Update from the Sunland
No.997
15.2.21 – 21.2.21
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Some of us witnessed the live coverage of another miracle of modern science and engineering this week—the landing of the Mars Rover Perseverance. The spacecraft containing the rover had been launched on 30.July.2020. After six months of transit and the renowned seven minutes of terror from atmospheric entry to communication restoration, the assembly discarded components from its transit configuration that were no longer needed. A rocket-powered descent platform hovered at about 30 meters above the surface and lowered the rover on three cables like a sky crane. Once touchdown was confirmed at 13:55 [T] MST, Thursday, 18.February.2021, the cable attachments were severed and the descent platform flew away until its fuel was exhausted. Perseverance landed on target within the Jezero Crater near the Mars equator after travelling about 293 million miles, or 471 million kilometers. Given the current Earth-Mars orbital location, radio signals and commands took about six (6) minutes to travel each way. Perseverance, affectionately nicknamed Percy, swiftly sent home a couple of surface photographs to commemorate the moment of its arrival. The nuclear-powered rover will not be subject to Mars surface weather as other rovers are. The rover has numerous new equipment items to explore alluvial plains in the crater for sign of prior life on Mars. The samples will be stored for later return to earth for detail study. Also on board is the drone helicopter Ingenuity that will performance low altitude surveillance around Percy like a loyal scout. We look forward to great things from Percy and the discoveries yet to come. Congratulations to the NASA team that designed and landed this newest, most ambitious rover.
I noticed an interesting article in Der Spiegel this week.
“Brussels Pushes Firmer Stance after Embarrassment in Moscow – After the recent humiliation of its top diplomat by Russian officials, the European Union may now be heading toward stronger measures against Moscow. Tempers are running high in Brussels, though the bloc doesn't exactly have a strong history of common foreign policy.”
by Markus Becker und Christoph Schult
Der Spiegel
Published: 12.02.2021, 18.01 Uhr
To me, the observations illuminated in the article reflect our current situation and the consequences of the last four years. The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin came to power with the support of the political elite who were the Soviet Politburo before the disintegration of the Soviet Union (1991). The buddy-buddy approach of the previous administration did not work, was never going to work, and to me, here is just one of the many consequences. Putin is not interested in cooperating with his neighbors or anyone else. He is only interested in Russian (Soviet) domination of the world in true Stalin-esque fashion. This is how dictators treat their neighbors. The last administration in the United States showed us how wannabe-dictators treat allies and friends. Yes, best we put the sordid affairs of the last four years behind us as quickly as possible, for this reason and all the other reasons.
I watched President Biden’s first town hall event as president on Tuesday. His compassion and respect for people came through loud and clear. He clearly connects with people far better than his predecessor. From my perspective, he is doing all the correct things in trying to pull the country together and heal the wounds inflicted. He is also trying to avoid taking on the MAGA faction directly. What a delightfully refreshing change. Peace and stability may not be very ambitious presidential objectives, but for me, they are far better than what we had.
Comments and contributions from Update no.996:
“Thanks again Cap. What’s next then? Is there another way in your law where this person can be punished for his dubious form of government? Or perhaps any further action against him may cause some very unwanted further public disturbances. What of the future?”
My reply:
Oh my, yes; there are many (I have no idea how many but more than a few) criminal investigations ongoing with the [person who shall no longer be named] at the focus—New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia and federal. Any one of those investigations could yield indictments, charges, trials, convictions, and prison time. If he goes that far, he will produce a whole new passel of firsts. Just yesterday, the Speaker of the House initiated a process to create an independent commission to thoroughly examine the facts leading up and including the insurrection of the 6th of January. I have not seen the charter document for this commission, yet, but if it was me producing the charter, I would include his past criminal conduct as well, to include the Ukraine quid pro quoextortion events and expand the Mueller Special Report, since a commission will not have the constraints or limitations that Mueller had to operate within. Anyone or combination of these investigations could lead to felony conviction and prison time. Lord knows, he certainly deserves it after what he has done. His crimes are multitudinous. I am not inclined to forgiveness for what he has done.
Yes, I suspect so. The white supremacist faction among his supporters will undoubtedly cause more trouble when he is brought down. It is just something we will have to endure and overcome. We fought a bloody civil war 150 years ago over this kind of passion. It may well come to that again, although the disparity in forces is much greater today.
All of those MAGA crazies keep chanting about taking their country back. Well, it is my country, too, and I am not alone. This once grand republic was never a White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant (WASP) nation despite the myriad attempts to make it so. Exclusion was never part of our founding.
The future, I am afraid, will get uglier and even perhaps bloodier before we realize improvement. I just hope I live to see the day when the white supremacy factions the [person who shall no longer be named] unleashed on American society are once again relegated to the dark recesses of the political domain.
Comment to the Blog:
“I'll note that the Democratic Party management may be seen as the ‘lesser’ of the two evils, but not as other than evil. This week's evidence: (A) they squirmed out of hearing important witnesses against King Baby and, (B) they took a vacation rather than pass a stimulus package.”
My response to the Blog:
I do not share your cynicism regarding the political parties. I have no intention of defending either (or any) political party. They all have faults and flaws. The jury is still out regarding the new administration; thus, we must remain vigilant, attentive and critical. But, from my perspective, the Biden administration is doing the correct things. He must first undo the bad done by the [person who shall no longer be named]. The initial actions regarding the pandemic response, the economy, and stabilization of the country appear to be correct as well, although they have a very long way to go.
. . . with follow-up comment:
“I don't hold Biden responsible for the prosecution of King Baby. That's not his branch. It's a DNC failure.
“However, Biden is the one who promised "$2000 immediately" to the American people. The BS detector says that was a lie, compounded daily. The DNC gets their share of the blame for sitting around and for various other facets of the economic and vaccine crises, but the bottom line is the Democrats could act without the Republicans and they're not doing it.”
. . . along with my follow-up response:
POTUS is ultimately responsible for the performance of DoJ as well as all other departments, agencies, bureaus and units of the USG. Unlike the [person who shall no longer be named], President Biden has so far stood back from prosecutorial decisions, and I trust he will continue to do so. IMHO, the [person who shall no longer be named] has committed numerous federal felonies and should be fully prosecuted. We shall see what comes.
Actually, it was the [person who shall no longer be named] who made that first promise; how did he do? I am still giving President Biden the space he needs in his effort to achieve a bipartisan compromise law. Yes, he could jam it down the BICP throats, but that would be the same mistake President Obama made in passing the PPACA. Let’s give him some space. I know there are a lot of American citizens who need that help, but there are far more citizens who need a functional federal government, not a tribal version.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
Good morning, Cap,
Your post came to my Inbox today because I created a filter for your emails. That’s an advanced operation for many, including me.
“Trying to avoid taking on the MAGA faction directly” is a problem, not a constructive method. The genesis of that statement goes back to Ford’s pardon of Nixon, which is as good a turning point as any for the departure from law and order of the US government. Also, here’s a link to a fivethirtyeight article on reporting about King Baby. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nine-lessons-i-learned-about-political-reporting-while-covering-trump/ It’s very long, but quite illuminating, and it gives resources for keeping track of people that aren’t reported well by other sources.
Enjoy your day,
Calvin
Good morning to you, Calvin,
I’m sorry you had to do that, but I’m glad it worked. I hope it continues to work.
I have a slightly different view. The prosecution and imprisonment of the insurrectionists will do the most to suppress that faction. It is still yet to be seen whether the [person who shall no longer be named] will be prosecuted and imprisoned, but at present, the signs are still positive and hope remains. Prosecution and imprisonment of the [person who shall no longer be named] will also serve to suppress that insurrectionist faction in that they will no longer have political cover provided by their leader.
I would say the lessons learned by Perry Bacon, Jr., are directly applicable to the assessment the Biden administration performance. We’ve a long road ahead, but Bacon’s lessons-learned will help us along the journey.
Stay safe. Take care and enjoy.
Cheers,
Cap
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