Update no.983

 Update from the Sunland

No.983

9.11.20 – 15.11.20

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

 

          To all,

 

NASA and SpaceX launched another Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket in a picture-perfect launch at 19:27 [R] EST {17:27 [T] MST}.  They made it look almost like going to the corner store for a gallon of milk.  Four astronauts (three American, one Japanese) are headed to the International Space Station (ISS).  As SpaceX has mastered, they landed the used first stage booster on the deck of a recovery ship downrange.  The process of launching human being into space is hardly routine, but they sure make it appear that way.  As we say in the naval services, Bravo Zulu!  Well done!

 

We, the People, have endured four (4) years of chaos and mismanagement of our federal government.  It appears the Bully-in-Chief (BIC) is intent upon ensuring he imparts as much chaos as he can to the next administration.  The BIC and his minions are claiming the election is not decided and thus there is no transition; they are stopping all transition interface activities.

On Monday, so characteristic of the BIC, he has no balls to fire someone face-to-face, like a proper leader would do.  He tweeted:

I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately.

10:54 AM · Nov 9, 2020

...Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.

10:54 AM · Nov 9, 2020

That is how this so-called “leader” ended the service of a high-level cabinet minister.  What a man!  He is so bloody tough . . . from the anonymity of the wireless Twitter-sphere.  This appears to be the first of his post-election, revenge tweet firings as much to cause disruption and chaos for the next administration as to make a statement that disagreement with him is disloyalty in his demented mind.  So, we must endure another three months of the BIC’s chaos.  This form of the BIC’s chaos will last until the courts dismiss all of these meritless suits or the certification of the election results by the respective state secretaries of state, whichever occurs first.  Let there be no doubt, this form of chaos will transition to another form of chaos since the BIC is incapable of admitting defeat and being graceful in defeat.  He is what he is.  We must endure these last spasms of juvenile temper tantrums.  Be strong, America!

The consequences of what the BIC is doing is directly and absolutely making this once grand republic far more vulnerable during this transition of power.  He is making the ascension to power of the next administration significantly more precarious.  I hope and trust history will clearly record what he has done and what he is doing.

Just a reminder: there is no federal election system.  There are 50 state election systems that decide elections.  In the case of the president, the Constitution established the Electoral College that collects the votes of state-designated electors.  The Electoral College votes will be counted and recorded on 6.January.2021, and the winner will be formally proclaimed.  So it is, so it shall be.

 

When the vote count difference exceeds the ballots remaining to be counted, the state declares a winner.  In essence, even if all of the uncounted ballots eventually are recorded for one candidate or the other, they will not alter the outcome.  That declaration does NOT stop the vote counting, and it is NOT the final official vote count.  Each state has slightly different rules for acceptance and validation of absentee, mail-in, and provisional ballots.  One common milestone exists for all 50 states.  The respective state secretaries of state for each of the 50 states must certify the formal, final results no later than 8.December.2020.  The counting of ballots continues in all 50 states (to my knowledge) as my fingers dance on the little square buttons of my keyboard; four (4) states have yet to declare a winner (Biden leads in two states, the BIC leads in the other two).  The validation of a ballot is comparatively easy, i.e., was the ballot submitted, postmarked, and received in accordance with the respective state laws.  The hard part of vote counting is the provisional ballots, i.e., ballots received that exhibit some anomaly, e.g., wrinkled (not machine-readable), mismarked, improperly marked (e.g., a ‘X’ instead of filling in the oval), changes (multiple marks for a given office), incorrect ink (not machine-readable), hanging chads (2000 election), et cetera ad nauseum.  There are a variety of reasons a properly cast ballot may be declared provisional.  The difficulty with some provisional ballots rests upon deciding the voter’s intention, i.e., how did s/he wish her/is vote to be tallied.  In most states, a bipartisan committee is charged with that interpretation.  That process takes time as it is a one-by- one based on a threshold of acceptance.  For example, one commissioner might believe three of four edges of a punch card chad must be broken, while another commissioner might argue that only one edge is sufficient.  The formal vote count has always taken weeks to perform and to ensure every legal vote is counted, even though a winner may be easily declared by the preponderance of votes attained.  The process is progressing well to the best of my knowledge.  As a U.S. government official in the Department of Homeland Security stated, they have seen no evidence whatsoever of vote tampering, ballot manipulation, or any other illegal conduct.  They declared this was the safest election in our history despite the on-going pandemic.

 

Arizona declared President-elect Biden the winner of the state’s 11 electoral votes.  We are down to three remaining undecided states.  Before this Update went on the wire, the remaining three states declared the winner of the election in their respective states, which means simply the remaining ballots to be counted are less than the difference between the top two candidates.  While the election will not be officially declared until the Electoral College votes are counted during a joint session of Congress on 6.January.2021, the provisional Electoral College count is: Biden = 306, the BIC = 232; as the BIC declared in 2016 by the exact same count in reverse, it was a landslide victory.  President-elect Biden will take the oath of office and assume the conn as commander-in-chief on 20.Janurary.2021.  Just a minor footnote: the BIC’s multiple lawsuits to contest election have mostly been rejected by the Judiciary in multiple states; a few active suits remain and should be resolved soon.  The final state vote counts are due on or before 8.December.2020.

 

On Wednesday, Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma reached his threshold of tolerance.  He publicly gave the BIC until Friday to remedy his unilateral denial of the President’s Daily Briefings.  The BIC made it clear at the get-go of this fiasco administration that he was not interested in the PDBs.  President-elect Biden is interested; he knows the importance of the PDBs and how to use them in fulfilling his job to protect the republic.  Like a petulant toddler, the BIC is unilaterally prohibiting any discussions or exchange of information from his administration to the new incoming administration.  Again, what a man!  And, who pays the price?  Not the BIC; We, the People, do as always.  We will not forget.

 

The five stages of grief apply to the BIC’s predicament.

DENIAL.

ANGER.

BARGAINING.

DEPRESSION.

ACCEPTANCE.

The BIC appears to be hung up in stage one and two.  He has not been heard in public in more than a week.  He has not been seen in public except on his golf course.  The BIC will have to face reality eventually.  Regardless of the BIC and his delusional state, saner minds must prevail; however, one man, even the duly elected president, cannot be allowed to throw sand in the gears of government.  Biden’s victory in 2020 is far more decisive than the BIC’s victory in 2016, but the BIC’s malignant narcissism and his bevy of sycophants can and will remain in his denial and anger stages of grief until the Secret Service and/or FBI remove him from the White House . . . by force, if necessary.  He will be trespassing on government property after 20.January.2021.

Rumors and speculation abound that he is desperately trying to figure out how to pardon himself, and may have intentions of using his “connection” with the Tea Party minority of the Republican Party to persist in his domination of the party for another run at the presidency in 2024.  If that is true (and I do emphasize ‘if’), it is yet one more bit of evidence of how bloody delusional the man is.  But regardless of his mental health afflictions, we must give him credit; he has sold more than 71M good American citizens to buy his ballyhooed, magic, snake-oil elixir, and even more significantly, he has convinced so many people to actually consume the vile, worthless substance and believe they are cured of all their ills, aches and pains.  He is the consummate salesman, and we must hand it to him for that accomplishment.  I am afraid we shall not be rid of the BIC until he goes to jail for his crimes.  If no one has the courage to charge and try the man, then we shall have to endure his petulance until he passes on to meet his maker.  Even then, we may well have to deal with his virulent spawn.  It will take time to purge him from our lives.  We shall overcome.

 

Would someone please explain to me how the election was stolen when voters only rejected the BIC and did not reject all or even some Republicans?  How could an election be so selectively stolen in 50 distinct states and I don’t know how many separate jurisdictions?  If they (whoever they are) could somehow manage to steal the presidential election, why couldn’t they also “steal” congressional and state office elections?  I can see no rationale for such selectivity.  The argument might have been easier to make if the scale was expansive and deep, but it is not.  The so-called “blue wave” is essentially limited to one (1) office of the thousands on the ballot.  We should ignore the nonsense being spewed by the conspiracists, the BIC, and his sycophants.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.982:

Comment to the Blog:

“Shakespeare can be unavoidable.  The Chump and his minions spout ‘a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’ (from Macbeth)

“I continue to be concerned about Vice President Harris’s conservative record.  She has better odds ‘going in’ of becoming President than most Vice Presidents.  People voted for “any random politician” to remove the Chump.  No Blue Wave materialized in Congressional races because in most races people only voted for candidates who stand for actual policies.  A variety of “first” candidates (first LGBT, first LGBT of color, like that) won at the state and local levels, along with about 10% of Green Party candidates.

“My local news reports this morning, six days after Election Day, that Pfizer will seek approval of their COVID vaccine later this month.  That could be a coincidence.”

My response to the Blog:

Yes, indeed, Macbeth, act 5, scene 5, lines 25–27 (1606, I guess they had such characters 400 years ago).  Most apropos.  The BIC is intent upon perpetuating his chaos as long as he possibly can, which is absolutely consistent with his juvenile petulance as a consequence of his malignant narcissism.

I find it odd.  We have the Republicans and right-wing conspiracists spewing their nonsense that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is a communist, hardcore socialist, and puppet master installed to manipulate President-elect Biden’s social strings.  How can she be at the hard left and conservative at the same time?

In our direct case, although the outcome is not yet certified by the Arizona secretary of state, it appears the residents (voters) of Arizona District 6 re-elected a crook because he is a Republican crook (of that tribe).  The Democrat candidate is a medical doctor with a surprisingly smooth message and calm, measured, delivery style.  It is disgusting, but it is what it is.  I do not buy your “any random politician” argument.

Yes, the timing of the Pfizer announcement bothers me.  It could be coincidence, but the timing still concerns me. I can hear the BIC now, “See!  See!  I told you so.”  Nonetheless, if the vaccine is 94% effective, it is very good news.  The report also states that Pfizer has produced at risk 25M doses for immediate distribution.  The problem with that is billions of doses are needed—a rain drop in the ocean.  I do not expect to have access to a vaccine until well into 2021, if not 2022, even though I am in a high-risk group.  We must continue our anti-infection actions until the vaccine is readily available.

 . . . Round two:

“With regard to statements about Vice President Harris, again, ‘sound and fury, signifying nothing.’  The right wants to inflame their base, and statements like that do the job.

“I imagine the Pfizer announcement was timed to avoid it being caught up in the election.  I will gladly let at least ten million people get the vaccine ahead of me and have a month or so elapse after that in order to know whether the vaccine is safe and effective in practice.”

 . . . my response to round two:

Very well, then.  Just a quick reminder, Harris is not the president, and the president does not make the laws.  Congress does.  So let us not get carried away with political accusations.

I would like to think the facts induced the Pfizer results rather than politics of any form.  There are many others in my high-risk group who are more needy and worthy of the vaccine than me.  I will wait my turn.  Until then, I shall abide the government anti-infection guidelines.

 . . . Round three:

“I realize the President doesn't make the laws, and I don't appreciate the condescension.  The President is nevertheless very powerful, and there's a real chance Harris will become the President.

“I will await my turn (and perhaps a bit longer, given my various conditions) simply because I see no reason to trust any of the players.  Even those who have integrity are clearly out of their depth.”

 . . . my response to round three:

No condescension intended.  I simply do not share the same fear as you apparently do.  During the primary phase, I was impressed by Harris.  At that stage, I would have voted for her.  I was disappointed when she suspended her campaign.  Simply put, I do not see Harris in the same light as you do.

I think we are in the same boat for different reasons.  I trust the system . . . until I have a reason not to do so.  I do not want to compete for the few available doses.  I expect the same mindless, irrational, run on vaccine doses quite akin to the mad rush to hoard toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic.  I am not a crowd person, and I get very uneasy when confronted with irrational mob emotions.  Like you, I will await my turn.

 . . . Round four:

“How so?”

 . . . my response to round four:

I am embarrassed to admit I did not know until recently that Woodrow Wilson was a deeply racist man throughout his entire life.  Historians kept that reality from the record, much as the Press kept FDR’s disability from public view, for decades.  I had always seen him in history at his 14-Points and the League of Nations.  Wilson called citizens with dark skin pigmentation “an ignorant and inferior race.”  He did not just think and say such things, he acted upon them as well in myriad ways throughout his life.  He was a true and devoted Southern Democrat on the level with Strom Thurmond, Jessie Helms, and George Wallace, although the latter versions eventually outgrew their outward racism, at least in part.  I no longer see Wilson in the same light I once did.

 

Another contribution:

“Cap, good evening. Sorry to be such a slow thinker but I didn’t understand your opening paragraph at all.  I’m obviously missing something.  I’m sure you will explain-maybe it’s our differing sense of humour or was it an undisguised hint at sarcasm? “

My reply:

I believe it will clarify if I explain my words were sincere, heartfelt, and direct—no hidden meaning; they were not intended to be sarcastic.  I am following President-elect Biden’s lead in my attempt at reconciliation with 71M American citizens who voted for the BIC and the continuation of his chaos.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Your politicians need all the smoothness there is-I’m not sure, in one quarter, there is going to be much of that.  This going to go on right up to Trump being marched out of the White House.  We had an interesting BBC radio programme this morning where they likened this election to the turmoil after the 1800 election-yes 1800! I think I heard correctly!”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

Yes, agreed.  We need a leader with Churchill’s skill with words to inspire us to pull together to a common shared objective.  Unfortunately, we have a crude, rough-hewn, schoolyard bully who can barely offer a coherent sentence . . . but hey, on the positive side, he took credit for jacking up everyone’s retirement fund accounts.

I suspect so.  His malignant narcissism does not allow him to accept or admit defeat.  He played on the ultra-right conspiracy theorists to get elected; now those same conspiracists play upon his inherent paranoia.  Regrettably, we have much more pain ahead before we reach a conclusion from which we can move on.

Yes, correct, the 1800 election was a very contentious episode that truly tested our fledgling electoral system.  We overcame the challenge.  We could add the 1876 and 2000 elections.  We overcame those challenges as well.  I have confidence we will overcome this anomaly also, not without pain, but we shall overcome.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)