WI: Ronald Reagan Puts Anthrax in US Illegal Drug Supply

[ClockworkDawn]

- snip -

That's fair, all of that is pretty reasonable!

 

[Unknown]

Suddenly, Richard Nixon would look like a decent president to a lot of people...

 

[Wiw]

I think that would be a direct violation of the Geneva Convention. The UN would have a field day with it.

 

[nbcman]

I think that would be a direct violation of the Geneva Convention. The UN would have a field day with it.

What does the Geneva Conventions or the Geneva Protocol have to do with a poisoning attack by a government upon its citizens? They deal with behavior during times of war. Closest one to being applicable would be the Geneva Protocol of 1928 AKA The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare.

 

[Bernard Woolley]

Why are we choosing Reagan for this? Why not JFK, Carter, Nixon, one of the Bushes, Obama, or Trump? Would make as much sense as a what if, to be honest.

 

[Insane Ranter]

Why the hell would Reagan do something like that? I'm not American, but the plan would tarnish his history in his second term (this one is possible if the plan is discovered at least until the 2000s), end his career like Nixon's, or be the first president to be impeached (the latter two are possible if it is discovered by the media DURING the presidency).

Also anthrax is transmitted by spores. So I imagine what would happen if things go south with the plan.

First President to be impeached was A. Johnson. Would be the first impeached and removed.

The only thing I could think of was to try and spin it as a USSR, Chinese, or Cuban(?) attack. The better question is why would anyone at the CIA do it. I agree on ASB for sure.

 

[Insane Ranter]

Why are we choosing Reagan for this? Why not JFK, Carter, Nixon, one of the Bushes, Obama, or Trump? Would make as much sense as a what if, to be honest.

Trump, Obama, and either Bush are too close to current politics.

 

[Bernard Woolley]

It was partly a rhetorical question, partly wondering why the OP decided that of all of the Presidents since 1900, Reagan would be the one would would commit genocide against his own population. I’m not going to mince my words here, this idea is nuts. Frisian Island, Raid on Scapa Flow level crazy.

 

[Alex1guy]

Wouldn't putting something else make more sense? Anthrax is a weaponized virus/disease thing that spreads. Put I dunno, laxatives into people's cocaine?

 

[Alanith]

That is if Reagan's plot is discovered.

How could it possibly NOT. This isn't shipping weapons to Iran or supporting various dictatorships or any of the other crooked shit Regan got up to, people are going to be dying. AMERICAN CITIZENS. The moment they tell this "Highly screened and Highly Patriotic" group of CIA personnel what they want them to do, someone is going to slip out a briefing folder, and it's going to 'magically' appear in the offices of the Washington Post. It will make Watergate look like a wet firecracker. "REGANGATE: PRESIDENT PLANNED GENOCIDE ON MIDDLE CLASS!" Unless they INSTANTLY drop Regan and the War on Drugs, the Republican party can expect to be unelectable for 20 years. That's not even touching on the numerous flaws with this plan that make it go from "Merely wide scale murderous genocide of a nation on its own population" to "laughing stock of the intelligence community for the numerous reasons it won't work."

 

[Fernan3451]

First President to be impeached was A. Johnson. Would be the first impeached and removed.

He was acquitted from the charges BY THE SENATE just for 1 vote. But it is true that he was the first US president to be in an impeachment trial.

 

[NorCalifornio]

Wouldn't putting something else make more sense? Anthrax is a weaponized virus/disease thing that spreads. Put I dunno, laxatives into people's cocaine?

Cocaine already has that effect, so that won't do much.

I remember reading that a few years ago; another incident of poisoning (along with the poisoning of alcohol during Prohibition). I can't remember if actively poisoning drugs entering the US was an idea that was actually brought up with Reagan or not, and I can't remember where I might have read it.

Kinda, but that wasn't an attempt to poison drug users. Paraquat is an herbicide, they were trying to kill the marijuana before it could be harvested in the first place.

 

[gatordad699]

Trump, Obama, and either Bush are too close to current politics.

There are a crap ton of TLs on Al Gore becoming President in 2000. Seems anyone before that is fair. So how about Bill Clinton does this in an attempt to drive down crime? Or Gore wins in 2000 and does this in an attempt to reduce the population and slow climate change? Why RR? IMHO no American President would ever even consider this. Any of them. It’s kind of an insult to the office to even consider. I served in the US Navy for over 20 years. If any President ordered me to do this I and everyone I ever served with would refuse. It’s a criminal, illegal, bat crap crazy order. No matter who gives it.

 

[Nagisaki]

There are a crap ton of TLs on Al Gore becoming President in 2000. Seems anyone before that is fair. So how about Bill Clinton does this in an attempt to drive down crime? Or Gore wins in 2000 and does this in an attempt to reduce the population and slow climate change? Why RR? IMHO no American President would ever even consider this. Any of them. It’s kind of an insult to the office to even consider. I served in the US Navy for over 20 years. If any President ordered me to do this I and everyone I ever served with would refuse. It’s a criminal, illegal, bat crap crazy order. No matter who gives it.

I mean, Project MKUltra was super illegal yet it was still carried out, and Operation Northwoods was seriously considered...

 

[Hcira1]

Why the hell would Reagan do this? Theres absolutely no benefit politically, and Reagan is not stupid or evil enough to think spreading a very dangerous disease among American citizens is a good idea.

 

[N7Buck]

There are a crap ton of TLs on Al Gore becoming President in 2000. Seems anyone before that is fair. Or Gore wins in 2000 and does this in an attempt to reduce the population and slow climate change?

That is absurd way to reduce population, when they could do higher taxes or different migration policies to reduce population.

 

[Denliner]

Poisoning your own people during the Prohibition was a horrendous move on the U.S. Government's part, but this is like 100x worse.

I cannot feasibly think of a scenario where the U.S. government is both dumb or insane enough to think that this is a good idea, even during the height of the War on Drugs, much less actually carry it out.

 

[fockewulf]

Carrying this out is nuts and most likely ASB, but what if it was just a lie, leaked to the media and blown out of scale, to scare drug users? Sure, those that are already addicted might not be that impressed, but the new consumer might think twice.

 

[Wiw]

What does the Geneva Conventions or the Geneva Protocol have to do with a poisoning attack by a government upon its citizens? They deal with behavior during times of war. Closest one to being applicable would be the Geneva Protocol of 1928 AKA The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare.

Yes, that's what I was referring to.

 

[Derek Pullem]

That was part of my thought- the initial groups would be screened for the task (and I have no doubts that some people would be found), but eventually (or sooner) either someone tangentially involved would figure out what the powder being shipped south was for, or someone directly involved would hear about 'collateral damage'- maybe uninvolved siblings or mothers, maybe successful lawyers, maybe police officers, maybe the agents themselves if their own protection measures failed. The question is, how many people could be directly involved, and how quickly it would be discovered.

Really not likely. Very few people would be directly exposed, fewer still would be when cases (assuming large numbers ever made it to the US in the first place- the likelihood of this is something I don't know) became linked to illegal drugs, and anthrax doesn't usually jump between people.

Cocaine residue found on up to 90% of paper currency in American cities

American Chemical Society discovers that consuming cocaine through dollar bills is more than a cinematic cliché

www.theguardian.com

Dollar bills don't discriminate