Update from the Heartland
No.494
30.5.11 – 5.6.11
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,A lot happened this week, but I have been way behind my reading, research and writing. I offer my most humble apologies. As they say, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. On Tuesday, 31.May, Jeanne had in-patient surgery that fairly well occupied my capacity this week. She is home now, well into recovery, and doing pretty good. She should make steady progress and approach a status resembling normal within a few more weeks. Hopefully, my reading and writing will also return to normal soon. Thank you for your patience.
The follow-up news items:
-- At 02:35 [R] EDT, 1.June.2011, Captain Mark Kelly brought the Space Shuttle Endeavour home to a picture perfect night landing at Cape Canaveral, after a picture perfect mission to the International Space Station. The crew completed the 16-day STS-134 mission [492] – the last for the vehicle and second to the last for the entire shuttle program. The vehicle will be inert-ed, safe-d, and retired to a museum in California. One more to go. Atlantis is scheduled to launch in July, and planned to land the last time on the 42nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.
-- Nice to see the National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) added its voice of indignation to the release of aircraft registration data after the WSJ published correlated flight tables [492]. The Federal government is headed toward modifications to the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, which will make such personal information readily available to the public. Unfortunately, most citizens will say, “Who cares!” The reality is, we should all object strongly to the invasion of privacy. The wealthy have the same fundamental rights we all enjoy. Let’s just imagine our automobiles, license plates, times, our names, and every stop we made was published in the newspaper, on the Internet, on television. Would you object to such correlated information being made public? I truly hope the unanimous answer would be a resounding, “Hell yes!” If so, then why should we tolerate such information being published for the wealthy?
-- For those who may be interested, the data for the latest PATRIOT Act extension [493] finally made it to the public domain – PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011 [PL 112-014; S.990; House: 250-153-0-28(4); Senate: 72-23-0-5(0)]. With numerous conflicting Press reports on this extension version, I wanted to read the text. Very disappointing! The publicly available text simply states: “amended by striking ‘May 27, 2011’ and inserting ‘June 1, 2015’,” for both the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 [Public Law 109–177] and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 [Public Law 108–458]. There has been considerable yammering about secret provisions authorizing expanded surveillance and search powers for the Federal government. I could find no suggestion or even hint of any classified provisions. Nonetheless, my opinion of the PATRIOT Act remains the same.
-- The speculation and incessant blame-game surrounding the demise of Air France Flight 447 [391] took another leap into the abyss after the latest preliminary report [493] from the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA). Some folks are condemning Airbus products and specifically the A330 (the aircraft model used for AF447). Others are blaming the pilots – did a relatively young pilot make the critical nose-up command, or did the reversionary control laws of the highly automated, flight control system make the control input that the pilots struggled to overcome? For all the inflammatory rhetoric, the reality is, we do not yet know. Let us remain calm and not give these damnable, persistent and injurious leaks more credibility than they deserve. There appears to be many factors involved in this accident, not least of which are pilot training, multiple levels of key failures, automated flight controls, and a specific, largely, undefined, atmospheric phenomenon. We have a long way to go on this one.
-- I suppose it was inevitable. As We, the People, raise our collective voices against the corrupting influence of earmarks [257 & sub], those clever politicians we occasionally refer to as our representatives and senators are developing and testing new ways to hide from public scrutiny their unchecked spending of the public treasury for political gain. The House Armed Services Committee created a new funding line called the Mission Force Enhancement Transfer Fund (MFET) within the Defense appropriations legislation into which they have placed dozens of en bloc amendments, valued at US$1B, so far. If this ploy works, we can be assured other committees will create their version of the MFET and load it up with billions of Treasury dollars of typical earmark, political largesse so common to contemporary Federal legislative action. Congress is committed and determined to continue spending for political gain. Only We, the People, can stop this foolishness.
President Obama nominated General Martin E. Dempsey, USA [USMA 1974] – the 37th and current Chief of Staff of Army (7 weeks) – to be the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff replacing Admiral Mike Mullen, USN.
On or about 2.June.2011, a bright, Type II supernova designated SN2011dh was detected in the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) – 23 million light-years distant. The scientists are still collecting data from the latest event. The first comparative images are shown at:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110605.html
Such things fascinate me.
Another log for the fire:
“Birthers, Truthers And Interrogation Deniers – The latest lunacy to get a popular hearing is the idea that harsh CIA interrogations yielded no useful intelligence. I guess we should toss out the 9/11 Commission Report”
by Michael Hayden
Wall Street Journal
Published: June 2, 2011; Pg. 19
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576359820767777538.html
The explosion of the E-coli infection outbreak centered in Germany that began a few weeks ago has taken on ominous dimensions. This episode is distinct by the complication known as Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (HUS) with an extremely rare serotype [O104:H4] of the enterohemorrhagic strain of the Escherichia coli (EHEC) bacterium. The German government initially suspected cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce from Spain; the government directed the destruction of millions of euros worth of produce as well as prohibition of further importation. On Sunday, the government pointed its accusatory finger at bean sprouts grown in Northern Germany. The trace has proved to be less than definitive. This is not an ordinary event. Neither governmental sources nor the Press have made the jump so far, however, based on the symptoms, virulence and surprising morbidity along with the inability so far for scientists to trace the origins . . . bells, whistles, alarms and warning klaxons are going off in my little pea-brain. I do not wish to cause undue apprehension, however my perception suggests we may be witnessing a biological warfare attack. I truly hope I am wrong, but the signs point me in that dreadful direction. On the contrary, this could be just a naturally occurring mutation of a common bacterium, but I am always skeptical of this form of happenstance.
News from the economic front:
-- The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) monthly composite index of U.S. manufacturing growth slowed substantially in May to 53.5, the lowest level since September 2009. New orders, production and export measures all declined. Rising commodity prices and a sharp decline in automobile production cut into manufacturing growth and put a chill on hiring.
-- European Central Bank (ECB) President Jean-Claude Trichet recommended the creation of a euro-zone finance ministry and advocated for much tougher fiscal measures relative to Union countries needing financial support during the debt crisis. He wants euro-zone authorities to have “a much deeper and authoritative say in the formation of the county’s economic policies if these go harmfully astray.” Trichet believes the notional EU finance ministry should have “the right to veto some national economic-policy decisions,” in particular, a veto-right over “major fiscal spending items and elements essential for the country's competitiveness.”
-- The Labor Department reported U.S. hiring slowed significantly in May. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 54,000 last month, as the private sector posted the smallest job gain in nearly a year. There are almost 13.9 million Americans who are looking for work but cannot find a job. Via a separate household survey, the national unemployment rate rose to 9.1% in May from 9.0% in April.
-- The ECB, the European Union (EU), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicated additional bail-out funds for Greece will become available by early July, as Greece was making good progress on economic reforms. Greece received the €110B (US$159.40B) bailout last year as it neared default.
Comments and contributions from Update no.493:
Comment to the Blog:
“I have two primary reasons for continually harping on the financial aspects of government-funded repression rather than the deeper moral issues. One is obvious: I pay taxes. I am thrifty by nature, which does not mean that I spend no money but does mean that I want to get the best value for my spending. I do not resent taxation so long as I believe I get reasonable value for my money. Roads, police and fire protection, air traffic control, and mail delivery are all valuable services. The moral regulation we both oppose is no value and in fact requires me to pay for something repugnant. In addition, I suspect corruption accompanies all of these attempts to regulate personal behavior for the same reason it accompanied Prohibition of alcohol. People will do what people will do, regardless of others’ official or unofficial disapproval; those charged with carrying out these laws can only choose between corruption or futility. The corruption further increases the waste of money spent on law enforcement, prosecution, and imprisonment or other punishment of those who are caught and unable to buy their way out.
“The other important reason for my focus on the money cost of all this wrongness is a communication issue. People listen to economic arguments much more than to moral persuasions. The Republican Party has used that fact to great effect in recent decades. They keep saying things like, ‘Keep more of your money’ as if tax dollars went for nothing.
“Bill Clinton, technically a Democrat, won elections by saying, ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ In the eyes of a majority of U.S. voters, he was right.
“Those of us who remain opposed to the removal of our Constitutional rights will make more headway by pointing out the waste and the unavoidable corruption than we ever have by pointing out the harm done to Americans by removing our freedoms. The problem with pointing out the wrongness of these abuses is that people in general believe it will not happen to them until it happens. Wasted tax dollars are far easier to understand.
“Incidentally, I agree with your statement that a ban on circumcision is an imposition on personal choice from ‘my side’ of the political spectrum. I oppose such a law due to its trampling on religious and personal freedom at the same time I also disagree with circumcision as a practice. As is usual with me, I favor education and discussion over regulation. In this case, my strong personal preference is to let the boy make that decision as part of becoming a man. That’s not a choice that belongs to society.
“I am not familiar with your other commenter’s source on Harold Camping’s fundraising in connection with his Rapture prediction, but if this is correct, I would happily dedicate tax dollars to confining him for the remainder of his lifetime. If his backup prediction for the end of the world on October 21 should happen, he will be released by the event. If not, he gets what he has earned by duping his followers.”
My reply to the Blog:
“[H]arping” does not seem like the appropriate word, as it implies an irrational persistence on a particular issue. In your context, your persistence is anything but “harping.”
Re: paying for moral projectionism. Indeed . . . spot on . . . and do I hear an amen, brother. Yet, we continue to tolerate and pay for the government’s imposition upon our most precious freedom of choice and our “pursuit of Happiness.” I will add to your eloquent words that the government’s place is regulation of the public domain for our common good. What substances a citizen chooses to ingest in private, or whether he contracts with another citizen for sexual pleasure, or whom he chooses to share his private life with are beyond the authority of the State, granted to it by We, the People, in our magnificent Constitution. The corruption that inherently accompanies prohibition is equally spot on – yet one more reason to repeal prohibition.
FYI: I’m reviewing yet another Supreme Court case of 4th Amendment violation in the name of the bogus war on drugs. More to follow.
Re: “Wasted tax dollars.” You struck resonance; very well said, indeed.
Re: “circumcision ban.” Exactly the point! Such a proposed law is a perfect example of something the State should not, must not, be involved in whatsoever. The proper medical procedure does not harm the infant boy [routinely performed for many decades in the U.S., and for many millennia for believers], and Diane Cole points out, the medical benefit outweighs the emotional queasiness of adults. It is NOT a choice that belongs in the public domain and certainly not to the State.
Re: “Harold Camping.” Estimates of donations to his “ministry” have ranged from US$10-80M. If they were spontaneous, voluntary donations, then I am afraid there is not much we can or even should do, as it represents a personal, private exercise of a citizen’s freedom of choice. However, if he solicited or suggested any goods or services to be derived from any donation, then it was indeed felonious fraud and prosecutable regardless of any faux-religious trappings. “[R]especting an establishment of religion” does not shield fraud, anymore so than “freedom of speech, or of the press” does. Like many citizens, I hope Camping’s actions are investigated, and if appropriate, prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law. Religion is not and cannot be an excuse for fraud.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
On or about 2.June.2011, a bright, Type II supernova designated SN2011dh was detected in the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) – 23 million light-years distant. The scientists are still collecting data from the latest event. The first comparative images are shown at:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110605.html
Such things fascinate me.
Another log for the fire:
“Birthers, Truthers And Interrogation Deniers – The latest lunacy to get a popular hearing is the idea that harsh CIA interrogations yielded no useful intelligence. I guess we should toss out the 9/11 Commission Report”
by Michael Hayden
Wall Street Journal
Published: June 2, 2011; Pg. 19
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576359820767777538.html
The explosion of the E-coli infection outbreak centered in Germany that began a few weeks ago has taken on ominous dimensions. This episode is distinct by the complication known as Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (HUS) with an extremely rare serotype [O104:H4] of the enterohemorrhagic strain of the Escherichia coli (EHEC) bacterium. The German government initially suspected cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce from Spain; the government directed the destruction of millions of euros worth of produce as well as prohibition of further importation. On Sunday, the government pointed its accusatory finger at bean sprouts grown in Northern Germany. The trace has proved to be less than definitive. This is not an ordinary event. Neither governmental sources nor the Press have made the jump so far, however, based on the symptoms, virulence and surprising morbidity along with the inability so far for scientists to trace the origins . . . bells, whistles, alarms and warning klaxons are going off in my little pea-brain. I do not wish to cause undue apprehension, however my perception suggests we may be witnessing a biological warfare attack. I truly hope I am wrong, but the signs point me in that dreadful direction. On the contrary, this could be just a naturally occurring mutation of a common bacterium, but I am always skeptical of this form of happenstance.
News from the economic front:
-- The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) monthly composite index of U.S. manufacturing growth slowed substantially in May to 53.5, the lowest level since September 2009. New orders, production and export measures all declined. Rising commodity prices and a sharp decline in automobile production cut into manufacturing growth and put a chill on hiring.
-- European Central Bank (ECB) President Jean-Claude Trichet recommended the creation of a euro-zone finance ministry and advocated for much tougher fiscal measures relative to Union countries needing financial support during the debt crisis. He wants euro-zone authorities to have “a much deeper and authoritative say in the formation of the county’s economic policies if these go harmfully astray.” Trichet believes the notional EU finance ministry should have “the right to veto some national economic-policy decisions,” in particular, a veto-right over “major fiscal spending items and elements essential for the country's competitiveness.”
-- The Labor Department reported U.S. hiring slowed significantly in May. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 54,000 last month, as the private sector posted the smallest job gain in nearly a year. There are almost 13.9 million Americans who are looking for work but cannot find a job. Via a separate household survey, the national unemployment rate rose to 9.1% in May from 9.0% in April.
-- The ECB, the European Union (EU), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicated additional bail-out funds for Greece will become available by early July, as Greece was making good progress on economic reforms. Greece received the €110B (US$159.40B) bailout last year as it neared default.
Comments and contributions from Update no.493:
Comment to the Blog:
“I have two primary reasons for continually harping on the financial aspects of government-funded repression rather than the deeper moral issues. One is obvious: I pay taxes. I am thrifty by nature, which does not mean that I spend no money but does mean that I want to get the best value for my spending. I do not resent taxation so long as I believe I get reasonable value for my money. Roads, police and fire protection, air traffic control, and mail delivery are all valuable services. The moral regulation we both oppose is no value and in fact requires me to pay for something repugnant. In addition, I suspect corruption accompanies all of these attempts to regulate personal behavior for the same reason it accompanied Prohibition of alcohol. People will do what people will do, regardless of others’ official or unofficial disapproval; those charged with carrying out these laws can only choose between corruption or futility. The corruption further increases the waste of money spent on law enforcement, prosecution, and imprisonment or other punishment of those who are caught and unable to buy their way out.
“The other important reason for my focus on the money cost of all this wrongness is a communication issue. People listen to economic arguments much more than to moral persuasions. The Republican Party has used that fact to great effect in recent decades. They keep saying things like, ‘Keep more of your money’ as if tax dollars went for nothing.
“Bill Clinton, technically a Democrat, won elections by saying, ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ In the eyes of a majority of U.S. voters, he was right.
“Those of us who remain opposed to the removal of our Constitutional rights will make more headway by pointing out the waste and the unavoidable corruption than we ever have by pointing out the harm done to Americans by removing our freedoms. The problem with pointing out the wrongness of these abuses is that people in general believe it will not happen to them until it happens. Wasted tax dollars are far easier to understand.
“Incidentally, I agree with your statement that a ban on circumcision is an imposition on personal choice from ‘my side’ of the political spectrum. I oppose such a law due to its trampling on religious and personal freedom at the same time I also disagree with circumcision as a practice. As is usual with me, I favor education and discussion over regulation. In this case, my strong personal preference is to let the boy make that decision as part of becoming a man. That’s not a choice that belongs to society.
“I am not familiar with your other commenter’s source on Harold Camping’s fundraising in connection with his Rapture prediction, but if this is correct, I would happily dedicate tax dollars to confining him for the remainder of his lifetime. If his backup prediction for the end of the world on October 21 should happen, he will be released by the event. If not, he gets what he has earned by duping his followers.”
My reply to the Blog:
“[H]arping” does not seem like the appropriate word, as it implies an irrational persistence on a particular issue. In your context, your persistence is anything but “harping.”
Re: paying for moral projectionism. Indeed . . . spot on . . . and do I hear an amen, brother. Yet, we continue to tolerate and pay for the government’s imposition upon our most precious freedom of choice and our “pursuit of Happiness.” I will add to your eloquent words that the government’s place is regulation of the public domain for our common good. What substances a citizen chooses to ingest in private, or whether he contracts with another citizen for sexual pleasure, or whom he chooses to share his private life with are beyond the authority of the State, granted to it by We, the People, in our magnificent Constitution. The corruption that inherently accompanies prohibition is equally spot on – yet one more reason to repeal prohibition.
FYI: I’m reviewing yet another Supreme Court case of 4th Amendment violation in the name of the bogus war on drugs. More to follow.
Re: “Wasted tax dollars.” You struck resonance; very well said, indeed.
Re: “circumcision ban.” Exactly the point! Such a proposed law is a perfect example of something the State should not, must not, be involved in whatsoever. The proper medical procedure does not harm the infant boy [routinely performed for many decades in the U.S., and for many millennia for believers], and Diane Cole points out, the medical benefit outweighs the emotional queasiness of adults. It is NOT a choice that belongs in the public domain and certainly not to the State.
Re: “Harold Camping.” Estimates of donations to his “ministry” have ranged from US$10-80M. If they were spontaneous, voluntary donations, then I am afraid there is not much we can or even should do, as it represents a personal, private exercise of a citizen’s freedom of choice. However, if he solicited or suggested any goods or services to be derived from any donation, then it was indeed felonious fraud and prosecutable regardless of any faux-religious trappings. “[R]especting an establishment of religion” does not shield fraud, anymore so than “freedom of speech, or of the press” does. Like many citizens, I hope Camping’s actions are investigated, and if appropriate, prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law. Religion is not and cannot be an excuse for fraud.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
While I oppose laws banning circumcision, I also oppose the practice. Circumcision is unnecessary surgery, and it carries the risks of any surgery. Any medical benefits from removing the foreskin remain controversial after many years of investigation. In addition, the surgery is typically done without anesthesia, and I count pain as harm to the infant. In addition, I see psychological harm as harm, and socially-sanctioned destruction to that part of a boy is bound to cause psychological harm, whether or not he consciously remembers it. Last but not least, should that decision not be left to the person whose penis is irrevocably altered by circumcision?
You are correct that donations freely made, even to Harold Camping, are protected by law. The legal question, I would think, is whether his end-of-the-world claims constitute coercion of his believers. I tend to think it would be coercion given the context. The sad thing for me is that, legitimate or not, those donations are beyond taxes on the receiving end and largely unaccountable.
Calvin,
Penile circumcision (as differentiated from clitoral circumcision) evokes an emotional response and an opinion from most folks, like abortion, prostitution, gambling, drug use, et cetera. In the main, I would agree the decision logically should belong to the person undergoing the medical procedure, although I do not agree with the negative cost-benefit assessment. However, parents are charged with making medical decisions for their minor children; circumcision is one of those proper decisions. We are each entitled to our opinion and the exercise of our individual rights to make such decisions for ourselves and our children. We are agreed in our objection to State intrusion; now, we must enlist all voters in San Francisco to disapprove the intrusive, offensive initiative; the State has no place in the private lives of individuals or families. On a personal level, I believe the benefits outweigh the risks, and I do not believe there is any injury, no more so than a smallpox vaccination. We can argue the aesthetics. Regardless, this is a very personal decision, not a matter for State interest.
Spot on, re: Camping. Faith is one of the beautiful aspects of religion, and yet it is also one of its greatest weaknesses, i.e., a feature so easily exploited by charlatans, false prophets, and clever con men . . . as I believe Camping fits all three.
As always, thank you for your contributions.
Cheers,
Cap
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