Update no.1007

 Update from the Sunland

No.1007

26.4.21 – 2.5.21

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

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- If we need a physical example of what happens when a health care system gets overwhelmed in a pandemic [946 & sub], we have only to look at what is occurring in India—tragic and horrifying.  We came dreadfully close to that threshold, and now we bear witness.  Other countries including the United States in less dire straits than India have begun sending medical supplies, vaccines, and expertise.  Several people have asked the question, are we doing enough to support India and other at risk countries suffering the same calamity?  The answer is, as always, never enough.  We (the first tier) nations should do what we can, but there must be a balance.  We cannot feed the world, treat the world, or protect the world.  We should do the best we can, but there are limits to everything.  The sad, cold reality comes down to the salient question, is there any doubt whether the wealthy in India are receiving proper medical care?  I am convinced the Biden administration will try to do the right thing to help India survive this tragic episode.

 

President Biden gave a speech to a pandemic protocol thinned joint session of Congress.  It was technically not a State of the Union report, but it sure sounded like such a speech. He is a far more natural public speaker than his predecessor, although I must add he is not the most dynamic or effective political orator.  The one sentence that summarizes my assessment of his speech: finally, we have a president who sounds like a president, looks like a president, and acts like a president.  President Biden is far from perfect.  I do not know any president who was—not Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, or Reagan—none of them.  They all made mistakes.  The one trait they all had in common, except No.45, is they tried to act presidential, to represent the United States of America in noble fashion, even deeply flawed men like Jackson, Wilson, and Clinton.  So far, President Biden is exceeding my desires and expectations for our recovery from the abysmal tragedy of the previous administration—stability and humanity.  He is delivering.  I also note with considerable pride just the simple optics of the night’s speech, seeing two women in the leadership chairs on the dais behind the president.  One day, we will see all three positions occupied by women.  History was made and will be written of that moment in time.  We can debate the content of his speech and the policies he illuminated.

Senator Timothy Eugene ‘Tim’ Scott of South Carolina delivered the opposition response to the president’s speech to Congress and the nation.  He is a careful and methodical speaker, quite a refreshing change for his ilk.  Scott tried valiantly with his rhetoric of paint pretty lipstick on that pig, but it is still a pig.

The impression I am left with is the Republican notion of building bridges (meaning engagement or compromise) for solutions is coming to their way of thinking.  I have seen no words or actions from any Republican that suggests they seek compromise.  I can draw only one conclusion; they are going to remain intransigent in the desperate hope and expectation their uncompromising stance will gain them the power they seek.  The BICP members and the few Republicans left talk about compromise, negotiation and bipartisanship, but they defined those words in a vastly different manner than any dictionary on God’s little green earth and certainly different from me.  I appreciate the gestures toward cooperation being made by President Biden, but I would urge him to do the best he can but do not cave to such nonsense. President Biden, the majority of We, the People, are with you; do what is best for this nation.

 

Representative Elizabeth Lynne ‘Liz’ Cheney of Wyoming continues her emergence as the moral conscience of what used to be the Republican Party.  The BICP members jumped on her for “fist bumping” the president after his joint session speech.  If she is truly a minority, then I say let us be done with the BICP.  The BICP (the former GOP) has a long hard road ahead to rid themselves of the forces that brought the [person who shall no longer be named] to power.  I do not agree with Cheney’s policy positions, but I certainly respect her one helluva lot more than any BICP member including the spineless Minority Leader Representative McCarthy.

 

For all of those American citizens who cited their 401k growth as rationale for supporting the [person who shall no longer be named] I ask, how do you like President Biden?  Must be pretty good since the market and the economy continue to grow.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1005:

“Weighing in a bit late compared to my own promise, but if this is not too late, let me make a couple points:

“There was no chance on Earth, unless we freezed in hell, that Officer Chauvin would have ever received a fair trial. The choices were made in the court of public opinion (CNN/MS-NBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, AP, UPI, BBC, NPR, PBS and elsewhere). The optics were bad, they fueled over-emotionalism on what happened on that day with George Floyd.  When material witnesses in the defense of Chauvin had pigs blood spilled on their front doorsteps, with threatening messages, how could WITS or jury feel safe to have any environment that let them make their own minds up?  The MOB made it up for them, through the help of CNN, etc..  The politicos of the city, they did not wanna see their city burned down, so why not pressure the justice system which I believe is already far too vulnerable for objective and uncorrupted due process.  The decision to find guilty and eventually convict was made many months before the trial.  Officer Chauvin used his training he received from the department, to prone out a combative suspect, high of drugs, with a crowd screaming at them in the background. In fact an expert witness in the use-of-force on the defense side, testified exactly that (which I opined on almost one-year ago). I believe a juror told someone in the press last week that her personal information had been published on-line, that she felt extremely frightened that if she did not return a guilty verdict, her and her family's personal safety was at risk.  This is exactly how the MOB operates whether from #BLM or Marxist elements embedded in that movement.  The original medical examiner (ME) stated in his report that George Floyd suffered no damage to his larynx and that it did not appear any asphyxiation was the cause of death, but Floyd had an enlarged heart, bad heart, and some three different illegal drugs in his system at time of death. But seems the lawyers and paid expert witnesses for the prosecution (politicization) changed things from black to white, and white to black.  Who the hell wanted the world war 3 of combined Rodney King, O.J. Simpson and Saint George Floyd riots to cause a conflagration (on steroids, Red Bull and thousands of gallons of gasoline) in so many American cities, which is what was threatened.  So, no way could Chauvin get a fair and just trial, no WAY!

“BTW, when I first saw the Chauvin vs. Floyd video, I was too outraged and could not understand the apparent evil I saw in the video by the officer, and his stance and demeanor.  The more I tried to objectively and rightly study what had happened, is why I reached the conclusions you see in the last paragraph.

“Another weigh-in, though you had not been able to cover this in your last Update due to the decision had not been made until a few days ago (or at least announced): I was really delighted to hear that finally USA stood-up to Turkey, or at least the Ottoman Empire and what tragically happened to the Armenians starting what, circa 1915?  I know our classifying the travesty as genocide certainly alienates our NATO client Turkey, but the truth is the truth and there needs to be accountability for over one-million Armenians killed.  I was happy to see the Armenian-Americans celebrating widespread especially in Los Angeles today, with such a high population of them in L.A.  It was a longtime coming, and I have wanted this day for about 3-decades!  Whether this monumental decision was on fair/right/truthful merit, or siding on geopolitics, I don't know.  I found it noteworthy one of the top diplomats for Germany, spoke today and said it was time Turkey stop denying a terrible wrong and now make it right.

“I look forward to your opinion on that decision with the Armenians and NATO client Turkey, and what may be coming as a result.”

. . . to which the contributor added:

“A few items Cap that I failed to mention but had wanted to:

“1) I meant also the medical examiner on the original autopsy report on George Floyd said Floyd had no damage/bruising to his trachea.  If Chauvin had been applying the alleged pressure to Floyd's neck, there would have been such damage evident in the findings;

“2) Why did the jury not come out and spend more time in deliberation?  Why did the jury not ask for some questions related to the trial/arguments for the prior two weeks, to help clarify the clarity of their decision-making and verdict????  That is highly unusual by the way!

“3) Why did the judge not ask the jury to be sequestered during deliberation?  Why even POTUS Joe Biden weighed in his opinion the day before the jury stated their verdict, not to mention so many others in either political or celebrity form, that the jury no doubt, would have likely seen on TV, print, Internet or heard on radio.

“All curious questions as to how does one in Chauvin's position get any kind of fair trial??”

My response:

So, if I understand your words, your contention is the police chief and other officers inside and outside MPD were lying under oath.  Is that correct?

There is one simple fact that is irrefutable.  Once Floyd was in handcuffs, those LE officers assumed direct responsibility for Floyd’s health and welfare; it does not matter a twit whether Floyd was jacked up on multiple drugs, intoxicated, had a heart attack, or just plain decided to stop living.  As soon as he stopped moving and especially stopped breathing, they were obligated by duty, law, ethics, and morality to revive him.

Did you watch any of the trial?  Hear any of the testimony?  The physical evidence was solid and compelling.  Based on the evidence, I categorically disagree with your “fair trial” position.  We have disagreed before; we disagree here.

I was equally outraged when I saw that video + LE body cam versions a year ago.  Chauvin had not one scintilla of concern for the welfare of the restrained Floyd.  He failed his oath.

I agree 100% with the president’s statement on the Turkish genocide of Armenians in 1915.  The condemnation was long overdue.  Fortunately, President Biden had the bollocks to do the right thing.  The previous administration’s genuflecting to the dictator Erdoğan was wrong then and remains wrong now.  It is not clear where this is headed, but we shall see.  The Germans stood up for their culpability in the Holocaust.  The Japanese were less swift to do so, but they eventually got there.  The Turks have yet to face their culpability.

To your further comments:

1. It does not matter why Floyd died.  The LE officers failed to protect their restrained arrestee.  The pathological evidence is not a bullet to the brain, but it is pretty damn compelling.  I do not buy your assessment.

2. We do not know.  We’ve not heard from the actual jurors, only an alternate, which is not enlightening.  My opinion, FWIW, the physical evidence did not take long to consider.  It was a diverse jury.  Only one dissenter would have extended the deliberations; they were unanimous, all twelve of them.

3. The timing of Biden’s comment was unfortunate and beneath him.  He should not have done that.  My guess is, he probably thought the jury was in deliberations and not aware of his comments.  Regardless, he should not have done it, and he gave the defense grounds for appeal.  If the jury had seen/heard Biden’s comments or others, they would have ignored the judge’s instructions.  I expect the case to be appealed.

At the end of the day, I do not agree with your “no fair trial” assessment.  Personally, I think the jury reach the only decision they could, based on the facts presented in court under oath and subject to cross-examination.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Actually I never thought the police chief and other officers lied, though I do think they may have been politicized. 

“Cap, I thank you for educating me on something I failed to see, and sincerely missed, and actually am now embarrassed to admit it, though try in life to be truthful.  I did not realize George Floyd was handcuffed.  That was a key oversight on my part. Now having been informed by you he was handcuffed, it changes almost the entire paradigm for me of that event!

“I agree with your statement above, in its entirety.  I am glad someone has the objectivity as yourself, and humanness, to assert what you have.

“I did not watch the entire trial, I actually saw some video clips per news services or in YouTube.  I felt the case had been pre-tried in the court of public opinion that mostly was programmed by the news services, thus did not watch the trial.  Maybe I should have.

“Now that I learned Floyd was handcuffed, and had been complaining of a health emergency prior to the handcuffing, I understand your concern and opinion on Officer Chauvin.  Chauvin did not need to play officer, judge, jury and executioner.

“Thank you, I agree. Erdoğan is a thug, and I have often conjectured, may be the player in our world that could start a war that could cascade into something bigger or in multiples.  Right now it appears Erdoğan has severe leadership problems with a failing economy, cryptocurrency emergencies, and much more.  Personally I don't think Turkey should have ever been accepted as a NATO client/proxy, but here they are, and I understand the history of why they were accepted into NATO.  Long complicated history at best!

“It is amazing how I fell victim (so-to-speak) to an entirely flawed paradigm/opinion on my part by not collecting key information or a variable of ASSuming on my part, that Floyd had been not handcuffed.  Not sure why I was so myopic in this case, it could be how I get tired of the RACE CARD being played by politicians; another factor is my typical pro-LE stance. I need to examine my own thinking, tendencies and perhaps my own racism or stereotyping others.”

“Ever see the two versions (1957 + 1997) of the movie 12 ANGRY MEN??

“I believe this will be appealed and am concerned for the entire nation if for some reason Chauvin is acquitted, and cannot imagine the consequences at his perplexing point in American history, for every big city in America (and even reaching out to Western Europe).  I think of the race and racism issues often, and believe much of it is socioeconomic more than perhaps race, the great disconnect between the poor and very wealthy, which that gap has grown each decade since the early 1970's even for the Middle-Class, who have been narrowed and become more the working poor.  Due to the COVID lockdowns, I believe it has only exasperated the reality as so many lost their jobs and/or businesses.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

In making that statement, you are implying the witnesses testified under political influence rather than the truth; that is perjury.  When the police chief, training officers, and other LE abuse witnesses testified that Chauvin’s actions were not authorized in the law, in policy, in training, or in practice, what are we supposed to take away from that?  Are they all lying or (at best) coloring their under-oath testimony for some political agenda?  I have seen no evidence (none) so many expert witnesses from different organizations collaborated in such a conspiracy to sway the jury.  What evidence do you have to suggest such biased testimony?  Further, even if true, was the defense attorney part of the conspiracy?  The defense is obligated to challenge prosecution testimony.  I saw no such challenge.

I try very hard to find the facts; never an easy proposition.  Thank you for the acknowledgment.

Neither did I.  Naptime was more important on each day.  LOL  However, I watched and listened intently to as much of the testimony as I could.  There is zero doubt in my little pea-brain that Chauvin received a fair trial.

That is exactly what Chauvin did unilaterally and against the tepid intervention by the other junior officers.  He deserves the punishment he will receive.  That said, I do fret about the resistance / non-compliance of detainees and arrestees.  Floyd resisted.  They had him in the back of the cruiser.  It has never been explained why one or more of those LE officers decided to pull him out and do what they did.  I worry future perps will claim claustrophobia to delay transportation.  Floyd escalated that incident by his resistance.  Yet, at the end of the day, the facts remain, he was restrained and in their control.

Interesting observations about Erdoğan.  I share your apprehension.  Yet, to the bottom line, our allies had to endure and tolerate the mindless antics of our prior president and his administration.  I do not see Erdoğan in a different light.  I will also add here that I have similar feelings about Hungary (also a NATO member state).

It happens my friend.  A lot of good people have been fooled by Hitler’s propaganda, and we bear witness to the affliction in those who succumbed to the Siren’s Song of the [person who shall no longer be named].  At least you had the balls to recognize reality; most folks do not or cannot.

Yep, sure have . . . a very insightful dramatization of real-world matters.

I agree.  I think an appeal is inevitable.  I cannot see the basis for an acquittal.  I think the best an appeal can or might achieve is a mistrial.  I do not think that outcome is likely but possible.  We shall see.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1006:

Comment to the Blog:

“I’d rather the people working toward colonizing Mars spend their energy trying to keep Earth livable.

“Thank you for the new vocabulary word.  Based on my encounters with a random sample of people in Columbus, Ohio, epistemophobia is common, even rampant.

“I share your distress at the lack of sex education; I had similar difficulties in learning unassisted.

“The phrase ‘defund the police’ is a marketing mistake.  All parties recognize that we need protection from organized crime, random violence, etc.  However, many duties currently assigned to police officers could be done better by others with different backgrounds and cultures.  Police culture needs changes in any case.  Also, the underlying causes that drive much crime need to be addressed, and I see that as a separate issue.”

My response to the Blog:

Good point.  Yet, the futurist in me cannot look away.  President Biden appears to be taking a methodical approach to getting us back on track with the multiple issues the previous administration denied and rejected unilaterally regardless of the facts.  For the record, I support both.

Yes, indeed!  Epistemophobia seems to be an affliction common to social conservatives—just another obstacle to be overcome.  [Just a ridiculous sidenote: Newt Gingrich went off high and right on LBGTQ rights, yesterday.  The ignorance is appalling.]

Thanks, mate.  Always nice to share an opinion position.  We have so much work to do.

Oh my, yes.  Marketing mistake or not, it was still a hugely simplistic, ill-informed, and otherwise foolish statement.  Yes, the police culture must change, protecting their bad apples only diminishes the reputation and effectiveness of the whole.  I would love to see mental health professionals deal with many of the community issues; police are not the preferred choice; they are not mediators; they are law enforcement.  Unfortunately, those situations can blow up into violence in a flash, e.g., domestic disputes.

 . . . Round two:

“I have studied a little planetary science and have read too much science fiction, so I’m a little interested in colonizing other planets.  However, I’d rather we kept this planet habitable before be begin destroying another one.

“Newt Gingrich has a real knack for appealing to the ignorant while sounding educated.

“The entire ‘law enforcement’ system needs a drastic overhaul.  The direct law enforcement part of that is police culture; the rest is reassigning duties best done by others.  Each piece of that is a massive project, but role models are coming available.  The specific example I read about yesterday is in Newark, NJ, where police killings have almost stopped completely.”

 . . . my response to round two:

Some interest is better than no interest.  I’ll take it.  I absolutely agree with our need to maintain inhabitability of this planet.  I do not think we have a this-or-that situation.  We can do both.

Oh my, you got that right.  Sad but true.

I do not see the “drastic overhaul” issue.  LE gets many community tasks by default, i.e., there is no other agency. The burden for that phenomenon belongs to the political leadership of the executive and legislative branches.  The reform in Newark was not drastic from my perspective; it was methodical and measured.  I will state at this juncture that I fret about the pendulum swinging too far the other way to our collective detriment.  Drastic is a word that bothers me in this context.

 . . . Round three:

“I guess whether the policing overhaul needs to be ‘drastic’ depends on one’s viewpoint.  Police unions will object to reduced numbers and duties and to accountability and transparency; that is, they’ll resist cultural changes.  Their management will resist the reduced scope of mission and budgets to match.  That will seem ‘drastic’ to all of them.  Remember that selfless dedication to one’s fellow man is rare at best and mostly occurs in those who have chosen careers in charity or clergy, not law enforcement.”

 . . . my response to round three:

Precisely!  Definitions are always vital to any debate.  Arguments often hinge upon disparate understandings of a single word.

Police unions are a salient part of the problem.  They are driven by self interests, i.e., more members, more dues, more power.

LE comes pretty close to selfless dedication, but certainly not in the same sense as charity & clergy.  That is not their job.  They are hired to enforce the laws that govern the jurisdictions they serve.  Good LE officers have compassion for their fellow man, but at the end of the day, they are law enforcement.

 . . . Round four:

“I have yet to see ‘selfless dedication’ in law enforcement, other than one local town chief.  Most police officers are dedicated to exercising their power to keep all others in order.  Occasionally, they also exploit some of those others, such as sex workers or addicts, for material benefit but most of them primarily want to preserve and protect order.”

 . . . my response to round four:

I’m late on this response.  I’m in the final days of production support for my next book, always a difficult time.  I needed a break, so here I am.

Here is one topic we will not agree on.  While I think there are some LE officers who fit your description, I believe most, the significant majority, are exactly the opposite.  Most folks run from trouble; LE officers run toward trouble.  I am truly sorry you hold such a negative view of law enforcement in general, but I certainly cannot fault you for such views as you’ve had some bad experiences.  I will offer just one obvious example—the 6.January insurrection.  Those LE officers were grossly outnumbered, “out gunned” so to speak, and surrounded, but they stood their ground until they were overwhelmed.  That sure sounds, looks, feels like “selfless dedication” to me.

 . . . Round five:

“I watched the January 6 insurrection on live TV for as long as I could stand it.  Those officers were mostly laughing and talking with the traitors at the beginning of the day.  I saw at least one move a barricade out of their way with a smile.  There were indeed officers who stood up to the rioters, but most of them had to realize that armed white men were a threat to them before they resisted.”

 . . . my response to round five:

Yes, there were members of the Capitol Police who betrayed their oath and will be prosecuted for their transgressions.  Surely, we cannot color the whole by the failures of a few.  Let us remember the service of the worthy while we punish those who failed.

 . . . Round six:

“As we've discussed, I don't buy into the ‘few bad apples’ trope.  It's a police culture issue.”

 . . . my response to round six:

I am truly sorry you feel that way, and I recognized that you are not alone with those feelings.  Police reform is warranted and urgently needed regardless.

 

Another contribution:

“Great balanced discussion, worth the long read!

“Personally, I'd like to see the emphasis shift to early public elementary school instruction on violence avoidance, tolerance of natural (not chemically or surgically induced) differences among humans, personal responsibility and accountability, and joyful sharing of resources.  Instead, we foolishly continue to ignore lessons of classic education and follow archaic notions favoring current fashions of culture in coddling our children to avoid valuable lessons of discomfort and disappointment.

“All the answers lie in early childhood education, but we teach the wrong principles in school and train children to grab all the Easter eggs they can possibly carry.”

My reply:

I did not intend to imply early childhood social education should be confined to sex education.  I agree and can fully support your additional topics and others.  I could and should add quite a few more, not least of which would be “not like me” hatred in all its forms.  I would like every child to be fully aware of diversity, the social factors, and general acceptance (or at least tolerance) of those “not like me.”  So much of the “social lessons” should be taught by parents but they clearly are not.  Further, some parents actively teach hatred of those “not like me,” e.g., xenophobia, homophobia, et al.  Therefore, the community, through the public schools, must pick up the lance.  We must break up the cycle of hatred. I absolutely agree; so much of our social woes are born, nurtured and fertilized in childhood by dysfunctional parents.  We need schools to do what parents won’t (sex education), or worse, are actively teaching things counter to the community or common good (racism).  Education is partly about exposure and teaching common skills, but it is more importantly about learning how to learn—a life-long endeavor.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)