It was hot in the Mess Hall on August 9, 1974 at Ransburg Boy Scout Reservation. The wooden screen door slammed as teens and adults filed in, mostly somber.
I was not completely sure of what was going on, but my budding love of history alerted me to the significance. The President of the United States was about to resign. The little TV (16 inch?) sat on a cart near the serving line. The volume was turned high. The black and white picture was snowy. The Camp Director messed with the rabbit ears.
In the Watergate scandal real crimes took place. There was a cover up. Politicians and journalists learned a lesson. Those in the press imagined they had the power to dictate political leadership. Politicians found a way to undo elections.
I cannot say America is better for it.
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