November 1987

11/2/87

It is said Ginsburg at OMB politicized the regulatory process to make it consistent w/RR policies & priorities, emphasizing self-regulation. He challenged regs of asbestos (based on monetary value of human life) & stopped a study on effects of gov cost-cutting on infant mortality. Evidently believed that everything in exec branch inc regulatory agencies should be under pres. control. Even defines crimes like rape as “economic inefficiencies.” He wrote “economic analysis need not break down in the face of such apparently noneconomic phenomena as rape.”
-G. had $140,000 invested in cable tv when he handled a Justice effort to have Sup Court extent 1st Amend protection to cable operators. Says this was ok because comp not a dir party, though could benefit. Another graduate of the Ed Meese School of Propriety.


11/3/87

Weinberger will resign, to be replaced probably by Frank Carlucci, who will be replaced as Nat Sec Adviser by his deputy. No outsiders, so no confirmation problems. Sounds like a caretaker admin

Jerry Falwell says he is leaving politics to preach full time; resigned Moral Majority but credits self w/election of RR. Says he shudders to think of what would have happened if “Religious” Right had not “evolved.”

Gorbachev made a major speech yesterday on 70th anniversary of the Revo, inc denunciation of Stalin. Says we must now look to Lenin’s last (NEP) works. Bukharin is back in. Khruschev part-way in. Says Stalin should have worked w/the middle peasant, who was gov’s ally, against kulaks, thus removing need for collectivization’s excesses.


11/4/87

In Gulf, US fired on an Arab fishing boat, killing one. Apologized.

Gorbachev says USSR will no longer dictate to E Eur


11/5/87

Ginsburg has admitted to smoking marijuana. Horrors!

A Cath priest had a sex-change operation. She is retiring, but...?


11/6/87

Stinger missiles to be sent to Chad

Nicaragua agrees to negotiate indir w/Contras. Hand puppets or something

House approves $3.2m in short-term aid for Contras w/out any publicity at all.

Under Arias plan, El Salvador announced a unilateral cease-fire just like Nicaragua but w/out the outcry. Honduras feels it doesn’t have to do anything about Contras on its soil, as specified in the plan unless Nicaragua has talks & amnesty. An interesting stance from a country that has always denied having any Contras on its soil.

Meese’s wife sent a letter to a judge about a convict facing sentencing


11/7/87

Honduras has made the least effort to comply w/Arias Plan. Costa R. claims already to be perfect. Salvadoran rebels rejected gov’s unilateral cease-fire

Ginsburg may actually be destroyed by marijuana. Hypocrisy because other law enforcement jobs banned to those taking drugs, esp after law school (he was teaching Harvard Law at the time). Indeed, Sec. Ed. Bennett told Ginsburg he should withdraw. RR described use as “a few experimentation.” “He was not an addict, nothing of that kind.”

(later): Ginsburg w/draws


11/9/87

Israel will not prosecute Shin Beth agents for lying & torture. Nor does it sound like the cases will be retried.

RR says US will negotiate w/Nicaragua


11/10/87

USSR says internal exile will be ended as a punishment, shorten list of death penalty offenses, & reduce max sentence from 15 to 10 yrs


11/11/87

Third Sup Court nominee: Anthony Kennedy, Fed Appeals Sacramento. Kennedy, w/out a beard, is a relative moderate. Last time, Ginsburg was chosen partly because Jesse Helms planned to filibuster Kennedy. Aged 51. Decided against comparable worth. Against a homosexual tossed out by Navy, but acknowledged right of privacy. In an equal-protection case, said intention mattered


11/12/87

The Philippines gov is getting too close to anti-communist guerilla groups which are looking something like death squads

RR wants the VA given Cabinet status.

The poorest 1/10 of Amers. will pay 20% more of earnings in Fed taxes than in 1977, the richest 20% less


11/13/87

¼ of jobless getting no unemp benefits, a 30 yr minimum (1.7m of 6.8m)


11/15/87

The Landau report on the Shin Bet also says that terrorists “may not morally demand the respect of their own civil rights.” The part of the report describing the limits to torture remain secret. Part of problem is that only PM oversees it

Last week’s Arab League summit allowed nations to re-est. relations w/Egypt-- Iraq, UAE, Kuwait & Morocco have done so already


11/16/87

Congress says El Salvador is misusing Amer. aid


11/17/87

The Iran-Contra Cmte report is due out tomorrow. The R’s already released a dissenting report. Says admin did proceed legally, that Meese handled the investigation just fine. Blamed “an aggrandizing theory of Congress’s foreign policy powers” & “ongoing state of political guerilla warfare over foreign policy between the legislative and the executive branches.” Says there was no coverup


11/18/87

Iran-Contra report: says RR has ultimate responsibility. White House called it “predictably partisan.”

Kemp says he would resubmit Bork

Iraq raided an Iranian unfinished nuclear plant


11/20/87

Br Petroleum is being privatized. The stock mkt crash brought its price down & Kuwait is buying 10%

Evidently, Panama’s Noriega offered to help in sabotage & assassination in Nicaragua

The CP has decided not to field a presidential candidate

NOW’s prez says Judge Kennedy would be a disaster

Rehnquist says it is appropriate for Sen. to examine judicial philosophy


11/23/87

Part of Carlucci’s job in DOD seems to be to win support for the INF treaty


11/25/87

Admin opposes a Sen. bill to reduce indoor air pollution because it only kills 3,500-6,000 per yr & $60m is too much & we can’t do everything

SA expels a US news photographer for sending “biased photo material.”

Nicaragua freed 985 pol prisoners (gen amnesty will only come into effect when US aid to Contras stops)--former nat. guardsmen will not be amnestied--2,500 in jail

The driver for the killers of Archbishop Romero came forward. Roberto d’Aubuisson is implicated

Nigeria’s foreign minister: “Nigeria has a sacred responsibility to challenge the racial monopoly of nuclear weapons.” Didn’t know there was one

Nation: “Ginsburg demonstrates that the conservative movement can’t have the 1960s and eat them too.”


11/26/87

FCC says radio & tv can broadcast indecent programming midnight-6


11/27/87

It seems that despite all the talk of Eur countries not paying their fair share of NATO, when US non-NATO expenses are excluded, our % of GNP is fifth

Anglo American Corp plans to give shares to employees of >2 yrs, held in trust 4 yrs


11/28/87

More in Nation (11/21/87) on October Surprise. 1st Iranian arms-for-hostage deal. Richard Allen (who met the Iranians Oct80) said on McNeil-Lehrer of 11/7/86 from 1 dy after inauguration that a new hostage taken. He said “Get the word out that the deal’s of.”--she was released, but what deal? Carter’s had been concluded, assets unfrozen, hostages back, the US should have no more leverage


11/29/87

Haiti cancelled elections during violence (voters fired upon) & fired the electoral commission, evidently because it barred Duvalier supporters. The military will now organize its own elections. US cut off military aid.

Turkish elections returned the military gov. Big deal


11/30/87

Polish voters defeat referendum for econ reshuffling, based on low turn-out