The Daily Rag:

An Investigation into the Changing Face of the Nation

Michael W. Jackson
HILD 2C: Paper #2
A02-92-6779
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The American society has been affected by many events within the period

of thirty-five years, spanning 1965 to 1999. The changes within society have

been both on a microscopic and macroscopic level. The focus of this inquiry will

deal with the realm of macroscopic change. The three pertinent areas of focus

are politics, economy, and foreign affairs. These three regions canvas the

American landscape and paint a portrait of an America that is as diverse today as

it was some thirty years ago. The conclusion to be drawn, however, is that

America has changed but as well has remained the same.

The first area of focus, politics, covers a wide range of topics from

elections, propaganda, and scandal involving elected officials. The headline of

the Los Angeles Times on October 16th, 1965 read: "New Air Defense: Viet

Missiles Tricked into Missing." This headline captures the belief of the newspaper

that the United States could still win the war in Vietnam. The nature of this article

is quite suspicious as it details the abilities of the American war arsenal while at

the same time promoting the United States' imminent victory in Vietnam. The

armed forces are quoted as stating: "of the 103 planes downed over Vietnam in

the past six months, 98 were downed by conventional gun fire and only six by

Russian supplied surface-to-air missiles (SAM)." The weapons themselves are

described as "RED" missiles and that new air combat maneuvers and

countermeasures have succeeded in disabling the threat. The slant of this article

is a clear representation of the news media in their attempts to support the war

effort while at the same time maintain the threat of communism. The second

significant political story of the day is the UC protest against the Vietnam War.
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The march itself gained great attention with respect to its order as well as its

sudden diversion from the scheduled parade route to avoid a confrontation with

the Oakland Police. The protest itself, however, is not covered in great detail and

it is weakened by focuses solely on the possible violence that could have

occurred. The topic of corruption is also a cover page feature as the possibility

that Judge Morrissey was not a resident of his district in Massachusetts when he

was elected to the federal bench. Judge Morrissey has been tied to the Kennedy

family and eventhough the judiciary panel approved his appointment questions

still persist. The final view into American life comes with an article that focuses

on the planting of a tree by President Johnson's secretary of the interior outside

his hospital room. This article captures the ailing President as unable to sleep

and in pain due to prior surgery. The article also sheds doubt on the ability of

Johnson to serve his nation.

The Political scene of October 16th, 1980 was filled with

environmentalism, Presidential campaigning, and a move to supply medicinal

marijuana to ailing cancer patients. The move by President Carter to establish a

committee to preserve the Lake Tahoe Basin was a significant political move to

foster greater relations with the environmentally concerned in an election year.

Carter's plan called for the review of any government project that may harm the

area and in turn prevent the further loss of nature on the California side of the

lake. With the presidential election looming in the next few months President

Carter challenged Ronald Reagan to a debate. The controversy surrounding this

debate was the omission of independent candidate, John Anderson. Anderson

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the focus of another front-page article as well argued that President Carter was

destroying his campaign through political strong-arming of financial institutions.

Anderson stated that he was unable to gain bank loans critical to his campaign

as a direct result of a memo distributed to the financial community questioning

the legality of the loan in question. The medicinal marijuana issue was

addressed by the state of California and needed a supply of pure THC (the main

chemical in marijuana) and marijuana cigarettes. The study to find the

effectiveness of THC over the current anti-nausea drug was delayed by a

shortage of supply that has hindered the relief of pain in cancer patients.

On October 16th, 1999 the nation faced the political questions of Election

2000 but chose to focus its attention on the Stock Market's worst week in 10

years. The one significant political issue relied heavily on the topic of dying with

dignity. The focus of this article was to investigate the alternatives to

hospitalization of patients with less than six months to live. The desired

alternative is represented as a Hospice, which in turn will aid the patient at home

and allow the patient to die surrounded by loved ones. The proposed benefits far

outweigh the means in a society in which old age is a major focus and the politics

of health care regulation is at the center of the debate.

These three snapshots of the political activity within the nation at three

different time periods cover the unique diversity within America. In 1965, during

the Vietnam War, America calls for both an end to fighting as well as a prediction

of success in a war we would not win. The possible scandal of a federal judge

weighs a minor role in the nation yet makes front page news as a possible
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scandal within the government. In 1980 campaign for the Presidency and

campaign finance is the focus of a heated debate surrounding the removal of a

third party from the presidential race. In 1999, politics has a minor role, as the

economy is the focus of a nation. The timeline flows from a nation with divided

patriotism, to a new age conservancy, to a desire to aid the aged in the later

years. The nation fluctuates greatly over this time period but the consistency in

the American people is an interest in possible scandal as well as the focus of

presidential elections and finally the morale of the American people in response

to national issues.

The economy, a driving force in today's information age, has remained a

thread in American news, no matter if it is as thin as a strand of hair to the

thickness of a piece of rope. The economy in 1965 was captured in the

possibility of an economic downturn as three straight days of trade led to a

decline of the market which investors feared may spur a recession. The market

on October 15th however ended the day on the positive side of the board and

assuaged the fears of investors. The second major concern is oil production in

the Alaska and the possibility that it will not lower gas prices in the nation. The

final address to the economy is by Vice President Hubert Humphrey and his vow

to curb inflation to encourage economic growth.

In 1980, the cover photo of the Los Angles Times was the story of Richard

Scheller who with his 15,000 shares of Genetech became a millionaire overnight.

The story focused on the purchase of 15,000 shares for a mere three hundred

dollars while Richard worked for Genetech. This is a common story of great
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earnings during the eighties in which many Americans gained great wealth

before the recession of the nineties. The second significant issue is the

decontrol of oil and its significant effects upon the pocketbooks of American

society. The market was up on this Thursday as the oil sector and blue chips

fueled the economy.

In 1999, Greenspan moved to curb inflation producing the worst week for

the market in ten years. The Dow fell 266.90 points as the nation moved to work

within a system of corrections. The economy as well was the focus of the nation

as the public in this new age of Internet investing moves to protect their holdings.

The economy is the pulse of the American form of Democracy and the

pulse has fluctuated significantly throughout the history of decline and advance.

The stock market trends in the 1960's and even in the 1980's however do not

greatly concern the public. When John Q. Public began to invest in the new

economy the nation now had a battalion of nurses checking the pulse of the

economy in hopes of attaining the profit necessary to finance the American

Dream. The common thread running through this period is clear the economy is

a main factor of the American society and it remains in a cycle of boom and bust

characterized by the 1980 Noble prize winner, Lawrence Klein.

International relations, are diversions into the global community and

through this exploration of other nations the hope to spread democracy while

stopping Communism fueled the flames of Americans. In 1965, the hope of US

foreign policy was to aid nations in distress to prevent the spread of communism.

This was captured succinctly in Vietnam. The fear of American politicians and
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military strategists was that if Communism was allowed to go unchecked the

governments and people of the world would fall to a system which inhibits the

freedoms of all people, a democratic system. The second branch of this desire

to promote world democracy was the aid of American funds to purchase military

fighters for Jordan. This was an attempt to maintain peace in a region scared by

conflict and communism.

In 1980, the United States was still searching for communism in all forms

to eradicate off the face of the earth. In 1980 the United States was involved in a

move to end the rule of Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and to end martial

law in the region since Marcos' seize of power. The nation as well was dealing

with strong opposition from China as the United States recognized Taiwan

ambassadors separate form China. The nation as well dealt with the war

between Iran and Iraq as the battleground of the Cold War between the super

powers.

In 1999, the focus of democracy was the battlefield of East Timor and the

people of the region who desired to have a democratic election. The horror

unfolded as a move to hold democratic elections proceeded to extreme

bloodshed, as a military dictator desired to maintain power.

The nation changed greatly in this time period from its actual involvement

in the preservation of democracy and freedom. The nation faced its first defeat in

Vietnam and as a result the American people desired to end the spread of

Communism, however not through direct involvement of Americans. This trend

proceeded into relations with the Chinese and Ferdinand Marcos. Americans
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desired to end the tyranny of this dictatorship but as well favored a more subtle

approach to end communism. In 1999, the American people stay far away from

direct involvement in world conflict on behalf of communism but still remain

strongly opposed to the end of democracy in any region. The United States

sends troops but only through auspices of the United Nations. The common

thread involved in all foreign relations with the United States is a desire to

preserve freedom and democracy around the world. The nation may have

reduced its level of engagement but in turn the desire of Americans to send

troops to corners of the globe has greatly diminished and been replaced by a

desire to aid with weapons and propaganda.

The review of the Los Angles Times from these three time periods

characterizes the changing face of America in response to the nation's concerns

and dreams. The differences themselves are significant but on a macroscopic

level the periods in general are quite similar in the aspects to which attention was

diverted. The concerns of this nation have remained quite static during the Cold

War and Post Cold War periods. The American people still fight for democracy in

the world against the evils of communism, the economy plays a key role in the

nation's morale, and the politics of the nation maintain the reality that we as a

society are not perfect but are trying to make the purest democracy possible.

The most significant change within the articles from the three time periods

(1965,1980,1999) is that the style of the report and the terms used signify a more

involved America and as well an America that desires the truth.

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Articles:

"US secret technique credited" The Los Angeles Times. October 16th, 1965.

"UC Protesters in Orderly March Avoid Showdown with Policemen" The Los
Angeles Times. October 16th, 1965

"FBI plans new check on Morrissey Residency in 1934 election race" The Los
Angeles. October 16th,1965

"Tree planting keeps Johnson from his nap" The Los Angeles Times. October
16th, 1965.

"Jordan to buy French jets;U.S. will pay part of bill" The Los Angeles Times.
October 16th, 1965

"Alaskan Oil: Future held brighter but not radiant" The Los Angeles Times.
October 16th 1965

"Humphrey vows to curb inflation" The Los Angeles Times. October 16th, 1965.

"Carter establishes watchdog panel for the Tahoe basin" The Los Angeles
Times. October 16th, 1980

"Anderson unable to attain bank loans, blames Carter" The Los Angeles Times.
October 16th,1980

"$300 in stock turns buyer into millionaire" The Los Angeles Times. October 16th,
1980

"U.S. to supply marijuana in cancer cases" The Los Angeles Times. October
16th, 1980.

"China protests to U.S. envoy on Taiwan issue" The Los Angeles Times. October
16th, 1980

"Iranian regime survives-but can it prevail" The Los Angeles Times. October
16th, 1980

"Philippines' Marcos appears fit, still in firm control" The Los Angeles Times.
October 16th, 1980.

"Oil Decontrol takes its toll" The Los Angeles Times. October 16th 1980.

"Greenspan, gust of inflation pummel stocks, spiking fears" The Los Angeles
Times, October 16th, 1999.
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"Trying to permit dying with comfort and dignity" The Los Angeles Times.
October 16th, 1999.

"Bringing aid and security to E.Timor a delicate balance" The Los Angeles Times.
October 16th, 1999.

"Stocks: Worst week in ten years" The Los Angeles Times. October 16th, 1999.