Were the Days of Walter Cronkite and the Fairness Doctrine Civil? Really?

I was born on June 8, 1961. Back in a time when Americans were kind and civil to one another…or were they? Back in a time when Americans lived in peace and harmony with one another…or did they?

I’ve heard it reported by some in today’s mainstream media that in the days of civil discourse, when Walter Cronkite was anchor of CBS Evening News and the Fairness Doctrine was enforced, we did not have occurrences like the one that occurred in Tucson, Arizona on Saturday, January 8, 2011. Hmmm…really?

Walter Cronkite was anchor of CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981 and the Fairness Doctrine was the law of the land from 1949 until 1987. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and remember how peaceful and harmonious our society really was.

At 12:30pm on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Governor John Connally and James Tague were injured in the attack.

On November 24, 1963, while in police custody, accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed by Jack Ruby.

Shortly after midnight on June 21, 1964 in Meridian, Mississippi three young civil rights activists; James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were lynched by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

At 6:00am on February 21, 1965 in Harlem, New York; former Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X was assassinated by three Black Muslims. His followers retaliated by setting fire to five Black Muslim mosques in Harlem and San Francisco, California.

On August 1, 1966 on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin; student, and former Marine, Charles Joseph Whitman went on a shooting rampage, killing sixteen and wounding thirty-two. Three of his victims were killed in the university’s observation tower. The rest were shot sniper style from the twenty-ninth floor observation deck. Before going on his shooting rampage at the campus, Whitman had shot and killed his wife and mother at their homes.

On April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee; civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray.

Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968 in Los Angeles, California; after winning the California primary, presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan and critically wounded. On June 6, 1968 he died as a result of his injuries.

At 12:24pm on May 4, 1970 on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio; thirteen unarmed college students were shot by members of the Ohio National Guard, killing four and permanently wounding nine. Some of the students were protesting against the American invasion of Cambodia, while others were just bystanders.

At 12:30am May 15, 1970 on the campus of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi; unarmed, but violent student protesters, who started fires and overturned vehicles, were confronted by city and state police. After unsuccessful attempts to disperse the crowd, police opened fire killing two and injuring twelve.

On May 15, 1972; while campaigning in Laurel, Maryland, presidential hopeful George Wallace was shot five times by Arthur Bremer. Though he survived the assassination attempt, his campaign for president did not.

On February 22, 1974; Samuel Byck hijacked a commercial airliner in hopes of assassinating President Richard Nixon by crashing the plane into the White House. With the wheel blocks still in place and the plane unable to leave the ground, he shot the pilot and co-pilot before being shot by a police officer. He eventually killed himself.

On September 5, 1975; Lynette Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford when he reached out to shake her hand. Fortunately the chamber of her Colt M1911 .45 caliber pistol’s firing chamber was empty and she was eventually detained and arrested by a Secret Service agent.

On September 22, 1975 in San Francisco, California another attempt was made on the life of President Gerald Ford when Sarah Jane Moore fired a revolver at him from 40 feet away. A bystander grabbed her arm and her shot missed the president.

At 10:50pm on December 8, 1980 in New York, New York John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman.

On March 30, 1981 in Washington D.C.; John Hinckley, Jr. shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan, White House Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty. All survived, but Mr. Brady was permanently disabled. What was John Hinckley’s reason for the attack? He was hoping to impress teen actress Jodi Foster.

Yes, those were such peaceful and harmonious days.

If only Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and FOX News had been on the scene…imagine the blame game then.

Let’s face it people, human beings can be the cruelest creatures God ever created, yet they can also be the most compassionate. Crazy lunatics, who will stop at nothing to achieve their personal agenda have, and will always exist. We cannot excuse the person of his or her personal responsibility and lay the blame at the feet of someone else who dares to express their opinions.

During the “glory years” of Walter Cronkite’s tenure as CBS Evening News anchor, we probably saw one of the most violent times in our history. Yet, during that time the perpetrator was held accountable not someone else. The media did not search for a scapegoat to apportion blame where there was none. Those are the days we need to bring back. Let’s hold people accountable for their own actions and let’s not silence one side or the other because we don’t like what they have to say.

*Thank you to Paula Priesse and her ex-hippie father for refreshing our memories on some of these events and for giving me the idea to write this blog.