Update no.960

Update from the Sunland

No.960

1.6.20 – 7.6.20

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

            To all,

            On Monday, true to his modus operandi of late, the Bully-in-Chief (BIC) set his torch to more outrageous conduct to open the week for the rest of us.  He had the audacity of his rampant malignant narcissism to chastise the governors who stand on the frontline of our current predicament.  The BIC admonished the governors to dominate the protesters.  To make his tough guy point, the BIC threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 [PL 9-II-039; 2 Stat. 443] and declared himself the law & order president.  The Insurrection Act is one of the few exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act [§15 PL 45-II-263; 20 Stat. 145, 152 (1878)]; 18 USC §1385] [199].  The BIC is not the first president to use or threaten the use of the Insurrection Act, and he will not be the last.  However, like so many other voices far more knowledgeable than me have said, the current turmoil does not meet the threshold level for invocation of the Insurrection Act.

            Once again, the BIC fails to ask the essential question posed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  “[W]hat is it that America has failed to hear?”  The BIC appears to be incapable of hearing the voices of We, the People.  He could not care less about solving societal issues like unlawful conduct by police or systemic racism still plaguing the nation.  He only cares about demonstrating how powerful he is while he is our employee.

            Presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke publicly in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.  Now to speak bluntly, that was truly a presidential speech—frank and yet uplifting, inspiring and encouraging.  His words stand in dramatic contrast to the words of a wannabe dictator who currently occupies the Oval Office.  I am deeply tempted to reprint the entire text of Vice President Biden’s speech, but I know many people will disregard the former vice president’s words because Biden is not of their tribe.  Such are the times in which we live.

            If anyone needed a graphic demonstration of who is more worthy to be the President of the United States (POTUS), you have only to listen to those two speeches—one is the words of a wannabe dictator, and the other is the words of a man worthy to be president.

            The BIC’s tribe will not change or be dislodged from their devout loyalty to their chief.  His tribe is a minority in this nation.  But they are a minority that votes.  At the end of the day, fancy words do not matter much; only votes matter.  We can absolutely count on the BIC’s tribe voting for their chief.  The only question remaining is whether all of the rest of us will cast our votes in this process.  Time shall tell the tale.  In five months, we shall know the answer.
            For those who may not have voted before, you must register in your state in advance of election day—Tuesday, 3.November.2020.  The registration deadline varies from state to state, so please comply with your state’s registration requirements.  If anyone has any difficulty whatsoever completing that prerequisite registration, please let me know as soon as possible.  I will eagerly help you find the answers you need.

            Many of us suspected it was not a matter of whether but only when.  One person is a student of history, a man of dedication, principle, honor and commitment.  The other person is devoid of those attributes.  One was elected by We, the People, to be our employee and occupy the highest elected office in the country, and the other is a former Marine who served this Grand Republic in uniform, under arms, for 44 years and the person the former man appointed to serve the nation, again, and was confirmed by the Senate [98-1-0-1(0)] [788].

            Former Secretary of Defense General James Norman ‘Jim’ Mattis, USMC (Ret.) [588, 885] callsign Chaos, also known as the Warrior Monk and Mad Dog (although he truly despises the latter moniker), reached his threshold of tolerance on Thursday, 4.June.2020.  Jim Mattis released a scathing rebuke of the BIC.  I am sorely tempted to reprint General Mattis’s entire statement, however, to conserve space, I shall offer the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for his entire statement and those who wish to read the general’s full statement: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/04/869262728/read-the-full-statement-from-jim-mattis.  The salient words to me were:

[The BIC] is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try.  Instead he tries to divide us.  We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort.  We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.

To say that General Mattis is spot on correct would be an understatement.  From my perspective, I think General Mattis is showing unwarranted deference toward the man who is the object of his ire.  Thank you very much, General Mattis, for your service to this Grand Republic, for your honesty, and for your insight.  Now, we have but to heed your words of wisdom.

            Former White House Chief of Staff, former Secretary of Homeland Security, General John Francis Kelly, USMC (Ret.) [813] complemented Mattis’s words of condemnation.  Other flag rank leaders have joined General Mattis’s condemnation of the BIC and his abysmal performance in the Oval Office.

            Sooner or later, We, the People, will listen and recognize the wisdom of their words.  I truly understand the desperation of 62M people must have felt to vote for . . . for . . . such a man as the BIC, hoping upon hope to break the mold of political business as usual in Washington, DC.  The BIC was NOT the answer, but he is what we have today.  We have a duty to perform, an obligation to the wisdom and courage of our Founding Fathers and Framers.  Generals Mattis and Kelly have shown us the way.  We must VOTE in November and be rid of the vermin.

            A good friend, long-term but infrequent contributor, and staunch BIC loyalist jumped me about my condemnation of the BIC’s photo-op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC.  S/he claims the video clips of the Park Police clearing the path for the BIC to do his faux Bible thing in front of the church.  To which, I responded: [T]his is really quite simple. You do not trust anything, anyone, any source, nothing other than the BIC and his sycophants. That is entirely your choice. I certainly respect your right to believe what you wish. The BIC is truly a very effective salesman of his magic snake-oil elixir. You believe. That's cool. As the old saying goes, if you don't believe in something you'll fall for anything. You clearly believe. I genuinely admire your steadfast loyalty. I think Jim Mattis said it perfectly, far better than me. Such testimony is meaningless for you, and that's cool too. Nothing will shake your belief in his snake-oil. As long as you believe, you should rest comfortably and safe.  God bless you.

            ‘Nuf said!

            Another friend and former colleague asked, “Do you have any information on the validity of this?”

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/500964-un-identified-military-personnel-extend-perimeter-around-the-white

To which, I replied, “Numerous independent sources indicate the Park Police were employed to expand the perimeter.  Military police personnel have been used to reinforce and maintain the line.  The public statements of Esper and Mattis are complementary to that assessment.  While The Hill’s description is not precisely correct from what information I have been able to collect, it is certainly representative and reflective of what happened.

            “I will say as a side note that I have had to assess Press reports for many decades.  They rarely get things precisely correct, but the majority are generally correct.  Journalists try very hard to get things precisely correct, but they are not doctors, lawyers, Marines, pilots, politicians, clerics, and such.  They do the best they can to educate themselves and report on subjects they are assigned, but that does not make them perfect.

            “Given my side note, I would say The Hill article is generally correct and within the range of accurate reporting.”

            Congress passed and the president signed into law the fourth COVID19 economic stimulus bill—Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 [PL 116-xxx; H.R.7010; Senate: voice vote; House: 417-1-0-13(4); 134 Stat. xxxx].  The president gets another notch in his walking stick.  Every little bit helps . . . even if it’s a tad late.

            Now, there is actually a movement to de-fund the police departments in several cities as a consequence of the George Floyd murder [959].  OK, let us just assume one or more cities actually does just that.  Do we just live without police?  What do we do, return to the Wild Wild West . . . fastest gun . . . every man for himself?  This idea is about as close to throwing the baby out with the bath water as we can ever get.  I understand the protests against police brutality.  I understand the public demands for police accountability for inappropriate and/or illegal conduct.  I do NOT understand the notion of de-funding the police.

            Jeanne and I decided to re-watch the 2016 movie Free State of Jones—a historical film adaptation based on the rebellion is Southeast Mississippi late in the Civil War led by Newton ‘Newt’ Knight.  Given all of the societal turmoil in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder [959] and the mounting protest over systemic racism in the United States, the movie seemed quite appropriate.  The exploits of Newt Knight to free the poor and underprivileged people of Jones County and neighboring counties of Confederate oppression and then Klu Klux Klan oppression were painful enough to watch, but it was what Mississippi did to Newt Knight’s great-grandson that proved the most heart rending.  Davis Knight married Junie Lee Spradley on 18.April.1946.  On 21.June.1948, a Jones County grand jury indicted Davis Knight for violation of §459 of the Mississippi Code of 1942 that prohibited a marriage between “a white person and a Negro or mulatto or person who shall have one-eighth or more of Negro blood.”  He was convicted in district court.  Davis Knight appealed.  The Mississippi Supreme Court reversed and remanded Davis’s conviction—Knight v. State [207 Miss. 564 (Miss. 1949)].  As I read the court’s ruling, I had hoped for some lofty, noble judgment; but alas, this was Jim Crow Mississippi.  The court concluded, “We have carefully examined the record and we are convinced by it that the Attorney General was justified in making such admission and that the proof in this case does not establish beyond every reasonable doubt that the defendant had one-eighth or more Negro blood. The verdict is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. For this reason, the judgment of the lower court cannot be permitted to stand but must be reversed and remanded.”  The Knight marriage stood.  Davis was never retried.  The segregation laws like the one that convicted Davis Knight were not abolished until the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Loving v. Virginia [388 U.S. 1 (1967)] [175].  Regrettably, we are still fighting racism after all of that to this very day.  Of particular note, there is no such thing as ‘Negro blood.’  The only detectable difference exists at the fraction of a chromosome level, mere minute segments of the full DNA genetic code.  We are all the same below the level of skin pigmentation.  Let us judge people by the content of their character rather than the level of pigmentation in their skin.  Let us realize the high ideals laid down for us in our founding documents.  We, the People, are better than this.

            Comments and contributions from Update no.959:

“Cap good day to you in the sunshine-wow-that blog is, I believe, one of the of the best you’ve written. Read it, every word, that’s another beer I owe you. Where do you find the time?”

My reply:

            Thank you very much for your kind words.

            All I do these days is write.  LOL  Well, I read, listen and watch to feed the writing, but mostly I write.  If I’m not working on one writing project or another, I’m capturing thoughts on contemporary events or questions for the week’s Update.  I’m within a couple of chapters of completing the first draft of my next book, provisionally titled: Heaven on Earth.  I also continue to plunk away on Book IX of To So Few (TSF) that takes the TSF characters through 1943.  Hey, I’ve become a hermitic recluse consumed by the writing process.  ;-)

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Cap, thanks I’m certain that you are at least that busy! I trust you are getting your daily dose of U/Vs and subsequent vitamin D, oh and not to mention an occasional rinse in your pool. Keep at it!”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

            Oh yes, I do get my daily dose of vitamin D.  The evaporative cooling effect of water works wonders during 35+C weather days.  ‘Tis the season.

Comment to the Blog:

“My first personal experience of abuse by the police occurred at the age of 10, and both of my younger brothers were included.  Fortunately, our father had already taught us that a person with a firearm and a badge was more dangerous than one with only a firearm.  The badge would excuse him from the usual consequences of shooting people.  I have no doubt my experience would be worse if I had darker skin pigment.

“We may talk about ‘anarchistic elements’ and whatever, but fairly often historians eventually document police as the spark that turns a protest into a riot.  Sometimes, as in at least one recent incident, groups such as the Proud Boys also foment trouble.  A friend in Spokane tells me that happened there this weekend.  Elsewhere, at least one trucker drove into a group of protesters.  By the way, Governor Walz’s statement about out-of-state protesters has been conclusively disproved.

“I do not condemn all law enforcement for the criminal actions of some, but I will note that I’ve seen more psychological resemblance of one law enforcement officer to another than in any other field of work.  They’re very in-group oriented, which is how the dangerous ones get away with their actions.  As with other in-groups, they tend to be hostile or defensive to anyone not in the group and to protect each other.

“If the Chump has lost interest in the virus, perhaps others can get on with testing, tracking, PPE and other appropriate measures to bring it under control at last.

“Prediction: if the Chump continues to be the central topic of political discussion until November, he will win re-election.”

My response to the Blog:

            I’m also sorry you’ve had the social experience you’ve had with the police.  All police are not so trigger-happy, but it only takes one to taint the lot.  We must resist that inclination.  We need the police.  We also need the police to sift out the bad apples.  Derek Chauvin was a bad apple.  There were plenty of pre-cursor clues that police supervision failed to act upon.  The signs were there.  Bad apples are bad apples, but the dereliction of his supervision is also culpable.  The signs say Chauvin has racism in his heart and that is unacceptable in law enforcement, or any position of authority or power.

            OK.  Let’s condemn the whole of law enforcement.  What next?  What do we replace the police with, in our society?  The Wild Wild West?  The fastest gun, the most aggressive and brutal among us?  What comes next?

            I’ve not seen Walz’s statement disproven.  Sorry.

            You say you do not condemn all law enforcement, but those are the words you choose—I urge caution.  From my perspective, there are very real reasons why law enforcement takes on an “in-group oriented” organization.  We have attacked them; called them pigs; they’ve been assassinated; we’ve called their informants snitches, et al ad infinitum ad nauseum.  The paradigm must be broken.  I know how they feel.  I was spit on and cursed by strangers simply because of the uniform I wore.  This is a two-way street.  We must respect them, if we expect them to respect us.  We must defend them when they are mindlessly attacked, if we expect them to defend us.

            We can only hope the professionals in the USG do the right thing.  My confidence has been shaken in that far too few were defying the BIC in those early days when containment was possible.  I’ve lost all hope that we will break the chain of infection.  So, now, we are left with herd immunity and many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of sacrificial dead at the altar of the BIC’s malignant narcissism.  The only last line of defense is a vaccine that may never come.  Worse, on top of the pandemic fight, we have the BIC playing the role of strongman dictator bludgeoning the governors to “dominate them.”  He has resoundingly failed to listen, to learn, to improve, to be anything other than what he is—a freakin’ bully.

            There is no question in my mind the BIC will strive mightily to dominate the news as he has for 3.5 years.  He will not change.  Your statement suggests that fact alone ensures his re-election, regardless of whether his conduct is good or bad.  The more he demonstrates his un-presidential conduct the more likely the fence-sitters are to vote.  I cannot see that a high, or higher than normal, turnout will help the BIC gain re-election.  But hey, I was wrong in 2016; I may very well be wrong in 2020.

 . . . Round two:

“I never advocated against having law enforcement.  However, the ‘in-group’ trait among current (and past) law enforcement means that we must look at the whole picture, not merely try to stop a few ‘bad apples’ from the outside.  Exactly how to go about that ought to be a topic of discussion for our entire society.  Your sources for the name-calling and the rest have no interest in their own offensive behavior.  They are victims with badges and weapons—and self-pity.  As I typed that, I realized that we have the same issue in our broader society, just not with that directly violent expression most of the time.

“You may find the refutation of Governor Walz’s statement on out-of-state protesters in the New York Times of June 1, 2020.  I’m sure other reliable sources picked it up.

“With respect to the virus, the antibody tests are beginning to show that millions of Americans have already picked up the virus and fought it off, the majority with no symptoms at all.  The neurotic voices of our government health officials may yet be proven wrong.

“The point about whether discussion continues to center on the Chump is that the Democrats’ management still have not produced and promoted substantial policy initiatives.  The politics of negativity never served them as well as it does the Republicans anyhow.  The Chump got into office by saying he’d do things, and he’s campaigning by saying he’s done them.  Whether or not it’s true, that’s what people will turn out and vote for.  ‘At least I’m not him’ doesn’t offer anything.”

 . . . my response to round two:

            I was trying to say that if we treat the police as them, they will instinctively look at themselves as us.  I know that feeling.  As long as we allow the us versus them mentality to dominate our actions and social intercourse, we will continue to get what we’ve always gotten.  Respectfully, it is up to We, the People, to change that paradigm.  The police are a very deep minority.  When these bad apples show their true colors, We, the People, need to help the police, and make sure police and political supervision know what happened (before injury occurs or lives are taken).  The problem is not law enforcement; the problem is the bad apples allowed to remain within law enforcement organizations precisely because of the us versus them mentality.

            I stand corrected and apologize for repeating Governor Walz’s claim.

            Scientists have known and documented that fact you cite.  There are many who were infected, were asymptomatic, and recovered without medical intervention.  Of that, there is no dispute.  The issue has never been the low fatality rate, or even the comparatively low hospitalization rate.  The central issue has always been the saturation of our treatment capacity—0.5% of 330M people is 1.65M serious cases.  Once the treatment capacity is saturated, or arguably when it nears saturation, the necessary triage process begins to set aside the less worthy.  And in that group, there will be unnecessary fatalities that would not otherwise have occurred.  I do not agree with your “neurotic voices” statement.  We have seen spot saturation; we know the we were perilously close in many other locations.  Collateral to the saturation aspect is the comparatively long gestation period, undetected infectious potential, and the ease of transmission.  Despite all the sacrifice during the lockdown months, we had far too many people who did not respect the need to break the chain of transmission.  As long as individuals act like their individual freedom of choice overrides the collective health and welfare of We, the People, the virus will continue to find worthy hosts to multiply and spread, which brings us back to the saturation issue.

            You make a valid point.  I will only offer the observation that this silly season has been seriously disrupted.  It is not clear whether the normal convention phase will be held in any semblance of normalcy.  I expect the party platforms to be decided, published and spoken to once the nominees are confirmed.  Presidents don’t make law; they approve laws passed by Congress.  While a presidential candidate’s opinions on contemporary issues are important, it is their character and ability to lead that is the primary focus.  We must focus legislative action where it belongs with Congress and the state legislatures.

 . . . Round three:

“That ‘us versus them’ thing works both ways.  As I pointed out, that's why trying to report a ‘few bad apples’ (or thousands) isn't working.  Because we're seen as ‘them,’ the changes can't come via reporting from that ‘We the People’ you refer to so often.  We have to change the inside of policing.

“Your analysis of the virus treatment situation applies, or did apply, in New York City and a few other places.  There's enough idle capacity in other places to make that a matter of logistics and political will.  I continue to hear neurosis, obsession, or some other mental issue in those voices.  Then there's the mask situation.  The voices advocating for whatever's available know well that medical providers or anyone in close contact with the vulnerable/infected needs at least an N95 respirator to avoid infection.  They're just saying almost anything.

“I write this on a Wednesday morning after a relatively successful Tuesday of primaries and special elections.  The truly different thing in this year's elections will be the mode of voting.  So far, so good.  The political conventions are essentially marketing, as are the other campaign functions that have been disrupted.  Marketers have an arsenal of methods available, and they will carry on.”

 . . . my response to round three:

            OK, I’ll bite.  What do you propose for changing “the inside of policing”?  I eagerly await your proposal.  My current project is a modest attempt to break the war on drugs paradigm.  My notional reform is most probably not correct, but at least it is an attempt to break the existing paradigm.  I’m always open to new idea—a better mousetrap.

            The problem with logistics is time and again capacity.  By the time a patient reaches the stage of requiring medical intervention, s/he is often, if not usually, in dire straits making transport to treatment capacity more problematic.  I’m not convinced we all need N95 level masks to help break the chain of infection, but hey, that’s just me.  I do not agree with your criticism of the national medical voices.

            Perhaps so, however, you wanted policies; those statements usually reach the public via the party platforms.  Both Joe Biden and the BIC are their party’s presumptive nominees.  We do not yet have the other candidates.  I do believe it safe to say, there will never be a perfect candidate for any one of us.  We must choose the best of the lot we have.

 . . . Round four:

“It’s beyond my scope to change the nature of policing.  That ought to require a large multi-party public discussion.  Ending the ‘war’ on drug users would take away many of the common occasions for violence and corruption.  Ending sex work laws would also help.  However, changing the underlying approach to each other is a much bigger project.

“All of these people making predictions ought to be able to guide people and equipment to new hotspots in sufficient time, unless of course, they don’t know what they’re talking about.

“I wrote ‘medical providers or anyone in close contact with the vulnerable/infected needs at least an N95 respirator to avoid infection,’ not ‘we all’ need N95 masks to prevent ourselves from spreading it.  I’m not nearly as certain as those ‘experts’ of the value of “face coverings”.

“I don’t know where your last paragraph came from.  It has nothing to do with either what I wrote or increasing voter turnout.”

 . . . my response to round four:

            Neither you nor I have the capacity to reform the law or make policy.  I was only asking for your ideas, your thoughts.  Yes, taking away the excuses for police abuses would certainly help reduce those opportunities.  Back in the 70s, the Marine Corps was a demonstrably racist organization, and yet they implemented a multi-part re-training program that was mandatory for every single Marine from recruit to general.  It did not cure the problem because racism was still in the hearts of those so inclined, but it sure had an impact and changed the service for one principal reason—the racists were served notice they would not be tolerated in any form.  Unfortunately, we cannot implement the Marine Corps program for the population at large, but I certainly wish it could.

            Yes, I agree; however, the fallacy of the reasoning is those doctors are doing their best to predict the future.  That is no easy task no matter how many or sophisticated models they have.  They are trying to predict human behavior.  Let’s give them just a little slack.  Respectfully, the medical experts know more than you and me how viruses are transmitted and replicate in the human body.  They deserve to be heard.

            N95 masks are to protect the medical professionals.  The simple masks we have are to protect others.  There is zero question that simple cloth masks reduce the transmissibility of infected individual to pass the virus.  Our simple masks are also a symbol that we respect other people.  I know, or rather I am fairly certain, that I’m not infected (I’ve not been tested, yet), but I still wear a mask when outside and even remotely close to other people, because I want everyone out there to know that I care about their safety.  My mask is not to protect me; it is to protect everyone else and show respect for my fellow citizens.

            That depends upon your perspective.  I sense that you want a candidate who espouses policies you support and that you want to see implemented.  My point is, that objective is highly unlikely to ever happen.  You have the opportunity to join a political party and help shape the party’s selection process and candidates.  In the general election, our task is to choose the best of the available candidates.  The complacency or abstinence of idealism serves only the lessor forces among us.  No candidate will ever be the perfect candidate for any of us; that is the nature of the beast; these are human beings; they are inherently flawed.  I still contend that we must pick the best of the bunch.

 . . . Round five:

“You're off track about the medical people.  My point was that equipment and personnel are abundant, just not always in hotspots.  If these experts can predict the locations of need, problem solved.  Believing in their competence is a matter of observation, not of some automatic respect.

“I wear masks daily to avoid social conflict.  At the same time, I carry a mask that is medically effective due to my asthma.  I only use that one in case of need.  Experience tells me that the ‘facial coverings’ don't filter enough small particles to be of any medical use.

“Efforts to reduce police killings are already underway and having some success. I apologize for not researching before commenting.”

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/police-are-killing-fewer-people-in-big-cities-but-more-in-suburban-and-rural-america/?ex_cid=538email

 . . . my response to round five:

            First, LIFO.  No apologies necessary.  We all do the best we can.  These exchanges are important, but neither of us are full-time journalists.  Nonetheless, thank you for the gesture.

            To carry out such logistics adjustments as you suggest, a general common efficient organization must supervise, administer and operate across statelines.  This suggests the role belongs to the federal government—not likely to happen, unfortunately.  The USG has essentially told the states they are on their own; do not look to the federal government for help.  If there was a robust USG reaction force that could respond promptly and effectively to spot outbreaks, we would be in much better shape.  Unfortunately, we do not . . . as far as I can see.

            Respect is earned, not allocated or demanded.

            I wear a mask, latex gloves and wrap-around eye protection when I’m outside more to show respect for my fellow citizens than to protect myself.  Even in normal times, I’m fairly conscious of transmissible bacteria and viruses.  To me, it’s just more of the same with an extra boost.

            It takes a fairly sophisticated filter to block microscopic virus cells.  Masks or respirators capable of blocking microscopic virus cells are not common or widely available.  Yet, a simple cloth mask does significantly attenuate the dispersal of droplets of spittle, sneezes or coughs.  Masks are to protect others from us.

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)