Union University - Lest We Forget Yearbook (Jackson, TN)

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In an effort to keep the Persian Gulf open to naviga- tion, the United States began in July to escort vessels to protect them from Iran. In September the U.S. Navy blew up an Iranian ship that was placing mines in the Gulf. Several mines were confiscated. U.S. Navy Makes Presence Known During October for the first time in the Persian Gulf, Iranian and American gunners aimed their weapons at each other and pulled the triggers. Iranian speedboats, which fired first, missed an unarmed U.S. Army observation helicopter. Two U.S. gunship choppers reacted sink- ing one of the attacking boats and setting two others on fire. Although hardly a major clash, the exchange in the gulf plum- meted the hostilities even closer toward a real but undeclared state of limited war. This climaxed a series of bluffs and threats from Iranian naval forces in the wake of the seizure of the Iran Ajr, which was dis- abled by U.S. helicopters as it was laying mines. Previously ev- eryone thought that Iran would not dare to attack American ships. Now it appears that we were headed for a confrontation. The U.S. retaliation and the Iranian strike abruptly changed the profile of the gulf confronta- tion. Suddenly it looked less like a protective operation, in which U.S. warships would quietly go about keeping American-flagged Kuwaiti oil tankers out of harm ' s way, and more like a direct face- off between the two nations. This situation could easily have got- ten out of control. Our govern- ment stated that it did not seek any further confrontation with Iran, but we would meet any mil- itary actions with stronger coun- termeasures. President Reagan stated it more bluntly. We ' re not going to have a war with Iran. They ' re not that stupid. But. how far must we go to have peace in our world? Is it too far?

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Politics Looking For Justice With two strikes against him. President Reagan decided to play it safe: he nominated An- thony Kennedy, a so-called mod- erate conservative, to fill the va- cancy created by Justice Lewis Powell ' s resignation last July. The lukewarm reception Kenne- dy met in some right-wing circles came in part from lingering dis- appointment over the Bork de- feat. Judge Bork was one of the few conservative legal scholars who became a crossover hit with conservative activists. In the cur- rent environment, where intelli- gence is a politcal liability, it ' s not surprising that Reagan s new choice was less known and gen- erated less enthusiasm. As a lower-court judge, Kennedy had been bound by Supreme Court precedent. So, of course, was Judge Bork, but. unlike Bork ' s. Kennedy ' s opinions breathed no hint of hostility toward decisions involving local authority on is- sues like crime, education, and, of course, abortion. A few PRO-LIFE groups were also hot and bothered by the fact that Kennedy did not express disapproval in the life issue. American Life League had an- nounced it would mount a cam- paign against the nomination. However, the consensus among pro-lifers appears to be that Ken- nedy is a much better choice than the others. Although Ken- nedy had been tagged a moder- ate, his nomination was pushed by many strong conservatives in the legal community. Maybe this is a good sign for our country! Mrs. Reagan Recovers From Surgery On October 17. 1987. First Lady Nancy Reagan learned the tu- mor in her left breast, discovered on October 5. was malignant. Through a biopsy, cells were taken from the area suspected to be cancerous. Examina- tion of these cells re- vealed that cancer was present. Fulfilling her pre-stated wishes, doc- tors at Bethesda Naval Hospital performed surgery and removed the breast that same day.

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National News Pope Visits United States Stockmarket Crash Of 1987 For nearly five years the stock market had made dra- matic gains, setting records for miraculous increases. It was termed as being a very bullish market. Thousands of people were making tons of money. The market topped at over 2700 points, the highest mark reached ever! October 19. 1987, put a halt to all of the merry money mak- ing. An event took place that will surely be remembered and talked about for many years to come. The New York Stock Ex- change made the greatest de- cline in history. Falling nearly 200 points more than the crash of 1929. the market fell 508 points. What did the crash mean to the economy? If government played its cards right, it could be beneficial. Many people now bought securities, trea- sury bonds, and mutual funds. No longer were people looking for a high risk, get-rich-quick stock. They wanted low risk, long-term investments. The re- cession that followed the 1929 crash need not happen again. If everyone starts talking re- cession, and the public reacts as if a recession is coming, then one will occur. Govern- ment must be careful not to lead the public to believe a re- cession is coming. Now is the time when government must be strong. Although it seems that the bear is running freely throughout the market, many investment firms forsee a strong economy to continue. Expected lower interest rates, and increases in government spending will help settle the shaky market. The bull will be back! Everyone knew that Pope John Paul ll ' s sec- ond visit to the United States was not going to be easy. A growing problem between the American Catholics was the major reason for this visit. Once re- garded as among the most committed fol- lowers, many American Catholics today feel they have the right to choose the elements of their faith and ignore those they disagree with. Major disagree- ments ranged from abortion to women priests. The Pope met this challenge by not scold- ing his followers with harsh words, but rather by offering blessings and warm homilies. He also chose to follow the advice of American bishops by avoiding confrontational speeches.