realization

So I am writing an "essay" (it's not really an essay, since it's only allowed to be 300 words long) for my spanish class on U.S. intervention in a country or region of my choosing. I chose Central America, and I am reading up (in English, I must confess) on U.S. interventions in Central America. And what I am learning is pretty freaking shocking.

And what I've realized more than anything, in this study, is that Ronald Reagan was a truly evil man. Worse, perhaps than G.W. Bush, which is saying something. Did ya'll know that during the 80's, which is to say during Reagan's administration, the U.S. was largely responsible for funding and training armies in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala which carried out reigns of terror in which hundreds of thousands of relativley normal people were murdered, raped, and tortured? And multiple times Reagan's government completely ignored reports of what was going on under our funding, training, and support. In fact, the U.S. has refused to pay reparations ordered by international courts regarding some of this stuff. I guess we couldn't afford to, seeing as how we needed the money to illegally invade Iraq.

So here's what I wanna know. How is it that nearly 60% of the people who voted in 1984 voted for Reagan? Did they not know? Not care? "We're fine if hundreds of thousand of people are being raped, murdered, and tortured in our name just a few hundred miles to the south, as long as we're rich, comfortable, and safe"? I am increasingly convinced that this country is seriously fucked up. I mean that's not actually strong enough language, but I lack the vocabulary to say it more strongly. maybe someone can help me out. FUBAR, perhaps? I'm sure some of you old military guys could help me out with this.