February 1988

2/1/88

Another Meese scandal. A pipeline in Iraq plumped for by Meese. Involved bribery in Israel. Hey, guess what, it’s a Bechtel project. To insure it (mostly against Israeli attack), OPIC needed official ruling that it was important & Israel could use aid money to insure it. Bechtel’s lawyer evidently wrote Meese a letter mentioning payments to the Israeli Labor party. Meese did not act. The letter is classified. Meese says he didn’t read it.

The US formed a Security Council resolution for civil rights in Israel & for ti apply Geneva convention too objectionable.


2/2/88

RR made another silly speech for the Contras. None of the networks covered it.
-Lee Hamilton points out that RR is calling for contras as insurance policy for a peace process he called fatally flawed.

NYC will distrib needles to addicts to curb AIDS

Prince Sihanouk resigns as head of gov-in-exile

NJ Episcopal Diocese will give blessings to homosexual couples.

Nuclear plants unfinished or at excessive cost will cost $100b

The $26½ RR asks for the Contras is actually $43-63m, inc “passive air defense equipment” for supply flights (say $7m) & $20m insurance

Ill. intro a stamp tax on illegal drugs. If you don’t buy the stamp the sentence is higher (buying is anon.)


2/3/88

Malenkov d.

NYT: “Candidates spend a lot promising they won’t.”

House votes down Contra aid 219-211, but probably just till Wright claims the peace process breaks down later this month & offers his own aid package, w/lout arms

Anthony Kennedy confirmed for Sup Court 97-0


2/4/88

The new FBI director (Wm Sessions) says FBI was justified surveilling groups opposed to US Cent. Am. policies as “full international terrorism investigation” because they aided Salvadoran rebels.

Pat Robertson says Planned Parenthood’s goal is to create a master race. Margaret Sanger “wanted to sterilize blacks, Jews, mental defectives and fundamentalist Christians.”

For whatever it’s worth, a Miami court indicts Panama’s Noriega for aiding drug smugglers.

A former Panamanian official says US (Ollie North) & Noriega in 1986 conspired to frame Nicaragua for sending arms to Salvadoran rebels.

The memo implicating Ed Meese in Iraq pipeline was classified by the Justice Dept.

A survey on sex in France shows those most bored by sex are CPs (Marchais says he will personally prove otherwise), followed by the Nat Front.

White House rejects USSR offer to cut military aid to Nicaragua @ US end to aid to Contras & all Cent. Am. nations


2/5/88

The Nicaraguan defector who has been helping RR Admin will get $800,000

PM Shamir said “the fear of death” should be put back into Arabs

Robelo quits Contras

Bukharin has been rehabilitated. His death sentence was reversed retroactively--huh?


2/8/88

Panama’s Noriega said on 60 Minutes that he had been approached to spearhead invasion of Nicaragua

RR: “It would be hard to find a crime with more victims than drug abuse.”

Iowa caucuses today. Pat Robertson beat out Bush. Dole came in 1st. Kemp did well. Everyone keeps saying that Bush is a political bleeder, whatever that means.

The longest pretrial detention in US history is now going on--28 mos--a result of the Bail Reform Act of 1984

World’s annual military budget = $930b 1987, up from $880b 1986. More wars fought in 1987 than any previous yr. 80% of dead = civilians. US spent $365m to protect Kuwaiti oil tankers--3X as much as research on energy conservation. Budget of CIA c.$25b, as large as military budget of Fr or W Ger

Alex Cockburn article Nation 1/30/88 on James Le Moyne of NYT & Cent. Amer. I’ve already mentioned him somewhere as a slime. Dec. 25 he reported that Contras captured a town Silna, just the “victory” RR needed. In fact, they didn’t destroy Army hq or anything else obvious & seem to have just mortared indiscriminately.
-NYT August 7-Jan. 18 on Arias plan compliance: 100 stories on Nicaragua, 6 on El S., 2 Honduras, 0 Guatemala, although simultaneity an important part.
-Press ignored the Internation Commission on Verification & Followup (CIUS). Originally, its report said amnesties not effective in El S., Guatemala, Hond, because...who took prisoners? Also said US should stop helping contras. The states rejected its chief operational recommendation--a verification procedure w/UN & OAS. El S & Hond. refused any outside presence, saying only the countries’ presidents could decide if they were complying!

RR bars most family planning clinics providing advice on abortion or refer them or lobby or engage in legal action for it.

Thailand stops taking VN refugees

Poland to acknowledge “political error” in 1967-8 purging of thousands of Jews from CP


2/9/88

Cuomo says if the Conv deadlocks, he’d step in

Palestinian deportees (to Greece), + critical Jews, will sail w/journalists to Israel

Noriega says US troops in Canal Zone violate P. neutrality

Roger Mudd: Hart’s poor showing in Iowa restored a lot people’s faith in the process.

The defecting Panamanian says CIA gave Noriega personal info on US senators who opposed him, Helms & Kennedy as recently as November. Noriega was once head of military intelligence, so this is quite credible


2/10/88

Military coup in Bophutatswana
-(Later:) SA troops moved in & crushed it

H of Commons to be televised

An Appeals Court ruled against Army’s ban on homosexuals

Noriega called Castro on US behalf, told him not to intervene in Grenada in 1983.

In an echo of RR voodoo economics, Bush cites in support of his proposal to cut capital gains tax the 1978 increase in tax collected after rate reduced. Actually, people shifted to tax shelters to pay low capital gains tax instead of income tax, which fell more than the amount gained in capital gains tax

Contras setting up a US fund (& postponing cease-fire talks). Dole donates $500.


2/11/88

There were 2 coups in Transkei last yr (Oct. & Dec.). In neither case did SA intervene.

The world’s 15 poorest countries are getting less from IMF & World Bank than they are paying in interest & principal

The boatload of Palestinians is meant to bring to mind the 1947 Exodus, blocked by Br. Says one Israeli columnist: this “designed to steal the Holocaust.” I’da thought they could have it.


2/12/88

Haig quit the race in favor of Dole. After getting 0%, he threw it all to Dole.


2/14/88

Pat Robertson says he would have had Qadafi killed
-Robertson has a suit against Rep Pete McCloskey, who said R’s father had kept him out of combat in Korea. The trial begins March 8, Super Tuesday


2/15/88

Robertson is claiming there are nuke missiles in Cuba

The Palestinian ship was bombed. JDL claimed it. (Not underway yet).

Israeli soldier arrested for trying to bury 4 Palestinians alive w/bulldozers


2/16/88

NH primaries. Bush 38, Dole 29, Kemp 13, DuPont 10, Robertson 9.
-Dukakis 36, Gephardt 20, Simon 17, Jackson 8, Gore 7, Babbit 5, Hart 4. Gephardt may do well enough to do well in the south. Myself, I’d rather have a Dukakis-Simon fight in which both would have to fight for D. left as well as right

Did I mention that Israel arrested 1,000+ Palestinians? Shamir claims the “barrier of fear” had been “shattered” and “our task now is to recreate that barrier and once again put the fear of death into the Arabs of the areas so as to deter them from attacking us anymore.”
-In W Bank & Gaza, 1,200 laws promulgated by army, >½ land confiscated, 60,000 settlers.
-Israel has id cards labeling nationality, Arab cars different colored plates
-Permits to work in Israel. Admin detention. Meetings more than 10 require permits. Funerals often ltd to family. PLO flag outlawed

Simon says he needs a win in SD or Minn.


2/17/88

SA court strikes down gov attempt to force universities to stop pol activity


2/18/88

Babbitt & DuPont have pulled out.

David Letterman on ways to perk up Bush campaign: “releasing a doctored photo that makes it look like George has met President Reagan.”


2/19/88

District court blocked anti-abortion rule

Iowa Sup Court allows sterilization of mentally retarded.

PLO abandons Exodus plan

The Salvadoran whose confession was used to allege that guerillas killed head of civil rights commission retracts, saying police threatened his family


2/21/88

1945 >80% US daily newspapers ind-owned. 1986 72% owned by outside corps, 15 of whom dominated 25 chains control 59% of daily circ.

Malaysia’s ruling party was dec. illegal, and last April’s elections null & void

Another relig scandal: Jimmy Swaggart says he sinned sexually & is resigning. Prostitutes


2/22/88

District Court voids fed sentencing guides

An abortion-inducing drug is being blocked in US. Much safer than surgical abortion

Gromyko’s memoirs say that in 1958, Mao wanted to lure US troops into Ch. & nuke ‘em w/Soviet weapons

Navy Sec James Webb resigns in protest of his share of “cuts” in RR’s proposed $299b military budget for FY 1989. Would hurt the rather pointless goal of 600-ship navy. The 299 is a cut from last yr’s 291.

Robertson says reports of Swaggart’s sexual misconduct were planted by Bush to discredit Robertson


2/23/88

Congress voted $480m to meet 1987 US budget contribs to 44 intenrat organiz, which are owed $571m. Admin wil screw the UN Food & Agric Organiz, pay 80% to OAS, ILO, etc

White House says candidates shouldn’t talk about US hostage problem (a Marine kidnapped in Lebanon).

Guam is trying to move from territory to commonwealth (more autonomy)

The Meese pipeline bribe memo is out. Says some proceeds to “go directly” to Israeli Labor Party & “would be denied everywhere.” $65-70m/yr for 10 yrs (a “portion” to Cuba).

Dole endorsed by Strom Thurmond

John Stalker has a book of same name, claiming Thatcher removed him from inquiry into shootings of IRA & a shoot-to-kill policy, when he was getting too close to the top. Report of Jan. 25 shows there was coverup, but there will be no prosecutions for it, as that would be too embarrassing.

Israeli atty gen says there are so many complaints of beatings by soldiers that he doubts there are exceptions to policy.

Cardinal Obando y Bravo calls off peace talks as Nicaragua to accept his personal plan. Or maybe they did. Cardinal cancelled because he had info they would reject it.

SD primaries [results omitted]


2/24/88

RR press conf: Palestinian riots from outside agitators.

Hustler Mag. will not have to pay emotional damage to Jerry Falwell for a satire. Unanimous

The only Br soldier to be sentenced to life for killing an Irish person was paroled after 26 mos. And he’s back in the army & why did it take a yr to find this out?

Armenian nationalists demonstrating in Armenian SSR--they want land back from Azerbaijan.

The FBI CISPES (etc) investigation was based on an informer who often provided false info.

Paul Simon will skip Super Tues. altogether. That’s, what, 20-some-odd states? The funny thing is, he has the 2nd largest number of elected delegates & he already looks like a loser. Says he has no resources for the S.
-Too much emphasis has been put on money. People are actually saying that Bush lost badly in SD & Minn. because he spent no time or money, as if people therefore saw his name on the ballot and said, “Bush? Bush? Never heard of him.”
-Simon is banking on the convention...


2/25/88

Panama’s president fires Noriega. Will it stick?

SA “restricts” 17 organizs inc AZAPO, COSATU (trade unions), UDF, etc. The only reason I can think of for the timing is a couple of by-elections. All that’s left are the churches, Black Sash & the Fed Progressives & Inkhata

RR says Soviet aid doubled 1988.
-About corruption, RR: “There is a kind of lynch mob atmosphere that takes place.” And many were found innocent at trial. Huh? -- Ray Donavan, Jim Beggs (NASA).
-Says he’s still committed to the 600-ship navy. But it’s Congress’s fault.
-Says that having Defense rather than CIA deliver contra aid would put them into a combat situation, which we’ve been trying to avoid.
-RR says difference in SA (why we are not aiding ANC) is “that we don’t have an armed insurrection going, as we have in some other countries.” Uprisings more from tribal policy than racial policy.

Shimon Peres aide says Bechtel offered oil at reduced prices for not attacking the pipeline


2/26/88

Panama’s Nat Ass threw out the president. Surprise.

Oral Roberts last yr said God would kill him if he didn’t get $8m for medical-scholarship program, which he has since cancelled & is keeping the money.


2/27/88

The Fed Election Commission is letting candidates write off 50% of tv ad expense from state spending limits by calling it fund-raising.

Gorbachev calls on Armenians to calm down


2/29/88

Nancy Reagan: casual drug users are accomplices to murder

Panama still a mess, but Noriega won easily. The prez is in hiding, his candidate to replace N. refused to take it; his party disavowed him. An anti-N. strike isn’t doing well