March 1991

3/1/91

There is a tendency to fragmentation in public schools. NY has an all-gay school. Detroit just added an all-male (black) school, which NY is talking about.

A message from Thornburgh to fed prosecutors says they should ignore ethics rules for lawyers about speaking to an opponent’s clients w/out lawyers’ permission. And that prosecutors’ responsibility override states’ ethics standards
-Last summer, Thornburgh criticized ABA for proposing rule that prosecutors should get court order before subpoenaing a defense lawyer against his client

CIA now operating w/DOD funds since Bush’s veto of appropriation bill, which also would have allowed presidents to use any fed agency for covert ops. And denied Congress the power to disapprove covert ops

Salvadoran rebels to permit elections next week w/out interference, though not sponsoring candidates. Will prevent in its areas

Bush: “By God we’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all.”

US destroyed civilian jets at Baghdad airport that Hussein might have used to flee. Le Monde says he sounded out Algeria


3/2/91

Shimon Peres issues peace plan for demilitarized W Bank, w/drawal from Gaza & joint Jordanian-Palestinian negotiators for new gov W Bank but no ind

Ch. & USSR scuttled bits of UN resolution US wanted to authorize resumption of hostilities if Iraq failed to comply w/Bush’s terms. Sanctions retained on Iraq & US has vote over when they can be lifted

Child poverty twice as likely (36%) four mos after divorce, says Census Bureau. 44% of absent father pay child support 4 mos or 1 yr later. So family income declines 26% (adjusted for family size).

Bush proposed “civil rights bill” will limit damages for sexual harassment to $150,000 (House had no limit) & no jury (unconstitutional). Will allow discrim for business reasons even if goals are served by but do not require it

US prisons now cost $16b/yr

US kept UN Sec Council from meeting, despite rule that it must be called when a member demands it, as India, Yemen & Cuba did. Zaire held presidency January & US promised it military assistance & debt forgiveness
-And Dec. 4, 6 days after the use-of-force resolution, Gen Ass reaffirmed ban on attacks against nuclear facilities 141-1 (the one is US, not even Israel or Kuwait)

Whatever happened to... the Kuwaiti revolutionaries who invited Iraq in?


3/3/91

Referenda in Latvia & Estonia on ind. Latvia’s results better than 5:1 in favor. In both, turnouts >80%. Latvia 73.6%, Estonia 77.8% for ind. Ethnic Russians support 30-40%.

Switz reduces voting age from 20 to 18

The arrested journalist (2/19) translated pamphlets by Islamic group Hamas. Israel gov does this but prosecutor says “There’s no claim this is secret, but it is aid.” The judge denied bail, saying “When he supplied information for readers, he became an activist for a terror organization.”

There is unrest in s Iraq, led by a Shiite mullah, based in Teheran

Safire says Saudis have deported 1m Yemenis

Baker says fewer reparations will be extracted if Hussein overthrown

No member of al-Sabah family has gone back yet


3/4/91

Sup Court 7-1 refused to put limits on punitive damages

Georgetown has course, English 112, “White Male Writers”


3/5/91

SA’s UDF to disband in favor of ANC

Iraq amnesty for deserters & AWOL. Never did that during Iran-Iraq war.

Pres. Alwyn of Chile calls for forgiveness for military. Will compensate victims. Acknowledge 2,000 killed

Iraq annuls annexation of Kuwait. Says it will return loot

Bush admin wants mandatory 5-yr term for possession of gun after conviction for violent or drug crime

Bush “energy plan” to remove restrictions on comps owning ind power-generating stations, inc nuclear reactors. This would allow GE & suchlike to own their reactors. And avoid state PUCs because they’re ind.

Self-censorship: TBS killed Coming Home & Raid on Entebbe, TNT Hellcats of the Navy, Where the Spies Are, Thief of Baghdad, A Thousand and One Arabian Nights (the one with Mr. Magoo). PBS killed a Frontline special on Iran-Contra from the pledge drive, since it can be seen as attempting to undermine Bush’s credibility

WW1 civilians were 5% of casualties, WW2 50%, VN 80%, 1982 Lebanon invasion 98%

In planning documents for the war, US acquiesced to Kuwait on not providing more than basic care for non-Kuwaiti citizens. US will help reorganize banking to eject Palestinians. War crimes to be prosecuted by Kuwait.

Article Village Voice 3/5/91, partly based on documents allegedly captured in Kuwait by Iraq, legitimacy confirmed by King Hussein
-A 1989 memo from chief of Emir’s security forces on having visited CIA Nov89 on closer ties & taking advantage of Iraq’s econ situation to force it to delineate the border
-Before the Arab mini-summit in Jiddah July 31, a deal worked out: Saudi & Kuwait would give Iraq $10b each & bargain on border, war debt, secret oil production. Kuwait backed out, offering $500,000. Kuwait’s foreign minister (brother of Emir) said would bring in Americans. The prince told senior military officers their job was to hold off Iraq 24 hrs, by which time US would arrive. A memo from Emir to his foreign minister at Jiddah (which King Hussein thinks is real) says Saudis & Iraq just want to weaken them & Kuwait should not give in. “We are stronger than they think.” This is urged on them by Egypt, Washington & London.
-About Mubarak saying that Saddam Hussein had told him he wouldn’t invade. King Hussein suggests if Mubarak hadn’t told everyone & his uncle that it was just a bluff, it would have been.
-Mubarak could have stopped it going further by preventing an Arab leader condemnation. He said he would, but actually pushed for it. It could have been stopped on the original terms ($10b, etc)
-And Saudis stampeded into bringing in US troops by Cheney CIA photos. King Hussein bad been told by Saudis it was secure, when offered ½ his army.
-Thatcher let slip that troops (troops, not I think just hers), were ½ was there before request came.

Voice says Allied military admits 1/3 of the famous oil spill was result of Allied bombings. This may be why something so large disappeared from news. It may be worse; in 1983, oil comps used an oil spill in Iran-Iraq war as cover for toxic dumping.
-And pictures on CNN, ITN at the time were actually of a mini-spill with anohter cause, the main one not having reached there yet. And Reuters shots of oil-soaked birds were actually from that 1983 spill.

At least 1 Ger comp, Thyssen, which helped Iraq wage chemical war, supplied Allies chem weapons detection equipment. Ger comps have also helped Syria, Libya & Iran in chem weapons (and Thyssen promised Iraq to boycott Israel)
-Bechtel, now doing so well for itself in Kuwait, July88 got contract for a petrochemical complex in Iraq....
-1982 were 6 chem weapons nations. Now c.24


3/6/91

US will give Israel $650 for war

Prince of Wales calls for PR

Newt Gingrich wants to run Gulf War veterans against D’s for Congress to highlight D’s lack of support

Kuwaitis shooting & torturing Palestinians

4 witnesses against Benazir Bhutto’s husband have recanted, saying they were tortured into statements

Rajiv Gandhi has walked out of Parl w/Congress, over surveillance of Gandhi. Gov can’t survive w/out his support

Puerto Rican lege passes a “Spanish-only” Bill

Fed District Judge SF held undocumented aliens (in this case, one seeking amnesty) can bring suits under Civil Rights Act against racial or sexual discrim


3/7/91

While US showed lots of footage of Patriot Missiles “shooting” down Iraqi Scuds, Safire says actually hit the detached fuel tank much of the time & the warhead hit anyway

US claims Israel Jan. 18 wanted a large air & land incursion into W Iraq to wipe out missile launchers. Would use helicopter gunships, commando teams, secured by Air Force over Jordan or Saudi, if necessary destroying Jordan’s air defense missiles if US did not give it an air corridor over Saudi

A Kuwaiti critic of gov shot & paralyzed 2 days after Kuwait “liberated.”

Iraqi internal security now under the cousin of Hussein known for gassing Kurds & head of occupation in Kuwait. And all foreign reporters ordered out.

Indian gov resigns. PM Shekhar says no surveillance of Gandhi was authorized

At a very early stage in the bill’s leg career, Bush threatens to veto bill prohibiting comps hiring perm replacements for strikers.

Kuwait blocking return of non-citizens no matter how long they have lived there

Prince of Kuwait says may well extend martial law past 3 mos “regardless of what anybody says in opposition.”

Slovenia makes service in Yug. army voluntary

Walesa wants repudiation of 1989 deal w/CP, “instant” elections

Moscow tv running Cold War-type propaganda for the Mar. 17 referendum. Talks of plot by a German workers’ organiz, says a boycott will result in additional votes, trying to blame Russian & Moscow govs for fed price increases


3/8/91

Alaskan Indians sued to prevent settlement on Valdez spill w/out them. Justice Dept says: trust us.

Bush plan for Mideast peace: arms, arms, arms. They want to sell $1.6b or F-16 fighters & bombers to Egypt. $18b to Saudi; UAE, Bahrain, Egypt & Turkey, etc

Paul Tsongas will run for president as a “pro-business liberal”

The Palestinian reporter let out of jail. Says he was deprived of food & sleep & bathroom & ordered to reveal sources.

Bush at Congress demands 100 days of legislation, bringing the war approach home. He wants: a crime bill... and road repair


3/9/91

Iran called for Hussein to resign

1986, Mark Hatfield, then head of appropriate cmte, reversed cutting funds to U SC when it gave him $9,300 in artwork from university discretionary funds, which also used for scholarship for his son there.

When Utah banned 90% of abortions Jan91, “failed” to notice that illegal abortions constitute homicide under 1983 law, so women could be executed. State has a priv-contribution fund to defend the law

Turks bitching about dynastic tendencies of Ozal family

2 Ger investigators of Stasi fired for complaining about rehabilitation of Lothar de Maizière

Br Tories lose safe seat in rural north to Lib Dems, probably because of poll tax. Don’t look for Major to try to cash in on war w/snap election

There is fighting in Belgrade; tanks have been ordered in. Crowds tried to remove Belgrade TV from CP control

Fed district judge allowed Pentagon to bar reporters from covering return of bodies

Fed Court dismissed Justice request to keep the agreement w/Exxon over Valdez secret

Economist says nat solidarity missing in the new Germany. In Dec90 gov, every main ministry stayed W Ger. Kohl refused to raise taxes for unification, but did so for Gulf War

Albanians have been streaming into Italy, which is pissed

An F-15 jet (a small one) burns 625 gallons in 25 min., an aircraft carrier in 7 min. Military consumes enough oil each yr to run all US mass transit systems 14 yrs

USSR has turned tv-radio from gov to nominally-ind company, which will make the () not approvable by parl. And can cover firings


3/10/91

Bush’s “civil rights” bill would allow comps to ask employees to waive right to sue

US has said Iraq must not use gas against rebels, at risk of bombing. They can kill Kurds any other way....


3/11/91

The fighting & demonstrations in Belgrade seem to be entirely a Serbian affair. A Serbia unable to keep order, and with a disintegrating economy, may be just what is needed in secession negotiations. And may convince outside world to stop supporting a unified Yug. Rather like situation in USSR, where harder to get Russians to oppose minorities.
-Protest leaders have been arrested.


3/12/91

Several 100,000 demonstrated in Moscow for Gorby to resign & against Sunday referendum

Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana now Republican, which is a tremendous favor to the R’s, since David Duke would otherwise get that party’s nomination

Milosevic says demos are by enemies of Serbia that want to return it “to the status of a vassal state.”

Since Chad gov fell to Libya-supported coup Dec90, a 2-yr US-created anti-Qadaffi Libyan force disbanded. These were 600 soldiers captured by Chad 1988. The State Dept bought them asylum in Kenya, giving it aid that had been stopped pending human rights improvement. Therefore seem never to have done anything for its money

The Turkish bill to legalize speaking, but not teaching or publishing, Kurdish, has failed in Parl

Last fall, US passed info to Syria about its own terrorism. Result: terrorists killed 2 undercover agents of Jordan inside terrorist organizs. Jordan has been good about collecting such info & passing it to W. espionage services. On his trip through Mid East, Baker is visiting our ally Syria & snubbing Jordan.

Part of Michigan’s parental notification bill will have schools tell kids in grades 6-12 how to get to court w/out telling parents

Commerce Dept admits having permitted $500m in technology sales to Iraq 1985-90 (that’s what was delivered of $1.5b actually approved. $4.8m of that in 15 days before invasion of Kuwait. Inc computers to the atomic energy agency, $8.7m in computers to keep track of dissidents. Bush Admin had claimed this was confidential business info, but forced by press & Congress to admit

The Admin during war underplayed the pol (White House) angle. LBJ appeared on news much more than Bush. If you make politics the headline, they talk to people who disagree

Before Jan. 15, US gov suggested journalists leave Iraq, as almost all did exc CNN. BBC ordered its journalist out but he said he would resign & freelance; BBC backed down

Bush’s proposed 1992 budget reduces conservation from $465 to 296m & solar & renewable from $208 to $202m


3/13/91

PLO peace initiative: negotiated borders for Palestinian state, not just whole W Bank & Gaza, demilitarized transitional gov by demo elections. Israel wants no preconditions on talks, meaning UN resolutions should be ignored

A House bill to pay for S&L bailout by taxes or spending cuts rather than borrowing failed. Bush would have vetoed

SA law intro to end racial discrim in land ownership, repealing Land Acts 1913 & 1936, Group Areas Act. But fails to give back stolen land

Albania claims to have pardoned all pol prisoners

Serbia gives in to demonstrators, firing heads of tv.
-President of Yug. says presidency no longer able to lead country. But seems to have rejected army offer to take over

Exxon agreed to pay another $1b for cleanup of Valdez & admits criminal wrongdoing. Actual damage is $2.5-$5b. The money will be spread over 10 yrs, not helping Alaska’s actual cleanup much. Some of fed gov studies will finally be made public

Bush will veto any energy strategy that doesn’t involve drilling in Arctic

In Grenada, the trial of killers of Maurice Bishop still going on

Today, Serbia forced to fire interior minister

NBC had footage of smudge pots around Iraqi factories, and caravans of cars w/Iraqi corpses. NBC president quashed the tape & fired its reporter.

US acknowledged “nonlethal” aid is indirectly finding its way to Khmer Rouge

Kuwait claims $100b in reparations


3/14/91

If Bush didn’t lie about no radiation released when bombed Iraqi nuke plant, indicates the uranium was removed to...somewhere. Iran?

Bush accuses Iraq of violating cease-fire conditions by using helicopter gunships against the insurrection, obviously an expansion of the purpose of it

Br Home Sec has promised to end the grand old prison tradition of slopping out by 1994

US claims can find no evidence Kuwait mistreating Palestinians. It’s the only one

Br court release Birmingham 6 after 16 yrs

Of Kuwait’s previous 450,000 Palestinians, 1/3 remain. Our contribution to Middle E. stability: 300,000 more homeless Palestinians. The upside is the thought of Kuwaitis cleaning their own toilets

Br wants to require Hussein to destroy chem & bio weapons

Exxon’s payments mostly tax-deductible, so taxpayers will have to make up $300m

A reporter who went undercover as a mortician at Dover Air Force Base says battlefield casualties being disguised as “training accidents” (this happened in Panama)

More US teenagers dying from gunshots than natural causes


3/15/91

Bush says won’t agree to ceasefire while Iraq using helicopter gunships against rebels. Nor will US withdraw. But of course US not trying to dictate postwar conditions

Erich Honecker spent 1 yr in a Soviet-run hospital in Berlin. Just quietly moved him to USSR

During war, Br issued notices of deportation to 167 Iraqis, Palestinians, Lebanese & Yemenis. 78 were, most to Jordan. c.82 held as POWs. Lord Justice Donaldson said wrongdoing not necessary as “those who are able most effectively to undermine national security are those who least appear to constitute any risk to it.” Innocence is guilt. 35 of the Iraqi detainees (33 of them students) held as POWs though not combatants in any way.

US troops redeployed deeper into Iraq. Doesn’t mean a thing, they say

Yugoslav president resigned; doesn’t want responsibility for what’s coming... actually because he’s a Serb & couldn’t get presidency to agree to military emergency

Most-watched tv footage is of a black speeder being beaten w/sticks 56 times by 3 LAPD, watched by another dozen. Last yr, LA spent $8.1m in out-of-court settlements of brutality cases. Daryl Gates proves this sort of thing isn’t condoned by pointing out that one of the cops was punished last time he did this

Kuwait has been dumping foreigners in Iraq w/out food, water or papers. Usually after torture.


3/16/91

USSR will not return Honecker for “humanitarian” reasons, admitting it violates Ger sovereignty

12 Congresscritters (10 R’s) going to Kuwait at expense of a company asked to do so by Kuwait & which is seeking business there

In the Yug. presidency, Montenegro & Vojvodina supported Serbia call for military action, opposed by Kosovo, Bosnia-Herz. & Croatia & Slovenia. During demonstrations, Milosevic was hiding in an army base
-Reps from Montenegro & Vojvodina have also resigned from the presidency. Serbia says it will no longer be part of the presidency & obey it. Serbs in Croatia have dec. their ind. Serbia mobilizing police & forming volunteer units

Salvador had elections Sunday. Still not counted; they’re evidently still stuffing

Havel wants vote on keeping Czechs & Slovaks together — unclear whether this will be all, or just the Slovaks

SA land plan: not only no restitution, even of most recent dispossession, but schools still segregated & landlords can discriminate in rentals. No one consulted w/ANC

“I asked him why he was a priest, and he said if you have to work for anybody an absentee boss is best.” — Jeanette Winterson, The Passion


3/17/91

Iraq asked US permission to deploy its own aircraft & was rejected

6 USSR republics are boycotting Union referendum today, so army or collectives opening a few polling places there, rather unconvincingly. (USSR votes need 60% of eligible voters)

Br Lib Dems said, well Paddy Ashdown says, would form coalition with either party


3/18/91

Milosevic recognizes a “Serbian autonomous region” in the Krajina part of Croatia, 1st move towards a Greater Serbia
-Slovenia & Croatia have been withholding contributions to Yug. military

Bush wants to revive credits for arms exports. I thought R’s didn’t like industrial policy. Talk about not learning from history

USSR seizes Lithuanian defense minister

White House says Iraq’s attacks on rebels “is clearly inconsistent with the type of behaviour the internat. community would like to see Iraq exhibiting.”

Despite recession, executive pay increased 8% 1990


3/19/91

Senate votes to ban arms sales to countries not paying us for Gulf War
-Cheney says we must not cut arms sales to Middle East

Now that Soviet voting over (results later), Gorby announces price “reforms.”

The Dalai Lama is touring again. Br’s PM & foreign min refused to see him. White House suddenly wanted Violeta Chamorro to have a joint session of Congress, acing out the session scheduled for the Lama.

Yugoslav defense minister & commander of military out of contact w/civilian authorities 3 dys
-Milosevic got Serbian legislature to fire the Kosovo delegate to collective presidency of Yug. He says presidency now has no quorum & can’t control military. The presidency says he can only be recalled by no-longer-existent Kosovo leg. He himself claims to be ill.

Fr appeals court raised fine on LePen for saying gas chambers “a detail of history” to $167,000

Our ally Syria buying Scuds from N Korea capable of hitting Tel Aviv & Cairo

Little talk here of deaths in Kuwait. A reporter for London Independent saw Kuwaiti resistance shoot a man for forgetting to remove Iraqi-issued license plates from his car. One figure is 6,000 Palestinians held w/out charges. US forces did nothing, left policing to whomever.

Japan promised US $11b. By war’s end, still owed $9b & proposed to convert it into reconstruction funding, no doubt linked to contracts for Jap. comps

Seems it was not Commerce, but NSC that made sure Iraq got military supplies

Kuwaiti gov resigns, unable to restore water or power. This had been called for by the only paper, now suspended. Crown Prince will still be PM

Yug. army says it will not interfere in politics but will not allow civil war

Iran is arming rebels in Iraq, of course.

Why are we paying $10m/yr for security for Reagan, twice any other ex-prez?


3/20/91

US shoots down Iraqi war plane, after Iraq gave warning it would be flying

1988 Congress passed standards for medical labs. RR & Bush never bothered to do anything & won’t at least until 1992. No lab is supposed to test until has gov certificate. Gov hasn’t enforced & wants a 2-yr provisional certificate w/no investigation. It seems there is overwork, piecework pay, tests by drs’ spouses & secretaries

US ends all aid to Jordan

Sup Court 9-0 barred “fetal protection” discrimination against ♀

Florida’s law against gays adopting struck down. Only NH still has one.

As part of regs to force doctors not to mention abortion, even if a woman whose life at risk asks, Health & Human Services plans to draw up list of “acceptable” clinics, versus those where abortion “pervasive”

Israeli Army Chief of Staff, due to retire, says could give up Golan Heights if peace arrangements made. Sharon announces new building program on Golan — wants to double # of Jews

Saudis & Kuwait have paid c.⅓ of what they pledged US, UAE ½

Cheney wants no limits on weapons sales to Mid E.

Soviet elections: Yeltsin won dir election, that is that there will be such elections, to president Russia.
-Gorby seems to have won on unity, but 2 republics rewrote referendum, 6 didn’t hold it. He claims mandate.

New Finnish Parl. 38.5% women, ave age under 40, as young as 23

In war, “smart bombs,” which were 90% successful, were only 7% of bombs used, leaving 81,980 tons of bombs of accuracy rate of 25% — 62,137 tons missing their targets. 70% of all bombs missed. These are official Air Force figures

Bush nominee to 11th Circuit will complete Republican majority in all circuits. The nominee has 20 yrs been in a highly & visibly discriminatory club. In 1987 when blacks sued cops after being mauled by police dogs, Ruskany (?) mused about cutting hands off thieves & how a few scars might remind them of wrongdoing


3/21/91

Noriega is now a born-again Christian

April Glaspie, the last ambassador to Iraq, finally turned up in her own defense. State had refused to allow her to talk to Congress. She says the Iraqi transcript is selective and she really didn’t give permission for invasion. Why was this not mentioned, if true, for 7 mos?

The Iraqi plane shot down was 1,000 mi from the cease-fire line


3/22/91

FDIC wants to borrow $70b, to shore up banks

San Quentin has banned all reporters from executions

Iran plans to keep Iraqi planes — war indemnities from Iran-Iraq war.

Br to abandon poll tax, return to property tax + poll tax by 1993. Meantime, to cut poll tax by £140, increasing VAT from 15 to 17.5% + taxes on alcohol, tobacco, gasoline, company taxes

US shoots down another Iraqi plane, even further away from cease-fire line

The senior Iraqi Shiite, an ayatollah aged something like 110, was perhaps kidnapped by Hussein, wiht whom he appeared on tv saying nice things about him

The Serbian rep to presidency resumed office


3/23/91

Hussein has picked a Shiite as PM or foreign minister

While most of Kuwaitis don’t have water or power, US Army Corps of Engineers, on contract, has brought in French brocade, gold plumbing fixtures, air conditioning, etc

Navy admits closing bases in East Bay because of pol climate there. Getting back at Dellums

Illegal demonstration in Kuwait. Incidentally, talking to press also illegal

Seems there really weren’t that many Iraqi soldiers in war zone as US estimated

UN eases but does not officially abolish embargo on food & fuel for Iraq

Joke heard at a history conf: 1919, executed Spartakists are surprised to find themselves not only in heaven, but quite near God. They ask him, when the socialist revolution will come. He says, “Not in my lifetime, my son.”


3/24/91

Head of US Bureau of Mines called environmentalists “a bunch of nuts” and “I don’t believe in endangered species.”


3/25/91

Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus: [In Vietnam]: “I was in show business, trying to get a big audience for the Government on TV by killing real people with live ammunition, something the other advertisers were not free to do.
“The other advertisers had to fake everything.
“Oddly enough, the actors always turned out to be a lot more believable on the little screen than we were. Real people in real trouble don’t come across, somehow.”

“For us back then, prisoners were like pornography, common things nice people shouldn’t want to see”

“Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.”


Private detectives working for Kuwait claim Hussein skimmed $10b & invested abroad

US didn’t destroy as many Iraqi tanks & armored vehicles as claimed. These were supposed to have been trapped in Kuwait & s. Iraq

Over yrs, Iran trained 30,000 Iraqi POWs & fled Shiites as army against Iraq

State claims Glaspie’s memo on her meeting w/Hussein will have to be secret 30 yrs. Safire says she is being rehabilitated because she knows about Asst Sec State John Kelly’s visit to Baghdad 2/12/90

Chilean report says military secret police killed >2,025 1973-90. Prez Aylwin won right to free pol prisoners

SA police kill 12 at ANC rally. Claim they were attacked. Police clearly taking sides; Inkhatha rallies are allowed to carry spears & clubs because this is part of their cultural heritage.

Yeltsin has deal w/Georgia to help it disarm groups in conflict in S Ossetia

Study by Small Business Admin says cheaper to give unpaid leave for family illness or childbirth than firing them. Indeed, if person is a manager, it may even make money by letting them stay home

Ch. film & tv minister, à propos the movie up for Oscar, “Judou,” says only Ch. have right to judge merits of Ch. movie — of course it’s banned there. Says only movies fully implementing party line will be exported in future, which will stop foreign comps financing Ch. films, as Ju Dou was


3/26/91

Gov wants to sell off S&L real estate & junk bonds cheap. Wants to raise quickly $65b. Wants to sell quickly, marking down real estate 20% now, 40% in 6 mos, 50% 18 mos

Sup Court 5-4 says coerced confessions ok if there is enough other evidence. This licensing of police torture adds it to “harmless error” exceptions to Exclusion Rule. Up till now there have been 3 errors which could never be considered harmless — coerced confession, no counsel & biased judge. 2 to go.

Ger is now world’s largest exporter

Sup Court 6-3 says US comps can discriminate abroad

Gorby federalizes Moscow police. Gorby had banned rallies in a 3-week period that just happened to have a planned pro-Yeltsin rally. Moscow police said they’d allow it anyway, so Gorby took them over

India’s pop 844m. For 1,000 men, there are 920 women

Congress appropriated $ against infant deaths, prohibiting Bush stealing it from other poverty programs

Village Voice 3/26/91 on censorship:
Even 1 week after POWs on Iraqi tv, US refused to confirm captures of pilots.
-Special program in which Pentagon invited local journalists to come at military expense to spend time w/troops from their hometown
-Stopping reports of attacks on Iraqi nuke plants, until military itself reported.
-A French tv crew at battle of Khafji forced to give up videotape to Marines. Not breeching security guidelines, just not in the pool.
-An LAT reporter who wrote a cleared story about military losing 50 vehicles ordered out of the pool.
-March 11, WaPo revealed a US PR campaign to characterize the Iraqi withdrawal as a “fighting retreat” to justify bombing them.
-Time reported an early report of 60 Iraqi tanks defecting was planted by CIA to encourage defectors.


3/27/91

Moscow City Council says ban on rallies unconst. Organizers say rally will go ahead. Gorby says reformers pose a threat to the state

Gen. Schwarzkopf says he wanted to cont. the war & destroy Iraqi forces, but that Bush stopped him. Bush says this not true

Peace Now says Israel actually spending $500m/yr on settlements Occupied, twice what gov claims

US has finished draft of cease-fire for UN to destroy all Iraqi chem weapons, cont. arms embargo and most laughably make Iraq renounce support of terrorism — how could they do that when taken off list of terrorist nations in 1982?

Bush says won’t intervene in Iraq of stop Iraq using helicopters against Kurds


3/28/91

Russian Parl annulled Gorby’s prohibition on Moscow demos; today’s did take place

Reagan supports Brady bill for 7-day gun waiting per

Sup Court ruled white pages could not be copyrighted. This will affect other compilations of factual material

Israeli police minister advised public to kill any Palestinians w/a knife


3/29/91

Iraqi rebels asked US to support them or at least stop Iraq using planes. US refuses

Gen. Schwarzkopf apologizes, says he really didn’t disagree w/Bush

Mississippi Lege overrides governor to require 24-hr waiting per on abortion

Brazil Sup Court rules homicide defense for killing wife for honor will no longer work

Utah Sup Court says polygamists can adopt


3/30/91

Bulgaria has published list of those responsible for econ problems. No one in gov is on it

Albania having semi-free elections. Some irregularities & a campaign to have people not mark ballots secretly