Monacan High School - Legend Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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Legend Report Trouble at an Doorstep This past year was a time of enhanced involvement in Central America and the Caribbean. American Marines had a frolic through the tropical island of Grenada, using for the most part fiteen year old tourist maps as navigation aids. The ini- tial invasion came under attack (figura- tively speaking) by both allies and adver- saries who questioned the official expla- nation that American students were endangered by the chaos of revolution which threatened to bring an openly pro- Soviet government to power. After over- coming opposition from Cuban airport construction workers, whose shovels seemed to work surprisingly like subma- chine guns, the Marines began to rid the island of large caches of eastern block arms. The interim government is now drawing large amounts of aid from Ameri- can tax payers, and the airport is sched- uled to open soon for tourists (maybe Seniors on beach week?). Additionally, the United States contin- ued to play a somewhat paradoxidal role on the Central American mainland. In El Salvador, the U.S. continued to support the establishment against Sandinista rebels. The small tropical nation had elections, as of late, with the apparent victor, Jose Duarte, following the exam- ple of his supporters in the U.S. adminis- tration by promising to set up a presiden- tial commission to investigate death squads and rebes grievances. Both El Salvador and neighboring Honduras were sites for countless congressional ‘‘fact finding’’ (ie. vacation trips). On the other hand, the contras of Nica- ragua were the recipients of American aid, help which for some strange reason is referred to as ‘‘covert.’”’ ‘“‘Covert’’ aid was a political battlefront between Con- gress and President Reagan, with issues 32 Current Events the year in review such as summer jobs for teenagers, being used to try and sneak through Central American funds. The U.S. shocked the world when it was revealed that the CIA was in the process of mining Nicaraguan harbors. Although Secretary of State Schultz met with Nicaraguan leaders in the spring, relations still remained ex- tremely strained as summer neared. While in El Salvador and Nicaragua are embroiled in a civil war, other countries in Central and South America face a more gradual and less noticeable problem: the debts they owe western banks are so large as to endanger the stability of the banking system in the U.S. and Europe. Soviets abandoned the negotiations de- signed to regulate medium range mis- siles. Then, on the morning of September 1, word reached the U.S. that a Korean airlines jet, KAL 007 had been shot down by Soviet fighters over the military com- plex on Sakhalin island. Two hundred and sixty-nine persons, including a U.S. Con- gressman, were killed in the crash, which brought instant condemnation from the United States. However, as time passed, more details of U.S. activity in the area were revealed. An American surveillance plane was acknowledged to have been in the area, and while the Soviets remained quiet, the administration produced heav- ily doctored tapes to ‘‘prove’’ that the Haitzinger Oberdesterreichische Nachrichten Linz A shot heard Worldwide Much that happened in the last year had to do with East-West relations. In the fall, a continuing crumble of U.S.-Soviet ties involved the placement of new U.S. missiles in Europe, following which the Soviets had fired no warning shots. Only later was it reavealed that the real tapes confirmed the warning theory. While the Soviet explanation proved ludicrous, the fact-filled fight recorder was (big sur- prise) never found, so the truth may never be known. The incident allowed Reagan to push funding for the MX missile, chemi- cal and nerve gas production through Congress while the European peace movement suffered a death blow. How op: | portune. Premiere Andropov’s ‘‘cold’’ of late! summer turned into a kidney ailment from

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of friends, Shawn Pfeifer and Trip Mur- ence listens on a as the different phy make up the band Chaos, which bands compete for the $200 first CHAOS. Joining together with agroup Music That Makes Money. The audi- | won first place. place prize. 4 , Drumming Away. While Robby Ritter plays for the band Chaos, his father and others listen on to the heavy met- al and hard rock. ee eel It Takes All Kinds. The Battle of the Bands competition brought together a number of bands with a variety of mu- Sick oo Hag OAR AEB I NNR EE TRC INE A oN INE eet Battle of the Bands 31

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which he died in February. Konstantin Ghernenko, equally fossilized at age sev- enty-two, took over apparent control of the Soviet bureaucracy, but power seems to have been more distributed in case of future death. Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov at- tracted attention from the world’s humani- tarian community as he hunger-fasted for ‘the safe passage of his wife to receive western medical aide. The Sakharov’s occasionally drop out of sight; one hopes ‘they don’t contract the same kind of cold as Andropov had. In a far more symbolic move, the Sovi- ets, in the spring, withdrew their team from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Sitting security threats as a pri- mary reason for the boycott, the soviets probably wished to return the favor of the 1980 American boycott. While more teams than ever will be competing at L.A., the fourteen boycotting countries repre- sent the forefront of sports technology, greatly hurting the competition at the games. Stage is set for big race Ronald Reagan surprised virtually no one by declaring that he would run for re- election. Meanwhile, the Democratic pri- maries took their toll on the seven man field, with a rather unlikely trio emerging before the convention fight. Walter Mon- dale was the undisputed frontrunner after Glenn failed to make his expected im- pact. Following Glenn’s dropout, Mondale haters had Gary Hart (pence), a rather nonstellar candidate in the early part of the primary season, to whom they could turn. Finally, Jesse Jackson, the black minister who at times seemed to be America’s primary alm bussador to des- potic regimes, remained in the running through the help of mass black voter reg- istration even though he was quoted as making derogatory remarks about Jew- ish-Americans. Ah, such is the way of the Campaign. However, it appears unlikely that the Democrats will be able to weld their party back together to be able to take on Reagan, who at the moment is riding a wave of relative economic suc- cess and therefore public support. After all, while Fritz, Gary, and Jesse were fighting out the last primaries, Ron was either in China or on the beaches of Nor- mandy with other world leaders, trying to look ‘‘presidential.’’ Problems that never die Lebanon, following the trend of its long history, continued to be a mess. During the U.N. presence there, the Palestine Liberation Organization of Yassir Arafat was driven out, but the U.S. forces, faced with terrorist activity, bombings, and Donato Toronto Sun rocket attacks, were finally withdrawn in February, leaving a country divided and unsafe. In Israel, Prime Minister Begin re- signed his post in a surprisingly peaceful transfer of power. Libyan leader Quaddafi continued threats against world leaders, and the threat of conspiracy sent the place from a window if the British Libyan embassy. The diplomatic status of the killers was honored as the delegation was allowed to leave the country. Finally, the Iran-Iraq war continued, threatening oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz as super- tankers came under attack from both sides. The U.S. aided Saudia Arabia with defense needs and has promised air sup- port for any Middle East country willing to provide bases, but the scar of Lebanon has made for few taders in that offer. Around the World: 1984 — Leach Walesa received the Nobel Peace Prize, but was afraid to leave Po- land to claim it for fear that he could not return. — The U.S. lost the America’s Cup for the first time in more than a hundred years. The yacht Australia Il won the cup for its namesake country. — Benigno Aquino, Phillipine opposi- tion leader, was killed under circum- stances pointing to the despotic Marcos government. — The U.S. made tenative plans to withdraw from the U.N. organization UNESCO, sighting inefficiency and anti- American sentiment. — Several U.S. space shuttles have flown, one carrying the European space- lab, but the maiden flight of Discovery was stopped just four seconds before launch because of engine problems. White House to establish extreme even paranoid, security measures. Libya was also involved in a vicious shooting of a London policewoman, an act which took Plantu Le Monde Paris — The Day After, a television docu- drama of a nuclear war, was broadcast by ABC, to the concern and interest of mil- lions. Current Events 33