Bob Parker: ABC World News Tonight July 13, 1987: Iran-Contra Investigation

Source:Bob Parker– World News Tonight, from longtime ABC News anchor Peter Jennings. RIP

“ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings July 13, 1987 Part 1”

From Bob Parker

The Iran Contra affair was definitely the story of the summer of 1987. I was eleven then and had just finished the fifth grade, going off to outdoor ed summer camp and my first ever basketball camp. As well as vacationing with my family in West Virginia. So it was a fun summer for me. And when I wasn’t doing those things I got to see a little of the Iran Contra hearings, probably on PBS since we didn’t have cable yet, with my mother.

Really that whole year up until the summer of 87, which isn’t a title of a song, at least that I know of, the new Democratic Congress that now had both the House and Senate with a large Democratic majority in the House, the Reagan Administration was on the defensive. Because of Iran Contra and Americans as well as Congress perhaps both Democrats and Republicans believing that the Reagan Administration at the very least did some things that they didn’t inform Congress about. Or committed some illegal violations of national security law.

When the Iran Contra investigation was put under the national spotlight ( so to speak ) and you got to see this joint Congressional Committee investigating Iran Contra on national TV, then you got to see Representatives and Senators from the House and Senate at their best and worst, essentially trying to make names for themselves and look good politically at the expense of President Ronald Reagan, who was still fairly popular politically, even if his administration wasn’t. And what you got see at least during week one of this Congressional Committee were Democratic Representatives and Senators making asses out of themselves. Trying to make Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North look like the bad guy. When he instead he came out looking like a national hero.

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ABC News: Weekend Report (October, 1979)

Source:ABC News– covering Pop John Paul’s trip to Washington, in 1979.

You can also see this post at FRS FreeState, on WordPress.

“Opening minutes of the October 7 1979 edition of ABC News’ Weekend Report, anchored by Barry Serafin and devoted to Pope John Paul II’s visit to the United States.”

From Rob Atsea

Pope John Paul is intriguing to me, because he’s someone who gave both the Religious-Right as well as Liberals such as myself, things to admire about him with all of his strong religious-conservative stances on social issues for the Religious-Right. And his call for freedom for Eastern Europeans and others which is what Liberals liked about him and escaping from authoritarianism in those slavic countries like Poland where he was from.

Pope John Paul, was a strong voice against authoritarianism, at least from the Far-Left like with communism. But like others with the Christian-Right had authoritarian views when it came to homosexuality, women’s place in the world and reproductive rights.

I don’t want to say I see Pope Paul as a mix bag, because by in-large I believe he was a great man. But he did has some at least very traditional religious cultural views when it came to individualism and again women’s place in the world. And not believing women should take leadership roles in the Catholic Church.

But again where I go back and forth with Pope Paul was that he was against communism and authoritarianism in Eastern Europe. Especially in the Slavic countries like his home country Poland and Russia. And what I also like about the man as a Liberal was his calls for peace and charity and helping people in poverty and assisting people in the developing world. Which is where a lot of religious conservative churches tend to be on these issues. And truly believe in the Christian value of looking after most vulnerable and assisting people in need. Which is what Catholic Charities and other Christian groups do.

You can also see this post on Blogger.

You can also see this post at FRS FreeState, on Blogger.

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