March 1992

3/2/92

Bush blocking US purchase of Soviet high-tech in things like missiles, satellites, aerospace. Evidently hoping to wipe out Soviet space & military industry. Pentagon people have been salivating over the stuff but are now banned even from traveling to Russia w/out approval

There is a 1991 law ostensibly protecting Medicare patients from excessive dr bills. But Medicare claims it has no power to force drs to make refunds

A San Antonio NBC station fired a reporter for being persistent in trying to get Bush to answer a question

A former aide to Buthelezi says SA armed forces sent $1m for paramilitary training & wages for Inkhata forces. Inc taught how to use rockets


3/3/92

US Court of Appeals upholds a state law banning routine health insurance covering elective abortions

Massacre by Armenians in Ngorno-Karabakh. Bombed a town & machine-gunned the survivors. Soviet troops in process of withdrawing, but being attacked by Armenians.

In a D. debate, the moderator excitedly broken into Jerry Brown’s recitation of his 800 number, saying he’d just won a $1,000 bet.

Ger appeals court judge rules laws against marijuana & hashish unconst because 1) while alcohol is legal, it amounts to violation of equality before law, 2) violates rule of personal freedom, if doesn’t infringe rights of others

Sup Court doesn’t hear a lower court’s decision striking down FCC rule banning “indecent” broadcast 24 hrs

Bush vetoes conditions in Ch’s MFN status

NY Deputy Mayor, mediating between gay Irish & those who control St Patty’s Parade, says face-to-face meeting would be fruitless....

Bosnia-Herz. voted for ind. in referendum, c.60%. Serb militants cut off transport routes to Sarajevo

Ernest Hollings: “You should drawn a mushroom cloud and put underneath it, ‘Made in America by lazy and illiterate Americans, and tested in Japan.’”

Libya offers to turn over its 2 officials @ improved relations

Fed appeals court overturns Bush plan to evict suspected drug users & dealers from pub housing on the spot

Bush says breaking his word on taxes was the biggest mistake of his presidency, not because it was bad for the economy, or bad policy in any way, but for pol reasons

Turkey bombs 9 Kurdish towns inside Iraq, hitting wrong villages


3/4/92

Yesterday front-runner Clinton finally won a state, GA. Tsongas got MD, Utah, Wash. Harkin got caucuses Idaho, Minnesota. Jerry Brown got Colo.
-Buchanan still doing in the 30s. Says Bush should give it up.
-Tsongas on nuclear power: “Don’t ever lecture me about cancer. When you’ve had it & dealt w/it, then we can have a discussion.”
-Bush still thinks it has nothing to do with him personally; thinks economy is it. “I hear your concerns & understand your frustrations w/Washington.”

Israel & Palestinians exchanging autonomy plans. Israel rejects Palestinians having elections

Bush wants “choice in ed.” Whittle Communications, the tv-with-commercials-in-classrooms people, want to est 200 profit schools. They’ve gotten no fed $ yet, but Chris Whittle very close to Sec Ed. Lamar Alexander. His Dep Sec is from Time Warner which owns 50% Whittle. Alexander was on advisory board of Channel One, getting $125,000 consulting fees. He bought $10,000 of Whittle stock, selling it back to Whittle the next yr for $330,000. Also sold his house after 1 yr to a Whittle exec for $407,500 profit (of under $1m), financed by a bank on whose board Alexander & Whittle sit.

60% of growth in after-tax income of all Amer. families 1977-89 (3/4 of pre-tax) went to top 1%. They paid 27% in taxes 1989, 35% 1977. Incidently, their income is same as that of fed gov

UN won’t bother to condemn China for human rights, esp in Tibet. Russia let it do so for Cuba

People retiring from Parl: Thatcher, Nicholas Ridley, Geoffrey Howe, Michael Foot, Dennis Healey, David Owen, Cecil Parkinson, Norman Tebbitt


3/5/92

Kerrey drops out

Evidently Thomas Edison invented the word hello. A. Graham Bell wanted to use ahoy

US gov to hire 116 Russian scientists for 1 yr at $90,000 — not each — for fusion research


3/6/92

President Azerbaijan steps down over his handling of conflict over Ngorno-Karabakh. He was the moderate

Irish Sup Court says it allowed the girl out from consideration for her life — thought she’d suicide

US leaks plan to board N Korean ships heading for Iran w/Scud missiles

Kuwait has indeed thrown out 90% Palestinians. New immigrants will be on contracts no longer than 7 yrs. Asians not allowed to bring families if earn under $2,200/mo. Also worrying about marriages to foreigners: students abroad to lose scholarships if marry. Palestinians & Jordanians will need 5 character references from Kuwaitis who stayed during occupation

Turkey threatens to blockade Armenia. Turkey thinks of itself as the new overlord state in Central Asia. It could cut Armenia from Black Sea, its only outside link

Shevardnadze, whose position is unclear since coup, to return to try to take over Georgia. He was once the Kremlin’s crackdown man there.

Ed Koch says Baker used a naughty word, presumably kike

Scalia’s (1/22/92) decision denying refugee status to man trying to avoid impressment by Guatemalan guerillas, essentially said persecution must be owing to the victim’s pol opinion, not the persecutors’


3/7/92

A Texas court agreed to surgical castration & no jail term for rapist of a 13-yr old, whilst on probation for same for a 7-yr old
-Evidently, Virginia did this to >7,000 mentally retarded until 1970s

Br trying to get ABC tapes & notes of interviews w/the Libyan suspects. Actually, Libya has invited investigators to come & do their own interviews

SA came to an agreement about a multiracial transitional cabinet. Now have to decide what they agreed on. ANC wants a separate council, not additions to existing cabinet.
-PW Botha will vote against the referendum

Armenia calls on Commonwealth to intervene. Azerbaijan thinking about leaving it

Census Bureau fires an analyst who estimate 13,000 Iraqi civilians died in Gulf War, twice as high as the official figure. Says it’s for not having peer review, which she says she did. She also says 40,000 Iraqi soldiers, 30,000 in Shiite & Kurdish rebellions, 70,000 from health problems

US has refused Amnesty Int’s request to interview Haitians held at Guantanamo, and will allow no human rights group in.

John Major wants to restore old traditional counties

Sine leaving Congress, Tsongas has been a lobbyist for Drexer Burnham, Amer. Insurance Soc, Nat Venture Capital Assoc, director of 7 corps


3/8/92

Bush has been touting AIDS “increase.” Actually, most of it is in entitlement programs, while AIDS research will be much less than other med. research & inflation

Br appeal court says gov bodies can’t use libel law against the press. Decision based on Eur Court


3/9/92

Clinton was business partners in a failed S&L under state regulation. Owner James McDougal subsidized it so Clintons would lose little. And records have disappeared. Clinton appointed as securities commissioner a lawyer in the S&L’s law firm, may have given preferential treatment.
-Clintons improperly deducted $5,000 interest payments
-And Hillary worked as lawyer for the comp
-McDougal was tried though acquitted of fraud

A circulating Pentagon document calls for strategy of dissuading other countries challenging US primacy. Pax Americana, über alles. And internationalism be damned. Is to justify a 1.6m-member military. Will threaten countries developing nukes — idea is not to see Japan & Ger. tempted to acquire them. US “will retain the pre-eminent responsibility for addressing selectively those wrongs which threaten not only our interests, but those of our allies or friends.” Future coalitions such as that in Gulf War, will be ad hoc. US must maintain the mechanisms for detering potential competitors from ever aspiring to a larger regional or global role.” Regions critical to US: Eur, E Asia, Mid E, SW Asia, Soviet Union, Latin Amer., Oceania, Sub-Saharan Af.

Harkin pulls out

DCI Gates said to Howe that N Korea could have nukes w/in mos. State Dept says at least 2 yrs. Some of the alarmism no doubt derives from Israel, as N Korea helping Syria, Iran.

Nixon says Bush is pathetic in supporting democracy (i.e., Yeltsin) in Russia. Bush has only given $3.75b commercial credits to buy Amer. grain, & some leftover medicine & food from Gulf War


3/10/92

Countries (20) with IMF-imposed programs reduced ave top tax rate to 39% 1990 from 59% 1982. In 48 programs, 92% reduced spending to housing, health, food subsidies. 29% cut soc spending more than 20%

Clarence Thomas in minority of 1 for 1st time. A death sentence overturned on 1st Amend grounds, for bringing up membership in racist prison gang, which had nothing to do w/anything (victim was white). 1st time he’s not voted w/Scalia

Clinton has won victories in South inc Texas, Fla. So he has the nomination, but Tsongas points out that he came in 2nd everywhere (of 3!) while Clinton does badly outside of S. Why do Southerners always vote for Southerners? Tsongas “went negative” last week, campaigning with a “pander bear” representing Clinton’s ability to promise anything. Tsongas didn’t even run in many S. states & the #s show it.
-As I understand it, the Bush line is that those not voting for Bush are angry at Washington, meaning the D’s.
-In the 11 states today, Bush got 69%, Buchanan 27%, Duke 2%. Buchanan gives Bush one more chance to quit.

Armenian militants attacked a base & took 10 senior officers hostage. Want missiles & suchlike

Shevardnadze to be provisional president Georgia. New elections not scheduled. Ruled the republic 1972-85

John Pilger on bribes for Gulf War. Turkey president boasted of $8b in military gifts from US + underwrote helicopter factory. Textile quota in US mkt increased 50% & IMF & Work Bank gave $1.5b loans, dropping conditions. Bush promised to back application to EC.
-Egypt got forgiveness of debt to US of $14b. Saudis & Canada also.
-Syria got $1b arms through back doors
-Iran got 1st World Bank loan since 1979, $250m day after ground war.
-USSR offered $1b by Saudis, got $3b more from Gulf states after supported UN vote.
-China got 1st World Bank loan since Tiananmen.
-Ethiopia (on Sec. Council) got investment deal talks begun w/World Bank, IMF
-Zaire got military aid & debt forgiveness for preventing Sec Council meeting, illegally


3/11/92

Br election announced Apr. 9. Polls have a dead heat

Delegate count is 757 Clinton, 345 Tsongas

US to stop providing marijuana for medical purposes to anyone, exc the 13 now getting it.

Fed District judge refused to discuss lawsuit by a lesbian, fired by Georgia Dept of Law for planning a gay marriage.

Sup Court in Feb. refused to stay a Texas execution, though it did agree to hear the case. (Thomas voting against stay). Grounds: someone else confessed, & a son witnessed it. Texas said innocence was irrelevant to the case, & Fed Appeals Court agreed. A Texas court issued a stay, but Texas has rules limiting new evidence, and Gov. Ann Richards doesn’t give a shit.

Armenians release the officers


3/12/92

Ukraine stopped shipment of nuclear weapons to Russia slated for destruction. Claims to believe Russia might not do so.
-Incidentally, Armenia & Azerbaijan still have nukes

Texas appeals court says anti-sodomy law unconst as no compelling objective met

Clinton’s S&L investment was in comp repres by wife, while suggestions to keep it open were accepted by a securities commissioner appointed by Clinton who had been lawyer in the S&L’s law firm. Clinton says it never crossed his mind that there was conflict of interest because (he says) he was losing money. Of course, this has nothing to do with ethics, & presumably he didn’t intend to lose money.

FCC doubling # of radio licenses a comp may own (30 AM + 30 FM, up from 12), & allow 6 stations in a single city.

Ger SPD says would support change in Const to limit # of refugees

The campaign moves to Mich. & Bush campaign is bringing up its big guns: evidently Buchanan owns a Mercedes.

John Major refuses to participate in a debate


3/13/92

Bush Admin evidently suspects Israel of giving a Patriot missile to China. And assisting missile programs of SA, Ethiopia, Chile (latter 2 got cluster bombs).

Ukraine evidently jockeying for W. help in setting up plant to destroy weapons, that could be used for Chernobyl and keep up the military-industrial complex.

Pravda has gone out of business

SA: AWB came to a non-aggression pact w/Inkatha in Transvaal. Buthelezi repudiates it. Weird.
-Kwa-Zulu police fired on a camp

Ukraine forced by foreign powers to share responsibility for USSR debt

US sends an aircraft carrier to Gulf, just after a display of rebellion by Iraq to UN


3/14/92

After the Texas primary & before the Mich., Bush says pollution-control devices will not be required on cars but on gas pumps (at cost of $2,200/pump).
-Bush’s idea of bribery-on-the-cheap is thus to eliminate environmental regs, as on natural gas, emissions from factories. This is Bush’s way of using the recession to eliminate regs


3/16/92

ACLU says about 20% of women who want abortions can’t get them — poor, rural, women in military. Given time needed to get the $, more abortions are now 2nd trimester. 13 states pay for abortions for low-income women. 83% counties with 31% women of child-bearing age, have no clinics. # of hospitals w/abortion 1,654 1977, 1,040 1988. 1991 13% OBGYN residency programs required training in 1st-trimester abortions, 7% 2nd (down from 25% for both 1985). Biggest problem is lack of new drs., who don’t remember the bad old days — and hospitals don’t do them now, clinics do, so resident don’t learn.

The use of hostage-taking in Soviet Union increasing. Latest is Gamsakhurdia supporters captured Georgian military people. Reportedly set 3 on fire.

Abortion becoming an issue in Ireland-EC. The Maastricht treaty says nothing in it is to affect Ire. on abortion, but what about travel? If this is still an issue, referendum on treaty may be defeated.

Big scandal, potentially, coming up. R’s have forced release soon of names of those who bounced checks at House bank. They were allowed to do this w/out penalty. But nothing illegal & no tax money involved. But, some did this 100s of times for many $thousand. Thing is, the bank was so informal it didn’t record paycheck deposits for days & didn’t bother informing Congresscritters who bounced checks. And deposit was mandatory. And who gave Congress the right just to disclose people’s finances? Still, heads will roll, esp as this is a post-Reapportionment election. Many now scrambling to confess. Charge led by Gingrich (20 overdrafts).

China swears in 43 Hong Kong people as advisers. Possible shadow gov?

LA Times says VP Bush part of effort to get military stuff to Iraq & loan guarantees, phoning Ex-Im Bank 1984, 1987 — the latter a $200m loan the bank knew Iraq couldn’t repay. 1989 Bush signed nat security order directing gov agencies to improve ties w/Iraq. Oct89 Baker phoned Sec Ag to get him to approve $1b loan guarantees, though credits being misused. Jan90 Bush exec order said not in nat interest for Ex-Im Bank to stop loan guarantees. Gates rejected proposed Commerce Dept restrictions on high tech Apr & Jun90. July90 Bush condemned cutting loan guarantees by Senate, Baker testifying against July 31.

Yeltsin creates a Russian Min Defense, 1st step to creating own army. Kazakhstan creates small force

Brown & Clinton go at it over this week’s scandal, a WaPo article that Clinton funneled legal business to his wife & that she represents clients before Ark. Clinton played the Souther male defending his wife’s honor. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself for jumping on my wife.”

Russia: CPers & Russian nationalists trying to regroup the Congress of People’s Deputies. Russian Parl has banned them meeting; idea denounced by the Commonwealth states

The White House budget office has blocked health proposals by OSHA on standards for air contaminants, setting limits on previously unregulated substances, lowering for others. But the perm. interim head of Office of Info & Regulatory Affairs (i.e., another post Bush won’t find a perm. head for — since 1989) says better-off workers are healthier & every $7.5m of regulatory expense causes 1 death from reduced income. Also, workers at risk get risk premiums, so they’re healthier.

Senate counsel subpoenas phone records of reporters who broke Anita Hill’s allegations

Russia trying to assume control of ex-Soviet troops in Ger, Poland, Mongolia, Cuba

GE plans to sue a whistleblower. The Whistle Blower Law offers bounties for fines by gov. GE wants the money


3/17/92

House bank scandal inc Sec Defense Cheney, Sec Ag Madigan, Sec Labor Martin. Cheney insists that bank statements showing a balance don’t accurately reflect whether he bounced checks. Should make it harder for R’s to use the issue.

Zimbabwe thinking of taking over white land at below-mkt rates & w/no appeal, after the 10-yr per of ind agreement

Blacks over 65 get by-pass operations at ½ rate of whites, though similar rates of hospitalization, indicating heart disease rates are similar.

Quayle gets $390,000 priv donations for renovations to VP mansion. What else, a putting green.

Bosnia-Herz. agreement on regional basis. Serbs (1/3 pop) want division, Muslims unitary state. Regions would be Muslim, Serb, Croat

Finnish Parl votes to apply for EC membership. A long line now.


3/18/92

Mich. & Ill.: Clinton won 2X over nearest rival. Buchanan only got 25 & 22%

85% of SA whites turned out, 2/3 voting for the referendum

Only 217 former USSR People’s Congress deputies showed up (of 3250) when called by CP/Russian nats

World Bank’s chief economist internal memo says “the econ. logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that.” Increasingly, plastics, mercury, car batteries are being shipped to Argentina, Brazil, Malaysia... As he says, if a pollutant causes an old-age disease like prostate cancer, send it to countries where no one reaches old age. Sheesh.

The “evidence” DEA used to block marijuana medical use is same evidence that led a judge to opposite conclusion 4 yrs ago. Based decision on things like use by drs & recognition of medical texts, which would be a tad difficult for an illegal drug

Labour manifesto fails to use word “socialist”


3/19/92

Afghan Prez Najibuallah agrees to step down & retire forever, be replaced by a UN-peace-plan-interim gov

Tsongas says he doesn’t have the money to fight NY, so he quits. Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus.
-New rumors center around Playboy’s next mo. issue featuring another of his ex-girlfriends

Burma has been expelling Muslims, >150,000 since Oct., by policy of torture, murder, etc. Burma claims they’re illegal aliens — army confiscated papers. It pulled this crap before, and on this scale, 1978. US Sen. has delayed appointment of ambassador until Bush says that the junta doesn’t represent the Burmese people, w/draw the military attaché & support arms embargo

Bush Admin 1989-90 frustrated criminal investigations for Iraq’s role in a $4b bank fraud scheme in Atlanta, preventing investigators traveling abroad, discouraging charges against Cent. Bank of Iraq. Atty Gen Thornburgh’s announced indictments against Iraqi officials & an Atlanta branch of an Italian bank Feb91, but the prosecutors had wanted it a yr before & Justice in 1989 & 1990 asked the Fed to delay regulatory action. Mar90 prosecutors were reduced to asking targets to fly to US to be interrogated — they didn’t. Neither could the prosecutors stop Ag & states guaranteeing $500m in loans, on which Iraq has defaulted

Br press ignoring the election. Evidently the Duke & Duchess of York are splitting up.


3/20/92

Latest deregulation: not imposing nutrition labels on meat & poultry

This is March 20, the deadline Bush gave Congress in State of Union. Actually, D’s forced R’s to vote on, and against, Bush’s proposals. Bush says he’ll veto the tax bill passed today, the 1st such veto since Truman. Lloyd Bentson says Bush is no Truman. The bill would give middle class a tax cut, raise taxes on rich. Vote purely on party lines.
-Bush has threatened not to spend $4b of the budget, a recision, which actually requires Congressional approval

Japanese to restrict auto exports to US still further. And no one ever asked

Fed court strikes down ban on outside earnings for unrelated speeches & writing for fed employees

Haitian Parl fails to ratify settlement to bring Aristide back

House of Lords threw out gov plan to privatize school inspectors, allowing schools to buy their own. Even Economist calls that idea silly

Robert Dornan claims his bounced check was to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary in his backyard.
-The thing about the checks is that, while not illegal or costing taxpayers anything, they are perceived as such. So, to muddy the waters, Atty Gen appoints a special counsel to look into it

Clinton apologizes for golfing at an all-white club

Bush loosens the gag rule slightly. Drs can now acknowledge the existence of abortion but not refer women. Nurses & counselors may not, but these are the ones who deal w/poor women in clinics


3/21/92

Tatarstan, an autonomous republic of Russia, has a sovereignty referendum that Russia dec unconst. Ind is again a strategy of old communists to use nationalism


3/22/92

Volga Germans want their land & their republic back. Yeltsin has been stalling, though did offer an abandoned missile-testing range

Clinton has always taken free flights from Tyson chicken, a major polluter in Ark.

Voice says Frohnmeyer, recently sacked as head of NEA at Buchanan’s taunting, became a supporter of 1st Amend in the job. Esp in staving off demands of Justice Dept to use the 1991 Rust v Sullivan case, allowing the gag rule on abortion, to defend NEA de-funding of artists on pol grounds. White House vetoed 6 of his choices for #2 spot before insisting on his hiring a spy for Sununu and Evans & Novak; was ultimately fired for leaks to press. John Sununu wanted a blacklist of any artists who’d ever done anything offensive. Justice Dept wanted NEA to remove from its mission statement a clause mentioning 1st Amend as “just inviting lawsuits.”

Oscar-nominated documentary “Building Bombs” on environmental abuse at Savannah River plant rejected by PBS for not giving adequate voice to proponents of nuclear weapons

Richard Darmon on why Bush not obligated to honor pledge on no net loss of wetlands: “He didn’t say that. He read what was given to him in a speech.”


3/23/92

Ark one of few states w/out a civil rights statute

The RR-Bush majority on fed courts are overturning environmental standards, inc fuel standards for cars, disposal of wastes EPA considered hazardous but Appeals Court didn’t, stopping banning by EPA of asbestos.
-And allowed Ark to set the weakest possible water pollution standards on water flowing into Oklahoma

US also blocking purchases from Russia of Plutonium 238 for space probes & such

Tatars vote 60% for something like ind (the wording rather vague)

LibDem leader Paddy Ashdown got injunction against whole press on his affair. Couldn’t even report the existence of the injunction (which I’d have thought was always the business of the public). Scotsman broke the story. Also all the foreign press, as in Spycatcher

Fr regional council elections: PS down to 18.3% (1988 Parl = 36.4%, 19898 Eur 23.6), Conservs 33%, also down some, Nat Front 13.9%, making it truly a nat party, 8% PCF, 13.9% 2 Green parties. PM Cresson will have to go


3/24/92

Fed gov mandates programs on states & local govs w/out estimating such costs. 20 in 1990 worth billions, on Medicaid, environment, etc. No law involves complete reimbursement. 125 mandates pending this session, esp on health & crime. 1980s Fed aid to state & local gov declined 10% after inflation — non-health care grants by 23.6%

Shamir says US is trying to rearrange Israel’s borders in advance of negotiations by stopping settlements. Of course, that is what settlements are for

SA gov, after referendum, now reverses and wants not a real transitional gov but a council, called a toy telephone by ANC (how nostalgic), which would leave white gov in real control, inc of process of change. Also won’t commit on a time table

The Ukraine to withdraw from ruble zone

Turkey plans to seal its border w/Iraq, against Kurds

A Chernobyl-model reactor near Petersburg released radioactive gases


3/25/92

Brown finally wins one, CT. Even Tsongas got 20% & he wasn’t running

A cosmonaut finally came down after 313 days in space. Was stranded by the coup

Navy lowered standards to approve a $2b radar-jamming device that constantly failed tests

Edward Teller is pushing for a superbomb. Who is the enemy? A killer comet.

Nigeria’s 1st census since 1973 another washout. For 3 days shut down all businesses, closed borders & came up with — 88.5m, way too low. Failed to ask about relig, ethnicity, language

Punch is folding. First Pravda, now this.

Sup Court says 7-2 indivs can’t sue on behalf of children supposed to be protected by states under a fed law on removing children from homes. Law also covers foster homes. States now solely responsible for monitoring their own behaviour

Sup Court 9-0 says double jeopardy does not inc separate trials for a crime & conspiracy to commit the crime


3/26/92

Salman Rushdie meets some senators. State Dept tried to stop it, as it might be misinterpreted. Fitzwater: “there’s no reason to have any special interest in him.”

Harkin endorses Clinton, trying to help w/labor support. VP?

FDIC now generally doing what it’s supposed to, insuring deposits only up to $100,000

Thailand has sham election after last yr’s coup. The new PM someone refused a US visa because of links to drug trafficking

Clinton re-wrote an ethics law to exclude himself from having to make conflict-of-interest disclosures (or for his appointed officials). Clinton claims he has made full disclosure in financial statement which just notes Hillary’s law firm as a source of income, not naming its clients. She isn’t taking share for work done by firm for state (2-3% only) but hasn’t done same for work done by firm for firms represented before the state

Yugoslav military has pulled out of Macedonia. Have not done same in Bosnia, despite ultimatum. (Troops moved to Kosovo)

DeKlerk demands ANC disband the military wing, give up arms

Labour’s party broadcast deals w/a 5-yr old girl who waited 11 mos. for an ear operation — tonsils & adenoids. Her name was leaked, separately; both parties deny doing so.

Ger cutting off arms to Turkey, which has been fighting Kurds flat out. By contrast, US is blaming Kurds

Bush’s candidate for Court of Appeals in Atlanta is a career death penalty prosecutor, having gotten 8 deaths in Alabama. Wants to limit appeals — there is new move towards limiting fed control. Other than this, NYT says he’s got integrity.


3/27/92

Azerbaijan hit an Armenian plane of refugees from Ngorno-Karabakh w/a heat-seeking missile, did not blow it up

Ch. is threatened not to veto sanctions on Libya

Israel opens dir telephone links to 10 Arab countries which do not want them. Jordan will block.

Kohl meets pariah Prez. Waldheim. And attacks World Jewish Congress for having tried to stop reunification, he says. Jews pissed at Ger for taking in Soviet Jews

2 Cabinet minister became regional presidents w/Nat Front support (Burgundy, Lorraine) — 1 resigns gov


3/28/92

Internat Cmte of Jurists says S too violent for free & fair elections. Much blame put on Buthelezi & Kwa-Zulu police

Moldova dec state of emergency against the rebellion of Russian region


3/29/92

Clinton “experimented” with marijuana. Brown says he never did.

King of Saudi Arabia says democracy not suited to his region — and says it to a Kuwaiti paper. Islam is a complete constitution


3/30/92

Fed District court of appeals last yr said comps that self-insure their employees exempt from state laws — so can set max’s for AIDS coverage, not handle alcoholism, etc. 2/3 employers provide own coverage. Sup court has ruled patients can’t collect punitive damages allowed by state laws

In a Br debate, Edwina Currie pours orange juice on a Labour candidate

US has paid $1b so far in making good loan guarantees to Iraq, $360m to a Persian Gulf bank partly owned by Iraqi gov (a violation of sanctions!)

Clinton promises if elected to keep a kosher kitchen in White House

Seems Bush didn’t really ease gag rule on abortions, which still applies to dr. Say they won’t enforce. a dr. can read a list of clinics, but not say which give abortions, or inc clinic whose chief mission is abortion.

Yeltsin trying to get a union treaty, just for Russia, successfully as Gorby so far. Tatarstan, Chechen-Ingush, Bashteria won’t join.

A memoir of a woman who served in MI5 during WW2 unbanned after 5-67 yrs when publisher threatened to take Br to Eur Court

A couple had a baby they knew would have no brain exc the stem, in order to donate its organs. Florida wouldn’t let them

ILO says Russian unemp will hit 15%, 11m. this yr, maybe 30m of 75m in work force

Clinton as governor financed tax breaks for business & keeping top income tax rate at 7%, & low prop taxes, by raising sales tax. Per cap income has declined. Ark 48th in unemp, 50th for young, 49th in ave wages, 46th health insurance


3/31/92

Clinton in NY pandering to the Jews. No longer opposes Israeli settlements as obstacle to peace. Favorite NY slogan: Bubba stinks.

A Russian unity treaty is indeed signed, & by 18 of 20 autonomous regions inc Bashkiria. Chechen-Ingush civil war coincidentally starts up again, opponents seizing tv

Noriega defense witness arrested in Panama before he can board a plane