Greg Palast, on Reag…

Greg Palast, on Reagan’s invasion of Grenada:

That little Club Med war was a murderous PR stunt so Ronnie could hold parades for gunning down Cubans building an airport.

But those nations in the region have a different perspective:

Sir John Compton, 78, was prime minister of St. Lucia during Reagan’s years in the White House. He praised Reagan’s decision to send U.S. troops to invade Grenada in 1983 following a bloody coup.

“Had Reagan not acted then, the history of the Caribbean would have been much different from what it is today,” Compton said.

He said apart from President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, Reagan was the only other American president who demonstrated “a genuine interest” in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Compton said Reagan’s administration effectively countered Cuban-style socialism through aid programs and initiatives to increase trade. “We have to be grateful for a number of things, both politically and economically, which he did for this region,” he said.

The island of Grenada became a point of contention in the Cold War after Maurice Bishop led a bloodless coup and installed a Marxist government in 1979 – five years after independence from Britain. In October 1983, a radical faction of the government staged a coup, and on Oct. 19 a firing squad killed Bishop and 10 of his supporters.

Six days later, Reagan defied U.N. and British criticism and ordered the invasion. Compton was among Caribbean leaders who urged Reagan to send in troops.

Reagan said the purpose of the intervention was to restore order and protect American interests, particularly the lives of hundreds of American medical students.

Reagan also ordered the invasion because his administration suspected Grenada’s airport was going to become a joint Cuban-Soviet base. Cuba insisted it was helping build the airport for civilian uses only.

Who do you believe; a vitriolic columnist (who titles his article “KILLER, COWARD, CON-MAN; GOOD RIDDANCE, GIPPER …”) and a dictator, or somebody who saw communism on his doorstep and asked for help?

In Grenada on Sunday, about 2,000 people at a political rally bowed their heads as they observed a moment of silence for Reagan.

And don’t forget a grateful people, too.

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