Update from the
Heartland
No.613
9.9.13 – 15.9.13
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
The follow-up news items:
-- On 10.September.2013, President Obama spoke to the
citizens of this Grand Republic regarding the situation in Syria and
specifically the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons in a suburb of Damascus. His speech was not one of his best; he
seemed very tired and not on his game.
The Russian initiative to coax the Syrians to relinquish all of their
chemical weapons for destruction fundamentally altered the calculus regarding
international reaction to the al-Assad regime’s use of sarin gas [611, 612]. With Putin’s
initiative, Congress suspended consideration of S.J. RES. 21 – “Authorization
for the Use of Military Force Against the Government of Syria to Respond to Use
of Chemical Weapons.” The UN is
scheduled to release its inspection findings report early next week. Secretary of State Kerry apparently
reached a deal with Foreign Minister Lavrov on how to proceed with the
neutralization of Syria’s chemical weapons. Personally, I think the President should have pressed
Congress for the authorization as a tool in the unfolding events. If Congress refused, then the American
People would have spoken – we do not care. If the Russian initiative works, I will be the first to
congratulate President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov. Diplomacy is far better than the use of
military force, only if it is successful.
We shall see how this plays out, now.
In Update no.610, I illuminated the
intention of Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Thomas “Ken” Cuccinelli [610] to appeal the 4th
Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in the case of MacDonald v. Moose [4CCA
no. 11–7427 (2013)]. The
three-judge panel invalidated the Virginia statute [Va.Code §18.2–361(A)] as an
unconstitutional violation of MacDonald’s Due Process rights under the 14th
Amendment.
On
the evening of 23.September.2004, William Scott MacDonald, 47, telephoned
Amanda Johnson, 17, whom he met through a mutual acquaintance. MacDonald and Johnson arranged to meet
at the Home Depot parking lot in Colonial Heights, Virginia. When they arrived
at the parking lot, MacDonald got into Johnson's vehicle and they drove to the
nearby home of Johnson's grandmother.
MacDonald asked her to fellate him and suggested that they have sex in a
shed in the backyard. Johnson
declined both proposals; no physical contact occurred. Johnson drove MacDonald back to the
Home Depot parking lot. Oddly, MacDonald
was arrested on 25.January.2005 – four month later. He was prosecuted in the
Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of Colonial Heights. After a bench trial, MacDonald was
convicted on 2.August.2005, of the misdemeanor offense of contributing to the
delinquency of a minor and the felony offense of solicitation to commit a
felony, namely sodomy.
Sodomy
is defined as any penetration other than vaginal, or in the words of the
Virginia statute [Va.Code §18.2–361(A)], “‘carnal knowledge’ by one person of
another by the anus or mouth” – a felony.
Sodomy may be a sin against God, but that is between the individuals
involved and God, isn’t it! The
law has no place in such private matters.
I can understand and appreciate the objection to such acts by many,
perhaps even most, citizens of this Grand Republic; yet, again, that is a
personal, private choice, and not a matter of State interest. As such, all
sodomy laws in any form should be voided as soon as possible as an
inappropriate exceedance of State authority.
The
issue in this case may have been MacDonald’s conduct with what the state
considered a minor child, but even on that point, I must question that
element. There are many elements
to this case that trigger my suspicion and doubt. The prosecution of MacDonald reeks of selective, arbitrary
and punitive prosecution, i.e., using the law because he offended the
prosecutor’s personal morality.
This case stinks in more ways than one. Nonetheless, I expect the Supremes will reject the appeal,
leaving the 4th Circuit decision standing. Sodomy laws have no place in law within a free society, and
they are all unconstitutional.
Government must be removed from our private lives and affairs.
Another news item further accentuate the consequences
of moral projection in a free society.
“U.S. forces cracking down on human trafficking in Korea”
by Brian Everstine
Marine Corps Times
Published: Sep. 6, 2013 - 06:00AM
Again, I understand the concerns of military commanders for
good order and discipline. I also
understand the moral objection of senior commanders in South Korea, or anywhere
for that matter. Using this tool –
because we can – is not the way to handle a natural phenomenon that has existed
for millennia. Human trafficking
is wrong at all levels; there will never be a justification or rationale for
the disgusting process. However, I
argue that legalization and regulation can be a far more effective means of
dealing with that terrible side of prostitution. Human trafficking flourishes because it is illegal and as a
consequence there is a lot of money to be made by the smugglers and traffickers. The root activity is a private matter
between consenting adults . . . well, rather it should be, a simple business
transaction for services rendered.
Prohibition is rarely a productive endeavor in a free society. Let us focus on the root cause rather
than the obvious symptoms. We
really need to grow up about sex.
I’m just sayin’.
Comments
and contributions from Update no.612:
“I respectfully and predictably disagree with your typically
loyal endorsement of whatever Obama chooses to do about Syria. Please admit that not once, not even
once, have the loyalists on his cabinet or in the DOD or anywhere else dared to
even claim that there is any direct irrefutable evidence of who is responsible
for the tragic gassing of Syrians.
The entire message is ‘Oh, this is horrible and we must not stand for
it, so we must punish Assad or loose our credibility...’ Of all the pros and cons concerning the
risk of military action, none is a convincing argument for military action at
this time because the downsides of inaction are no worse than and are much much
safer than action. For once I
agree with Putin: until we can
prove who is responsible for this outrage, we should not attack anyone. Meanwhile, as my earlier responses to
your eridite Updates have implied, I say beg the Arabs to save the Arabs and
promise them with fingers crossed years of more oil purchases in return.”
My response:
I
suppose in a snapshot of my opinions it may appear to be a “typically loyal
endorsement of whatever.” I do
believe if you went back to my Update opinions during the previous
administration (Bush 43), you would find quite similar opinions. I remain critical of every President
and every politician or leader, yet I believe those who hold high office
deserve deference and respect.
Re:
there is no “direct irrefutable evidence of who is responsible.” Agreed . . . just as there was no such
evidence against Saddam Hussein, or even Adolf Hitler, for that matter. The reality is, these guys are clever enough
to not put their fingers on the trigger and keep sufficient distance for
plausible deniability. I would
further say the likes of Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei are quite adept at
encouraging surrogates and surrogates of surrogates to do their bidding. To my knowledge, none of these men ever
killed a person themselves, and I am certain Bashar al-Assad fits nicely in
that group.
We
have numerous instances in our lifetime where atrocities have been committed,
e.g., Ruwanda, Kosovo, Sudan, et al ad infinitum. It is easy to take the isolationist perspective . . . not my
dog. The challenge is always,
where do we draw the line? How
long do we tolerate massacres, slaughter and genocide? I am a former warrior who believes the
military must be the choice of last resort. This instance is no different
Re:
“erudite Updates.” Thank you for
the compliment; I do try to be thorough.
Comment to the Blog:
“The evidence shows, or seems to show, that sarin gas has
been used in Syria. All sides claim to have evidence about who used it, but
nobody has actually produced such evidence. The entire civil war might well go
unnoticed here but for the important oil pipeline that crosses Syria for the
export of oil from Iraq.
“Your statement that, ‘The last time the United States used
its power for questionable purposes was the Spanish-American War (1893)’ takes
my breath away. You exclude the Cold War, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Chile, Iraq and
Pakistan along with sundry smaller actions. Grenada is a minor example.
“At what point did we acquire the moral authority to punish
or discipline other nations? If we have such a thing we need to rid ourselves
of it as soon as possible. It costs us too much in money, lives and prestige.”
My reply to the Blog:
Re:
Sarin. The chemical is
comparatively easy to manufacture, not so easy to store, transport and deploy
safely. Nonetheless, other
terrorist groups managed to overcome the difficulties, e.g., Aum Shinrikyo
(20.March.1995). Saddam Hussein
used Sarin with devastating results (16.March.1988). I have no doubt al-Qa’ida has the capability to produce
Sarin. Yet, of all the players in
Syria, the government is the only group that holds stockpiles of the chemical
agent. They are the most likely
culprits. I choose to trust the
government as they have access to intelligence we do not and should not see for
20-50 years. We must trust the
people we elect to those positions with such monumental decisions.
I
must draw attention to your typo – the Spanish-American War began in 1898 vice
1893. The last time we fought a
war for territorial gain was 1898.
None of the examples you offered had territorial gain, not even World
War II. We can argue the political
motives in any of your examples.
If you wish to debate those political motives, pick one and let’s get it
on.
Re:
“moral authority.” Good
point. We do not. Nonetheless, there is a line out there
somewhere. We could use the Catherine
Susan ‘Kitty’ Genovese tragedy (13.April.1964) on the international stage as a
worthy example. Do we simply
observe murder and say, not my dog?
Life
is full of hard choices. All of us
must choose when presented with an immoral event.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
I believe the people have pretty much already spoken on the Syria issue. It would be convenient to formalize our refusal to go to war, but better to wait until the negotiations end and the process is underway. The fact is, we care about people worldwide but recognize the need to deal with our own issues first. In addition, rhetoric aside, nobody has shown who used that sarin gas.
I thoroughly agree with you on the Virginia sodomy statute or any similar measure. Anyone who claims this is a free country when someone can poke their nose into my bedroom is not paying attention. The case smells like nonsense. I expect that you are aware that Attorney General Cuccinelli is running for governor. More than likely, he will use this case to court the votes of the less rational.
In a more thoughtful world, the US brass in South Korea would recognize the failure of punitive measures in addressing prostitution and human trafficking. The legitimate issue of human trafficking could be far better addressed by your suggestion of legalization and regulation. If prostitutes were required to register and show ID, that might just end human trafficking for the most part.
Your post for last week did not refer to territorial gain, which is outdated in any case. You referred to abusing our authority. We have abused power in those places I mentioned for control of governments and, thus, of natural and human resources. Territorial gain is long out of fashion as a way to enrich the home country.
I remember the Kitty Genovese case well enough. The outrage was over bystanders not interfering in a murder. In the case of Syria, we don’t know who is doing the killing, or rather who is using which weapons. Beyond that, we have attempted to be the world’s policeman (usually for corporate profit) for far too long. It’s time to let someone else or better yet a group of nations take over the losses of money and lives that we as a people have suffered since World War II and let the corporations making the profits take care of themselves.
Calvin,
Re: Syria. The techniques of obfuscation and procrastination are chronicled quite well in history – Hitler said he came in peace and just wanted this one more little sliver of land with ethnic Germans taken from him by that damnable treaty, or the ayatollahs of the IRI, or grand dear leader umpa-lumpa in the DPRK. You are correct. We have no proof beyond a reasonable doubt who pressed the button to fire those sarin laden rockets into the Damascus neighborhood. The details in the UN report leaves very little doubt, but still does not unequivocally link those rockets to Bashar al-Assad’s finger pressing that launch button. Hitler never visited Auschwitz, but is there any doubt who is responsible for releasing Xyklon B into those “shower” rooms? To me, there is very little doubt who pushed the button. Nonetheless, as you say, We, the People, have spoken . . . we don’t care. Oh well, such is life . . . and so it goes.
Re: Cuccinelli. Yes, quite aware. The more we can illuminate the moral projectionists among us, the more quickly we can return to the freedom we expect.
Re: prostitution. My opinion as well. Prohibition in a free society will never work. Legalization after prohibition is almost as wrong as the original wrong. Regulation is necessary and required to protect providers and customers, and exclude the criminal element – the consequences of legalization without regulation appear to be unfolding in Colorado. As you note, licensing of practitioners is mandatory for a host of reasons, including the one you suggested.
Re: standing by. Her problem. Their problem. Not my dog. So it shall be.
“That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”
Cheers,
Cap
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