When asked to give a one word summary of 2005, the operative word was: Disaster.

Six years ago but feeling a lot longer, 2005 was seemingly one continuous body blow after the next. From escalating violence in Iraq, Earthquakes in Pakistan and India where the estimate death toll topped 100,000. The threat of Bird Flu coming from China. Tube station bombings in London and Hurricane Katrina that all but wiped New Orleans off the map. You could confidently say 2005 was a monumentally disastrous year.

The death of Pope John Paul II, the Saddam Hussein trial, George Bush's extreme Supreme Court nominations, it ran the gamut. And not surprisingly, a lot of us didn't survive.

So in case you forgot, or have that morbid curiosity to relive, here is the CBS Weekend Roundup of the Year for 2005.

A good reminder as to why we're so crazy and out of control right now.

(Immigration Reform Protests 2006 - didn't just happen overnight)

With the Obama Administration's focus on Immigration reform, I thought I would start with a series of attempts, arguments, legislations and problems over the last several decades associated with revamping and reforming a hopelessly outdated system. I'm going to try and go back to the 1930's in an attempt to give you some overview at what the Immigration issue has become over the years and what has happened as a result. Like Healthcare reform, it is no easy fix and has been ingrained in our society for a very long time. Many attempts have been made over the years to bring a solution - a lot have been mired in partisan rhetoric, many have suffered from bad timing. But each was an attempt to try and fix a broken system.

The first post up, and most recent was the attempt at Immigration reform by way of a military solution in 2006 under the Bush Administration in this address from May 15, 2006.

Bush: “It is important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces to win the war on terror, to respond to natural disasters and to help secure our border. The United States is not going to militarize the Southern Border.”

Senator Dick Durbin offered a rebuttal:

Dick Durbin: “All Americans agree we must act now to secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system, but we don’t need a military solution to break a political stalemate. We need leadership.”

A week before the address, on April 20th, ABC News Nightline ran a segment on the Immigration issue with this telling comment:

Migrant Farm Worker: “I have worked since I was seven years old in the fields, and not once have I seen an Anglo-American pick alongside me.”

The last segment probably goes more to the heart of the matter than anything else. But who wants to admit that?

In the coming days I'll be posting items going back to give you an idea of the complexity of this issue and how long its been going on.

History is loaded with repeats.

Update: Still hovering at the 3/4 mark with just a little ways left to go. My deepest appreciation and sinceret thanks to those of you who have donated in the last few hours. Your contributions have been lifesaving. We're so close to hitting our goal and I am so blown away by your support of this site and what we're trying to do. We're getting there and,with your help, we'll succeed. Any amount you're comfortable with, it is all needed and it all chips away at the problem. You're making a huge difference. Just a little bit more to go - we can do it - we are doing it! You are all amazing.

April 29th may have marked the 20th anniversary of the start of the now-famous Rodney King Trial verdict insurrection, but April 30th was when the shit truly hit the fan and the streets were filled with anger and violence. Fires sprang up everywhere, most raging out of control because fire fighters were in short supply and the ones who did respond were attacked. The Police were mostly powerless to stop the rage and stores and businesses throughout the city were broken into, ransacked and burned. As of the start of the morning of the 30th, 9 had already been reported dead, with scores injured and a city in chaos and spreading.

Here is coverage, as presented by Public radio station KCRW, who also broke in and out to carry news reports from the local TV outlets as well as CNN. This recording covers the period of time from 8:55 am until roughly 10:00 am on the morning of the 30th. There are two press conferences, one from Mayor Braddley assessing the situation and Chief Darryl Gates. Also covered are statements from President Bush and a lot of eyewitness accounts.

And this day was only starting.

How this day in 1987 was going to end up was anybody's guess, but in the morning, when this newscast went on the air, everything was up for grabs.

First off - President Reagan was getting ready to give his first press conference since November of '86. And since that one was such a nightmare, he was going into serious overtime rehearsing his appearance before the Fourth Estate, making sure no gaffes would come back to haunt him.

And for good reason; the Iran-Contra scandal was burned into everyone's consciousness and it showed no signs of letting up. Even vice-President Bush was fending off inquiries over a $1,000 contribution made by financier/pop-maven Adnan Khashoggi, who claimed the elder Bush was twisting arms like pretzels in search of cash for the Contras.

However, that didn't stop Congress from approving yet another $40 million outlay for the Contras, seeing as Reagan was holding the Veto card over everyone's head if they dared say no.

And to make sure things were going smoothly, the CIA was found to be supplying the Contras with maps and blueprints of all the dams, power systems and ports in helped put together in Nicaragua, just to be safe.

In other news, newly disgraced former White House aide Michael Deaver was trying desperately to stay out of jail, even though all signs were pointing to it. Seems his influence peddling was getting the best of him no matter what he was trying. The House passed the 65 mph speed limit with 55 mph advocates painting dire pictures of highway littered with bodies as the result.

And Bristol-Myers was optimistic that it may have developed an AIDS vaccine and wanted Capitol Hill permission to start testing it on humans.

And that's what March 19th sounded like in 1987, as presented by The CBS World News Roundup.

A significant day in history, but one that was moving so fast we didn't appreciate it at the time.

On February 7, 1990 sweeping changes were taking place in the Soviet Union, almost hourly and predominating the news of the day. As Mikhail Gorbachev repealed Article 6 in the Communist Party platform, making way for a multi-party system and Democracy to replace the old Communist system of government. Everyone was in favor, except for one - Boris Yeltsin, regarded by most as a maverick politician. The news was greeted in the West with enthusiasm, although President Bush quickly rushed to claim at least partial credit for the changes. Ironically, he also called for increased spending of the Star Wars Defense system, which baffled everyone, including Central Committee Member Georgi Abatov who said:

"I think you are, you Americans, not yet prepared to live without an enemy. You just don't know what to do without an enemy".

True, that. And still true, some 20 years later.

In other news - Vaclav Havel was scheduled to arrive in Washington for a visit and address a joint session of Congress. Jesse Jackson was scheduled to arrive in Johannesburg South Africa, continuing his call for an end to Apartheid and the release of Nelson Mandela. Schools in Selma Alabama were closed on this day, as racial tensions rose and black marched in protest to the recent dismissal of black School Superintendent Norbert Rousseau by a mostly white Board of Education.

The State Department was up to its eyeballs in scandal as it suspended employee Felix Bloch on spy charges. Chicago was minus 20 organized crime figures as the DOJ did a sweep and handed out indictments like party favors.

And a study found the majority of high school students had no idea about geography or even where they were on the map. The good news was 87% could find Canada - but that was about it.

And we were now The Big Kids Left Standing.

And so went this particular day in history as reported by CBS Radio and The World Tonight along with Special Reports and a word or two from Dan Rather.

By all accounts a normal day, this May 17th in 1988. There was a dramatic decline in the Trade deficit and stock markets throughout Europe broke out in waves of giddy. Even our own Stock Market rose 10 points over the news. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, debate was girding its overblown loins for ratification of the INF Treaty and Conservative Republicans were threatening fits and tirades. Edwin Meese fired spokesman Terry Eastland and circles in the State Department thought it was Meese who needed to be fired.

Since it was election year, news was crowded with the horse race known as Primaries and the one in Oregon had Michael Dukakis and Jesse Jackson sprinting to the wire. A recently released CBS/New York Times Poll had George Bush trailing Michael Dukakis by 10 points if the election were held on that particular Tuesday.

On the world front - The Honduran Ambassador was arrested on Cocaine possession charges. South African Bishop Desmond Tutu called for an Isolation Campaign against the apartheid government of South Africa. Pope John Paul II was on a 12 day Latin American visit and exchanged finger wagging on Human Rights violations with Paraguayan Strongman General Alfredo Stroessner, whose miserable record of Human Rights earned the ire of the Vatican and whose Papal criticism earned the ire of Stroessner.

And it was the 1-year anniversary of the bombing of the USS Stark by an Iraqi jet.

Not thrill-packed, but dramatic nonetheless. Here is the CBS World News Roundup for May 17,1988 (A Tuesday).

This day in December 1989 had news of the Malta "Summit at Sea" between President Bush and Soviet Premier Gorbachev. But probably more than the discussions were problems actually getting the two leaders in the same place, since choppy seas were making transportation of the leaders from their ships to the meeting place almost impossible. Nonetheless, the talks were productive and Moscow was eager for some progress, since only two months earlier the infamous Wall in Berlin had come down and the Soviet Union was in the midst of a major transformation.

Other news in the day covered the aborted coup attempt in the Philippines, more fighting in Nicaragua, Romania on the verge of overthrow of the Ceausescu government and Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci busily seeking asylum.

Not a dull day as this set of reports from CBS News illustrates.