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.
