-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Impeached POTUS Schumer: Senate Could Boot Clinton Predictions are hazardous Sen.-elect Charles Schumer isn't betting President Clinton will hold onto his presidency. "Who knows? If you asked me six weeks ago whether the House would vote to impeach the president, I'd say, 'No way.' "So predictions are hazardous," Schumer said yesterday - expressing surprisingly little faith Clinton can win Senate acquittal on charges he perjured himself and obstructed justice in Sexgate. "In the House, what started as a small group [who favored impeachment] conglomerated into a large group. "I hope that doesn't happen in the Senate, but it might," Schumer told The Post as he dished out mashed sweet potatoes and green beans at a Brooklyn YWCA Christmas dinner for 1,200 homeless people. The congressman and his wife, Iris, and daughters Jessica, 14, and Alison, 9, joined dozens of volunteers helping out at the annual dinner and toy giveaway. Schumer repeated his belief Clinton should be censured for his Sexgate lies and cover-up - and finish his term. The drive to avoid a "long and nasty" impeachment trial could gain momentum, he said, following New York senior Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan's pronouncement this week that he favors censuring Clinton. Moynihan - who has clashed with Clinton and was one of the first Democrats to blast his behavior - is highly respected and influential. "I think what he says is going to have a lot of credence, not only with Democrats but with Republicans as well," Schumer said. About 20 gung-ho Republican senators "want to go all the way" and convict Clinton on the two articles of impeachment - grand jury perjury and obstruction of justice - approved by the House, and give him the boot, Schumer said. Removal requires 67 votes - two-thirds of the 100 members. "They're not close to that," Schumer said. "The question is: Will a small group have the disproportionate clout that it had in the House?" House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) said earlier this week if senators "spend plenty of time in the evidence room" reading impeachment documents, the votes "may appear out of thin air." Moynihan, a constitutional scholar, had said earlier that perjury might be impeachable. He now contends the charges against Clinton are not serious enough, and that ousting him could "destabilize the presidency" and weaken the nation. Schumer warned an impeachment trial could be "very destructive." "It would last a long time. It would be acrimonious. And it would take us away from work we should be doing: making our schools better, our streets safer, and preserving Social Security." Schumer did not want to discuss reports the White House is gearing up to attack Monica Lewinsky's credibility - and challenge her story that Clinton touched her breasts and genitals. Clinton has sworn he never sexually stimulated the lusty ex-intern. "People want to avoid a long, nasty trial," Schumer said. "It could end up being very nasty." The New York Post, Dec. 26, 1998 Japanese Economy Japan's Slump Won't Quit Unemployment at record level TOKYO - A series of reports Friday showed that Japan's economy continued to crumble last month, with the unemployment rate rising to a record high and no indication that the country is poised for a rebound. The Management and Coordination Agency said Japan's unemployment rate rose to a record 4.4 percent as corporations cut payrolls and suffered a wave of bankruptcies. In addition, government figures for November show that industrial output is sliding and that sales at department stores are slumping. A report from financial authorities also shows that Japan's troubled banks have even more bad loans than previously thought. The unemployment rate was the highest since the government started keeping track in 1953. It had been stable at 4.3 percent for three consecutive months to October. For the first time, the unemployment rate in Japan equaled that of the United States, where the jobless rate also was 4.4 percent in November. While in Japan the rate is a record high, in the United States it is one of the lowest rates in 30 years. Some economists, however, argue that Japan's joblessness is probably higher than the official figure states because unemployment is narrowly defined. The International Monetary Fund said in a report released Monday in Washington that it expected unemployment in Japan to average 4.9 percent in the year through December 1999. Taichi Sakaiya, head of the Economic Planning Agency, said the situation would very likely get worse before it got better. ''There's strong pressure for the jobless rate to rise,'' said Mr. Sakaiya, one of Japan's top economic planners, adding that the rate was viewed ''with grave concern.'' Large companies in Japan generally reduce excess labor by hiring fewer university graduates and offering early retirement packages to older employees. Of the 2.9 million unemployed in Japan, 800,000 are aged 24 to 34 years, and 550,000 are between the ages of 55 and 64. The news was no better for Japan's once-mighty manufacturers. Industrial output at factories and mines in November fell a larger-than-expected 2 percent compared with the previous month, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said. The fall was considerably larger than forecast by private economists and the government. While the ministry predicted there would be a 0.3 percent rebound in production in December, it agreed with other forecasters that a recovery was not yet in sight. ''There still isn't enough data to indicate that the economy has hit bottom,'' the ministry said. Meanwhile, the Trade Ministry also reported that sales at major department stores and supermarkets fell 1.5 percent in November from a year earlier, the seventh straight month of declines. Also on Friday, the Japanese government approved a record budget of 81.86 trillion yen ($705.84 billion) for the year to March 31, 2000, officials said. The budget, adopted at a special cabinet meeting and pending approval by Parliament, is up 5.4 percent from the initial outlay for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 1999. The government aims to haul Japan out of recession with the huge budget and achieve 0.5 percent growth in gross domestic product, although 37.9 percent of spending will be paid for by government debt. This year the government has approved two stimulus packages worth a combined 40 trillion yen, and it has set up a fund of 60 trillion yen to deal with the banking crisis. The economy has contracted for four consecutive quarters through September, and Tokyo estimates the economy will shrink 2.2 percent in the year through March. International Herald Tribune, Dec. 26, 1998 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
