28 May 2018

Update no.855

Update from the Sunland
No.855
14.5.18 – 27.5.18
Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

            Tall,

 Announcement
            All good things come to an end. Apparently, this humble forum has been not so good and too slow to die.
            So I am told, I am the bully among us.  The coup de grâcecame from an “in law” family member who declared that I was a “pompous, arrogant asshole.”  I have never thought of myself in those terms nor do I want anyone to think of me in those terms.  I suppose, as fate would have things, the damage has been done and may not be recoverable; the point of no return has been crossed . . . perhaps a long time ago.  It is probably best that I keep my mouth shut, and more importantly, I should keep my opinions to myself.  Therefore, this will be the terminal edition to simply announce the end of the Update series. For all those who have contributed, thank you very much.  To all those I have offended, I offer my heartfelt, sincerest apologies; it was never my intention to offend, or to bully anyone.  My only purpose was to offer a forum for public debate about sensitive topics.  I have been resoundingly unsuccessful in that purpose.  In that, I add additional apologies for my failure. You win!  Congratulations!
            I truly thought we could discuss sensitive societal topics including the taboo social subjects—sex, politics and religion.  I have tried to do so with balance and care.  Regrettably, far too many citizens are not willing to examine their feelings, their believes, or their values, and only want to hear what agrees with their conception of things.  Further, we have apparently lost our ability to vigorously debate issues of our time.  Now, it is simply about imposing our views on all those who disagree with our image of things.
            I wrote the words above early in the week. Since then, I have also been advised to listen and not speak.  So, perhaps, I will try that before I shutdown this Blog.  As such, I will no longer proffer my opinion unless a contributor specifically asks for my opinion.  When my opinion is requested, I shall continue to endeavor mightily to be fair, reasonable and balanced.  Yet, only the reader can judge that achievement.  Also, I decided to leave my original words to convey the transition or evolution . . . all other opinions are welcome here (except mine).
Postscript:
Delay
            Afate would have it, on Monday morning, 21.May.2018, as I was going through my usual Monday morning routine of publishing the latest weekly edition of the Update, I was locked out of access to my Blog.
            It took me a week to resolve the confusion. Although I do not know precisely how things got so screwed up, but I believe I have the process sorted out now.  It appears Google now owns and operates Blogger (the host of the Blogspot domain).  They have created a maze of eMail logins. Anyway, I finally got it sorted out, so this is will be a two-week encompassing Blog edition.  For those who are regular readers and contributors, my most humble apologies for losing control and not publishing on time.  I hope and expect to return to the usual Monday morning publication deadline for at least as long as this Blog continues.

            The follow-up news items:
-- The NTSB issued preliminary findings in the Uber-pedestrian accident in Tempe, Arizona [847; 18.March.2018].  Uber began field-testing of its automated Volvo XC90 vehicles in Tempe on 21.February.2017—just over a year of successful operations.  Apparently, according to the preliminary data, the vehicle’s automation detected the pedestrian six (6) seconds prior to impact.  Further, Uber had disabled both the emergency braking feature of its automation system and the separate Volvo emergency braking system . . . reportedly because those features made the ride a little more jerky.  What all that means to me is: the vehicle, as configured, was never intended to be an autonomous driving system, which in turn means the driver was either negligent or improperly trained to operate the vehicle with that version of automation.  Six seconds is ample time to alter the intercept physics.  The system simply needed to adjust the constant bearing, decreasing range vector independent from the closing obstruction (in this case, a foolish, negligent, apparently oblivious woman).  Nonetheless, I suspected the driver, or the company, or both, may well face negligent homicide charges as a consequence of this accident.

           Yet another school shooting in this Grand Republic gives that grandeur a rather dingy tint; this time in Santa Fe High School, Santa Fe, Texas.  Per the above announcement, I shall bite my tongue and withhold my opinion.
            A friend and frequent contributor offered his perspective:
“OMG Cap, another school shooting- you Americans have to realize that you don’t have to carry weapons.  It may take some time for gun lobbyists to pass out of touch but watch your young, they will rise in numbers and determination to eventually ban all weapons in private hands.
“Cap, it has to be done, you and I have carried weapons for matters of conflict and that is where it should end.  The thought of private citizens carrying weapons shocks us people in our part of the free world.
“My views Cap-I know one shouldn’t interfere but the shooting and killing in schools sends a shiver or horror in us all.  It is up to you Americans-do something to stop this senseless killing of the blameless innocents.”
My reply:
            Another sad day in our history!  Yes, you are, of course, spot on correct. In fact, the vast majority of American citizens do not carry firearms of any type.
            What we know so far about the incident in Houston, Texas, is a disgruntled, teenage student took a shotgun and pistol from his father to execute his dastardly deed at his school.
            My generation has failed in politics and governance; we have amplified the divisions and intolerance; the BIC being the worst of my generation.  Yes, the leadership of this Grand Republic has and must pass to the next generation.  I am always optimistic of what the new generation offers the future.  The BIC is part of the problem in that he has encouraged and amplified all by himself the latent racism, sexism, misogyny, and other societal maladies.  There is more anger and people acting out on that anger.
            The last time I checked, the Motherland enjoys freedom of speech just as we do in the Colonies.  You have every right to voice your opinion.  I cannot disagree with your opinion; however, I cannot imagine the day firearms are made illegal in this country.
            As I voiced before, the issue is not firearms; it is angry citizens, especially young people, who are raised by parents without respect for other human beings (or other living creatures for that matter), or the skills to deal with anger, and their anger is not confronted, dealt with and mitigated.  These kids are angry about a lot of things, or perhaps just one thing, and the parents either raised an angry child or failed to deal with that anger. These events are very rarely spontaneous; they are planned over many days, weeks and months.  We must care more and encourage other citizens to care more about our communities to stop these angry young men before they act out.  This firearm violence is a societal problem that needs a societal solution.  Punishing 99% of our citizens for the actions of a fraction of 1% of our people does not seem like a reasonable action to me. Further, I believe it is wrong to judge an entire nation of 320M citizens for the wild, criminal actions of a very few even though their actions are horrific.
            Thank you for sharing your perspective on this important issue.

            Comments and contributions from Update no.854:
Comment to the Blog:
“Congratulations to Jack on his graduation!
“We continue to differ on the ‘one voter, one vote’ stance versus the Electoral College.  The ultimate reason for the Electoral College was to support formally under-counting slaves as humans in the 18th Century United States.  That undermines our stated ideal that ‘all men are created equal.’
“Trump's self-sabotage continues.  While the EU and Iran may be able to contain the direct fallout from the Donald withdrawing from the Iran deal, Kim Jong-un has surely noticed that Trump doesn't consider our national commitments to be final.  Kim knows as well as we do that Iran has not violated that commitment and, thus, that Trump has simply decided to dishonor the U.S.A.'s agreement.  That bodes ill for the Korea talks.
“Elon Musk at Tesla seems to be exhibiting the ‘founder’ mentality noted by students of entrepreneurial business.  That exaggerated need to control every aspect of his business and fear of someone stealing his ideas fit that model.  He seems not to realize either how business-friendly this administration is or that they are obligated to keep trade secrets.  (If they were not, we would know the components of ‘fragrance,’ which could lead to relief for asthma patients like me.)
“We mostly agree about sex education, but I disagree with your blaming approach to families.  They only have what they've been given by prior generations of their own families and by society at large.  Between the Age of Reason and at least the 1970s, variations of Christianity sounded the only dominant voices on sex, sexuality, and sex education in our part of the world.  The parents of each succeeding generation had no chance to understand those issues for themselves and were discouraged from discussing anything about sex even among themselves.  Dissenting voices always found some small audiences, but not enough to overcome the moral thunder from Catholic and Protestant churches.  We're not really over that yet.”
My response to the Blog:
            You have been my most consistent contributor, and for that I remain enormously grateful.  I owe you a personal notice and explanation.  I will respond to your contribution, as I have done with all your contributions.  I owe you the respect due your contributions.  This is to say, this week’s Update will be the last. It will include our exchange, as it should, and a simple announcement that no.855 is the last edition of the Update.  I stand accused of bullying other contributors, and that is not what I want.  I have other things I would rather be writing.  So, that said, please allow me to respond to your contribution.  We can continue our exchanges for as long as you find any value in my opinions.
            Thank you for your kind words to Jack.
            We are home, now.
            I respect your opinion regarding the Electoral College.  I will only offer one last perspective.  Our Founders / Framers feared many human frailties, which from my perspective, is one of many reasons they created a system of governance based on checks and balances that avoided simple majority rule.  What the National Popular Vote states are doing is legal and proper, although I thought by now someone would challenge the constitutionality before the Supreme Court.  I suppose the Neanderthals, like me, see the movement as an abdication of state’s rights and further erosion of those protections, and have not seen them as a serious threat.  The Powers That Be may take a different view as the movement gets closer to the threshold 270 votes.  I assume the movement will achieve that objectives in time, which then means the states will be rendered irrelevant with respect to presidential elections. Majority rule is a double-edged sword that cuts both ways.
            You are spot on correct.  Just today, Kim threatened to pull out of the summit because of continued U.S. military operations on the Korean peninsula. However, I suspect it is far more likely to be due to the BIC’s IRI action.  Kim is neither stupid nor blind.
            I share your opinion re: Elon Musk. It may well be his undoing.
            I like your insight into the basis of this sensitive topic.  I find myself in agreement.  There are no simple reasons for parents to be so bloody afraid of teaching their children about the biology of sex, the pleasures of the flesh, and multi-dimensional elements of human sexuality.  The dominance of ignorance is slowly and assuredly being eroded to allow the light in; we are part of the process of enlightenment.
 . . . Round two:
“I regret the ending of this blog.  It’s the only forum I know that gives me a chance of reasoned discourse about important issues.  That is important to me, and I thank you for your hard work and patience in bringing it this far.
“This morning, I have thought of beginning something like this myself.  I don’t know that I have the technical skills or the health to do that.  The reason I didn’t answer your original posting promptly, as usual, is health.  However, I think I can write a column a week and respond to a reasonable level of comments.  If I stick to basics, I can reasonably hope to learn the technical operations, too.  We shall see. I would not be as kind to the trolls as you are, but I don’t know if I could build an audience.
“I never thought well of the Electoral College.  I was less aware when I first read the Constitution that the Founders were part of the elite of colonial society when they wrote that clause, but it was clear that they mistrusted the voters.  (I became aware of other factors later, but that mistrust is certainly one.)  Their mistrust was misplaced.  The Electoral College has produced Trump’s election and other less-than-successful Presidencies as well.  Election by a simple majority would have prevented them.  Even more important, for me, is the simple statement that ‘all men are created equal.’  [Women, too, obviously.]
“North Korea’s Kim this morning revealed his real concern in the talks (other than Trump’s character), and, to nobody’s surprise, that is unilateral disarmament.  Duh.  Anyone who thought he would give up his most powerful weapons without 100% assurance he would not need them was deluding himself.”
 . . . my response to round two:
            All good things come to an end.  I knew from the beginning that it would last only as long as the positives outweighed the negatives.  When friends and family members began accusing me of being a bully, the negatives exceeded the positives.  I would rather use the time I devoted to collecting information for the Blog to focusing on my book writing.  Apparently, I was not so kind to the trolls.  I could not print some of the comments—very hurtful.
            Not to worry.  We can continue our exchanges as long as you find value. I have always enjoyed our intellectual intercourse.  So, as long as you are game, let’s press on.
            Doing a Blog is not difficult—just takes time. Blogspot, the host of my Blog, has a step-by-step guide to walk you through it.  Give it a look-see.
            Yes, the Founders / Framers were qualified voters, i.e., adult, male, Caucasian, wealthy, educated landowners—that made them the elite of their day.  The rules codified in the Constitution reflect distrust of even their own. Further, at the time of the Founding, the states were the dominant governance entities, not the federal government, thus in that day most of the power rested with the states, and even at that power only rested with educated, male landowners.
            Trump was elected not by the Electoral College, but rather by the Clinton campaigns failure to respect the rules of the Electoral College.  The rules have remained the same for 230 years.  You would think a political animal like Hillary Clinton would have understood and operated to the rules far better than Trump.  Alas, that was not the case.  It was almost like she intentionally wanted to press the national popular vote versus the Electoral College issue rather than win the presidency.  Regardless, it is history now.
            Yeah, I saw that.  I suspect the BIC’s rejection of the JCPA along with the knowledge of the fate of Libya & Iraq had far more impact on Kim than any military operations in the region. We shall see whether the summit even happens, or whether the BIC can negotiate some mutually acceptable solution.
 . . . Round three:
“My family and friends know my politics.  I don't get much feedback from them on that, but I don't talk to them much about the topic.  We know very well that we disagree, or used to.  Those I occasionally talk to about politics seem to have moved closer to my positions over the years, but I make no effort to discuss it with people to whom I have permanent emotional connections and serious differences.  None of us is prone to persuasion.
“Actually originating a blog is so easy that I've done it by accident.  I have one on Wordpress and I suspect there's at least one more than I've forgotten somewhere.  Writing and editing come easily to me, too.  Building the blog into a public voice is another matter. Actually blogging, to me, would involve a flow of dialog with an audience.  Our one-on-one conversation requires neither the discipline nor the time that researching and writing a legitimate soapbox journal would consume.  On the other hand, the time might be right for a clear, mostly progressive voice.
“Your comment about Hillary being defeated by the rules of the Electoral College rather than the College itself strikes me as a quibble.  Trump succeeded by appealing to a minority of the lowest common denominator of the electorate, exactly the outcome the founders sought to avoid.  Of course, his advisors were aware of the easy Electoral College votes they could find by using racism and other fears in strategic states.  I have no attachment to Hillary or the corrupt centrists that presented her as their candidate, and I agree that her strategy failed.  My assumption is that her reliance on national and negative marketing was her primary failure.  The standard messaging of, ‘I'm not as much of an asshole’ has worn thin.
“John Bolton made a major communication error even mentioning Libya, much less in a positive tone.  He placed Kim in the position of Ghadaffi, who lost his country and his life after negotiating with the United States.  That will almost certainly doom the negotiations with North Korea.  Even without Trump's abandonment of the Iran deal, bringing up Libya was just plain stupid.”
  . . . my response to round three:
            You are in a far better position than me. In my case, it is in-laws, who are only occasional readers and even more rarely contributors.  You have read many of those who have complained about my opinions.  I suppose I am just tired.  I readily apologize for my mistakes.  I refuse to apologize for my intellect.
            When my Blog became more than just a family newsletter, I envisioned a forum for vigorous debate on contemporary issues. I expected disagreement, indeed argument.  I did not foresee such extreme calcification or the intolerance of diversity.  Far too many of us have lost our humanity and lost touch with the root foundation principles of this Grand Republic.   When my own extended family accused me of being a “pompous, arrogant asshole,” I had had enough.  I’m very tired of the division the BIC has amplified in this country, all in the name of “Making America Great Again.”  What is the URL for your Blog?
            No, “Hillary being defeated by the rules of the Electoral College” is not what I said or implied.  Rules do not defeat anyone, especially rules that have been in place, known, understood and lived by for 230 years.  She defeated herself . . . perhaps, she believed the rules did not apply to her; perhaps, she believed the polls that she overwhelmed the other guy in the popular vote; or perhaps, she just ignored the rules. That is not the rules defeating her; that is her defeating herself in my book.  Your assessment of Hillary may well be correct.
            Personally, I think Bolton’s public statement was calculated, intentional and by design.  Just the next day, the BIC was on camera with Bolton standing stone-faced behind him and directly contradicted Bolton . . . not a little, but directly and definitively.  Perhaps, it was a crude attempt to put Kim back on his heels.  Perhaps, it was a staged photo-op to make the BIC look like a tough-guy and even-keeled at the same time.  Perhaps, it was an effort to make Kim call off the deal to save face for the BIC.
 . . . Round four:
“Here is the link to the current blog:
As you will see, it's sporadic and personal.  I went to Blogspot last night and found two old blogs there, neither of which I want to continue as a political/current events forum.  I was very tired by the time I did that, and I could not come up with a new name that had not been taken.
“I'll keep you posted on any relevant information about my potential move. I have not made any decisions at all about that so far.”
 . . . my response to round four:
            OK; I’ve tried everything I can think of, to no avail.  I’ve also tried to back into yr Blog through worldpress.com, again, without success.  Not sure what the problem is.
            Yes, please, keep me posted.
 . . . Round five:
“Hmmm. Maybe foothillbilly.wordpress.com would work.”
 . . . my response to round five:
That worked. Thx.

            Mvery best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap                        :-)