Arrrrghhh Follow Up
Do you think I’m mad about John Connally and Ben Barnes making a deal to trade arms for hostages to keep Jimmy Carter from being elected?
Oh, Honey, no.
I ain’t even steamed compared to the former hostages.
The Dallas Morning News article is behind a paywall, but I’ll give you as much as I can.
The former hostages did the math and figured out it was five freekin’ months they had to wait to be released. And they weren’t staying in a fancy hotel.
To survivors, the revelation was more appalling than stunning. Democrats and hostages suspected the Reagan camp had a hand in prolonging the ordeal, given the obvious political benefits.
“It’s just typical. Politicians do all sorts of things to achieve whatever political agenda they have in mind,” said William Royer Jr., now 91 and a resident of Katy in suburban Houston.
On Nov. 4, 1979, when militant college students overran the embassy after the fall of the U.S-backed shah, Royer was an English teacher at the U.S. Information Agency.
Over the years he’s recounted the torture – being stripped naked and forced against a wall in front of a firing squad, testing his faith that he was more valuable alive than dead.
Connally died in 1993, which in my mind, gives a pretty plausible explanation of global warming what with the fires of hell surging and all. I say we dig the sumbitch up to drive a stake through his heart just to make sure.
In the last four to six months as captives, many “deteriorated physically and mentally,” he said. “You don’t want to add even a day to that kind of treatment.”
The first 30 days, Sickmann was tied to a chair and forbidden to speak outside of interrogations. He spent more than a year in a room with two others, often subjected to physical and mental abuse. Until his release, he only went outside seven times.
“It was traumatic for a hostage, but it was traumatic for my poor family and everybody else involved,” he said.
Connally is dead and Barnes is not returning phone calls.
Sumbitches.
Maybe this isn’t exactly kind of me, but, if Jimmy Carter’s death focuses much more attention on this issue in the run up to his funeral, I won’t be unhappy about that one little bit.
If the Orange Moron is wearing an matching jumpsuit at the same time, that will be simply delicious. A proper look-back and reconsideration of Carter’s presidency (not to mention his post-presidency) will be like a cool drink of water in a sun-baked desert.
1I always knew that bunch was SOBs. To leave those hostages imprisoned to win an election is beyond my comprehension regarding what it means to be human. That goes for the sob Ted Koppel, too. He made his career on the imprisoned hostages.
2As my mother would say, there’s a special place in hell for some folks. I think Connally will be there to greet Barnes when his time comes.
3Reagan was an evil man.
He did a lot of damage to the California school system, from pre-school up to University level. Its never recovered. He lowered taxes on rich people, causing a drop in State income to do infrastructure maintenance. He was pro the awful Jarvis-Gann (Garbage-Cann) Prop 13 initiative, which helped defund schools. And he screwed the CA State hospital system, and closed mental health hospitals.
I thought the day he was elected president was one of the worst days of my life. Until Bush2 was elected, and then that was the worst. Then Trump was elected which eclipsed Reagan & Bush2 in awfulness, and it wasn’t just a bad day, it went on for four years, and isn’t really over yet.
4The first time I voted was for Jimmy Carter. I have always been proud of that. I still remember those days very well. I still cringe at all the things they threw at him, from the gas shortage that never was, to the hostage situation with the suspiciously timed ending. It cemented my belief that I will never vote for a republican. Now it is in granite. He is all that is good about us. God love you Mr. Jimmy Carter and your brother Billy, too…
5My lordy how much more proof do we need that Republicanism is a domestic terrorist extremist organization. They keep proving it year after year after f*ucking year. Oh that’s right … both siderism. And pssst, don’t tell anyone but they control the MSM, they control the message.
6Does anybody notice a pattern?
Nixon’s team secretly negotiated with the Viet Cong to prolong the war until after the election.
Reagan’s team secretly negotiated with Iran to prolong the suffering of hostages until after the election.
Heinous bastards.
7“Since 1968, five GOPers have been elected president. Of those five, four were elected under suspicious circumstances, only three won the popular vote, one resigned in disgrace, one was impeached (twice), one should’ve been (Reagan, Iran-Contra) & one launched an illegal war.” — David Rothkopf @djrothkopf
More generally, since 1968 when have R behaviors and actions led to actual substantial consequences at the ballot box, in courts or in personal reputation?
8I have nothing to add except that Juanita Jean’s commenters are the BEST commenters!
9G Foresight: I believed at the time that Bush2 should have been impeached for dereliction of duty over 9/11. I don’t say he knew that particular attack was coming on that particular date, but he had a great deal of warning over the danger. Which he mockingly ignored.
He and Cheney should have been kicked out of office over their allowing 9/11 to take place. I bet you a Dem president would have been.
10Just Republicans being republicans. Some things never change.
I was one. Until Carter (and after Nixon), I had voted Rebub because of environmental policies they were for at the time. I even voted for Dick twice! But, the dirty tricks. And, then, with Raygun they took it to a whole new level.
Jimmy showed us what could be, and I have been on the left ever since.
11Certainly the legacy of win at any cost, from tricky Dick to Raygun and Dubya has culminated in TFFG. And he’s still doing it. I have a feeling the next R president will carry on that tradition. It’s in their DNA.
12I didn’t start paying attention until long after these events.
But personally, I think Barnes claiming to not have known the real purpose of the mission until later is the excuse he’s using for the real reason he’s coming clean now.
To make sure Jimmy Carter knew his role in it before he died.
To rub it in his face.
13