The Assassination of Ronald Reagan (and life thereafter)

[Wakie]

August 1984

Aug 6, 1984 – In his first national radio speech of the Presidential campaign, Walter Mondale said today that the Federal budget deficits were “like a trapdoor under our economy,” posing a threat to investment, agriculture and international trade.  He also attacked what he called the “excessive interventionalist foreign policy” of the Bush administration.

Aug 7, 1984 - Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro comes under fire when it is revealed that her husband, wealthy real estate developer John Zaccaro, had not submitted tax returns for quite some time.  Republican pundits frequently take shots at him referring to him as “Mr. Ferraro”.

Aug 15, 1984 – In St Louis, five days before the opening of the Republican National Convention President George Bush introduces his selection for the Vice-Presidential candidate on the 1984 Presidential ticket, Missouri Senator John Danforth.

Aug 18, 1984 – A Triangle Oil Corp above-ground storage tank in Jacksonville, FL spills 2.5 million gallons of oil.  Lightning then sparks a massive fire.

Aug 19, 1984 – Walter Mondale gives his Vice-Presidential nominee a big vote of confidence today as she announced in New York that her husband’s tax records, as well as her own, will be disclosed the following day.

Aug 20, 1984 – In a bizarre turn of events, husband of Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, John Zaccaro initially refuses to release his tax records even though she said the day prior that he would.

The Republican National Convention opens in Dallas with Republican speakers coming out swinging.  US Ambassador to the UN Jeanne Kirkpatrick delivers an impassioned speech in which she charges that Mondale and Democrats “Blame America First”.

Aug 21, 1984 – Across the city of Manilla hundreds of thousands take to the streets to protest the regime of Ferdinand Marcos.

At the Republican National Convention a tribute is held to slain President Ronald Reagan.  It is highlighted by a speech from former First Lady Nancy Reagan and Reagan’s political idol, retiring Senator Barry Goldwater.

Aug 22, 1984 – After two days of tension John Zaccaro agrees to make public his tax returns from 1979 to 1984.

Aug 23, 1984 – US President George HW Bush and his new Vice Presidential candidate Senator John Danforth of Missouri are nominated at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas.  In his acceptance speech President Bush directly responds to charges leveled by the Mondale campaign that he would raise taxes by saying “Read my lips.  No new taxes.”

Aug 27, 1984 – President George Bush announces the “Teacher in Space” project.  The goal of the project is to put a teacher into space and have them share their experiences with students around the country.  President Bush says this will be a new wave of the future in education.

[Wakie]

September 1984

Sept 1, 1984 – The United States informs Libya’s UN diplomats that they cannot travel outside of New York City without special permission, placing the tightest restrictions on any foreign mission.  A US note to the Libyans gives no specific reason for the action.

Sept 2, 1984 – The CIA begins funneling money to a mujahidin recruiting organization.  Maktab al-Khidmat’s goal is to recruit and train Muslims from around the world to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan.  There is a high level of confidence in the success of the program as one of the founders, Osama bin Laden, has familial ties to the Saudi Royal family and Arbusto Energy, a small oil company founded in the 1970s by President Bush’s son George W.

In Pravda Soviet Leader Konstantin Chernenko again rejected a resumption of arms talks.

Sept 4, 1984 – The Bush campaign introduces a harsh new round of attack ads targeting the Mondale-Ferraro ticket.  They charge the Mondale-Ferraro team with being soft on national defense, of fiscal improprieties, and of being out of touch.

Sept 7, 1984 – Speaking to a veterans group President Bush charges that Walter Mondale is "slow".

Sept 11, 1984 – Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan comes under suspicion for his involvement with alleged misdeeds associated with a New York subway project.  There are allegations that Mr Donovan tampered with public records and committed grand larceny.

Sept 15, 1984 – The Bush and Mondale campaigns announce an agreement for two Presidential candidate debates and one Vice-Presidential candidate debate.

Sept 17, 1984 – France and Libya announce that both nations will begin a mutual withdraw of their forces from the African nation of Chad starting on September 25th.  The media hails it as a great diplomatic success for Mitterand.

Sept 23, 1984 – Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and his Chinese counterpart, Wu Xueqian, expressed their desire to improve relations between their estranged countries after six hours of talks.

Sept 25, 1984 – France begins to withdraw its forces from Chad, as per its earlier agreement with Libya.  However, Libya appears to be dragging its feet and keeping at least 3,000 men stationed in Northern Chad.  An embarrassed France charges Libya with treaty violations and calls Col Mohammar Khadaffi “untrustworthy”.

Sept 26, 1984 – The United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China sign an initial agreement to return Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Sept 28, 1984 – Congress passes the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act.  This is seen as an add-on to the Americans with Disabilities Act which the Bush administration pushed through in July of 1983.

Walter Mondale meets with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in New York.  He says he believes there is “an opportunity for significant progress towards a lasting peace” between the US and USSR.

[Wakie]

October 1984

Oct 2, 1984 – Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan pleads not guilty to a grand jury 137-count indictment accusing him and nine other men of grand larceny and fraud on a New York subway project.

Oct 3, 1984 – The Mondale campaign accuses President Bush of mudslinging.  In response the Bush campaign responds with a vitriolic press release which refers to “sniveling hypocritical Democrats.”

Oct 7, 1984 – The first Presidential Debate is held in Louisville, KY.  It is moderated by Barbara Walters of ABC News and focuses on economic and domestic issues.  Most journalists feel the debate was a relatively unexciting event, but that Walter Mondale faired slightly better, saying the Bush administration was weak on civil rights and that they were struggling to pay for the defense bills being run up.  When asked about a vitriolic press release from his campaign 4 days prior, President Bush disavows it and asks people to compare the last 4 years to the Carter administration.

Oct 11, 1984– In Philadelphia, the one and only Vice Presidential debate is held.  It is hosted by Sander Vanocur of ABC News and is split between foreign and domestic issues.  Results are mixed with both Senator Danforth and Rep Ferraro stumbling at times.

Oct 12, 1984 – The IRA fails in an assassination attempt of the British Cabinet in the Brighton hotel bombing.

Congress passes the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 which increases funding to state and local police forces, reduces bureaucratic paperwork between agencies, and creates the United States Sentencing Commission as an independent agency of the Judicial Branch.

Oct 14, 1984 – The government of Vietnam reaffirms its desire for improved relations with China and the United States.  The Communist Party newspaper Nhan Dan, in a commentary carried by the Vietnam News Agency said “We want to restore our traditional friendship with the Chinese people and to grow a relationship with the American people who we have always considered friends”.

Oct 15, 1984 – President Bush vetoes the Central Intelligence Agency Freedom of Information Act, characterizing it as unmanageable.

In an interview First Lady Barbara Bush comments that she could not say on television what she thought of then Vice-Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, but "it rhymes with rich."

Oct 19, 1984 – Polish secret police arrest Jerzy Popiełuszko, a Catholic priest who supports the Solidarity movement.

Congress passes the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism.  A significant portion of this bill is the Reward for Justice program which pays informants for information leading to the arrest of terrorists.

Oct 21, 1984 – The second Presidential Debate is held in Kansas City.  It is moderated by Edwin Newman of the Baltimore Sun and focuses on defense and foreign policy issues.  It is felt that President Bush shines in the debate and comes out as the clear winner.

Oct 30, 1984 – The dead body of Jerzy Popieluszko is found in a reservoir.  11 days prior the Catholic priest had been arrested by the Polish secret police for his support of the Solidarity movement.

Oct 31, 1984 – On her way to be interviewed by British actor Peter Ustinov, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two members of her security detail.  They are both Sikh and were enraged over the June occupation of the Golden Temple.  Over the next four days Sikhs are massacred throughout India in retaliatory pogroms led by some Congress activists and sympathizers.  The Indian government does little to quell the violence and acting Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi even says “When a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake”.

The Puerto Rican tanker San Francisco explodes in the Gulf of Farallones off the coast of San Francisco, spilling 2 million gallons of oil.

[Wakie]

As I stated in an earlier post, prior to every Presidential Election I intend to give an update of major differences between this timeline and reality.

Here goes ....

*Reagan killed, Bush takes over as President.
*James Brady is unwounded during the Reagan shooting.
*Gerald Ford is brought in as VP. 
*Ford steps down after one term and John Danforth is the VP nom for the 2nd term.  This means the '84 election is Mondale/Ferraro vs Bush/Danforth.
*The Air Traffic Controller Strike was handled via negotiations instead of outright firings.  This results in stronger unions but also fewer plane crashes.
*The Bush tax cuts aren't as deep as Reagan's tax cuts.
*Bush is more successful at curbing spending than Reagan in that he doesn't spend as much on defense and, in return, earns Congressional concessions in other areas.
*Unlike Reagan, Bush doesn't cut education spending.
*The economy is recovering, but not as quickly as under Reagan.  There are higher taxes but lower budget deficits and lower interest rates.
*The US doesn't do a mass deployment of medium-range nukes to Western Europe, nor does it begin to fund the "Star Wars" project.
*Development of the Peacekeeper/MX Missile is delayed by 1 year.
*James Baker is Secretary of State 7 years earlier.  There are other noticeable cabinet changes.
*There are some minor election differences in 1982 with the most significant being the defeats of Don Sundquist for Congress and George Deukmejian for Governor of CA.  The latter allowing for the election of Tom Bradley as CA's first black governor.
*Bush introduces his ban on assault weapons 6 years earlier than in reality.
*Bush's nomination for President is opposed by Alexander Haig and Pat Robertson.  The early development of a Robertson Presidential campaign signals an early creation of the Christian Coalition.

[Wakie]

November 1984

Nov 1, 1984 – Less than a week before Election Day, President Bush charges that voters “cannot trust Walter Mondale in the White House”.

Nov 4, 1984 – Nicaragua holds its first free elections in 56 years.  The Sandinistas win by a 63% margin with Daniel Ortega claiming victory in the Presidential election.

Nov 6, 1984 – US General Elections
Presidential Election – Republicans George HW Bush and John Danforth score a decidedly strong victory over Democrats Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.  The results are similar those from the 1980 election.  It is felt that Mondale’s campaign never got off to a strong start, that he ran too liberal of a campaign, and that it was plagued by disorganization.  On the flip side, the Bush campaign had the advantage of being the incumbent, being tightly organized, and being unafraid of “going tough”.  While some questioned the selection of John Danforth as his Vice Presidential candidate, he turned out to be an asset, attracting moderate voters with his views and religious voters (an emerging category of voters) with the fact that he is an ordained Episcopal priest.

Senate Elections – Results are the same as in reality with the following exceptions:
KY – Walter Huddleston (D) is reelected over Mitch McConnell (R)
NC – James Hunt Jr (D) defeats incumbent Jesse Helms (R)

This leaves the Senate with 49 Democrats and 51 Republicans.  Robert Byrd (D-WV) is Senate Minority Leader and Bob Dole (R-KS) is Senate Majority Leader.

House Elections - Results are the same as in reality with the following exceptions:
AL-1 – Frank McWright (D) defeats Sonny Callahan (R)
AZ-5 – Jim McNulty (D) defeats Jim Kolbe (R)
IA-5 – Jerry Fitzgerald (D) defeats Jim Ross Lightfoot (R)
MD-2 – Clarence Long (D) is reelected over Helen Delich Bentley (R)
MI-10 – Don Albosta (D) is reelected over Bill Schuette (R)
MN-7 – Gene Wenstrom (D) is reelected over Arlan Strangeland (R)
NC-4 – Ike Andrews (D) is reelected over Bill Cobey (R)
NC-6 – Robin Britt (D) is reelected over Howard Coble (R)
NC-9 – DG Martin (D) defeats incumbent Alex McMillan (R)
NC-11 – James McClure Clarke (D) is reelected over Bill Hendon (R)
OR-5 – Ruth McFarland (D) is reelected over Denny Smith (R)
PA-23 – Bill Wachob (D) defeats incumbent Bill Clinger Jr (R)
TN-7 – Bob Clement (D) is reelected over Stuart Taylor Jr (R)
TX-26 – Jim Bradshaw (R) is unopposed and is reelected (*NOTE: In reality this seat was won by Dick Armey this year but Armey wouldn’t run if it were already held by a Republican.)
UT-2 – Frances Farley (D) defeats David Monsoon (R)

This leaves the House with 267 Democrats and 168 Republicans.  Tip O’Neill (D-MA) is Speaker of the House.  Jim Wright (D-TX) is House Majority Leader and Robert Michel (R-IL) is House Minority Leader.

Gubernatorial Elections - Results are the same as in reality.

Nov 7, 1984 – Missouri Senator John Danforth resigns to Vice President.  He fully endorses outgoing Missouri Governor Christopher “Kit” Bond to succeed him in the position.  A special election is slated for March 5th.  Democrats are set on running State Senator Harriett Woods who nearly defeated the new Vice President in the 1982 election for the same seat.

Nov 9, 1984 – The Vietnam Veterans statue, “Three Soldiers” by Frederick Hart is unveiled in Washington DC.

Nov 15, 1984 – In what becomes known as the Thanksgiving Exodus, 3 key Cabinet Secretaries announce they are leaving their current positions.

Treasury Secretary Donald Regan announces he will not be part of the 2nd term of the Bush administration.  It is no secret that he has frequently battled with the President and his staff over economic policy.  He has no immediate plans and indicates that he plans on taking “a nice long vacation somewhere warm”.

Attorney General William French Smith announces his retirement from the position.  He will be joining the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Richard Schweiker announces he will be leaving his position and will become President of the American Council of Life Insurance.

Nov 23, 1984 – The United States and Soviet Union announce that Secretary of State James Baker and Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko will meet in Geneva in January to negotiate an agenda for talks on limiting nuclear arms.

Nov 26, 1984 – President Bush meets with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz at the White House.

Nov 28, 1984 – President Bush signs the Presidential Determination Act, which allows private satellites to compete in the Intelsat market.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Again very good stuff here Wakie. Is there any surprises forcast in the 2nd term of President Bush? Could we have an electoral map for election '84 between Bush and Mondale?

[Wakie]

Thanks Rock.  The 2nd term of the Bush admin should definitely be interesting.  He is on his own now (no Reagan shadow, no Ford as VP).  He's going to face issues w/ Libya and Congress and I'm fairly certain he won't be anywhere near as good as Reagan at handling it.

Instead of giving you an electoral map I'll just tell ya which states Mondale won.  Mondale won the following:

*DC
*IA
*MD
*MA
*MN
*PA
*RI

[Hash]

And I'll give you a map

[Wakie]

Thanks Hash!

[Wakie]

December 1984

Dec 4, 1984 – Hezbollah militants hijack a Kuwait Airlines plane and kill 4 passengers.

Dec 8, 1984 – President Bush rejects a plea from Bishop Desmond Tutu for stronger US action against the South African Apartheid regime, saying that such actions will only hurt the people of South Africa.

Dec 13, 1984 – President Bush nominates Dr Otis Bowen, former Governor of Indiana, to the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Dec 19, 1984 – The People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom sign the Sino-British Joint Declaration which declares that the UK hands over Hong Kong to China effective July 1, 1997.  As part of the agreement, Hong Kong’s capitalist system and way of life would remain unchanged until 2047.

Dec 22, 1984 – Four African-American youths board an express train in New York City and attempt to rob Bernhard Goetz, who shoots them.  This kicks off a national debate on urban crime.

[Wakie]

January 1985

Jan 3, 1985 – President Bush nominates Edwin Meese III to the position of Attorney General of the United States.  He also nominates sitting Commerce Secretary Howard Baldrige to the position of Treasury Secretary.

Jan 4, 1985 - Vice President-elect John Danforth, an ordained Episcopalian Priest, publicly speaks out and makes a strong condemnation of a rash of arsons on abortion clinics.

Jan 7, 1985 – Vietnam seizes the Khmer National Liberation Front headquarters near the Thai border.

Jan 8, 1985 – Father Lawrence Jenco, head of Catholic Relief Services in Beirut, Lebanon, is kidnapped by members of the Islamic Jihad.  While in captivity Father Jenco is subjected to regular beatings and extreme brutality.  He is only allowed to use the bathroom once per day.

After 2 days of meetings in Geneva Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and US Secretary of State James Baker reach an agreement for their nations to hold further arms talks in October.

In Mills Music v Snyder the Supreme Court ruled that according to the Copyright Act nothing in legislative history or language indicates that Congress draws a distinction between authorizations to prepare derivative works that are based on a single direct grant and those that are based on successive grants.

Jan 10, 1985 – Secretary of Education Terrell Bell announces his intention to return to teaching at the University of Utah.

Jan 15, 1985 – In New Jersey v TLO the Supreme Court ruled that school officials are state agents when enforcing disciplinary rules mandated by law and that officials may search without a warrant using reasonable suspicion law.

Jan 17, 1985 – A jury in New Jersey rules that terminally ill patients have the right to starve themselves.

Jan 21, 1985 – US President George HW Bush is sworn in for a second term in office (because he served more than ½ of Reagan’s term, by law it counts as his first).

In Evitts v Lucey the Supreme Court ruled that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the effective assistance of counsel on his first appeal.

Jan 22, 1985 – The Department of Agriculture reports that a record cold wave has damaged 90% of Florida’s citrus crop.

Jan 28, 1985 – Congress confirms Otis Bowen as the new Secretary of Health & Human Services.

Jan 29, 1985 – President Bush nominates Texas Tech President Lauro Cavazos to the position of Secretary of Education.

Jan 31, 1985 – The final Israeli troops pull back out of Lebanon to a security zone to protect its border.

[Wakie]

February 1985

Feb 1, 1985 – President Bush’s veto of the Central Intelligence Agency Freedom of Information Act stands as Democrats cannot find enough votes to overturn it.

Agriculture Secretary John Block and farm-state lawmakers fail to reach an agreement on a federal package to help debt-ridden farmers get though a spring credit crisis.

Feb 2, 1985 – Former NC Senator Jesse Helms begins encouraging fellow conservatives to buy stock in CBS Inc.  He says his motive is to combat what he calls the network’s “liberal bias.”  Industry analysts said that they did not believe the North Carolina Republican and his supporters could gain control of CBS.

Feb 5, 1985 – Vice President John Danforth intercedes to try to reach an agreement between the Department of Agriculture and Congress.

Feb 6, 1985 – In the annual State of the Union Address, President Bush focuses mainly on foreign policy, suggesting the US work more closely with China and suggesting that the Soviet Union “must work with us to disarm the world’s nuclear arsenal”.

Feb 10, 1985 – Nelson Mandela rejects an offer of freedom an exchange for silence from the South African government.

Libya launches a new major offensive in Chad.  The goal is the capital of N’Djamena.

Using the mailing list and contacts he acquired during his failed Presidential bid, televangelist Pat Robertson begins to urge his followers to become politically active to “reinstate the rule of Christ in a demoralized America.”

Feb 11, 1985 – Congress confirms Howard Baldrige as the new Secretary of the Treasury.

Feb 13, 1985 – Polish police arrest 7 Solidarity leaders amidst a crack down on the now illegal labor union party.

The Libyan offensive into Chad is crushed by Chadian government forces heavily reinforced by French and American military.  The ensuing violence results in the bombing of Libya’s Ouadi Doum airbase and the Chadian N’Djamena Airport.

Feb 15, 1985 – President Bush nominates Texas businessman Robert Mosbacher to the position of Commerce Secretary which was recently vacated by Howard Baldrige’s move into the Treasury Secretary role.

Feb 19, 1985 – In Garcia v San Antonio Metro the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the authority under the Commerce Clause to apply the Fair Labor Standards Act to a municipal mass transit system operated by a governmental entity.

Feb 20, 1985 – One day before a threatened filibuster, the White House and Senate Democrats reach an agreement on farm aid.  Vice President Danforth mediates a settlement wherein the White House agreed to expand its credit plan to prompt rural bankers to take part.
 
Feb 25, 1985 – Congress confirms Edwin Meese III as the new Attorney General of the United States.

Feb 26, 1985 – In Ake v Oklahoma the Supreme Court held that an indigent criminal defendant in a murder case where the death penalty could be assessed has a right to have the state provide a psychiatric evaluation to be used in the defendant's behalf.

Feb 27, 1985 – CBS Inc files a lawsuit to block the efforts of a group led by former Senator Jesse Helms to gain control of CBS and “end the liberal bias” of the network’s news reporting.

Feb 28, 1985 – Despite apprehension from the White House, Congress broadens emergency farm-credit packages which some insiders labeled as “budget busting” and a “bank bailout”.  Attached to the bill is $175 million in special aid for African famine relief.

[Wakie]

March 1985

Mar 1, 1985 – Congress confirms Lauro Cavazos to the position of Secretary of Education.  He is the first Hispanic American to become a cabinet secretary.

Mar 4, 1985 – The FDA approves a blood test for AIDS which can be used to screen all blood donations in the United States.

In SCONH v Piper the Supreme Court ruled Rule 42 of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, which limits bar admission to state residents, is in violation of the Privileges and Immunities Clause.

In Oregon v Elstad the Supreme Court ruled that the Self-Incrimination Clause of the 5th Amendment does not require the suppression of a confession, made after proper Miranda warnings and a valid waiver of rights, solely because the police had obtained an earlier voluntary but unwarned admission from the suspect.

Mar 7, 1985 – In an interview about his new citizens action group, which he calls the ‘Christian Coalition’, televangelist Pat Robertson says that the organization’s goal is “to elect Christian leaders in all levels of government”.  In the same interview Mr Robertson praises the efforts of former Senator Jesse Helms to purchase CBS, saying “Godless people like Dan Rather should not be on television”.

Mar 10, 1985 – Soviet state press announces that Party General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko has died of pneumonia.

Mar 11, 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev is selected to become new General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and de facto leader of the Soviet Union.

A study released by the Agriculture Department shows that 1/3 of all family-sized commercial farms, owing almost ½ of all farm debt, will face financial difficulty in 1985 and 14% of such farms are either insolvent or on the verge of insolvency.

Mar 15, 1985 – Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan announces that he is resigning from the position.  This comes in the wake of months of allegations of impropriety and a Federal Grand Jury investigation into charges surrounding a New York subway project.

Mar 16, 1985 – Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press, was abducted in Beirut.

Mar 17, 1985 – President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announce plans to conduct a joint US-Canada study on acid rain.

Mar 19, 1985 – Former Senator Jesse Helms and Media Mogul Ted Turner meet to discuss Mr Helms’s efforts to lead a buyout of CBS.

Mar 21, 1985 – President Bush taps former Tennessee Senator Bill Brock to become Labor Secretary.

Mar 24, 1985 – Thousands demonstrate in Madrid, Spain against the NATO presence in Spain.

In Khartoum Sudanese officials begin hearings on the role of US agents in smuggling Ethiopian Jews out of Sudan to Israel.

Mar 27, 1985 – In Tennessee v Garner the Supreme Court rules that law enforcement officers pursuing an unarmed suspect may use deadly force only to prevent escape if the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.

Mar 31, 1985 – Televangelist Pat Robertson meets with former Senator Jesse Helms to discuss the possibility of Mr Helms heading up the Christian Coalition.

[Wakie]

April 1985

Apr 2, 1985 – In a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President John Danforth, former Missouri Governor Kit Bond (R) defeats Harriet Woods (D).  Democrats charge that the election was fast-tracked and, therefore, gave the former Governor an advantage.

Apr 3, 1985 – Reports surface that cable and broadcasting entrepreneur Ted Turner is seeking to takeover CBS Inc.  Whether this is related to the Jesse Helms effort to purchase CBS or just his own independent venture is unclear.

Apr 15, 1985 – South Africa ends its ban on interracial marriages.

Congress confirms Robert Mosbacher as the new Commerce Secretary.

Apr 18, 1985 – Democratic Senators John Kerry and Tom Harkin travel to Nicaragua and meet with the country’s president, Daniel Ortega.  While there, Kerry and Harkin meet with leaders from both sides of the Nicaraguan civil war.  Through the Senators, Ortega offers a cease-fire agreement in exchange for the US dropping support of the Contras.  The offer is denounced by the Bush administration as a “propaganda initiative”.

Ted Turner officially announces his bid to purchase CBS Inc.

Apr 21, 1985 – A new, cheap form of cocaine is discovered in New York.  Its street name is “crack”.

Apr 25, 1985 – Congress votes down the $14 million aid package to Nicaraguan rebels proposed by the Bush administration.

Apr 26, 1985 – Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrives in Moscow to accept a $200 million loan.

Apr 27, 1985 – Congress confirms Bill Brock as the new Secretary of Labor.

[Wakie]

May 1985

May 1, 1985 – US President Bush orders a trade embargo against Nicaragua.

May 5, 1985 – US President George Bush joins German Chancellor Helmut Kohl for a controversial funeral service at a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany, which includes the graves of 59 elite SS troops from World War II.

May 10, 1985 – The White House endorses Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole’s plan to restrict military spending to the growth rate of inflation for the next fiscal year.

May 13, 1985 – In Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode orders police to storm the radical group MOVE’s headquarters to end a stand-off.  The police drop an explosive device into the building, killing 11 MOVE members and destroying several surrounding homes in the resulting fire during which police prevent the fire department from extinguishing.

May 19, 1985 – Former Senator Jesse Helms appears to have backed off of his campaign to lead a takeover of CBS now that Ted Turner’s buyout bid seems to be in full swing.  In an interview with The Charlotte Observer Mr Helms declares that his goal was to see CBS “under new management” and that he is confident that Mr Turner will succeed in seeing exactly that.  He also announces that he will be heading up Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition.

May 20, 1985 – In Burger King v Rudzewicz the Supreme Court ruled that the district court’s exercise of jurisdiction pursuant to Florida's long-arm statute did not violate the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.

In Harper & Row v Nation Enterprises the Supreme Court determined that fair use is not a defense to the appropriation of work by a famous political figure simply because of the public interest in learning of that political figure's account of an historic event.

May 23, 1985 – Thomas Patrick Cavanagh is sentenced to life in prison for attempting to sell stealth bomber secrets to the Soviet Union.

May 28, 1985 – In Landreth Timber Co v Landreth the Supreme Court ruled that within the definition of the Securities Act of 1933 a “security” is not simply a “stock” just because it is referred to as such.  Conversely if something bears all of the similarities to a “stock” but is not referred to as such it is still stock.

[Wakie]

June 1985

June 4, 1985 – In Wallace v Jaffree the Supreme Court ruled that “just as the right to speak and the right to refrain from speaking are complementary components of a broader concept of individual freedom of mind, so also the individual's freedom to choose his own creed is the counterpart of his right to refrain from accepting the creed established by the majority".

June 6, 1985 – Congress passes a $27 million aid package to Nicaraguan rebels known as Contras.  This is in response to the events on April of 1985.

June 7, 1985 – President Bush says that Washington will not normalize relations with Vietnam until Hanoi accounts for all missing American servicemen and ends the occupation of Cambodia.

June 9, 1985 – American educator Thomas Sutherland is kidnapped in Lebanon by members of the Islamic Jihad.

June 12, 1985 –The Sudanese government warns Chevron Corp not to use Israeli-made parts in its oil exploration operations in southern Sudan.

June 13, 1985 – Aldrich Ames hands over to a Soviet agent the names of 20 Soviets working for the CIA.  Several of these individuals are later executed.

June 14, 1985 – TWA Flight 847 with 104 Americans aboard is hijacked by four Lebanese Shiite Muslim extremists after takeoff from Athens, Greece.  The hijackers kill Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem and dump his body on the tarmac in Beirut.

June 19, 1985 – In El Salvador 4 off-duty US Marines and 9 others are killed at sidewalk restaurants in the Zona Rosa section of San Salvador.

In Brockett v Spokane Arcades the Supreme Court ruled that a Washington statute declaring that adult theatres and bookstores are a “moral nuisance” was a valid law and there was no satisfactory ground for striking it down.

In Mitchell v Forsyth the Supreme Court ruled that a government official acting in the nature of his job is entitled to qualified immunity from lawsuit for his authorization of actions, notwithstanding actions which violate Constitutional Amendments.

In Aspen Skiing Co v Aspen Highlands Skiing Corp the Supreme Court held that although even a firm with monopoly power has no general duty to engage in a joint marketing program with a competitor, the absence of an unqualified duty to cooperate does not mean that every time a firm declines to participate in a particular cooperative venture, that decision may not have evidentiary significance, or that it may not give rise to liability in certain circumstances.

June 22, 1985 – The SEC ok’s the attempted buyout of CBS Inc by Turner Broadcasting.

June 24, 1985 – The US Army transfers much of San Francisco’s Fort Baker’s open space to the National Park Service.

June 26, 1985 – In Thornton Estate v Caldor the Supreme Court held that a Connecticut statute which provided Sabbath observers with an absolute and unqualified right not to work on their chosen Sabbath violates the Establishment Clause.

In Dun & Bradstreet v Greenmoss Builders the Supreme Court ruled that a credit reporting agency can be held civilly liable for ordinary and punitive damages for publishing false assertions about the bankruptcy of a business which is not a public figure.

June 27, 1985 – The US House of Representatives votes to limit the use of combat troops in Nicaragua.

June 28, 1985 – In Dowling v United States the Supreme Court held that copies of copyrighted works cannot be regarded as stolen property for the purposes of a prosecution under a statute criminalizing the interstate transportation of such property.

June 30, 1985 – Hostages aboard TWA Flight 847, which was hijacked on 6/14/85, are released but the four hijackers escape into Syria.

[Wakie]

July 1985

July 1, 1985 – In Aguilar v Felton the Supreme Court ruled that the Title I program violates the Establishment Clause and, therefore, makes it ineligible to receive federal funding.

In Cleburne v Cleburne Living Center the Supreme Court ruled that mental retardation is not a quasi-suspect classification calling for a heightened level of scrutiny, and therefore not qualified for special protections under the 14th Amendment.

In United States v Montoya de Hernandez the Supreme Court ruled that the detention of a traveler at the border, beyond the scope of a routine customs search and inspection, is justified.

July 2, 1985 – In United States v Bagley the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors must disclose information useful for impeaching government witnesses.

During a press conference, President Bush says that the Soviet Union and United States have found common ground on at least one issue.  “We have a consensus that terrorists who use or threaten to use nuclear weapons will be dealt with jointly and swiftly.”

July 9, 1985 – Speaking to foreign ministers from several Western European nations who have expressed concerns regarding the rumors of the US development of a laser-missile shield, Vice President Danforth says that the Defense department has never done any serious work in the area and that it was “purely and simply a research program which is presently on hold”.

July 10, 1985 - The Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior is bombed and sunk in Auckland harbor by French DGSE agents.

CBS announces a major stock buyback program intended to halt buyout attempts from Ted Turner and from a group headed by Jesse Helms.  Turner’s people respond by saying that this move is likely to crush his buyout efforts.

July 12, 1985 – Sudan and Libya announce a mutual defense pact causing much concern amongst Egyptian and Chadian officials.

July 19, 1985 - President George H.W. Bush announces that New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe will become the first schoolteacher to ride aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.

July 22, 1985 – Chinese President Li Xiannian visits the United States and meets with President Bush at the White House.  It is the first such visit by a Chinese head of state.  During the meeting the US and China sign an agreement on peaceful nuclear cooperation.

July 23, 1985 – Congress passes a bill championed by President Bush which authorizes the Secretary of State to determine whether certain international programs receiving US funds are involved in programs that entail coercive abortions or involuntary sterilizations and, are therefore, incapable of receiving funds.

July 31, 1985 – President Bush meets late into the night with Congressional leaders to discuss a budget compromise which has been proposed but would violate his campaign promise of “no new taxes”.  In the end President Bush agrees to the compromise and sustains enormous political damage for it.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I might be sounding like an old broken record player but, this is a really good timeline Wakie. If you have written any other Alternative history TL's on this forum, I would really like to read them one day.

Here's just two questions I would like to ask, There about the year 1986 in this TL though:

1) Will Bush do a Reagan and attack Libya in 1986? If the attacks don't work out that well, will President Bush start a war with Libya?

2) Will the Space Shuttle, Challenger blow up on January 28, 1986? Or will NASA postpone the mission until a few days later

[Wakie]

I might be sounding like an old broken record player but, this is a really good timeline Wakie. If you have written any other Alternative history TL's on this forum, I would really like to read them one day.

Here's just two questions I would like to ask, There about the year 1986 in this TL though:

1) Will Bush do a Reagan and attack Libya in 1986? If the attacks don't work out that well, will President Bush start a war with Libya?

2) Will the Space Shuttle, Challenger blow up on January 28, 1986? Or will NASA postpone the mission until a few days later

Thanks again.  Sorry this is moving slow but life has been very busy and I chip away at this when I get the chance.

1) My take on Bush vs Reagan is that Reagan was about grand displays of power to accomplish goals (ala the El Dorado Canyon mission you mentioned) whereas Bush is more of a CIA man who tries to work behind the scenes but when he goes to war he goes all out.  That said, I don't want to ruin the surprise of what I anticipate happening regarding Libya.

2) The executive branch lets NASA make the call when it comes to launching or delaying a launch.  Even though NASA was  forewarned about the flaw which resulted in the Challenger explosion, they opted to go ahead.  That being said, the Challenger will explode ... there will be a national day of mourning ... and Abu Nidal will try to make it seem like he was responsible.

[Wakie]

Also, Rock ... the encouragement is great.  When writing something this long I do occassionally wonder if anyone is actually reading it.

A while back I did a timeline which envisioned a John Kerry victory in the 2004 election (it should still be here somewhere)

The highlighted results were:

*The US was in the process of pulling back from Iraq but was having trouble doing so
*There was more international involvement in Iraq as Kerry opened up the rebuilding contracts to international firms but there was also more violence
*The GOP won big in the 2006 elections
*George W Bush looked like the probable GOP candidate in 2008
*Sandra Day O'Connor was still on the Supreme Court and Rehnquist's death resulted in Kerry nominating Harold Koh (the Dean of Yale Law and a liberal) to be the new Chief Justice
*North Korea was opened up to dealing with the US


A long time ago I looked at the possibility of the South winning the Civil War (mainly thanks to involvement from British and the North losing its will to fight).  The result was a highly fragmented North America which looked more like Europe.  Things really got interesting when the World Wars broke out.  And the Soviet Union ... well, there was no one to really step up to the plate.

[Wakie]

August 1985

Aug 2, 1985 – Speaking to the nation from the Oval Office, President Bush presents the budget compromise and attempts to explain why he is breaking his “no new taxes” pledge.  Polling shows the reception of the tax increase is icy at best.  Congressional conservatives decry it as a “savage blow to our economy”.

Aug 6, 1985 – The Commerce Department warns that the economy appears headed towards a recession.

Aug 9, 1985 – Retired Navy officer Arthur J. Walker is found guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union.

Aug 12, 1985 – Panamanian Military Head Manuel Noriega states that the situation in Panama is “totally anarchic and out of control”.  He criticizes President Ardito Barletta for running “an incompetent government”.  Noriega’s political enemies begin to disappear.

Aug 15, 1985 – Iraq launches a series of air raids on Iran’s Kharg oil-island.

Aug 19, 1985 – Rev Billy Graham and Vice President Danforth spend the weekend with President Bush and his family in Kennebunkport, Maine. 

Aug 28, 1985 – Broadcasting mogul Ted Turner officially ends his bid to takeover CBS.

[Wakie]

September 1985

Sept 9, 1985 – Despite pressure from Congress, President George Bush refuses to establish sanctions against South Africa reiterating his position that sanctions will only hurt the poorest of South Africans.  He cites South Africa’s recent lifting of its ban on interracial marriage as “progress”.

The Soviet Union offers to reduce its strategic missiles and bombers by as much as 10% over the next five years if the United States reciprocates and bans development of laser-missile shield technology.

Sept 18, 1985 – Citing health concerns, Senator John East (R-NC) announces that he will retire from the Senate.

Sept 19, 1985 – An 8.1 Richter scale earthquake strikes Mexico City.  More than 9,000 people are killed, 30,000 injured, and 95,000 left homeless.

Sept 22, 1985 – In New York City the ministers of America, Japan, West Germany, France, and Great Britain unify and adopt the Plaza Accord for currency intervention.  They struggle to control capital exchange-rate movements.  Led by US Treasury Secretary Howard Baldrige it is the first effort to effort to restore some semblance of order to the monetary system since the collapse of the postwar Breton Woods gold-anchored finance systems in the early 1970s.  In the wake of the accord the dollar drops by almost 30% in value.

Edward Lee Howard, a CIA officer, vanishes from Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He has fled the US to the Soviet Union while under FBI investigation for spying for the KGB.  He was accused of disclosing CIA agents in Moscow.

Sept 25, 1985 – Commenting on the recent Soviet proposals for arms reductions, President Bush suggests that he feels these are positive steps forward towards world peace but he would like to see deeper cuts.

Sept 27, 1985 – Panamanian President Ardito Barletta resigns amidst pressure from Manuel Noriega.  Noriega seizes power.

[Wakie]

October 1985

Oct 1, 1985 – The Israeli air force bombs PLO headquarters near Tunis.  68 people are killed and Yasser Arafat narrowly escapes.

Oct 4, 1985 – Islamic Jihad issues a statement saying that it had killed American hostage William Buckley.  It is believed that he actually had died from torture four months earlier.

Oct 7, 1985 - The cruise ship Achille Lauro is hijacked in the Mediterranean Sea by 4 heavily armed Palestinian terrorists. One passenger, American Leon Klinghoffer, is killed.  The hijackers demanded the release of 50 Palestinians held by Israel. 

In Ponce, Puerto Rico a mudslide follows Tropical Storm Isabel killing at least 129 in the island’s worst disaster of the century.

Oct 9, 1985 – After two days the hijackers of the Achille Lauro surrender to Egyptian authorities in Port Said, Egypt.

Oct 10, 1985 – As part of a deal with Egyptian officials, the Achille Lauro hijackers are flown from Egypt to Tunisia where they escape.  Rumors surface that US military officials had proposed using fighter jets to force the plane to land in Italy but the plan was squashed by the White House as an insult to Egypt.

11 acres of New York City’s Central Park are dedicated as Strawberry Fields in honor of John Lennon.

Oct 12, 1985 – Speaking to reporters after a Democratic party fundraiser in Austin, Texas Senator Ted Kennedy admits that “the least well kept secret is that I’d like to be president someday”.  But he follows that by saying he is undecided about whether to run in 1988.

Oct 14, 1985 – Christian Coalition Leader Jesse Helms announces his candidacy for the Senate seat which will be vacated by the retirement of John East.  In his statement Mr Helms says that he will remain a steadfast supporter of the organization but that he must resign his leadership role to pursue his candidacy.

Oct 20, 1985 - The Prime Minister of the Sudan, Dr. al-Gazouly Dafallah, says that although his nation is strongly committed to close relations with the United States, it will not be a ''client'' of any superpower.

Oct 23, 1985 – Amid rising concerns about Libya’s aggressive nature towards its neighbors, the US beefs up its naval forces off in the Mediterranean.

[Wakie]

November 1985

Nov 2, 1985 – Facing criticism for not being heavier handed with terrorism, President Bush loses his cool during a press conference and says “I have had it with the way Americans are treated internationally.”

Nov 5, 1985 – Speaking to the US League of Savings Institutions convention Vice President Danforth says that the budget deficits which have occurred in the 1980s were caused by Congress.  He points at the 1974 Budget Control Act which he says upset the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches.

Nov 6, 1985 – In Colombia some 35 leftist rebels seize control of the Palace of Justice.  A military raid to liberate the hostages goes horribly wrong and costs more than 100 lives, including 11 Supreme Court justices and all of the guerillas.  It is believed that Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar masterminded and funded the operation.

Speaking to a Pro-Life group in Dallas, Texas US Representative Jack Kemp calls abortion a “human rights issue” and compares it to the 1960s civil rights movement.  Political pundits wonder if this is a first step off for a 1988 campaign for the Presidency.

Nov 7, 1985 – Libyan security thwarts an attempted assassination of leader Mohammar Khaddaffi.

Nov 12, 1985 – Xavier Suarez is elected Miami’s first Cuban-American mayor.

Egyptian security police thwart an assassination attempt by Libyan agents of former Libyan Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid El-Bakoush, who has been living in Egypt in exile.

Nov 13, 1985 - Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupts, killing an estimated 23,000 people, including 21,000 killed by lahars in the town of Armero, Colombia.

Nov 15, 1985 – Britain and Ireland sign an accord giving Dublin an official consultative role in governing Northern Ireland.

Nov 17, 1985 – As part of his mediation toward an end of the Iran-Iraq war Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme stops an illegal shipment of 80 HAWK missiles through Sweden from Israel to Teheran, Iran.

Nov 19, 1985 – In Geneva, President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time.

Nov 20, 1985 - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.

Nov 21, 1985 – Former US Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested and accused of spying for Israel.

Nov 22, 1985 – In Geneva, President Bush proposes that the United States will reduce its chemical weapons by 80% if the Soviet Union will do the same.  The Soviets are receptive.  Mr Gorbachev reiterates the Soviet proposal of a joint reduction in strategic missiles and bombers by 10% as well as a ban on development of laser-missile shield technology.

Nov 23, 1985 – In a surprising change of direction, Filipino Leader Ferdinand Marcos announces that there will be snap presidential elections in 1986, one year ahead of schedule.

Nov 26, 1985 – A week of meetings between President Bush and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev wraps up in Geneva with no formal agreements, but a commitment from both sides to meet again in a year.

Nov 28, 1985 – In a televised speech today on Soviet tv, Mikhail Gorbachev says of his discussions with President Bush “this is a positive start”.

[Wakie]

December 1985

Dec 2, 1985 – Congressional Democrats charge that Senate Republicans are relentlessly rushing President Bush’s judicial nominees through the confirmation process.

Dec 3, 1985 – Egypt completes 3 days of war games near the Libyan border resulting in Tripoli beefing up its security on the border.

Dec 4, 1985 – Bob McFarland resigns as US National Security Advisor.  Admiral John Poindexter is immediately named as his successor.

Dec 7, 1985 – Retired Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart dies in Hannover, NH at age 70.

Dec 11, 1985 – Interior Secretary John Rhodes announces his intention to step down and return to private life.

Dec 18, 1985 – The UN Security Council unanimously condemns “acts of hostage-taking”.

Dec 20, 1985 – Sen. Edward Kennedy, prompted by concerns about his safety and his chances of success, unexpectedly pulls himself out of contention for the presidency in 1988 and perhaps forever. "I know that this decision means that I may never be president," Kennedy says in a statement taped for broadcast by Boston TV and radio stations. "The pursuit of the presidency is not my life. Public service is."

Dec 22, 1985 – In a report to Congress President Bush says that new Soviet missile deployments and other violations threaten existing arms control agreements.

Dec 24, 1985 - Right wing extremist David Lewis Rice murders civil rights attorney Charles Goldmark as well as Goldmark's wife and 2 children in Seattle. Rice suspected the family of being Jewish and Communist and claimed his dedication to the Christian Identity movement drove him to the crime.

Dec 27, 1985 - Abu Nidal terrorists open fire in the airports of Rome and Vienna, leaving 18 dead and 120 injured.  The US blames Libyan leader Mohammar Khadaffi.

Dec 28, 1985 – A Syrian sponsored peace agreement is signed in Damascus between warring Lebanese Muslim and Christian leaders.