2/1/94
Separatist wins as president of Crimea, that is, one who wants to rejoin Russia
US gives visa to IRA’s Gerry Addams
US Marines in Somalia fire machine guns on a crowded street, killing 8. Nearby Bangladeshi troops saw none of the claimed snipers, & no Amers. were hit.
Bosnian Serbs order gen mobilization
After election, Yeltsin fired controller of 2 tv stations for selling too much time to Zhirinovsky, abolished Min Info & moved media-monitoring into Kremlin, put tv & radio (state-owned) under old Soviet chief censor
2/2/94
The decision to allow Gerry Addams in was Clinton’s overriding State
Boutros-Ghali appoints to the new UN human rights commission post Ayala Lasso, who has little experience, oh, unless you count being foreign minister to Ecuador’s repressive military gov 1970s. The resolution creating his post gave it no right to conduct investigations, though we say it’s implicit
Clinton finally finds someone to be Asst Atty Gen for Civil Rights, after backing out on Lani Guinier
2/4/94
Ed. Dept losing $3-4b in fraud, & loan defaults in higher ed., over 10% of total budget. 3/4 of defaults are from profit trade schools. There are 7,400 certified to get fed student aid. Gov can audit 25/yr. Indiv personal fraud isn’t even pursued. Latest abusers: Hasidic schools.
-Ed. Dept had 6,880 1981, 5,023 now, w/240 programs, up from 150. Computers so bad, a student could apply for 10 Pell grants simultaneously. Auditors get little training, rely mostly on useless accrediting assocs
-Also, certain schools can buy Congressmen. The Brooklyn yeshivas do not provide degrees or vocational training & not licensed by NY, but NY congresscritters inc Moyniham & D’Amato ($25,000 donations) forced Ed. to give them Pell grants, which are siphoned off for relig purposes. Indeed, those 2 plus Sens. Lieberman, Specter, tried to stop Ed.’s unannounced visits
-Congresscritters have also stopped right-to-know regs on graduation rates. Worst offenders are the trade schools – Pell mills.
-In last decade, 162,576 students got Pell grants for 6-10 consecutive yrs ($1.6b), 4,100 more 11-17 yrs – and Pells are undergrad only
Clinton ends VN boycott
US Park Police report says Clinton’s counsel, Bernard Nussbaum, impeded investigation of Vince Foster’s suicide, denied access to documents in his office, had White House lawyers sit in on interviews w/his colleagues, etc
Another Easterner resigns Ger gov, leaving only 1
One of those who quite State over Yugoslav policy says Christopher & State have watered down evidence of genocide
Russia & Georgia sign treaty to give Russia continuing bases @ training for GA army
Michael Portillo, chief sec to Treasury, makes speech on corrupt foreigners, who all buy their degrees. Major won’t fire him either, I’m sure. (Update: right.)
2/5/94
Senate passes measures for silent not-quite-prayer in schools & threatens the fed money of schools impeding “const-protected” prayer
US to buy computer chips w/an encoded device. The idea is to use gov’s mkt clout to force priv industry to adopt a chip whose key is held by gov, allowing interception. If adopted, exports will die.
US refuses to pay for a heart transplant for a prisoner who would have been liable for one under Medicare outside
2/6/94
The killer of Medgar Evers in 1963 convicted on 3rd try, this time not all-white jury, indeed 8 blacks, who no doubt did not have to be asked whether it is a crime to kill niggers in Mississippi, as in 1964.
House amend to earthquake relief for L.A. will allow emergency relief to illegal aliens, but not long-term housing vouchers
Rover, Br’s last Br car comp, bought by BMW
2/7/94
Saturday the worst massacre in the siege of Sarajevo (22 months on), a mortar shell hitting mkt & killing 68. Everyone talked about finally striking back, for about 12 hrs, then back back back. 1st, we say we’re not sure who was responsible for this, as opposed to the previous 10,000 shells. Clinton actually said that this carnage might make *all sides* want peace: “Until those folks get tired of killing each other over there, bad things will continue to happen.”
A Tory MP dies in mysterious circumstances. Auto-erotic hanging? Killed by rough trade? Dunno, but sex involved, and a by-election.
-(Update: naked, exc for women’s stockings & a garter belt & a plastic bag tied around his head. Back to basics!
2/8/94
Clinton has said his health plan would not cost anything. Cong. Budget Office says it would add $70b to deficit in 1st 6 yrs, not cut it $58b. Would be better after 2000. CBO says subsidies to businesses more than gov says. Also says insurance premiums should be in budget, which would make them a tax.
Clinton budget out. Pretty much more of same. Some more pub works, more police & prisons. Anything w/words computers or research gets money. The ammunition giveaway to NRA would increase. Black budget $28b.
EU says Serbs should immediately stop siege of Sarajevo. No deadline, of course
RR, Meese & Ollie North tried to block release of report on Iran-Contra. North also succeeded in having his name expunged from court records. He is running for Senate in VA, the 1st senator convicted of lying to Senate before he ever gets there
US finally to recognize Macedonia
2/9/94
IRS pays the largest, maybe the only, settlement for harassing a taxpayer. Pressure on his accountant to lie sent him to jail for 4 mos. IRS pays $500,000 – taxable.
Judge dismisses 3 Tailhook cases, saying evidence manipulated by Adm Frank Kelso, Chief of Naval Ops, who was right in the middle of the fun & games, but was allowed to appoint the investigator & try to shield himself
Zulu king demands restoration of 1838 Zulu kingdom (8m people), rejects SA const & prospective elections
Philadelphia arrests truants & handcuffs them.
Fr defense minister fires head of army’s history section for an anti-Dreyfusard study
NATO gives Serbs until Feb. 21 to move heavy guns 20 km from center of Sarajevo or... else. If NATO did anything, by the way, would be NATO’s 1st combat. Also called for Bosnian gov to place its heavy weapons under UN control & not try to take advantage to break the siege. This is air strikes. Clinton rules out ground forces & says our contrib will be proportionate to our interests, whatever the fuck that means.
Aristide, also waiting for Clinton to do something for him, threatening to abrogate refugee treaty which allows us to repatriate
Commerce Dept approved export of lethal viruses to Iraq in RR admin, inc anthrax. Sen. Don Riegle, who says this, trying to get veteran’s benefits for the mystery diseases arising from Gulf War
Edwina Currie, Thatcher-Lite, starts campaign to lower gay male age of consent to 16
2/10/94
Turkmenistan referendum voted in favor of extending current president to 2002. 99.9% turnout. 1,959,408 for, 212 against
SA white separatists also to boycott elections
2/11/94
Fed judge throws out term limits in Wash State
Fla. denying foster care to illegal immigrant children, inc a teenager who fled Haiti after his father murdered (court stopped it)
A fed judge in Texas orders a woman on probation for drugs to go to church for a yr, w/her kids
Israel & PLO finally agree on the border, each side being present, w/right to stop & search, w/Israelis having final say
Price for ultimatum to Serbs: US agrees (though denies it) to pressure Bosnia to accept ethnic partition, lifting sanctions on Serbs step by step. Will also not constitute ½ the troops to enforce any peace settlement, as Clinton orig. announced. The demand on Serbia is still only ltd to Sarajevo, and even there not to end the siege. And the threat is only to heavy weapons
Ch. bans relig proselytization by foreigners, bans underground, ie, unauthorized churches
2/12/94
Bophutatswana will also boycott election & still keeping ANC from campaigning
A videotape was made of CA’s 1st recent execution for use in trial on gas chamber, but tape has been destroyed on judge’s order
2/13/94
Buthelezi calls on followers to be prepared to die for the cause
A Tory MP resigns as priv sec to a FO minister after affair w/a student less than ½ his age
2/14/94
Wash. State the only w/a 3 strikes you’re out law. Police finding criminals more likely to resist arrest violently, and less willing to plea bargain
Zulu king wants to be a real king
So, after the alleged Clinton bottom-up review of military, Navy still to maintain 12 carrier groups it “needed” in Cold war, Air Force loses some tactical fighters but gains equal # of strategic bombers for tactical use. Army loses 2 divisions but Marines gain 1. Army Nat Guard & Reserve at Cold War levels they claim that need to fight 2 simultaneous regional wars against, say, Iraq & N Korea (military budget $20b) as much a threat as that of USSR (which was $300b).
2/16/94
US endorses plan for Haiti involving Aristide appointing a new PM & leg pass amnesty for military, and eventually Aristide will return. Aristide not impressed.
Our idea of the Serb ultimatum is that turning heavy weapons over to UN control actually means electronic surveillance. Subs would keep their guns, just not load or move them. UN fears stretching peacekeepers, since no one is willing to send more soldiers, or in the US’s case, any. And this doesn’t ruffle the Serbs by allowing possibility of Bosnians breaking the siege
US to charge pol refugees an asylum tax of $130 & delay work permits 150 dys. That will deter, and pay to deal w/a backlog of 314,000 cases. Last yr denied 18,110 claims, accepted 5,105. Last yr, 150,386 asked for asylum
UN dec VN exodus over. So we can all send back boat people now
Russia to allow in any drug approved by Amer. FDA
Mandela to make gov alter new Charter to appease Inkatha & white separatists, w/greater provincial powers, splitting of nat & provincial leg, so could vote for different parties for each, reopen deadline. It won’t get Inkatha to give
2/18/94
US grand jury indicts DeBeers & GE for fixing prices of indust diamonds
Marie Stopes Clinic to allow Amers. to use RU486
Russians say State Dept threatened them last Nov. when released documents about POWs in VN
Bush’s US Treasurer, whose signature is still on the money (Clinton didn’t bother to nominate anyone) pleads guilty to evasion of income tax, false statements & obstruction. May go to jail. The money she failed to report probably bought influence, as well
Russians step into Bosnia, w/unilateral plan to put 800 of own troops in & get Serbs to pull back heavy weapons. Face-saving for Serbs? Or a shield for them? Russia now saying the NATO deadline (Tuesday) is null & void. Zhirinovsky says air strikes would start World War III. Shelling increasing in Bihac as it ends in Sarajevo
-Ethnic cleansing still continuing, is in some cases done for pay, $350 for a house
-And Greece blockading landlocked Macedonia, cutting it off from port of Salonika
1992 14 men prosecuted in Br for gay sex under 21
2/20/94
Eur Parl says gays should be allowed to marry & adopt. Pope objects
Deadline passes in Bosnia. NATO does not bomb. Serbs pretty well complied, not that they were asked to do much. UN, which doesn’t want bombing, storing heavy weapons in 3 sites in built-up parts of Sarajevo, which could hardly be bombed if Serbs take them back, and 2 strategic sites overlooking Sarajevo in the hills
2/21/94
Br Parl reduces homosexual age of consent to 18. 427-162, after voting 307-280 against reducing to 16. Home Sec Michael Howard: “we need to protect young men from activities which their lack of maturity might cause them to regret.”
US now orders Aristide to broaden gov & amnesty military leaders w/out their stepping down, really, or we won’t tighten sanctions
Blackmun says death penalty unconst. Where the fuck was he 20 yrs ago? Something about a conflict between limitations on factors a jury can use in choosing penalties & right of defendant to put forward any evidence. Scalia agrees, and would like to eliminate latter
2/23/94
Aldrich Ames, a former official of CIA Soviet counter-intelligence was the spy for USSR and... Russia. His salary was $70,000 but he paid $540,000 cash for his house 1989, $100,000 in improvements, and bought a Jaguar & another car. He forgot to cash his paychecks, for Christ sake, & charged $455,000 1985-93. No one noticed.
-Rather amusing to hear Amer. outrage, since what Ames mostly accused of is giving Russia the names of our Russian assets, 10+ of whom were executed
Russian Parl votes amnesty, which Yeltsin can’t veto, for Parl leaders from Oct93 & Aug91 coup. Also elderly women, invalids & people jailed for econ crimes
Croat-Muslim truce
2/25/94
Fed jury orders estate of Ferdinand Marcos to pay $1.2b in damages to victims of his regime
RTC head held briefing on Whitewater investigation for White House aides, some of whom were subjects of the investigation. Clinton Admin is dressed down for this by Alfonse D’Amato, the poster child for conflict of interest
House deleted language from an ed. bill to require school districts to certify that teachers are qualified to teach their subjects. And that nothing affects home schools. A victory for relig schools & Rush Limbaugh
Ch. says will dismantle any democratic leg. in HK set up under new reforms, & will set up rival gov now
2/26/94
Russian court annuls election of Zhirinovsky for irregularities. Of course, he’ll win it back.
-The Parl leaders are indeed released from prison, despite last-minute attempts by Yeltsin to stop it, involving demand on chief prosecutor, who resigned rather than carry out illegal order.
FDA says it might have to regulate cigarettes as drug-delivery devices, since it seems they add nicotine in order to maintain addiction
Lunatic settler from Brooklyn kills 40-50 Palestinians during Ramadan w/a machine gun, before they tore him apart. Israeli soldiers, forget that they didn’t get in to help, how did they let a settler in military uniform into a mosque, w/a machine gun?
-PLO stops talks
1988 Br linked aid to Malaysia for a dam, $200m, formally linked w/arms sales. The Br economists said the project only marginally economic, and the price kept going up after that, w/attendant increases in Br part
CA Board of Ed. excludes one Alice Walker story from state English test for being about religion, and another for being “anti-meat-eating,” and Pulitzer winner Annie Dillard’s story about a snowball fight as too violent.
2/28/94
Ollie North kicks off his Senate campaign in style, faking a tape of his announcement for radio, adding canned applause
Israel responds by putting 5 settlers under admin detention. Incidentally, the loon fired 111 bullets, killing 40+, wounding 150. Right. Anyway, also takes away guns from 20 settlers, bars 15 from W Bank, the sort of measures usually done to Palestinians.
-Boutrous Ghali offers observers to Occupied. Of course, US would veto that
In attempt to keep his enemies in jail, Yeltsin transferred control over the jail from the Security Ministry (domestic bits of KGB) to Prosecutor Gen, who refused to not let them out. Head of Sec Min fired for refusing the order
