minister saying a "Missile strike on the U.S. is inevitable", that is not an idle statement in a war of words. That is a for damn sure threat. We have no option now under those words. May God protect us in this Country and open wide His Arms for those coming His Way from wherever?
As an aside, the talking heads are saying the Social Security increase could be as high as 1.9%. A couple of months back we all in for a 2.6% raise, than it fell to 2.0% and than down to 1.6%. Now from some supposed bump because of Harvey and Irma we may well go to 1.9% How the "experts" get to some of these points is more interesting than the results? 'nuff said'.