Update no.980

 Update from the Sunland

No.980

19.10.20 – 25.10.20

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

 

            To all,

 

            May God bless Doctor Anthony Stephen ‘Tony’ Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for his exemplary service to this once grand republic.  He has been the nation’s chief epidemiologist through seven (7) administrations and presidents.  The direct, juvenile, direct attacks by the Bully-in-Chief (BIC) are so far beneath any dignified conduct in life and infinitely below the so-called expected conduct of a president of the United States of America.  If anyone of the BIC-lovers out there wants to understand my condemnation of the BIC’s behavior, conduct, words, actions, or any other measure, you have but to listen to the BIC’s juvenile attacks on Doctor Fauci. The BIC continues to insist upon ignorance is bless as his driving philosophy; I cannot and never will accept such a nonsensical attitude— see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.   Really?  God bless Doctor Fauci for standing on the proper Christian response—not reacting to the BIC’s very foolish attacks.  Fauci is a far better man than the BIC ever was or ever will be.  Stand strong, my brother.  I stand with you.

 

            Jeanne and I completed our mail-in ballots a week ago Friday.  We dropped our ballots in the U.S. Postal Service drop slot inside our local Post Office at 14:15 [T] MST (PDT) Friday, 16.October.2020.  The State of Arizona received, accepted, and counted our ballots on Saturday, 17.October.2020, as reported by the state's secure website.  Frankly, I was rather surprised by the Saturday acceptance, but it was encouraging and refreshing to see the system work precisely as it should.  I trust all of the other states will be just as efficient, despite the monumental Republican efforts at voter suppression from the BIC on down; no sign of any success by the BIC in Arizona.  For us, the die is cast.

 

            I was tested for COVID19 for the first time this week.  I have no symptoms; the test was required as a necessary prerequisite.  Fortunately, I remain negative for the virus.

            Like so many in the BIC’s tribe, am I supposed to believe I do not have it therefore it does not exist.  All 220,000 dead Americans as a consequence of COVID19 induced acute respiratory failure and 8,000,000 COVID19 infected citizens are just ‘fake news,’ i.e., not real?  Am I supposed to believe I don’t need no stinkin’ mask!  If I am to believe this particular vociferous minority, I am a girly boy for wearing a mask. If so, then I proudly accept that label.  My freedom comes as part of the collective, it does not exist individually; we collectively protect the freedoms of others and ourselves.  One of these days, we will grow up to the realities of democracy.

 

            NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) spacecraft briefly contacted the rugged surface of asteroid Bennu, 200 million miles from earth on Tuesday, 20.October.2020, at 18:08 [R] EDT.  The spacecraft’s sampling device was designed and expected to collect 60 grams (2.1 ounces) of Bennu’s surface material in just five seconds. The spacecraft is scheduled to return the sample to earth on 24.September.2023, for detailed analysis.  The composition and content of material is anticipated to give us valuable clues to the origins of the solar system.

            For those who might be interested in the complexities of the science and engineering involved in such a project, I strongly recommend the PBS NOVA program “Touching the Asteroid” (S47 E14) broadcast on Wednesday, 21.October.2020.  Incredible, magnificent, awe-inspiring and phenomenal are the best words I can offer

 

            I must attribute and credit CNN Journalist Christopher Charles ‘Chris’ Cuomo with expanding my vocabulary by one word this week.  I did not know the word until he illuminated it.  The word first appeared in English in the mid-15^thcentury.

trumpery ≡ something without use or value; rubbish; trash; worthless stuff; of little or no value; trifling, worthless; rubbishy; trashy.

To use the word in a contextual and worthy manner: The trumpery BIC continued to demonstrate his ignorance and paucity of compassion.  Please do not believe me or Chris; look it up; I did in all of the English dictionaries I possess (eight).  I rejoice in learning more every day.  Thank you, Chris.  Now we know.

 

            We watched Aaron Sorkin’s movie “The Trial of the Chicago 7”—available on Netflix.  For those who are too young or choose not to remember, the Chicago 7 were seven political activists who were arrested and tried for protesting against the Vietnam War at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, in August 1968.  During the trial, Abbie Hoffman (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) answered the prosecutor’s query, “I don’t know, I’ve never been on trial for my thoughts before.”  That one line fairly well summarizes not just the movie, the portrayal of those events, but to a far greater extent, this movie represents and reflects the times in which we live, e.g., the malicious denigration of Black Lives Matter (BLM).  As always, Sorkin did a masterful job of writing and directing the movie.  I strongly encourage everyone to watch “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

 

            As if to graphically illustrate the importance of what Senate Republicans are doing with the Barratt confirmation process, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal in a Republican voter suppression case in Pennsylvania—Scarnati v. Boockvar [592 U.S. 20A53].  The 4-4 Court defaulted to affirming the ruling of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Middle District that issued its ruling to allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by the closing of the polls election day and received up to three days after election day to be counted, as long as they are properly validated.  Of course, Republicans are absolutely apoplectic over the Pennsylvania ruling and Supreme Court default affirmation.  While we cannot predict how Barratt will rule in such cases, her underlying ideology suggests would have sided with the minority in this case (and others) . . . making the decision a majority opinion.  The Barratt nomination has to be encouraging to the diminishing Republican minority, but at best, it will only be a temporary setback.  Freedom shall prevail.

            Postscript: As this Update goes to the wire, I learned the Republicans have filed an appeal petition for a second bite of the apple by going back to the Supreme Court, presumably with the new justice on the bench (her confirmation is due to be voted on in the full Senate on Monday, 26.October.2020—one week before the election) in hopes of her siding with the other conservatives to strike down the Pennsylvania court ruling.  I suppose Republicans simply do not care a twit that the majority of Americans are coming to despise them for their immoral conduct.  The Republican actions only delay the inevitable.  We shall overcome.

 

            Pope Francis I, prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, offered encouraging words to LGBTQ citizens around the world.  Speaking in an interview with Russian Director Evgeny Afineevsky, for his documentary “Francesco” that premiered on 21.October.2020, on the occasion of la Festa del Film di Roma (Rome Film Festival), Pope Francis said, “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family.  They are children of God and have a right to a family.  Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.  What we have to have is a civil union law—that way they are legally covered.  I supported that.”  A film interview is not the usual means popes use to communicate doctrinal changes to the church, to believers, or to the world.  I wonder if the release of this film had precise timing and ulterior purpose?

 

            The last presidential debate occurred Thursday night at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, moderated by Kristen Welker of NBC News.  First and foremost, I must offer my congratulations and kudos to Welker’s conduct and control of the event.  The BIC certainly tried hard to behave himself.  This latest version was monumentally better than the debacle the BIC created during the last debate.  In this one, he wanted to argue with the moderator more than discuss the substance in world issues.  His mouth moves, words come out, and he says nothing, nada, niente, nichts.  The BIC continues to publicly tell us all, “We are rounding the turn, rounding the corner.  [The virus] is going away.”  There is no metric by which any portion of that statement could even be remotely true.  We can only conclude that the BIC is delusional; he simply does not know he is naked.  The closing statements were the truth teller for not just the last debate but the entire campaign.  Ms. Welker asked each candidate to imagine it was inauguration day 20.Janurary.2021, what would each of them say to the American citizens who did not vote for them?

Welker:         Imagine this is your inauguration day. What will you say in your address, to Americans who did not vote for you?

The BIC:       Success is going to bring us together. We are on the road to success. But I’m cutting taxes, and he wants to raise everybody’s taxes and he wants to put new regulations on everything. He will kill it. If he gets in, you will have a Depression, the likes of which you’ve never seen. Your 401(k)s will go to hell, and it’ll be a very, very sad day for this country.

Biden:           I’m an American President. I represent all of you, whether you voted for me or against me, and I’m going to make sure that you’re represented. I’m going to give you hope. We’re going to move; we’re going to choose science over fiction. We’re going to choose hope over fear. We’re going to choose to move forward because we have enormous opportunities, enormous opportunities to make things better.

The BIC chose to attack his opponent and preach fear, i.e., vote for me or else.  Sound familiar?  Joe Biden used the exact same question to offer a common theme of his campaign that he was not going to be a Democrat president, but rather the American president whether we voted for him or not.  To me, that says it all.  That is the difference between the two men in a nutshell.  To me, the choice is very clear and unambiguous.

            Nonetheless, the most important element is voting.  Regardless of who you choose to vote for, please VOTE!  We need your vote.  Please do your duty as a citizen.

 

            A friend, frequent contributor to this humble forum, and brother-in-arms sent along the following article:

“The Elusive Peril of Space Junk – Millions of human artifacts circle the Earth.  Can we clean them up before they cause a disaster?”

by Raffi Khatchadourian

The New Yorker

Published: September 21, 2020

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/28/the-elusive-peril-of-space-junk?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=a3588142f2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-a3588142f2-394689513

The article is an exceptional representation of the gathering problem regarding space debris in low earth orbit.  As is so often the case, I learned something new—the Kessler Syndrome.  The hypothesis holds that there is a threshold of low earth orbit contamination where a single collision would set off a chain-reaction not unlike a nuclear explosion, causing incalculable damage to functional satellites.  Let us hope we can solve the space junk problem before we reach the Kessler Syndrome threshold like we must solve the problem of greenhouse gases before we reach the point of no return with the climate.

 

            The BIC likes to justify his mismanagement of the COVID19 crisis by pointing his crooked accusatory finger at the Obama administration’s handling of the 2009 swine flu outbreak.  So let us examine a few of the facts.  The 2009 influenza pandemic outbreak began with patient zero—a 10-year-old boy in Southern California on 15.April.2009.  The next case occurred two days later—a 9-year-old girl in an adjacent county in California.  Just an FYI here: do we call it the United States influenza like the BIC prefers to call COVID19 the China virus?  Rhetorical question!  No, we do not!  The 2009 outbreak was the H1N1 variant—the same variant that cause the 1918 pandemic. Heck, patient zero in the 1918 pandemic was a company cook at Camp Funston, part of Fort Riley, Kansas, on 4.March.1918.  We could have called the 1918 pandemic the United States influenza as well, but we do not.  We often call it the Spanish flu; people of the day mistakenly thinking it originated in Spain.  The BIC strives mightily to deflect from his own ineptitude by pointing at others.  Let us not be fooled.  The BIC did NOT cause the COVID19 pandemic, but his denials and desire to “play it down” [974] have made the consequences of the pandemic far worse for this once grand republic.  He makes excuses; 225,000 good citizens died (so far).

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.979:

Comment to the Blog:

“You (and the nation) often seem to focus on style over substance.  Judge Barrett will be confirmed to the Supreme Court, and the outcome will be a vote for lower corporate taxes and even further deregulation.  Social issues are less predictable because the people who pay for politicians don’t really care about those things, only money.  We shall see whether the inept Democratic Party can achieve control of Congress.  Should they do so, they will have an opportunity to counter that corporate trend, but they won’t.

“I suspect the Sturgis motorcycle event will take the blame for the current increase of Midwestern COVID cases.  Whatever.”

My response to the Blog:

            Fair accusation.  In this instance, you can add me to the popular notion.  I have given everyone my threshold for this particular election—stability and humanity.  I don’t even have ‘acting presidential’ on the list anymore.  The BIC has dragged us all into the filthy gutter with him.  We must end the chaos he thrives on around him.  I want this to end.  Stability and humanity!

            Yes, it appears (barring some extraordinary blocking event) she will be confirmed, and we will be expected to endure her judicial ideology.  I sincerely fear the loss of what remains of our freedom of choice and fundamental right to privacy.  We can only pray the law exceeds her ideology.

            Well, I am not so sure.  Biden has been rather plain on the wealthy and corporations paying their fair share.

            FYI: we completed and posted our ballots (using the USPS).  They were received and counted the next day (Saturday, actually).  I would say the system is working properly . . . well other than the widespread voter suppression activities of the BIC and Republicans.

            Yes, I’m sure.  Sturgis will not be viewed positively from a contagious disease transmission perspective.  I suspect the BIC’s mass campaign rallies will overshadow the motorcycle rally as super-spreader events.  I’m afraid the BIC has rendered us to the brute force state, and worse, I’m even more fearful that he has so contaminated a large segment of the citizenry that the next president will have a doubly more difficult task: leading us out of this pandemic morass AND overcoming the BIC-infected citizens.

 . . . follow-up contribution:

I'm glad your ballots were received and counted so quickly.  Postal service here has slowed considerably for all purposes.  Ohio's election procedure records acceptance of the ballot, but the actual counting begins when the polls close.

 . . . my follow-up response:

            Yeah, many states have that rule.  The important point to me is our votes are in the hands of the State.  They can count them when they wish to count them.  We might have to wait a little longer.

            I finished reading the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling allowing ballots postmarked on Election Day and received within three days after Election Day.  The court rejected the attempts of the Republican Party to suppress the vote.  In a somewhat ominous punctuation, the SCOTUS rejected the Republican appeal yesterday—the vote: 4-4 {Scarnati v. Boockvar [592 U.S. 20A53]}.  That fact emphatically illustrates the consequences of the Barratt confirmation and the election should it be close [ala Bush v. Gore].

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)