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[JzeroT1437]

As a result of my Halloween costume this year (Ronald Ray-Gun), I ended up having conversations with a giant swathe of people about Reagan's Presidency and discovered some pretty interesting stuff I didn't know previously.

There's the Star Wars Missile Defense System, of course, and the conspiracy theories about him dumping crack into poor ethnic communities in order to boost state prison-based economies, but what I didn't know about was Rex 84.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_84

Rex 84, short for Readiness Exercise 1984, is a contingency plan developed by the United States federal government to suspend the United States Constitution, declare martial law, place military commanders in charge of state and local governments, and detain large numbers of American citizens who were deemed to be "national security threats", in the event that the President declared a "State of Domestic National Emergency". The plan stated that events that might cause such a declaration would be widespread U.S. opposition to a U.S. military invasion abroad, such as if the United States were to directly invade Central America. To combat what the government perceived as "subversive activities", the plan also authorized the military to direct ordered movements of civilian populations at state and regional levels.
Rex 84 was written by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who was both the NSC White House Aide and NSC liaison to FEMA, and John Brinkerhoff, the deputy director of "national preparedness" programs for FEMA. They patterned the plan on a 1970 report written by FEMA chief Louis Giuffrida, at the Army War College, which proposed the detention of up to 21 million "American Negroes", if there were a black militant uprising in the United States. Existence of a master military contingency plan (of which REX-84 was a part), "Garden Plot" and a similar earlier exercise, "Lantern Spike" were originally revealed by journalist Ron Ridenhour, who summarized his findings in "Garden Plot and the New Action Army."
Rex 84 was publicly mentioned during the Iran-Contra Hearings in 1987.
Exercises similar to Rex 84 happen regularly. For example, from 1967 to 1971 the FBI kept a list of over 100,000 persons to be rounded up as subversive, dubbed the "ADEX" list.
The basic facts about Rex 84 and other contingency planning readiness exercises—and the potential threat they pose to civil liberties if fully implemented in a real operation—are taken seriously by scholars and civil libertarians.

So crazy. It reminds me of when I first learned about Operation Mincemeat in High School. You guys have any interesting tidbits you've learned about your country's history you'd like to share?

 

[suoodS]

I was surprised when I found out the United States had concentration camps

 

[TL4E]

LBJ gave a bust of himself to the pope.

JFK banged Marylin Monroe. He also took a shit ton of powerful psychoactive drugs while in office.

 

[the_painted_bird]

Howard Zinn on the "discovery" of America in his book, A People's History of The United States is pretty insane...

They ... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned... . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane... . They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.

 

[Tieno]

Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State, a private project undertaken by the King. He used Henry Morton Stanley to help him lay claim to the Congo, an area now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Powers at Berlin Conference agreed to set up the Free State in 1885, on condition that the inhabitants were to be brought into the modern world and that all nations be allowed to trade freely. From the beginning, however, Leopold essentially ignored these conditions and ran the Congo brutally, by proxy through a mercenary force, for his own personal gain. He extracted a personal fortune from the Congo, initially by the collection of ivory, and after a rise in the price of rubber in the 1890s by forcing the native population to collect sap from rubber plants. His harsh regime was directly or indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people. The Congo became one of the most infamous international scandals of the early 20th century, and Leopold was ultimately forced to relinquish control of it to the government of Belgium.

 

[Atenhaus]

I was surprised when I found out the United States had concentration camps

Is this in reference to the Japanese internment camps during World War II?

Howard Zinn on the "discovery" of America in his book, A People's History of The United States is pretty insane...

I read A People's History of The United States back in HS for AP US History. It was a fantastic book.

 

[trineo_feo]

Is this in reference to the Japanese internment camps during World War II?

Or, well, you could say Guantanamo....

 

[Archer]

Deez nuts was founded in the U.S.A.

 

[Mik2121]

I didn't know that the Chinese were the first to use the symbol $ for the Piece of Eight (Spanish coin), which was later on used by the USA for the dollar symbol. I also didn't know that the $ comes from the Coat of arms of Spain. The left column (Pillar of Hercules) with the text "PLUS":

EDIT - Eh, this isn't insane. For some reason I thought this thread was just about things you recently learned about your country :lol

 

[Kabouter]

Hendrikus Colijn was the Dutch prime minister from 1933-1939, and I wouldn't have thought him so personally involved in our colonial conquests in the East-Indies, until I read about an excerpt from one of his letters to his wife a few years ago:

" I have seen a mother carrying a child of about 6 months old on her left arm, with a long lance in her right hand, who was running in our direction. One of our bullets killed the mother as well as the child. From now on we couldn't give any mercy, it was over. I did give orders to gather a group of 9 women and 3 children who asked for mercy and they were shot all together. It was not a pleasant job, but something else was impossible. Our soldiers tacked them with pleasure with their bayonets. It was horrible. I will stop reporting now."

Not many Democratically elected leaders that I can think of that could top that.

 

[ngower]

The police kill more people each year than drugs and terrorism.

 

[Undubbed]

Well, it's not much but I was kind of surprised that "Reign of Terror" was an actual name of an historic event and not just merely a cliché.

 

[ToxicAdam]

One of America's worst accidents (in terms of life lost) happened with the explosion of the SS Sultana. A riverboat that was returning 2400 union soldiers from the South. 1800 died because of an explosion due to faulty boilers.

It's story quickly became overshadowed by the assassination of Lincoln a few days later.

 

[Monroeski]

Reagan's wife was really into astrology. Apparently she convinced him to do some things (like speeches) on certain dates and not others for this reason.

 

[SolarPowered]

I learned about it a little over a year ago and it blew my mind...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley_Massacre

 

[besada]

Galveston used to be the busiest Gulf coast port, and the second largest entry point for new immigrants to the U.S.

And then the worst natural disaster in American history wiped it off the map.

On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, which everyone remembers, the township of Peshtigo also caught fire. About 300 people were killed in the Great Chicago Fire. Between 1200 and 2400 people died in the Peshtigo fire which covered an area twice the size of Rhode Island. And yet almost no one remembers the Peshtigo fire.

Peshtigo is still the most devastating fire in U.S. history, as the Galveston Hurricane is still the worst natural disaster, but they're comparatively unknown.

 

[Agnostic]

The "Family Jewels" declassified by the CIA. Behavior modifications, wiretapping U.S. citizens, involvement with assassinations, home invasions, etc. Everyone should read the files.

 

[genjiZERO]

That the Roman Empire conquered South America

 

[infiniteloop]

Reagan's wife was really into astrology. Apparently she convinced him to do some things (like speeches) on certain dates and not others for this reason.

Didn't Obama make a joke about a séance with her and later had to apologize? :lol

I remember reading somewhere that the Regan Admin tried to get ketchup passed off as a serving of vegetables

 

[Toby]

Guy from work yesterday told me that Japan was trying to surrender to the U.S. before we dropped the bomb. Only thing I could find on wiki was that they were trying to start negotiations through Russia. Can anyone else elaborate?

 

[saelz8]

That most white Americans are actually of German ancestry.

 

[Stumpokapow]

One of America's worst accidents (in terms of life lost) happened with the explosion of the SS Sultana. A riverboat that was returning 2400 union soldiers from the South. 1800 died because of an explosion due to faulty boilers.

It's story quickly became overshadowed by the assassination of Lincoln a few days later.

Prime example of tragedy vs statistic right there

 

[Sol..]

I think that it's mad interesting that there's a 52 year old undetonated nuclear bomb sitting at the bottom of the sea just a few miles off of the georgia coast.

 

[Extollere]

That most white Americans are actually of German ancestry.

Would it be more accurate to say Germanic? Since the term (and the people it refers to) predates Germany as a nation and includes the same lineage of people, as well as extending to a broader pool of descendants in Western Europe?

 

[Jea Song]

During the Mexican- American war, I always believed the Mexicans were the hostile ones, oppressing Americans in Texas.

Turns out Mexico had actually allowed American's to live in Texas as long as they follow Mexican laws. Americans didn't like this, and thought they should take Texas for themselves. America was the aggressors and had an agenda to take over Mexican territory all along.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

During the Mexican- American war, I always believed the Mexicans were the hostile ones, oppressing Americans in Texas.

o_0

 

[TL4E]

During the Mexican- American war, I always believed the Mexicans were the hostile ones, oppressing Americans in Texas.

Turns out Mexico had actually allowed American's to live in Texas as long as they follow Mexican laws. Americans didn't like this, and thought they should take Texas for themselves. America was the aggressors and had an agenda to take over Mexican territory all along.

That's exactly what I thought before I took a class in American History. :lol

 

[Rad-]

When we were taught about Simo Häyhä. Fucking badass. :lol

 

[KingGondo]

Galveston used to be the busiest Gulf coast port, and the second largest entry point for new immigrants to the U.S.

And then the worst natural disaster in American history wiped it off the map.

On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, which everyone remembers, the township of Peshtigo also caught fire. About 300 people were killed in the Great Chicago Fire. Between 1200 and 2400 people died in the Peshtigo fire which covered an area twice the size of Rhode Island. And yet almost no one remembers the Peshtigo fire.

Peshtigo is still the most devastating fire in U.S. history, as the Galveston Hurricane is still the worst natural disaster, but they're comparatively unknown.

Interesting, thanks for posting that.

 

[Jea Song]

That's exactly what I thought before I took a class in American History. :lol

And while I don't agree with mexicans entering the US illegally, I don't exactly blame them for going back to a land that was once theirs.

 

[rpmurphy]

Teddy Roosevelt making this long speech while having been just wounded by a bullet (albeit not badly due to luck) from an assasination attempt:
http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/research/speech kill moose.htm

Still can't help but to marvel at his tenacity. :lol

 

[lightless_shado]

I didn't know that for a bit Canada had the draft. I also didn't know that british officers in Nigeria actually learned Hausa and communicated with the leaders in the North moreso than those in the south.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

The fact that relatively few people know that the US controlled the Philippines for 50 years, and that we actually fought a rather bloody war there is really depressing.

 

[TheKaeptain]

That most white Americans are actually of German ancestry.

German and Irish. A lot of immigrants came over in the late 1800's.




Where is that gaffer that didn't know San Fran not only has a Chinatown, but it is also the biggest outside of China. I bet his mind was blown.

 

[JzeroT1437]

Oh, I forgot this guy. Fighting Jack Churchill:

http://www.wwiihistorymagazine.com/2005/july/col-profiles.html

Captured an entire German Village during world war II with a bow and arrow and a single landmine. Used to throw his suitcase out the train window into his yard every day so he didn't have to carry it home.

Was captured by nazis and escaped concentration camps twice.

Guy was truly awesome.

 

[The Internet]

Doesn't really blow my mind but I find it neat that there are more Bald Eagles in British Columbia alone than in the entire United States.

 

[Hitokage]

The fact that relatively few people know that the US controlled the Philippines for 50 years, and that we actually fought a rather bloody war there is really depressing.

Yeah, they were fighting for their independence and we put them down.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

o_0

Remember the Alamo...

 

[WorriedCitizen]

Would it be more accurate to say Germanic? Since the term (and the people it refers to) predates Germany as a nation and includes the same lineage of people, as well as extending to a broader pool of descendants in Western Europe?

I think what he meant was that Germans were the biggest group of immigrants in America not Brits etc.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

We used to burn people in oil for some silly things

 

[Jea Song]

Remember the Alamo...

"Remember the Alamo" was a battle cry in which the bitterness of the Texans over the massacres by Mexican forces at the Alamo in San Antonio (6 March 1836) and at Goliad (27 March 1836) found expression. Use of the phrase has been attributed both to Gen. Sam Houston (who supposedly used the words in a stirring address to his men on 19 April 1836, two days before the Battle of San Jacinto) and to Col. Sidney Sherman, who fought in the battle

 

[Hitokage]

During the Mexican- American war, I always believed the Mexicans were the hostile ones, oppressing Americans in Texas.

Turns out Mexico had actually allowed American's to live in Texas as long as they follow Mexican laws. Americans didn't like this, and thought they should take Texas for themselves. America was the aggressors and had an agenda to take over Mexican territory all along.

Hawaii is up there too. It was basically stolen by businessmen.

 

[Ferrio]

Speaking of the Alamo, don't know if it's common knowledge to non-texans but the Alamo that people visit is just the Chapel that resided within the Alamo compound.

 

[Jea Song]

Speaking of the Alamo, don't know if it's common knowledge to non-texans but the Alamo that people visit is just the Chapel that resided within the Alamo compound.

So it was built after the "alamo" incident? The one where the Mexican army slaughtered all 187 members of the Texas garrison.

 

[Fun Factor]

Reagan's wife was really into astrology. Apparently she convinced him to do some things (like speeches) on certain dates and not others for this reason.

Another fun fact, the Joint Chiefs of Staffs secretly made a cartoon to convince Reagan to give them more funds, since he fell asleep when they presented him with charts & facts.

 

[Lionheart1827]

I don't know how true it is but I read about george washington on wikipedia and that supposedly a statue of him was built in britain somewhere and that american soil was imported to place under the statue. The myth being that george washington vowed never to step on british soil. If its true I thought that was pretty cool.

 

[Extollere]

I think what he meant was that Germans were the biggest group of immigrants in America not Brits etc.

He said of ancestry, not an immigration group per-se. However British people and much of Western Europe (and those who immigrated to the Americas) are of Germanic or Anglo-Saxon decent, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Jea Song]

I don't know how true it is but I read about george washington on wikipedia and that supposedly a statue of him was built in britain somewhere and that american soil was imported to place under the statue. The myth being that george washington vowed never to step on british soil. If its true I thought that was pretty cool.

I'm American, and I think that's sorta bad ass. lol Oh those brits.

 

[Confusion Illusion]

This is all very fascinating. Good stuff.

 

[Szu]

Well, since I guess I start with China, since I was born there.

I found out, a couple of months ago from my father, one of the underlying reasons why I'm an American now.

In 1958, Mao Tse-Tung implemented a plan to speed up China's industrial age. One of his ideas was to force farmers and peasants to work in steel and iron production projects.

My father pointed out that Mao also wanted to force young adults straight out of "high school" to work in these steel and iron plants. In my father's view, he saw this as a dead end for his future kids (yours truly and little bro). The idea to leave China pretty much began around that time.

However, certain circumstances causes Mao's plans to fall apart, but my dad wasn't taking any chances. In the end, my family left China and I ended up on GAF.