On a lighter pop culture note, would the TV series Dallas (CBS-TV) have achieved its popularity during the period of 1978 to 1994, with the story of the Ewing-Barnes political/corporate family feud? Who can forget the 1980 cliffhanger wherein resident bad guy J.R. Ewing was shot outside of Austin, after announcing his plans to run for lieutenant governor? Who can forget the 1983 cliffhanger, when Bobby James Ewing (Patrick Duffy) is abducted by Mexican Zapatista guerillas outside the South Fork Ranch and held for ransom? Even today, many of the stars of the soap opera are identified with the era and the conflicts along the border....
On a darker note, would we have had the 1992 Abel Gonzalez Riots in Los Angeles, CA? The famous riots were started when LAPD officers arrested and proceeded to beat a local motorist in the East Los Angeles area, after he failed to produce a driver's license. To this day many Latino and Chicano leaders see the riots as the reason behind the collapse of the Pat Buchanan (R) administration....