contras | Porkins Policy Review

Friend of the show Hugo Turner joined me this week to discuss Elliot Abrams and his legacy in Central America and role in the Iran-Contra affair. We began by discussing the roots of Iran-Contra and why it is still largely ignored by the media. Hugo discussed the origins of the affair going all the way back to the October Surprise in 1980. We talked about the other events that opened the door into Iran-Contra including the attempted assassination of Contra leader Eden Pastora in Costa Rica. Hugo and I then explored Abrams role in Iran-Contra itself. We also discussed Abrams role in covering up war crimes in El Salvador like the El Motoze massacre. Later Hugo and I talked about the genocide in Guatemala which Abrams helped facilitate. We also discussed the complex web of people and groups involved in drug trafficking, terrorism, death squads, and the suppression of the poor. We closed out the conversation by looking at the parallels between the 1980’s and the current political environment. We used the current situations in Venezuela and Haiti as examples.

Download PPR episode 173

Show Notes:

Anti-Imperialist-U.blogspot.com

@HugoTurner1969

Iran/Contra Pt 1: The Secret Team

Iran/Contra Pt 2: World War 3

Iran/Contra pt. 3 WACL

Iran/Contra pt 4 WACL 2

Our Hidden History YouTube Channel

@OurHiddenHistory

COVERUP: Behind the Iran Contra Affair

Beyond Contragate: The Secret Team – w/ Daniel Sheehan & Sara Nelson (1987)

CIA Intervention in Guatemala; Eliot Abrams; Allen Nairn; Charlie Rose 1995

Journalist Raymond Bonner on the CIA, El Salvador, and Central America (1984)

Raymond Bonner: El Mozote and Reporting during the Reagan Years (1993)

Internationalist 360

@HaitiInfoProj

HaitiAnalysis.com

Return guest Keelan Balderson of WideShut.co.uk was my guest in the first hour. We discussed his recently remastered documentary “The Chris Benoit Files.” The film explores the brutal murder/suicide of WWE star Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and seven year old son Daniel Benoit. Keelan breaks down the three day long crime which ended with Chris Benoit’s suicide. Keelan attempted to dispel many of the popular conspiracy theories as we attempted to understand how such an extreme and horrific act could be committed. We also touched on WWE’s official response, the media firestorm over so called “roid rage.” We also discusses how Benoit’s repeated head injuries resulted in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative disease which probably played a significant role in his unspeakable acts.

In the second hour University of Pittsburgh Law professor Daniel Kovalik joined me to discuss the current political situation in Nicaragua. We talked about the history of U.S. interference in the Central American nation from the 1950s to early 1990s. Daniel talked about the United States’ repeated efforts to destabilize and unseat the Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega. We explored the root causes of the recent protest movement, much of which stems from proposed social welfare reforms. Daniel talked about the violence that has taken place in Managua and other cities, and how this has been distorted in Western media. Later we talked about the failed assassination attempt of Venezuelan President Maduro, right-wing resistance to an independent leftist Latin America, and Trump’s plans for the region.