Update no.1022

 Update from the Sunland

No.1022

9.8.21 – 15.8.21

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

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- On Tuesday, Senate passed the infrastructure bill [1020] [Senate: 69-30-0-1(0)] with 19 Republicans joining all of the Democrats and Independents. Because of Senate amendments, the bill goes back to the House for consent. Speaker Pelosi has indicated she will hold the bill until the larger, US$3.5T reconciliation bill for the remainder of the infrastructure funding is passed. The speaker declared, “We’re not going forward with leaving people behind.”

Some folks have espoused the president taking a victory lap. To those so inclined, I say, whoa dawgy, way too premature. Majority Leader Schumer described it properly. The Senate completed a long pass, but we are only on the 50-yard line. We have a long way to go before we score a touchdown. Yes, the Senate action is a major step forward, but it is not sufficient for celebration. 

-- After the investigatory report [1021], Governor Cuomo of New York made his first public statement on Tuesday, 10.August.2021. I thought he handled the public statement quite well, taking responsibility, and apologizing for any transgression he might have committed. Yet, despite a far more direct response than just about any similarly accused person, it was not enough. Some of the allegations are not so easily dismissed. He resigned effective in 14 days to allow for a seamless transfer of power to Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Courtney ‘Kathy’ Hochul. While impeachment may have been tabled for now, Cuomo still faces civil and criminal investigations that may well lead to charges and trial(s).

-- On Wednesday, 11.August.2021, U.S. District Court Judge Carl John Nichols of the District of Columbia {BTW, an appointee of the [person who shall no longer be named]} rejected the motions to dismiss in the collected defamation suits against:

* Sidney Katherine Powell – U.S. Dominion, Inc. v. Powell [USDC DC 1:21-cv-00040 (CJN) (2021)]

* Rudolph William Louis ‘Rudy’ Giuliani – U.S. Dominion, Inc. v. Giuliani [USDC DC 1:21-cv-00213 ((CJN) (2021)] 

* Michael James ‘Mike’ Lindell – U.S. Dominion, Inc. v. Lindell [USDC DC 1:21-cv-00445 (CJN) (2021)]

Based on the court order rejecting the collective motions to dismiss, I would say it does not look good for Giuliani, Powell and Lindell. Not only does Dominion’s defamation claim appear relevant and appropriate, the evidence appears to be in favor of Dominion, and their collective claim against all three defendants totals US$6.5B, or there abouts. Yes, that is ‘B’ as in billions. This case may well be the first test of the BIG LIE in a court of law. It will certainly be truth or consequences time for the three defendants.

 

A fellow by the name of Rex Chapman posted a personal video clip that is not only relevant but timely. His language is rather coarse to my liking. However, his choice of words definitely conveys the motion of the thought. The video is specifically meant for all of those people who have refused the COVID-19 vaccine. The URL is:

https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1425630093108551687?s=20

He presented many very good and salient points. One line struck me as particularly poignant and apropos. “If you don’t trust the medical field to prevent you from getting [COVID-19], why would you trust them to cure you from it? Why do you run to the hospital?” I am perfectly good with and supportive of every individual citizen’s right to decide what goes into their body. I am equally understanding of a citizen’s right to play Russian roulette with the COVID-19 virus. So, to those so inclined, enjoy your games, and if you lose, stay home and take your chances with the lethality of the virus—stay out of our hospitals. You have no right whatsoever in any form, kind or type to affect my life and well-being or anyone who has done their duty for the community.

Anti-vaxxers have existed since vaccines where first discovered and created [14.May.1796]. We have managed to eradicate smallpox, polio, mumps, rubella, et al . . . by general inoculation of vast populations in this country and the world without the contribution of the anti-vaxxers. We had the opportunity to do the same with COVID-19 [946 & sub], but we failed and have probably lost the opportunity to thwart the virus. The problem we face today is not the resistance of the traditional anti-vaxxers, it is the grotesque confusion created by QAnon, rampant misinformation enabled by the Internet, and viral distrust of the Press stimulated by the [person who shall no longer be named], the fBICP and his army of sycophants. Our attempt to break the chain of infection has failed. Now, we must deal with the consequences.

So, to close this little rant, the issue has never been the lethality of the virus, or even the infectiousness of the virus. The issue from the very beginning has been the saturation and consumption of our medical treatment capacity—the skilled medical professionals (doctors & nurses), the available beds, the Intensive Care Units (ICUs), and the associated respiratory sustainment equipment. Everyone is entitled to believe whatever they wish for whatever reason(s) they wish. I am also good with those who think the viral infection is a hoax, not serious, or whatever. I only say fine believe what you wish, but if you get sick with COVID-19, stay home. Take your chances. You are free to commit suicide if you wish. Rest assured that you have maintained your freedom of choice. The only thing I ask, just stay home and die in peace with the satisfaction that you were right. Rex Chapman is spot on correct regardless.

 

President Biden decided to complete what the [person who shall no longer be named] started—the complete withdrawal of U.S. & Allied forces from Afghanistan [0014 & sub]. What we witness today is the failure of the Afghan government and its military. They have no will to fight for their freedom, which is their choice. Training and equipping the support the Afghan Army does not give them a will to fight. Much of the Afghan military appears to simply be evaporating in the face of the Taliban. And now, even the coward president has abandoned his country. There is absolutely nothing the Allies can do about the will to fight for their freedom. We must quickly adjust to dealing with the consequences remotely.

I will note here that I criticized President Bush for trying to fight a war on the cheap in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States (well, at least the presidents since Johnson; the only exception was President George H.W. Bush) has failed to employ one of the most fundamental war fighting principles—mass. Half-measures have never worked and will never work. If a president needs to employ military force, it should be overwhelming and planned for the long haul, and the nation should be mobilized to fight the war successfully. We have not fought this war properly from the beginning. Ending this fiasco has been long overdue. The [person who shall no longer be named] had the correct instinct, i.e., ending military protection for a corrupt government, but he did not have the balls to finish it. As least, President Biden has the courage to complete what should have been completed many years ago.

 

The Senate passed Concurrent Resolution 14 [Senate: 50-49-0-1(0)] along strict party lines, without one deviation. The resolution was sent to the House.  I suspect this is the vehicle they intend to modify in an attempt to achieve the speaker’s objective noted above.

 

With the once noble Republican Party hijacked by the Tea Party fanatics and our witnessing of the degeneration of the GOP into the disgusting remnant known as the fBICP, the sad reality has brought me to ask a salient question, what does it mean to be conservative? I started with the dictionary definition: “1.) a person who is averse to change and holds traditional values, and 2.) a person favoring free enterprise, private ownership, and socially traditional ideas.” What bothers me the most about the dictionary definition is “favoring . . . socially traditional ideas.” Conservatives believe, truly, they have a God given right to dictate to everyone, whether they believe it or not, how they are to live their lives. To them, freedom of choice and our fundamental right to privacy only apply to them and those who embrace their values. They have absolutely no qualms whatsoever invading a woman’s body, or dictating what we choose to do in private, or who is entitled to the freedom they believe only they cherish. I used to think I was politically conservative, but as I became more aware of things, I realized there is no way I could be conservative. Life is change; always has been; always will be. What is worse about the fBICP is they no longer hold traditional conservative values; those are for everyone else, not them. I am part of the everyone else, and I deeply resent the efforts, actions, words, and such espoused by so-called conservatives. I intend to resist conservatives wherever and however I am able.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1021:

Comment to the Blog:

“I don't understand what would be offensive about a person being retired. I'll note, though, that even in the Valley of the Sun, not everyone has a private pool.

“Governor Cuomo has long been one of my least favorite Democrats. His lying about nursing home deaths during COVID merely confirms my impression.

“I, too, have been vaccinated. ‘Carrying the burden’ of the unvaccinated strikes me as an errant notion partly based on the cloth-mask foolishness. I'm not concerning myself with those yet to receive the vaccine, except those you noted with functional reasons. Having found a way to address the virus, those in charge in this country have doubled down on their incompetence by presenting it offensively and politicizing it.”

My response to the Blog:

Well, we could call it envy, or jealousy, or any one of myriad words. I was only attempting a preemptive apology if anyone happened to be offended. I wrote that paragraph only to reflect the awesome moment. It was also a moment that most folks would not or might not be able to take the time to witness. Indeed, we are blessed to have a pool; I remain demonstrably grateful.

Yeah, it is interesting how a simple but important mistake colors the rest of what he has done. However, the accusations and evidence presented in the AG report is quite far beyond a simple mistake. The intoxicant of power affects men (and some women) in dramatically different ways, but in that sense, I see more similarities between Andrew Cuomo and the [person who shall no longer be named] than I see differences. They both deserve the same fate. Their transgressions were not simple or innocent mistakes; they are deep rooted personality anomalies.

I do not and have not worn a cloth mask. The version of mask I wear is certified medical grade although not to the N95 level. I am far more concerned about improper use (e.g., exposed nose) than I am the mask material. Any lower facial covering will reduce transmission, although probably not as effectively as an N95-grade mask. Respectfully, the [person who shall no longer be named] purposefully chose to politicize the necessary pandemic response guidelines. He alone created the unbounded confusion regarding the pandemic response. Yet, to me, the single most destructive element of the prior administration is his laissez-faire approach—every man for himself. The current administration has done and is doing what should have been done 18 months ago—better late than never. They are still climbing out of the hole dug deeply by the prior administration. Freedom of Speech ensures that the QAnon crap continues to spew forth and confuse far too many. The [person who shall no longer be named] did not create QAnon, but he sure as hell amplified their voice among that segment of our society. So now, we must suffer the consequences.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)