Update no.959

Update from the Sunland

No.959

25.5.20 – 31.5.20

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

            To all,

            Big, bold kudos to NASA and SpaceX for their successful launching of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop of a Falcon 9 rocket at 12:22 MST, Saturday, 30.May.2020, with NASA Astronaut Colonel Douglas Gerald ‘Doug’ “Chunks’ Hurley, USMC, and NASA Astronaut Colonel Robert Louis ‘Bob’ Behnken, USAF, on board.  It was a picture-perfect launch—magnificent to watch.  The SpaceX launch procedures and sequencing seem far more streamlined than the NASA procedures back in the Saturn V and space shuttle days.  They had to scrub the original Wednesday launch due to inadequate weather for launch.

             Someone so eloquently and poignantly said, “Congratulations to the astronauts who left Earth today.  Good choice!”  Ah yes, these are the times in which we live.  Leave all this chaos behind.

            I also watched the successful docking of the Dragon spacecraft at the International Space Station (ISS) at 07:16 MST, Sunday, 31.May, over the border of Mongolia and the PRC.  This is the first manned commercial spacecraft to dock with the ISS.  A new era has begun.  Now, we await their safe return.

            The Crew Dragon and its crew are prepared to stay in orbit for up to 110 days.  The exact date-time for their return to earth has not yet been set—a bit odd, but that is what they tell us.

            On Monday, 25.May.2020, George Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  His death was not isolated and perhaps not even unique.  He was an American citizen with dark skin pigmentation—AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.  He was pulled over as a suspect in passing a counterfeit US$20 bill at a Cup Foods store for a pack of cigarettes.  Mister Floyd was hauled out of his automobile under the barrel of a drawn pistol, handcuffed behind his back, and subdued by four uniformed Minneapolis Police officers.  George Floyd died in custody. Once Floyd was handcuffed and restrained, those officers were responsible for his safety.  Those four officers failed to perform their duty.  Yet, the icon for this tragic event was the photograph of Officer Derek Chauvin with his left knee on Mister Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.  But even that was not the worst of it.  Chauvin’s casual attitude and the smirk on his face are what really marks the difference with this event.  Chauvin displayed not one twit of concern for the life of George Floyd.  It only takes one bad cop to ignite the fires of anarchy.  Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter; the other three involved officers have been fired from the police force but not yet charged (as of this writing).

            Anarchists and the anarchistic element in our society do not care a twit about political parties, political ideology, or even the cause of protests or civil unrest.  They use any and every event instigated by any source to tear down civil society.  They burn, they loot, they cause destruction to anything and everything they can under the cover of legitimate protesters.  We have seen the process, over and over, worldwide in any place at any time they can find a crowd of people to cover their criminal activities.  The list is long but not exhaustive: Los Angeles [11.8.1965]; Detroit [23.7.1967]; London [17.3.1968]; Washington, DC [4.4.1968]; Chicago [24.9.1969]; San Francisco [21.5.1979]; Miami [17.12.1979]; Brixton [11.4.1981]; Brussels [29.5.1985]; Miami [16.1.1989]; Los Angeles [29.4.1992]; Seattle [30.11.1999]; Genoa [20.7.2001]; Toronto [18.6.2010]; Toledo [15.10.2005], Kiev [18.2.2014]; Ferguson [10.8.2014]; Garmisch-Partenkirchen [6.6.2015]; Charlottesville [11.8.2017]; Bayonne [24.8.2019].  Now, we must add another city to this infamous list: Minneapolis [29.5.2020]. This is not a new phenomenon.

            Let us NOT condemn legitimate protesters exercising their constitutional rights to public assembly and freedom of speech.  Molotov cocktails, injury, destruction, and looting are NOT proper tools of protest; they are the instruments of terror, the tools of anarchists who seek chaos.  According to Governor Timothy James ‘Tim’ Walz, the majority of the people arrested in Minneapolis were from out of state; they were not protesters.

            I use this moment to remind everyone that there are bad men in all professions, doctors, lawyers, pilots, and yes in law enforcement.  We must not condemn all of law enforcement for the criminal actions of a very few among them.  Those who watched Chauvin kill George Floyd and did not intervene are accomplices to the murder.  They should be justly tried, convicted, and punished at the high end of the range for such crimes.  They abused their authority and that abuse threatens us all.

            The death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis Police sparked protests nationwide.  And as it so often the case, the gathering of protestors attracted the anarchists among us turning a peaceful protest into outright riots.  It is in times like these that I am reminded Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s immortal words from his “The Other America” speech at Stanford University on 14.April.1967.  “In the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear?”  It is the salient question: what is it that We, the People, are failing to hear?  Yet, beyond the intellectual conundrum surrounding us, the legitimate protests against injustice become overshadowed and lost when the first rock is thrown, the first window broken, or the first item stolen.  Protesters must learn to help police find and arrest the criminal element that use their proper, constitutional right to assembly and protest as a shield and smokescreen for their criminal conduct.

            Once more, the tribal divisions in this once grand republic have been brought into sharp focus—our tribe is the victim; their tribe is doing all of this.  We must find the strength to reject tribalism.

            The House passed the fourth of the coronavirus recession/depression stimulus measures—The Heroes Act [H.R.6800] [House: 208-199-0-23(5)].  Of course, Mitch McConnell publicly implied he’ll get to it with he is ready.  This is the power of just one man in a very influential position.  Instead of being about what can best serves We, the People, it is all about what best serves his tribe—F**K the rest of ‘em.  These are the times in which we live.

            Of course, what would contemporary life be without the BIC’s relentless and incessant tweets?  Some of this week’s allotment have heralded a whole new dimension.  On Tuesday, the BIC tweeted:

There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed. The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone.....

Get the facts about mail-in ballots

5:17 AM · May 26, 2020

Part Two:

....living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one. That will be followed up with professionals telling all of these people, many of whom have never even thought of voting before, how, and for whom, to vote. This will be a Rigged Election. No way!

Get the facts about mail-in ballots

5:17 AM · May 26, 2020

Of particular interest in this set is the blue alert notes added by Twitter to notify readers that potentially incorrect, false, or misleading statements were contained in those tweets, and the reader should beware.  Sadly, a version of this alert message should have been added to so bloody many of the BIC’s tweets over the last 3.5. years, as faithfully chronicled in this humble forum.  The BIC is doing exactly what he did in 2016; he claims everything is rigged against him to gird against his anticipated defeat in the upcoming election.  He undoubtedly feels the same pressure today, so he is trying to convince his loyal followers to trust no one and nothing other than him—only he knows.  Twitter was simply alerting readers to do their own separate research; the BIC’s tweets are not reliable.

            The second set has proven more problematic and came as the BIC’s public statement regarding the riots exploding across the country after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis Police officers.

I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.....

9:53 PM · May 28, 2020

Part Two came in the form of the Twitter blue warning message that overwrote the second part of the BIC’s message because it contained a statement encouraging violence as the answer.  This time, the BIC had gone too far.  I have placed the BIC’s original second part of his tweet in brackets to signify the reality that part of this tweet did not appear.  The reader had to select ‘read the original.’

This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible. Learn more

[....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!

9:53 PM · May 28, 2020]

The BIC conjured up the exact words Miami Police Chief Walter E. Headley, Jr., from 1967.  The phrase, like so many others, has become a dog whistle for white supremacists and segregationists still among us.  When confronted by the reality of his words, the BIC claimed he was not aware of the historic significance.  One thing he did not do was apologize for his poor choice of words.  He likes to play the tough guy, but he is a freakin’ coward.

            On the very same day as the above dust-up, the BIC issued an executive order titled: “Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship.”  Perhaps understandably, but sadly, this executive order reads like a campaign document not a necessary order by the chief executive of a republic of 330 million people.  He actually cites his personal grievances from the political domain.  Beyond his using of the office entrusted to him for personal gain, the BIC sought to override established law, i.e., his singular ill-advised reactive retribution attempting to negate a law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton.  This executive order will not withstand judicial scrutiny.  Now, we just need to wait for some one or some group with standing to challenge the BIC’s executive order.

            The operative portion of this executive order seeks to negate §230(c) of Title 47 of the U.S. Code, created by the Communications Decency Act of 1996 {Telecommunications Act of 1996 [PL 104-104; 110 Stat. 56], Title V, Subtitle A, §509 that created §230 as an amendment to the Communications Act of 1934 [PL 73-II-416; 48 Stat. 1064]}.  The precise words of §230(c) the BIC challenges are: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”  The BIC seeks to take punitive action against the entire industry because Twitter had the audacity to place an alert on his tweets.  If anyone wanted a graphic definition of small-minded-ness, this is a very good candidate.

            The BIC’s apparent vision of leadership is ‘I’m always correct.  Everyone else is wrong.  Do what I say, not what I do.  I never apologize because I’m never wrong.  I’m the closest to God on earth that has ever existed.  I’m more famous and powerful than Jesus of Nazereth.’  Of all the bona fide leaders I have studied or watched over the years, the BIC displays none of their common traits.  He apparently believes he is a leader because he holds a powerful office and has an impressive title; neither of those define or establish a leader.  If he was just a ‘John Q. Citizen,’ I would declare that the BIC is the antithesis of any form of leadership I have ever known.  Yet that observation does not matter a hoot.  The consumers of the BIC’s magic snake-oil elixir will undoubtedly shout, ‘Of course he doesn’t display your so-called leadership traits.  He is a new kind of leader.  That’s why we elected him.’  Well, there is always that argument.  We are going to see much more desperation from this man and his tribe.

            One last observation: it seems to me that the BIC’s tweets at times like these are quite akin to Emperor Nero fiddling as Rome burned around him.

            On Friday, the Supremes denied the appeal of the plaintiff in the case of South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom [590 U. S. ____ (2020); No. 19A1044], upholding the lower court rulings.  The denial came as a summary judgment by a very thin 5-4 majority with the chief justice siding with the liberal wing of the court.  As could be anticipated, the tribe of the right wing immediately accused the chief justice of being a “traitor”—a traitor!  I can only surmise that the frame of reference for the accusation is the tribe, certainly not this once grand republic; he betrayed the tribe.

            The Supremes denied the appeal on the judgment of the majority that the state possessed the authority to impose upon churches and more broadly religious gathering.  The chief justice rightly cited the authority of the state to establish and enforce criteria for public safety.  The state, in the persona of the governor, placed religious gatherings in the category of concerts, lectures, sports events, and such.  The plaintiff’s claim they should have been in the category of barbers and nail salons.  As the chief justice appropriately wrote, the state is within its authority “while local officials are actively shaping their response to changing facts on the ground.”  Oddly, Justice Kavanaugh, writing for the minority, seeks to place religious gatherings above the authority of the state via a very liberal interpretation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.  This little denial brings the court’s political divisions into very sharp focus.

            I will also offer an applicable side note: this one, single ruling displays the gargantuan impact of Mitch McConnell’s defiance of the Constitution and stonewalling of President Obama’s constitutional rights, and the BIC’s mindless acquiescence to the right-wing’s sense of proper judicial conduct.  Justice Kavanaugh’s dissenting opinion speaks volumes and portends events to come.  The consequences of the BIC’s administration are going to be felt for many years, far beyond his presidency.  This is what a willful minority has wrought upon We, the People.  What happens this coming November depends upon everyone voting, regardless of the obstacles imposed by the agents of that willful minority.  What happens next is up to We, the People.  VOTE!

            Comments and contributions from Update no.958:

“A few random brain waves on a rainy Memorial Day . . . (by the way – I see where Phoenix is supposed to average 107 this week – is your palatial estate far enough removed from the city to make it tolerable?)

“Your blog stimulated a few thoughts:

·      Your stable of adjectives for the President is spot on, but not near exhaustive enough – “petulant”, “narcissistic”, “childish”, “ignorant” – the list is endless.

·      My theory on mask wearing is he is so self-absorbed he wants to project the fact that he is super-human and wearing one would expose him as a mere mortal.  Actually, people I have known who have been characterized as arrogant, cocky, etc. – are really entrenched in deep feelings of inferiority and their actions are the way they try to hide that – never being able to deal with truths or ever admit they have ever been wrong about anything.  Humility is a trait of great leaders, no matter the field of competition or landscape.

·      I thought the criticism by the Attorney General of Michigan was precise and surgical – no emotion, just facts and real human dynamics – way too much for Trump to process or handle.

·      I always thought if we ever reached anarchy in the streets it would be heavily racially induced – but, the fact that we are at a tipping point of unprovoked violence by such a simple thing as wanting to protect ourselves yet being castigated as political/tyrannical operatives is frightening.  Although a reflection of our cultural demise where there is no room for any beliefs but your own, the fact that people are now being attacked because if you wear a mask you are “disrespecting me and calling me out” and therefore I will kill you is almost beyond comprehension.  So sad.

·      The politicization of the Covid response and the fact that it has exceeded Trump’s 5-minute attention span and he is ready to move on spells great trouble for the country, I believe.  We shall see – the herd immunity theory will soon be tested and likely validated with great loss.

“I was amused by your snake oil analogy.  There is a 1920’s home in Abilene, KS known as “The Seelye Mansion and Patent Medicine Museum” which was the home and laboratory of a physician who was genuinely interested in medicines to improve life’s conditions at the time – Dr. Seelye.  He actually invented the formula for what would become Mentholatum and sold it to a pharmaceutical company which made it famous.  But, as an inventor, his real fame came from creating an elixir/tonic in his laboratory at the house which was sold by travelling salesmen in horse-drawn wagons.  It was sold as a cure-all for whatever ails you and reached great commercial success – to the tune he became a millionaire even in the 20’s.  The humorous side of this is the content was over 16% alcohol!  So, I picture when the salesman came to town, all the tea-totaling Grannies would send the kids out to buy that potion because ‘it sure makes my pains go away.’  Ironically, the good doctor really thought he was providing a medical need, but he was also a shrewd businessman.  It turns out his cost to make the elixir was 5 cents a bottle and he sold it for $1.00! not a bad margin, eh?  The rest of the family history is quite colorful, heavily influenced by his society/status addicted wife.  But, I will leave that for another time.  Just proof that if you service a need, people will pay for the product or service.”

My reply:

            I had not heard of Dr. Seelye’s elixir.  At least it has some value contrary to the BIC’s magic snake-oil elixir.  Worst of all, the placebo effect has affected 62M good American citizens—nothing quite like the power of suggestion.  Thank you for that little factoid.

            For clarity, henceforth, I’m no longer able to utter his name.  I refer to him as who he has consistently demonstrated himself to be—Bully-in-Chief (BIC).  I do occasionally refer to him as the Oh So Great Orange One (OSGOO).  Yes, he was duly elected by the constitutionally established process to be our chief employee.  However, he has consistently, persistently, and incessantly failed to demonstrate even a modicum of respect for the office he was elected to hold for We, the People.  I say that just so there is no doubt about my perspective.

            IMHO, Churchill was about as close to perfect as a national leader as recent history has recorded.  Roosevelt was a close second.  Yet, they were both deeply flawed men with serious detractors.  Biden is not and never will be in their league.  He is not perfect, either.  He has plenty to be critical of as a person.  To me, the BIC is the near perfect antithesis of leadership.  The traits common to good & accomplished leaders are devoid in the BIC.  Biden at least displays some of those positive traits—humility, compassion, curiosity, and desire to learn.  None of those are present in the BIC.  The best, most descriptive term for his demonstrated traits I have found is malignant narcissism.  Our vote this coming November will not be for the perfect candidate; it will be for the best of the choices we have.  There is zero doubt that any candidate would be better than the BIC.  I’ve seen the destruction the BIC’s personality flaws inflict on people & organizations—six (6) freakin’ bankruptcies; what’s wrong with that picture?  He has stayed true to that observation.  Thus, I plan to vote for the best of the candidates on the ballot.

            Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the Blog.  I’ll offer my comments on each point.

1.  Oh, I quite agree—the list is endless.  He adds more virtually every day.

2.  Yeah, I summarize his arrogance regarding the basic measures of respect for other human beings as the machismo thing.  The issue has become an indication of his manhood.  I do believe the BIC has suffered from an acute manifestation of inferiority complex imparted upon him by his authoritarian father.  Everything he does is meant to bolster his self-image.  His lifeblood is praise, adoration, and reinforcement of his perceived greatness.  His severe case of malignant narcissism is made far worse by the trappings of the office he was hired to hold.  What the BIC has failed to recognize is the facemask is respect for others, not to protect him.

3.  I absolutely agree re: Attorney General Dana Nessel of Michigan.  I suspect we are going to see more of her.

4.  I call the phenomenon tribalism.  My tribe is correct; everyone else is wrong, and thus bad and the enemy.  If we do not overcome this rift, it will be the destruction of this once grand republic.  I do not want to see it, but I’m afraid we’ve seen the early signs.  The minority is so desperate to hold onto power, they are prepared to burn down the house to deny it to anyone else.  To me, it is the definition of domestic treason.  The BIC has dramatically amplified the rift.  He’s made no attempt whatsoever to repair the division; he has encouraged it—just part of the destruction of his malignant narcissism (Nero fiddling as Rome burned).

5.  IMHO, you’ve given the BIC far too much credit; I think his attention span is far less than five minutes.  He refuses to learn.  He denied COVID19 was a matter of concern for 70 precious days.  Now, he wants us to sing his praises for what he thinks he has done.  He categorically refuses to lead the country, because he is afraid to be judged wanting.  He has pitted the states against each other and is still doing it today.  Now, his conduct is encouraging others to defy the guidelines.  I listened to a young person on the beach at Daytona actually say, “He doesn’t wear a mask, why should I?”  I doubt a million deaths would shake his malignant narcissism; no matter what, it will be someone else’s fault, not his.  We have but to look at the data to see his failure—100,000 dead.  We had a very narrow shot at containment, but that moment was squandered by his ignorance and denials.  He did not cause the virus, but he gets no pass in his failure to deal with it properly.

Another contribution:

“Thanks Cap-I have had some aches and pains lately I just wondered if I could order a case of BIC snake oil, I’ll pay postage.”

My reply:

            LOL.  I’m sure the BIC would appreciate another sale.  Like the BIC says, “What have you got to lose?”  Before you do, would you be so kind to put me in your will?  Enjoy.  ;-)

 . . . a follow-up comment:

“News of the riots in your USA are currently dominating our news, and rightly so. This is a dreadful situation which will take strong, firm and understanding leadership to resolve. The question remains-do you have those in power capable of handling this in the delicate but firm manner it will require..? I certainly hope so my friend.

“Anyway looking forward to our blog and your views.”

 . . . my follow-up comment:

            Yes, the riots dominate the news in the colonies as well.  I suppose it is a backhanded blessing since it diverted news coverage from the pandemic that has dominated the news for several months.  I shudder to think what these riots will do to the viral infection rate in two weeks’ time.

            I believe you know the answer to your query.  My answer is, no.  This once grand republic has been devoid of leadership for 3.5 years.  We have a Bully-in-Chief who truly believes he is a strongman dictator and does not have a clue what leadership is.  We can only pray we are rid of him on 20.January.2021.  However, if there is complacency or antipathy toward the obligation of every citizen to vote, then I’m afraid we will have another four years of this.  Everyone must VOTE!  The BIC and his supporters are a minority, but they are a minority that votes.

            Yes, I’m working the final edit of this week’s Update.  Should be out in a few hours; certainly more on the situation here in the Update.

Comment to the Blog:

“If the Chump is in fact taking hydroxychloroquine, he may be a self-solving problem.  If his supporters are using it, them too.  That stuff is dangerous according to the World Health Organization.  I’ll note that he’s losing support (per fivethirtyeight) among the 65-and-over crowd.  Perhaps his most loyal supporters are dying of old age and psychological stress.

“We are gradually reopening here in Ohio.  In the meantime, I’ve had a pretty good spring season riding my bicycles.  Today, I watched bison in a park and had my first restaurant meal (of any kind) in a couple of months.  Social distancing and other measures were in force, but nobody tried to eat while wearing a mask.”

My response to the Blog:

            Now there’s a thought.  I certainly won’t be taking it either.  To be frank, I’d be surprised if he really did take any of it.  He’s not that brave, and he lies about everything.

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)