THIS IS REVOLUTION>podcast Ep. 86: The Revolution and Reagan; Grenada '83 w/ Milton J. Coy

It seems like a forgotten chapter in our history.  The 1983 invasion of Grenada.  It didn't last long and the casualties on the American side were small. 19 troops.  But many more Grenadians perished, many due to an "accidental bombing" of a mental hospital.  Reagan feared that Grenada was becoming another Cuba.  The Marxist leader of Grenada was viewed as a threat to President Reagan.  Maurice Bishop sought socio economic development, stressed education, and of course the liberation of his people from under the foot of Western Colonialism.     So it was AMAZING to have Milton J. Coy, journalist, activist, human rights advocate, and a man that was THERE! He was part of the Revolution, educating his people, and he was also there for the deadly, baseless invasion of 1983.   "There are those ... who believe that you cannot have a democracy unless there is a situation where every five years ... people are allowed to put an "X" next to some candidate's name, and ... they return to being non-people without the right to say anything to their government, without any right to be involved in running their country. ...Elections could be important, but for us the question is one of timing. ...We would much rather see elections come when the economy is more stable, when the Revolution is more consolidated. When more people have in fact had benefits brought to them. When more people are literate ...The right of freedom of expression can really only be relevant if people are not too hungry, or too tired to be able to express themselves. It can only be relevant if appropriate grassroots mechanisms rooted in the people exist, through which the people can effectively participate. ...We talk about the human rights that the majority has never been able to enjoy, ... a job, to decent housing, to a good meal. ...These human rights have been the human rights for a small minority over the years in the Caribbean and the time has come for the majority of the people to begin to receive those human rights for the first time." -Maurice Bishop   Bishop raised the literacy rate, introduced free healthcare, and housing.     You can read more from Milton J. Coy here: https://conceptionnewsnetwork.com/   A great documentary on Grenada: https://youtu.be/7z-AxNFx88o   Thank you guys for taking the time to check this out.  We appreciate you.  If you feel so inclined, and you'd like to help the show grow, become a patron.  We're creating some patron only programing, there's bonus content from many of the shows, and you get..MERCH!   Become a patron https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents   Please like, follow, and subscribe to us on the following platforms (specially YouTube!!)   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg   Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast   Twitter: @TIRShowOakland   Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Medium: https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97