Memory of the Saturday Night Massacre at the DOJ October 20, 1973
This is one minor footnote or view of an important event in history.
With the Tuesday Afternoon Massacre yesterday with James Comey at FBI being fired for doing his job by the world's worst American CEO Donald J Trump and his elves Jeff Session and Rod Rosenstein over at "Justice" (a place and certainly not lately a civilized American concept).
It occurred to me at the time, a flashback to 1973, when the Media made the announcement in such a bungled way that they themselves set off part of the firestorm reaction to the firing of Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox and others at DOJ who refused to fire him in the chain of command.
The announcement came to me on CBS in the last five minutes of the highest rated show of the week All in the Family. Season 4 Episode 6 went black during a commercial with a stationary "Special Bulletin" letters posted on the black screen.
It was all well and good to make an announcement but this got lost for at least sixty seconds, which IMO created anticipated suspense and possible anxiety connected to a national disaster. A similar scenario had only aired one afternoon on November 22, 1963 ten years earlier when "they" killed JFK, near my birthday.
There were sounds, people talking, even yelling, noises, of equipment dropping, of director's commands and the shuffles of papers. Radio and no pictures.
That was the longest 60 odd seconds of my life until then. Then some CBS news talking head came on to announce the massacre details.
I so not think that the American public had noticed or cared much about Watergate until that very real uncertain moment in TV History. After that moment, they focused.
The letter I wrote that night in long hand and mailed immediately, the local mail box was only two doors away on the street corner in Philly.
October 20, 1973
Hon. William J. Green (Phila., Pa.)
House of Representatives
Washington D.C.
Dear Congressman Green:
This citizen is of the opinion that the President has
abused the office to which he has been elected
and should be impeached and removed from office.
Yours truly,
/me/
 |
| Archibald Cox |
This is one minor footnote or view of an important event in history.
With the Tuesday Afternoon Massacre yesterday with James Comey at FBI being fired for doing his job by the world's worst American CEO Donald J Trump and his elves Jeff Session and Rod Rosenstein over at "Justice" (a place and certainly not lately a civilized American concept).
It occurred to me at the time, a flashback to 1973, when the Media made the announcement in such a bungled way that they themselves set off part of the firestorm reaction to the firing of Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox and others at DOJ who refused to fire him in the chain of command.
The announcement came to me on CBS in the last five minutes of the highest rated show of the week All in the Family. Season 4 Episode 6 went black during a commercial with a stationary "Special Bulletin" letters posted on the black screen.
It was all well and good to make an announcement but this got lost for at least sixty seconds, which IMO created anticipated suspense and possible anxiety connected to a national disaster. A similar scenario had only aired one afternoon on November 22, 1963 ten years earlier when "they" killed JFK, near my birthday.
There were sounds, people talking, even yelling, noises, of equipment dropping, of director's commands and the shuffles of papers. Radio and no pictures.
That was the longest 60 odd seconds of my life until then. Then some CBS news talking head came on to announce the massacre details.
I so not think that the American public had noticed or cared much about Watergate until that very real uncertain moment in TV History. After that moment, they focused.
The letter I wrote that night in long hand and mailed immediately, the local mail box was only two doors away on the street corner in Philly.
October 20, 1973
Hon. William J. Green (Phila., Pa.)
House of Representatives
Washington D.C.
Dear Congressman Green:
This citizen is of the opinion that the President has
abused the office to which he has been elected
and should be impeached and removed from office.
Yours truly,
/me/
 |
| IMDB |
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