Update no.1217

Update from the Heartland

No.1217

5.5.25 – 11.5.25

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

 

To all,

 

Habemus papam. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago was elected il papam by the sequestered College of Cardinals in La Cappella Sistina on the second day of voting . Upon his election, Cardinal Prevost took his papal name to be Leo XIV. His first words to the assembled ecstatic crowd in St. Peter’s Square were, “La pace sia con voi.” [Peace be with you.] He seems to be taking a path and tone of his immediate predecessor. He is comparatively young at 69 years of age, and we will likely watch and listen to him for years to come.

 

Tensions between India and Pakistan boiled up into violence this week. The exact instigating factor in this latest dust-up is not clear to me, as yet. However, the tensions have existed for centuries and become blatantly obvious since the division of British domination transformed into the creation of the two countries on religious differences—one of the contemporary examples of the destructive potential of religious fervor.

 

Well, mission accomplished! Jeanne and I made it safely in our relocation from Fountain Hills, Arizona, back to Wichita, Kansas. Our decision to make the move at our age was not an easy one nor capriciously arrived at in the process. It is a long story, however, the succinct version is, my side effects from chemotherapy scared the hell out of Jeanne. I must respect that reality.

As noted above, the Update once again returns to the Heartland.

Thank you for respecting our operational security requirements. All is well. I hope to stabilize things and return to my normal routine as swiftly as possible. It has been a long, tortuous journey and recovery will likely be slower than hoped for, but as the physicists like to say, progress by jerks

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1216:

Comment to the Blog:

“Apparently, the Felon either believes his own bombastic metaphors (‘invasion’ in this case) or believes he can bulldoze judges into playing along. He’s not having a good percentage.

“You can easily verify that immigrants to the USA have a lower crime rate than native-born Americans. Most refugees are just grateful to have reached a safer place. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, for example. I would rather treat the criminals among them as we treat other criminals, versus deporting them knowing they’ll return with freedom of movement. The whole ‘bad hombre’ stereotype comes from fiction.

“The Felon nowadays isn’t interested in competence. He seeks only his perception of loyalty in his hiring. On any given day, his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, proves that.”

My response to the Blog:

A psychotic individual consumed by paranoia truly believes in the demons surrounding him. Yes, absolutely, he believes he can bulldoze anyone and everyone he wishes or who are not to his liking. The divine right of kings. So far, the Judiciary, unlike the majority is the Legislative Branch, have stood up to him and told him NO. As I continue to read the mounting judicial decisions from the district courts to the Supreme Court, he is not getting away with his attempt at dictatorship.

I agree with your assessment of the current immigration enforcement situation. I must note at his juncture that I emphatically believe we must control our borders. We have desperately need comprehensive immigration reform that our political operatives have resoundingly failed to provide. So we waddle along aimlessly, so too many take advantage of our complacency. I can and will laud the president’s efforts to do so, although I categorically disagree with and condemn the manner in which he is doing it.

I do believe my “bad hombre” usage was in the specific context, not the generic milieu. There are, indeed, bad men coming across our border and who remain in this country doing very bad things (they are a small minority, in my opinion). I do agree with you that those bad men deserve to be treated in accordance with the law. We failed to prevent their entry. However, our efforts should be focused on preventing the entry of any individual who is judged to be “not a productive, contributory person.”

Oh my, yes, Karoline Leavitt’s daily performance is astounding in so many ways. I certainly agree with your assessment and example.

. . . Round two:

“I can see the Felon as obsessively vengeful, whatever the correct psychological term is for that. His niece, Mary Trump, is a psychologist who has written her professional assessment of his condition. We shall see what the future holds.

“I don’t believe in nearly the level of border control that most Americans do. We need to detect smugglers and other criminals, but screening out groups of immigrants has historically been mostly a racist operation, all the way back to the Chinese Exclusion Act.

“According to FBI crime statistics, those ‘bad men’ coming across the border are committing fewer crimes than the ‘bad men’ born here.”

 . . . my response to round two:

Oh my, yes . . . in spades as the Bridge players say. I am not a medical professional, but I would call his “obsessively vengeful” predilection a direct derivative of his massively dominating malignant narcissism. I am confident it will not be a pretty or comfortable future as long as he holds sway over this once grand republic.

Yes, indeed! The Chinese Exclusion Act [PL 47-I-71; 22 Stat. 058; 6.5.1882] was not a high point of U.S. law [424]. It was followed by other similar laws. [No name] has joined the infamous class with his proclamation against TdA, and de facto, vilifying of all Venezuelan immigrants. From my perspective, we bear witness today to a reinvigorated racist mentality from our president on down to the entry level of ICE and Border Patrol. The resurgence of the racist elements within our society began in earnest after 16.6.2015. That said, those racist elements, as I say, have existed since long before the Founding of the republic. They have sprouted up at numerous times in our history, the 1850s & 60s, the 1920s, and today are examples, but they are eventually suppressed and sent back to the shadows.

Just a FYI note to the above paragraph: our history is replete throughout its entirety with violent and criminal racist events. We see some of those events to this very day. [No name], by his basic nature, has tapped into that racist element as part of the MAGA base that sustains him.

Yes, agreed. Yet, there are still “bad men” coming across our border without permission. And, as noted above, [no name] has generalized that fact to stoke his base of political support to extend his malignant narcissism to what I contend are criminal and unconstitutional extremes, Abrego Garcia being a contemporary example.

. . . Round three:

“I’d have to look it up, but I think you landed on Mary Trump’s diagnosis.

“That long history of racism hangs over the Felon’s claims of removing criminals from the USA. The people doing the work are as ignorant as he is, and they don’t know or care who they’re picking up.”

. . . my response to round three:

Well, thank you very much. I see that man’s affliction is very clear terms, and I have done so for decades. The leopard has NOT changed his spots.

Yes, it most emphatically does. He has displayed his personal racist behavior throughout his “adult” lifetime, so him to embrace the racist element in our society, it was a very easy and natural move. That is certainly my view of this disgusting process. To me, it is the exact antithesis of what this nation has stood for across two plus centuries. We have a very long way to go in living up to the ideals of the Founding, made farther by this man’s tenure.

. . . Round four:

“History continues. The Felon isn’t a unique phenomenon; nor are the followers. The remaining questions are how he falls and how much goes down with him.”

. . . my response to round four:

From my perspective, I would say you are spot on correct. How much destruction will follow him? It is of very little solace that I publicly pegged him after he announced his candidacy in 2015. I truly regret being correct about him. Now, we must suffer 3+ more years of this horrific clown show. This too shall pass . . . but, as you say, it is only question of how much collateral damage we must endure. We shall see.

. . . Round five:

“The specifics of the news change daily; the overall trends continue.

“Given the worldwide opposition to the Felon and the incompetence of his minions, I still don’t expect him to finish his term. We’d do well to consider how to contain JD Vance and other potential successors.”

 . . . my response to round five:

Agreed. We watch, listen, and pay attention to national and world events.

[No name] is striving mightily to isolate the United States from the rest of the world. It is still not clear to me . . . why? I have never understood the Republican penchant for isolationism, but it is what it is and has been that way for more than a century. It is not likely to change with the current administration. I suppose the primary question remains, are they irreparably destroying our alliances and relationships with other nations?

Whether the Felon finishes his second term is an interesting contemplative exercise, but one neither of us controls. The one thing I can say is, sooner the better. He has never been and still is not a good man. Far more destruction than any good he may do.

 . . . Round six:

“The root word of ‘conservative’ is ‘conserve.’ About all the MAGAts have in common with traditional conservatives is that all of them want to hold onto what they perceive works in their favor. Hence, they’re afraid to engage with anything that might lead to change.”

. . . my response to round six:

Spot on! I will only add that in the case of the MAGAts, they don’t just want to conserve what they see as theirs by birthright, they want to regress the nation to a time when WASPs controlled everything from federal law to local ordinances about chewing gum and expectorating on the sidewalk.

 

Another contribution:

“Enjoyed the calm tone and esoteric content of 1216 and heartily agreed with all, but the omission of criticism of the USA's two-party system as the fundamental evil enabling our own oligarchs and cowarding our congress is unfortunate. These discussions can get too lengthy, but readers must occasionally be reminded that our Founders , with a few exceptions, simply could not imagine career politicians or corporations having the Rights of people.”

My reply:

Thank you for your generous words.

Oh my, you are oh so correct and spot on. The U.S. Supreme Court unilaterally and fundamentally altered American society, not in a good and positive way as with Brown v. Board of Education [347 U.S. 483 (1954)], when they rendered Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission [558 U.S. 310 (2010)] [424]. Giving money and corporations the semblance of citizenship is so bloody and categorically wrong. But, it is what it is, and we must deal with it. I will further add to your observation, the Founders/Framers had every right not to imagine or acknowledge such things. They were right. The Supreme Court was wrong. Yet, I have faith that one day (perhaps not in my remaining lifetime), the Supreme Court of the day will recognize the error of its foolish decision in Citizens United and correct the mistake, as it eventually did after the atrocious Dred Scott v. Sandford [60 U.S. {19 How.} 393 (1856)] [322] and the hugely disappointing Plessy v. Ferguson [163 U.S. 537 (1896)] decisions. There is always hope until there isn’t.

 

A different contribution:

“I am forwarding to my Group your latest Update of yesterday. However, I will still assert you are being an adolescent in your style, of not naming Donald J. Trump as our President of the United States of America. However, you did mention "Trump" in your opinion piece, so at least that is OK, though maybe your edits did not catch that one. Sadly, your infection of TDS, is severe in this case, and I can prescribe some good multi-vitamins for such an affliction.”

My response:

I shall quietly and reluctantly accept your epithet without rebuttal. TDS . . . perhaps so. Such is life. Please allow me a brief explanation.

I have been an outspoken critic of that man well before 16.June.2015. I have seen him for what he is long before he chose to take his con into the political realm and the governance of this nation. Yet, if you go back to Update no.788[16.1.17 – 22.1.17], you will note that I acknowledged his full name when he was inaugurated the first time. I tolerated his grotesque, absolutely unacceptable, and infamous “shoot somebody” public statement [23.1.2016]; after all, it was a heated political campaign. [What kind of decent human being says such things.] However, he swiftly and demonstratably disrespected the Office of the President of the United States of America—our office, not his. As you wander through the ensuing weeks, months, and years of the Update (in various forms), you will note the steady erosion of whatever respect I had for the man until he reached the limit of my threshold of toleration. I watched, listened, and studied his direct incitement to insurrection [6.1.2021] like I was reliving the horror of 11.9.2001 all over again.

That man is a con-man, a huckster, an immoral man devoid of conscience, remorse, or humility. He has long ago forfeited any recognition as a decent human being that he might have once deserved.

Now, that said, as I so often quote Dennis Miller, “That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.” I have sufficient humility [in direct and stark contrast to that man] to recognize and acknowledge that I am not perfect. I am not always right; I could be wrong in this instance (but at present, I don’t think so). I am a deeply flawed man who acknowledges my foibles.

You and 77M other American citizens elected him to be president again, despite his incitement of insurrection, his conviction for multiple felonious crimes, and especially for his malignant narcissism that so relentlessly drives his misbehavior. My refusal to acknowledge him with a proper name is a direct reflection of the nauseating disgust I feel watching him bilk, fool, and twist my friends. I sincerely believe he is trying mightily to destroy this once grand republic that has sustained us for a quarter of a millennia, and he is doing so for one reason and one reason only—his self-aggrandizement.

With that, my friend, as I noted at the outset, I shall gracefully accept your epithet for me . . . although I shall not repeat it or use it. For, at the end of the day, you are entitled to believe what you wish for whatever reason(s) you wish (as am I). However, I have no intention of sitting by idly watching that con-man deceive my family, my friends, and my countrymen (spoken in the generic context of mankind). He has apparently fooled you (and so many others), but he has not fooled me. I can promise to continue my bold public pronouncement, “The emperor has no clothes.”

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)