A regular and much beloved feature of this blog has been my occasional looks at the day's headlines. Once or twice a month I print a dozen or so headlines from various news outlets and follow each with comments about them that are either pithy, snarky, wise or brilliantly on point (or a combination thereof). The response has been overwhelming (thank you Bob Cratchit of Londonderry, NH). As a change of pace and a bit of a history lesson, I'm changing things a bit for todays' edition as all headlines will be from 50 years ago today -- December 23, 1970. In doing so I have the advantage of actually remember those times. I was then a senior in high school. I hope you enjoy this, a history edition of headlines.
From the San Francisco Examiner:
Tough Nixon Pollute Order
Richard Nixon was one of the most disreputable presidents in our nation's history. His role in Watergate was alone enough to place him in infamy, but there was much more notably his role in continuing the war in Vietnam and thereby costing tens of thousands of people their lives. Yet he can look like a flaming liberal compared to today's Republicans. This story is a case in point. It's about Nixon clamping down on industries trying to dump their wastes into the nation's rivers and lakes. The Republican of today doesn't give a good goddamn how badly industries were polluting. This really says more about modern Republicans than about Nixon
Christmas Vigil for Angela
That day Angela Davis had been arraigned on trumped up charges related to an attempted kidnapping and escape from a federal courthouse in Marin the previous Summer. Davis had purchased several of the firearms purchased in the escape attempt which resulted in the death of three prisoners and a federal judge. This was at a time when Black activists were regularly being targeted by the police and FBI. Ultimately Angela was found not guilty.
Satellites for Cable TV
I would have looked at this story 50 years ago and thought, "what the hell do satellites have to do with television and what's a cable TV"? Times, folks, have changed.
U.S. Ready For Mideast Peace Role
I don't recall this specifically but I'm sure everything worked out and peace in the Middle East was attained and aside from a misunderstanding or two everything has been peachy there to this day.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Nixons Are Reported Shocked at Frost's White House Show
The foul-mouthed bigoted Richard Nixon was sensitive to humor with an edge, especially when it edged towards him, his policies or his administration. Frosts's jokes were pretty mild and if you know anything about Frost that shouldn't be a surprise. The barbs' were delivered during a theatrical evening in the East Room for Nixon friends, and supporters. One of the jokes was that a little girl in a nativity scene complained that it was easy to be a shepherd but hard to be a virgin. Frost and Nixon famously met after the president had resigned in disgrace during a series of interviews conducted by the Brit. Those interviews were immortalized in both a play and film called Frost/Nixon.
This was a story about Caroline Tanner a member of the weatherman, a faction of the SDS, a radical splinter group often responsible for bombing federal facilities.The charges against her stemmed from an incident in which four policeman were attacked by a "mob of about twenty persons" at a Chicago federal building. I was curious about Ms. Tanner and after research later discovered she was sentenced to six months for jumping bail. She is currently alive and practicing neurology at UCSF she specializes in Parkinson's disease and works with the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Two More GIs One a Chicagoan, Face Trial in My Lai Killings
On March 15, 1968 U.S. soldiers killed between 347 and 504 unarmed Vietnamese civilians including women, children and infants. Some of the women were gang raped by soldiers first. While this was the worst massacre perpetrated by American soldiers in Vietnam, it was -- unfortunately -- not an anomaly as many believed at the time. While the incident sparked international outrage -- in part because of the efforts to cover it up -- those few found guilty were given light or no sentences. The fall guy for the massacre, Lt. William Calley, served three years of house arrest for his leading role in the killings. The My Lai Massacre remains one of the blackest stains in U.S. military history.
From the Atlanta Constitution:
Hanoi Lists POWs But U.S. is Wary
It was around this time of U.S. involvement in Vietnam that the naming and eventual release of American prisoners of war became a hot topic particularly for propaganda purposes and as a negotiating tool for both sides. POWs became a noble symbol of U.S. efforts and their return was the cause célèbre for the Nixon administration.. Returning POWs were given hero's welcomes and many were feted at the White House. Among those POWs was John McCain.
Nixon Prods Senate on Social Security
Was Nixon trying to cut our reduce social security? Au contraire. He was insisting they be increased. The point again is that while Nixon was an awful man, the Republican Party of fifty years ago was not completely unreasonable or totally Scrooge-like. What changed? It all started with Reagan. But that's a story for another time.
1970 Has Been a Bad Year for Republicans
Which is to say that it was a pretty good year for the country. As I've noted here twice Republicans weren't quite the ogres then that they are today and Democrats were not exactly angels either. Also the war in Vietnam was still needlessly raging with Americans one of the chief villains. But my recollection -- and this is not strictly anecdotal -- is of a time with far greater optimism, less division and a sense of shared responsibility. Social progress -- while it had massive roadblocks -- seemed more doable.
From the Boston Globe:
The man in question was the commandant of the Nazi death camp at Treblinka who, 25 years after World War Two's end, was finally being brought to justice. We still occasionally hear of an accused Nazi war criminal being found but at this point they can't be much younger than 95 or so. Indeed, we may no longer read of anymore Nazis being unmasked. Back then it was not exactly common but did happen from time to time. Franz Stangl, the arrestee in this case, was still only 62.
Mayor Fights Move to Reinstate Teacher
The teacher in question had been dismissed "in connection with the use of a four-letter word in a high school class." Let's be clear, as someone who has taught for over 34 years, approximately 25 of which were in public schools, I am one hundred per cent against teachers using profanity while in the presence of students. But dismissing a teacher? Maybe if it was habitual and there had been many warnings....Times have changed. Foul language by teachers is not tolerated but it does occasionally happen and I don't know of it ever leading to a dismissal.
Three Tate Co-Defendants Removed
The infamous Charles Manson trial was underway at this time (the Tate-LaBianca murders having been committed the previous August). The trial was a spectacle in itself and this story is about three of Manson's followers -- all women -- having to be dragged out of court, kicking and screaming after constantly interrupting closing arguments. The story of the Manson family is one of the most compelling reads you'll likely come across and a fascinating look into that era.
Also....
That night there was a Johnny Cash Christmas special on TV at 9:00. Comedian Bill Cosby was performing live at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe. In movie theaters you could see Love Story, Five Easy Pieces, Brewster McCloud and the Aristocats. AM/FM pocket radios were selling for $12.88, 30 cup coffeemaker were going for $9.88, a Lady Shick razor was $11.88 and a Fondue set was $3.99.
All newspapers were completely Trump-free!
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