ABC News: ‘ABC World News Tonight, July 10, 1978’

Source:ABC News– World News Tonight With Peter Jennings.

Source:The New Democrat

“The premiere edition, anchored by Frank Reynolds, Max Robinson, and Peter Jennings.Posted for educational and historical purposes only. All material is under the copyright of their original holders. No copyright infringement is intended.”

From News Archive

The thing that people need to know about Marxist states which is exactly what the Soviet Union of Russia was for over seventy-years before the Soviet Union broke with all the non-ethnic-Russian states breaking away and creating their own independent countries, is that they can consider anything that goes against the state as treason. And anyone that says anything in opposition to the central state, is a treasonous.

The fake trial of Natan Sharansky back in 1978 was which was obviously fake. Here’s a man who was simply calling for human rights in a Marxist state where human rights don’t exist. The only rights that exist in a Marxist state all belong to the central government. Which is supposed to use that power to take care of the people.

In the late 1970s you saw Russia get more aggressive with their foreign policy and make moves in North Africa and Central Asia to protect their interests. Like in Ethiopia to protect a Marxist government there and of course in Afghanistan to install a Marxist government there.

You also saw Russian activists and non-ethnic-Russian activists in Russia like Natan Sharansky speak out in favor of human rights in a country where they simply don’t exist. As well as Russian citizens and non-ethnic-Russian citizens including Russian-Jews fleeing their country in hopes of finding freedom and coming to America so to speak because of that. And part of that had to do with President Jimmy Carter making human rights as part of his foreign policy.

1978 was a big year for tax cuts and a bad year for high taxes. As you saw several states with movements calling for cutting taxes across the board. Even in the so-called Republic of California that has always had high taxes and has been one of the most leftist states in the union when it comes to taxation.

In 1978 there was a movement led by anti-tax advocate Howard Jarvis, who you could call a 1970s Tea Party leader who managed to get on the state ballot there a measure that would cut property taxes across the board. And it passed even though California is one of the biggest Democratic states in the union as far as party registration. With a 2-1 Democrat to Republican party ratio. With Democrats controlling both houses of the State Legislature going back to the 1950s.

Read Full Post »

ABC News: America Held Hostage: The Iran Crisis

ABC News

Source: ABC News: America Held Hostage: The Iran Crisis

I never make excuses for terrorists and terrorism and don’t respect anyone who does. But the U.S. Government including the Carter Administration and every single American administration going back to Harry Truman, have some responsibility for this crisis. The Iran Hostage Crisis is the perfect example of the weakness and consequences of backing unpopular authoritarian dictatorships. Whatever you think of the Shah of Iran Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and he did have come progressive qualities liked developing the Iranian economy, he was a brutal dictator to his opposition. Both Islamic Theocrats and more liberal democratic factions in that country.

The Iranian people and the Islamic revolutionaries in that country were simply fed up with the Pahlavi Regime there and wanted a different form of government and a different future there. Which is what and whatever you think of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni, a different future as an Islamic theocratic dictator of Iran is exactly what he represented for Iran. A different future for that country. The Iranian people essentially replaced one authoritarian dictatorship for another one. Which sort of goes to the judgement of that country and doesn’t make them look very good. But perhaps that’s for a different discussion. The United States, backed the Shah of Iran, because they were worried about what type of government would come to Iran instead and because of Iranian oil and gas.

The United States and the United Kingdom, interfered with the governmental operations of Iran for almost forty-years, because they were worried about the Shah falling and being replaced by an anti-Western authoritarian regime. But that is exactly what they got anyway which was an extreme Far-Right Islamic theocratic government to replace a more moderate and reasonable monarchy that they wanted all along. As America also found out with their backing of authoritarian dictator Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, there serious and deadly consequences that come from backing unpopular dictators. And the way you prevent even worst regimes from coming to power is to work with the people on the ground. Not backing unpopular dictators.

Read Full Post »

Bob Parker: ABC World News January 6, 1987: The 100th Congress and The Iran Contra Investigation

Source: Bob Parker: ABC World News January 6, 1987: The 100th Congress and The Iran Contra Investigation

Early 1987 and really the whole 1987 year was a bad one for President Ronald Reagan and the Reagan Administration. Republicans, lost the Senate in 1986 which gave Congressional Democrats complete control of Congress going into 1987. Just when the Iran Contra investigation was in the news and when both the Senate and House was looking into that. The House and Senate put together a joint Congressional committee to investigate the Iran Contra situation in the summer of 1987. Where people like Marine Colonel Oliver North became a famous name and person and became a main focus of the Congressional Iran Contra Committee.

I was eleven years old and in fifth grade for most of 1987, so I don’t remember a whole lot about the politics that year. I remember seeing some of the Iran Contra Committee with my parents on TV. I remember hearing about Gary Hart running for president and then dropping out because he was caught having an affair with a women who wasn’t his wife. I remember hearing the name Michael Dukakis and a little about Robert Bork who President Reagan nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court. But most of these things except for Gary Hart and Mike Dukakis weren’t good for President Reagan. And all issues that Vice President George Bush would have to inherit as he ran for president in 1988.

For really the first six years of the Reagan Administration, except for perhaps 1986 when Iran Contra became a big issue, President Reagan and his team were always on the offensive. And able to push their issues and get the country behind them in some key areas. They got their military buildup, tax cuts, Social Security reform, immigration reform, negotiations and better relations with Russia, to use as examples. But 1987 was the 1998 for the Reagan Administration. Where they played defense for most if not the whole year. Either answering questions they didn’t want to answer, or trying to avoid questions that they didn’t want to give the full truth on.

Read Full Post »

ABC News: World News Tonight- David Muir: A-Rod Suspended Through 2014

Source:ABC News– New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez.

Source:ABC News

“Yankees still owe slugger Alex Rodriguez $61 million as he continues to fight to stay in the game.”

From ABC News

A lot of good those drugs did A-Rod in the last three seasons with declining skills and dealing with injuries. And what a year suspension will do to the legacy of someone who just ten years ago was thought of as the best all around baseball player in MLB at the time.

Whether its Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and now Alex Rodriguez and unfortunately the list only gets longer, I’ve always had a hard time believing and let alone respecting, why athletes this big, strong, and talented, would feel the need to use steroids. When they’re already naturally very strong. A-Rod, Big Mac, and Jose, all came up as big, strong, athletes.

As far as A-Rod’s career, he’ll be 40 when he comes back in 2015. If he comes back that year, when he hasn’t had a good season since 2009. He’s been beat up the last few seasons and part of that is because he’s already aging and past him prime. The New York Yankees, are aging as far as their core group of players. Derek Jeter, would be another one and their great closer Mariano Rivera, is another one. All of their great players now are pushing 40. The Yankees haven’t done a great job of preparing for the future. Not saying A-Rod’s career is over, but he has been done as a great dominant hitter. And may never play 3rd base again.

I believe a lot of this has to do with great athletes thinking they’re untouchable that they won’t be suspended or sanctioned in any way, because they believe their team the league needs them more than they need their team and their league. And when you’re already worth 50-100 million or whatever A-Rod’s net worth is right now, maybe you believe it’s worth the risk, especially if the drugs pay off. But the problem is that A-Rod has been beat up and has seen is production fall. He doesn’t run and move the way he use to. He no longer has the great, dominant, bat speed. Teams can pitch to him instead of pitching around him. So the steroids he took didn’t do him a damn bit of good. And this will always be part of his legacy.

Read Full Post »