This Day in United States History 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 On October 21, 1973, major U.S. newspaper headlines included: BORK TAKES OVER - with the New York Times reporting: WASHINGTON, Oct. 20—President Nixon, reacting angrily tonight to refusals to obey his orders, dismissed the special Watergate prosecutor, Archibald Cox, abolished Mr. Cox's office, accepted the resignation of Elliot L. Richardson, the Attorney General, and discharged William D. Ruckelshaus, the Deputy Attorney General. The President's dramatic action edged the nation closer to the constitutional confrontation he said he was trying to avoid. Senior members of both parties in the House of Representatives were reported to be seriously discussing impeachment of the President because of his refusal to obey an order by the United States Court of Appeals that he turn over to the courts tape recordings of conversations about the Watergate case, and because of Mr. Nixon's dismissal of Mr. Cox. The President informed Robert H. Bork,. the Solicitor General, that under the law he was the acting Attorney General and must get rid of Mr. Cox and the special Watergate force. The F.B.I. also sealed the office of Mr. Bork, discharged Mr. Cox and had the Federal Bureau of Investigation seal off the offices of the special prosecutor, which Mr. Cox had put in a building away from the Department of Justice to symbolize his independence. Some members of the. Cox staff were still inside at the time. What were the ramifications of this? A massive public backlash ensued. Tens (and soon hundreds) of thousands of telegrams and calls flooded Congress and the White House demanding action; newspapers carried banner headlines and editorials critical of Nixon. White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig later called the reaction a “firestorm.” Within about 10 days, multiple impeachment resolutions were introduced in the House, and the House Judiciary Committee started a formal preliminary inquiry. The massacre is widely viewed as the catalyst that made serious impeachment proceedings inevitable. In short, Nixon’s decision (executed by Bork) failed to end the Watergate investigation, instead accelerating impeachment efforts, forcing Nixon to yield the tapes, and setting in motion the chain of events that ended his presidency - via resignation, not impeachment. It also left a permanent mark on debates over prosecutorial independence and executive power. On This Date In The Music World 🎶🎵🎶 The Eagles were still receiving plenty of radio airtime with their song, Tequila Sunrise. Released on their album, Desperado, the song would reach number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. While the song would never climb the charts far, it would remain popular for years - and is still one of my favorite Eagles songs. Enjoy a portion of Sunday evening's twilight ride with me. With the sun continuing to move farther south, most of my favorite curves on TN Hwy 76 were directly into the bright, setting sun. But this did not prevent me from rolling the throttle back a wee bit! Volume UP!!! ⬆️🇺🇸😎👊 Tequila Sunrise ~ Eagles 🎶🎶🎶 It's another tequila sunrise Starin' slowly 'cross the sky Said goodbye He was just a hired hand Workin' on the dreams he planned to try The days go by Every night when the sun goes down Just another lonely boy in town And she's out runnin' 'round She wasn't just another woman And I couldn't keep from comin' on It's been so long Whoa, and it's a hollow feelin' When it comes down to dealin' friends It never ends Take another shot of courage Wonder why the right words never come You just get numb It's another tequila sunrise This old world still looks the same Another frame 🎶🎶🎶