Starting sporadically in the late 1970's and turning into a weekly series by the 1980's, CBS Radio's Newsmark was something of a last-gasp at serious radio documentaries produced by mainstream media. With a rotation of weekly hosts and a wide range of subject matter, Newsmark tried to revive what had already become a largely ignored radio genre and inject some new life into it.

One such episode first aired in January of 1988 and the subject was Immigration and the battle over Immigration Reform (sound familiar?). Realizing this is from 23 years ago, the controversy and the attempts at reform are still very much front-and-center in our collective consciousness. And, it would appear, we're as far away from a solution now as we were then.

At times it's gratifying to know some things never change. In this instance, it's rather sad.

A half hour rundown on current life via CBS Radio from a series no longer produced - Newsmark for January 17, 1988.

Gearing up for the Holiday weekend with a classic concert by The Pretenders, live at Montreux in 1987. The complete concert, uncut, unaltered and with all the breathless French announcements intact.

Play loud.

Enjoy the weekend and take a break from the spinmeisters.

You'll thank me on Sunday. Or not.

(Millicent Fenwick - when quirky meant quirky and not mental)

I doubt very many people remember who Millicent Fenwick was. Aside from various references to the Doonesbury character Lacey Davenport, Fenwick is all but forgotten. She had the dubious distinction of being a Liberal Republican (an extinct species of politician) and an ardent pipe smoker.

In this 1987 interview done by Judy Muller of CBS News for the Radio series Newsmark, Fenwick talks about her time in Congress and the Senate, her defeat in the recent election by Frank Launtenburg and the state of politics.

Millicent Fenwick: “I think this whole business of the cost of campaigns has gotten absolutely out of hand. We are really getting to a position where people are forced either to have enormous private fortunes, which the Supreme Court has said they can spend to any extent that they wish, or get paid.”

“What do we want to say about Congress? Are they going to be full of rich people and people who’ve been paid? Where are the people with families and moderate incomes? How are they going to be able to manage it?

Shortly after the interview Fenwick was diagnosed with Altzheimer's and died in 1993. It is impossible to imagine someone like her on Capitol Hill today and it begs the question of just far wrong its all gone.

Maybe not so quirky, but we could do with some semblance of rigorous honesty, no?
Just asking.

This weekend, twenty-five years ago, it was all about The Persian Gulf and the U.S. decision to re-flag Kuwaiti Oil Tankers within the next ten days. Amid reports that Iran was mining the Gulf and the U.S. was inching closer to a shooting war. With the Iraqi bombing of the USS Stark, which claimed 37 crewmen, it would seem a showdown was inevitable.

Despite all that, there was no concrete Policy in place, with reference to our position on The Persian Gulf. This episode of Face The Nation was titled "Persian Gulf Policy: A Sea Of Confusion", and it reflected just how off the charts we were in handling crises overseas.

Joining Moderator Leslie Stahl were Under-Secretary of State Michael Armacost and Chairman of The House Armed Services Committe, Les Aspin, discussing what was becoming a fractured and and confusing policy and whether or not the re-flagging of Kuwaiti ships should be postponed.

Here is that broadcast. You get to decide.

Since March 29th was a Sunday in 1987, today's installment covers the entire week in that rather scandal plagued year.

Starting with news that PTL Club televangelist Jim Bakker resigned his position with the "church" over alleged sex scandals involving an assistant. Bakker was quick to blame fellow Bible thumper Jimmy Swaggart for spreading the dirt around as part of a plot of overtake Bakker's ministry and promised to spread some dirt of his own on Swaggart. Those wacky Evangelicals.

The ensuing defecation storm involved, not only Swaggart but Jerry Falwell and figures from The Moral Majority who characterized the seedy goings-on as attributed to "sex, money and power: The Unholy Trinity". Falwell would take over the PTL Club temporarily while the Bakker's aired tons of dirty laundry in public.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone by theatrics from the PTL kids, the Inimitable Oral Roberts announced he was told by God to "raise $8 milllion" or "be called home" by March 31st. Roberts gleefully announced around the first of the week that, yep, he raised the money via a $1.3million check given by a race track owner and that he wasn't going to go anywhere. Further evidence God has a sense of humor, but what kind, remains to be seen.

And over on Capitol Hill - President Reagan ventured out from the soothing climes of K Street, his first since November, and visited a grade school in the Mid-West and later addressed a Governor's Conference where he loudly committed to "making sure Education in America was the best in the world". He also vetoed the 65 mph Highway Bill before he left town.

Over at SCOTUS - a blow was struck for Affirmative Action in upholding a lawsuit brought about by a male employee who was passed over in preference for a Female employee, which Reagan loudly voiced disapproval over. And it was ruled Baseball Team owners did not have to share revenue from Broadcast rights with Team members.

In Beirut Lebanon, a video was released showing two kidnapped American teachers being held in exchange for PLO members being held in Israeli prisons. No dice, at least for the time being.

The FDA finally approved the drug AZT for fighting the effects of the AIDS virus. Still, a cure for the disease wasn't expected to be found until "sometime by the end of the century". Still waiting.

Alexander Haig announced his intentions to run for the Presidency on the Republican ticket in 1988.

And "Music Man" icon/actor Robert Preston died. And Dean Paul Martin, son of Dean Martin, was killed in a military plane accident.

What a week.

In some cases, February 16, 1987 isn't all that much different than February 16, 2012 and the similarities are eerie.

With the recent summit at Rejkjavik a memory, all eyes were on Mikhail Gorbachev and the Reagan White House over issues of Missile defense and the proposed Star Wars program of the Reagan Administration. The Cold War was at the wait-and-see stage.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Itzhak Shamir arrived at the White House for talks admit gloomy bumps in U.S.-Israel relations, the Pollard Affair Spy scandal and Iran-Contra being among them.

Speaking of Israel, this day began the Trial of alleged Nazi Death Camp Commandant John "Ivan The Terrible" Demjanjuk. The second such trial since Adolf Eichmann some 25 years earlier, the proceedings were to take place in a converted Movie Theater in Tel-Aviv and defense for Demjanjuk claiming they had the wrong guy. Witnesses for the Prosecution got started and it promised to drag up a lot of ugly past.

Whereabouts of jailed Soviet dissident Iosef Begun where conflicting with some reports saying he was already released and still others saying he was still languishing in a Gulag. Answers were being pressed.

And, in a deja-vu sort of way, protests and civil unrest were bubbling up in Athens over proposed Greek austerity measures, in place since 1985. With massive cuts in wages, along with widespread unemployment and a virtual eradication of the Middle Class, people were taking to the streets to assail the moves of the Papandreou government.

And who says history doesn't repeat itself?

All this and more via The CBS World News Roundup with Christopher Glenn for February 16, 1987.

The latest in the seemingly endless (going into year 7 without a letup) war between Iraq and Iran hit a new milestone on this day with Iran poised to capture the Iraqi town of Basra. The fortunes of war weren't going well for Iraq and the German press were circulating rumors the U.S. was standing by to jump in. The State Department vehemently denied the report, even though U.S. warships were cruising around the Persian Gulf.

In other news this rather haywire day in 1987; a suspect in the terrorist hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985 which resulted in the shooting death of a Navy Seal was being held in a cell in Bonn West Germany. With threats of extradition to the U.S. also came the threat of reprisals from terrorists and the citizenry of Bonn were understandably nervous.

On the Domestic front - the Long Island Railroad strike was heading into its second day with commuters forced to take alternate transportation. And even though it was a holiday, snarls were bad enough in Manhattan to force a run on Valium for the next day. Meanwhile, talks lumbered on.

22,000 Steelworkers were urged by their union today to accept the new contract from USX.

The U.S. entry in the Americas Cup Race won this day's round against New Zealand. They got to face Australia shortly.

The dollar sank to a new post-War low against the Yen in Tokyo. At last count, 150 Yen to the dollar and Japan was worried exports would suddenly slow to a crawl.

And 37 states celebrated Martin Luther King's Birthday today for the first time.

All this and a lot more via the CBS World News roundup for (Monday), January 19, 1987.

The last song from our look at the 1987 IRS Records Christmas sampler is also the last track on the album. The Synth-Pop Trio Torch Song and their contribution Hark.

This ought to put you at least in the techno spirit of Christmas.

Ho-ho-ho.

In case your idea of Christmas Music this year just isn't about Bach and Baroque concerts, there's always the next-to-last entry in the Just In Time For Christmas IRS Records Christmas sampler from 1987.

Tonight's track is from Wall of Voodoo. Shouldn't Have Given Him A Gun For Christmas, considering how a lot of holidays invariably end up, it's a rather apt song for the season.

But don't take my word for it. It's a well known fact that the holiday season just brings out the crazy in most people.

This year is no exception.

Enjoy it anyway.

Two more tracks after this and you'll have the whole album (which I understand is drop-dead rare from what I've read). Continuing with IRS Records contribution to the spirit of Christmas and tonights entry, Reckless Sleeper(s) with Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday.

A couple historic quibbles - most of the websites talking about this album say it was released in 1990. Unless the printer was living in the past, the copy I got from the Press Officer at the time says it was released in 1987. The other thing, reading up (and looking for photos) about Reckless Sleeper(s) - there's only one S on the jacket copy, they say the band didn't actually get together until 1988, which this track pre-dates by about a year. The Reckless Sleepers released one album in 1988 and featured Jules Shear as primary song writer. So either a lot of people are chronologically off or we're talking about another band entirely - which I kind of doubt. I mean, what are the odds of having two bands with a name of Reckless Sleepers, right?

So, this album may be more of an anomaly than we all think.

But it's Christmas and accuracy has very little to do with the holidays anyway so . . . . .