December 1987

12/1/87

A report says standardized testing shows all kids above average


12/2/87

So why Watergate? It is suggested it had to do w/Howard Hughes passing $100,000 to Bebe Robozo, seeing what Demos. knew of it


12/3/87

An RR interview. He says those he dealt w/in Iran would have been killed by Khomeini had he known. And that they wanted to reestablish the kind of gov we had before Khomeini.

Br investigative journalist Duncan Campbell has a lifetime injunction on reporting anything on Br intelligence (inc GCHQ), will be expected to dislose all info he has & who he’s given it to


12/4/87

And BBC was stopped by an injunction from airing 3 documentaries on secret service. The broad injunction covers all media & prevents it from naming any past or present member of secret services, inc Peter Wright.

Thursday there was a commercial presidential debate w/all 12. Evidently the sponsors--Ford, Travellers Corp & Wang, got more air time than any single candidate

In US interview, Gorbachev says US is campaigning for Jewish emigration as a brain drain.
-Says USSR is engaged in Star Wars research

RR said conserv. critics of his treaty are ignorant of verification techniques

American plan on conventional forces in Eur. Soviet-bloc should cut 50% to NATO levels.

Polish gov said defeat in referendum only meant change in pace & scope of policy, not direction

RR: “The simple people of Afghanistan pose no threat to Soviet territory. They don’t now. They never have.” Gorbachev had said that Nicaragua doesn’t threaten US

Haiti: the military gov is now in conflict w/the election council. Clearly the military encouraged violence to disrupt the election & refused to provide helicopters to supply polling stations w/voting materials

Sup Court limited citizens’ ability to sue polluters for pollution ending before suits began. Now just gov can sue to enforce Clean Water Act. Ha ha

In RR’s Oct. 22 press conf, he began 12 answers out of 38 with “Well...”

US still depending on the Haitian military to ensure elections


12/5/87

Justice says the Palestinian office is a “foreign mission” not protected by 1st Amend


12/7/87

Tories got ban on ed. that suggests homosexuality is acceptable

RR on Iran-Contra: “It was not trading arms for hostages because we weren’t doing anything for the kidnappers.” And refused to say he wouldn’t pardon North & Poindexter

Jesse Jackson asks Democratic Socialists of America not to endorse him. Fuck him. No, reversed himself the next day

On list of worst consumer abuses of 1987: an ad for tranquilizers featuring air traffic controllers


12/8/87

INF Treaty signed today. The US will destroy 436 warheads, USSR 1,575. How did RR get away with it?

Bush says Ollie North will be viewed as a national hero for Iran-Contra.

It is suggested that Haiti’s military wants a Panama situation where the army holds power behind a civilian gov & defines its limits

A study of 143 elections in 28 nations, 1969-86 showed US prez elections had lowest turnout


12/10/87

Is it really entirely appropriate to end a summit w/a gunfire salute?

On chemical weapons, Gorby mentions that US insists inspections only of gov plants (everything in USSR, of course).

Haiti announced Jan. elections run by the military--3 of the 4 (or 4 of the 4?) top presidential candidates will boycott.

RR summed up the summit, badly, in 20 min. Gorbachev gave a 2-hr news conf

Evidently, for its part of the Arias plan. Nicaragua will only deal if there is an internat tribunal declaring an end to foreign aid to Contras. This requires inspection of military bases in Honduras, but it says not unless Nicaragua signs cease-fire first.


12/13/87

The budget approval by the Senate inc $9m for Contras + transportation costs

Admin proposes new rules to limit benefits to homeless to 30 days/yr

Gorbachev suggests a DMZ in Eur to prevent risk of conflict


12/15/87

Article in Nation of 11/28/87 by Mary Summers, Jesse Jackson’s chief speechwriter 1984. Says Jackson uses the excitement he mobilizes to promote his own position as negotiator, broker. Like RR, Jackson can talk to hopes & dreams in a way that makes people feel better. “For him racial differences are so fundamental that it is perfectly natural to play to them in public and joke about them in private.” Jackson was not responsible for increased negotiations, which had been coming since 1974.
-Says he represents black elites, not need for jobs, housing etc, but are represented as if their chief concerns are for affirmative action & set-aside programs for minority contractors & how much “respect” J. gets from D. party.
-Whenever he feels insulted by Demo Chair Paul Kirk, J. calls a press conf & threatens mass defection
-Dwells on “decadence” in ways that blame the victims.
-Never involves anyone else in a serious challenge to the status quo. Does not see need for a clear agenda or organiz--either would confine him & his ability to take advantage of opportunities.

Sup Court split, letting stand an overturn of a law mandating a 1-day waiting per after teenagers forced to tell their parents before an abortion

Gary Hart re-entered the race today. Shows how unsettled the D. nomination is, and will prevent it from gelling. So much for ‘88?


12/16/87

Gary Hart is a political slime. On McNeil-Lehrer claims he isn’t interested in talking about Donna Rice or the issues it raised. He keeps talking about taking it to the people. He is running against the media. Incidentally, the WaPo in May told Hart if he cont. they would print more info. What now? Is Hart only in this for the fed matching funds?

Ortega says if Sandinistas lost an election, they “would hand over government, not power” & that if another party tried to roll back advance, Sandinistas would lead an insurrection


12/17/87

A memo was found saying Bush supported Iran arms for hostages

When Khrushchev came to US, they wouldn’t let him go to Disneyland. This time, Gorbachev couldn’t go to Congress.

Dole came out in favor of the INF Treaty


12/19/87

US is running a $400b net debt to rest of world, which owes more in US assets than US in foreign

Kennedy believes in a marital right to privacy. Says corporate voluntary affirmative action is permissible

Roh Tae Woo “won” S Korean elections. US congratulations seem a tad premature, with charges of fraud

Michael Deaver convicted of perjury. RR regretted the verdict.


12/22/87

The US embassy in El Salvador intervened in the amnesty to prevent kills of 4 US Marines being released, sid nothing about death squad killers of 30,000

Meese’s lawyer & financial adviser arrested for racketeering in Wedtech scandal

The W Bank’s in revolt & Israel has killed any number of Palestinians. 22


12/23/87

Israeli Defense minister ordered troops to shoot to kill riot leader


12/26/87

Jack Kemp: school boards have right to bar gay teachers


12/28/87

CA raises min wage to $4.25

According to FAIR, NYT spent 3.6X more space on Nicaragua than El S, Honduras & Guatemala combined


12/29/87

Wm Bennett released a model high school curriculum

Br judge rules security service could not receive absolute protection

Israel will expel leaders of protest, though they are Israeli citizens. Shamir talks of this as an attempt to disrupt the peaceful coexistence!

A Kansas city judge raised taxes in order to increase attractiveness of schools to desegregate them, attract whites that is


12/30/87

Bill passed ending tax credits for comps doing business in SA

Zimbabwe: Nkomo’s ZAPU merged w/Mugabe’s ZANU on latter’s terms. Will support a one-party state

The spending bill also inc $480m aid to Pakistan, despite nukes

Roh Tae Woo says he will hold a pub vote of confidence after the 1988 Olympics

Monday last, the Contras were voted $81m [?] aid. Tuesday they broke off cease-fire talks. Will this get the attention that Ortega flying to Moscow the day after aid voted down last time did?


12/31/87

A bill to prevent INS barring foreigners for pol views for 14 mos signed (I thought most were barred by Justice?)

Sec Defense Carlucci (formerly of CIA) testifies to Congress that shouldn’t pass bill to make prez report covert ops w/in 48 hrs because our dictatorship friends “don’t always understand our constitution and simply cannot appreciate the oversight mechanism. They are basically mistrustful of the dissemination of information beyond the executive branch.”

Sen. passes bill, Computer Security Act of 1987, to end 1984 RR policy of giving DOD & NSA authority to set security standards for “sensitive” & classified info in all computers. Now under Bureau of Standards, in D of Commerce