Update from the Heartland
No.298
20.8.07 – 26.8.07
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
No.298
20.8.07 – 26.8.07
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
We watched our oldest grandchild play several football (soccer) matches over the weekend. The pitch was adjacent to the Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO), and it just so happened, a weekend airshow flew demonstrations both Saturday and Sunday. What a challenge it was to focus on the match with various airplanes flying in front of us and overhead. Toward the end of Aspen's championship match, we received the following text message from our youngest son: "1600 miles, four states, a national park, an Indian reservation, swimming in a waterfall pool, two warnings for excessive speed, and the largest steak I have ever consumed, all in 48 hours, now that is a road trip." Ah, yes, ain't it great to be young.
A friend sent this video clip . . . the Marine Corps Hymn as you have never heard it like sung before.
http://www.e27marines-1stmardiv.org/videos/Marines_Hymn.wmv
Bless their little hearts.
The follow-up news items:
-- A few months ago, I praised the U.S. Mint’s production of the new, gold, Washington dollar coin [281]. I acknowledged an error in referring to the Sacagawea dollar as the Pocahontas version [283]. Now, it seems, humble pie is on my menu. Just four months hence, after lauding the Mint’s nice, shiny, gold finished, dollar coin, I must confess I spoke too quickly. With only modest use, the new Washington coins tarnish rapidly to the same, dull, penny-brown, color as the Sacagawea dollar. Perhaps unbridled hope was too much that the U.S. Mint had solved the coating and luster retention problem. We are still ordinary.
-- Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-118) landed safely at Cape Canaveral a day early, due to Hurricane Dean and despite the heat shield tile damage [297]. The crew completed their shutdown of the vehicle, debarked, and immediately took a look at the re-entry shield, ceramic tiles that caused such a commotion after launch. Experience with tile damage on previous missions as well as the incredibly detailed on-orbit assessment of the current version [297] helped them determine that a repair was not needed; and, they were spot on. The proof of their assessment landed without incident.
-- Michael B. Mukasey, writing for the Wall Street Journal, offered an interesting observation of the Jose Padilla conviction [297]. He wrote, “[Padilla] will be sentenced – likely to a long if not a life-long term of imprisonment. He will appeal. By the time his appeals run out, he will have engaged the attention of three federal district courts, three courts of appeal and on at least one occasion the Supreme Court of the United States.” This is one of many reasons I have argued for so long that battlefield captives should not be given access to the criminal justice system. Can you imagine thousands of Padilla’s flooding our courts?
-- The dreadful toll of the Qahtaniya [297], now stands at 500+ dead, 1,500+ injured – men, women and children, not soldiers, innocent human beings. This is the enemy we face.
Some of you may wonder why I spend the time to read court rulings. The simple answer is, because I can. Only a few years ago, I would have had to go to a distinct law library or subscribed to special mailings of court rulings, all of which took considerable time and reduced the relevancy. Today, the higher court rulings are available on-line virtually the day they are released. Congressional legislation as well as similar bills in many states are accessible on-line. So many folks want to focus on the sins of the Internet – child predators, pornography, et cetera – and yet, I choose to stand as high as I can and shout as loudly as I can that the Internet has become perhaps the single, most powerful tool for democracy since the Gutenberg Press. While the titillating and lascivious elements of the Internet garner headlines and attention, let us not lose sight of its extraordinary power for good.
The Central Intelligence Agency concluded an internal review of intelligence collection and analysis processes prior to the 9/11 attacks. I have not read the report; I doubt I ever will be able to read it; and, according to various news sources (Washington Post, New York Times, et al), the CIA report heaps criticism on the collection and analysis process. Well, duh!! The intelligence system failure has demonstrable proof in the lives lost that day. Yet, to point the figure at George Tenet is a travesty. Certainly, he bears responsibility and should be accountable for the intelligence failures of those days. However, the roots of this particular intelligence failure sought their grip in the soil 50+ years ago during the depths of the Cold War when the ends justified the means and our leaders compromised ethics and morality to defeat our adversaries. Adding rich manure to the growth of the bramble bush, we can point to the abuses of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and my usual target, the Church Committee [84, 111, 133, 142, 215, 286, et al]. We, the People, bear some of the responsibility for electing individuals who did not understand the intelligence business and still do not understand it. Every administration from Eisenhower to Bush (43) bear responsibility. We still do not have the intelligence services we need, and the prognosis for remedy is not encouraging.
This interview triggered my opinion:
"Outlook: The Quagmire on Drugs - The Narcotics Trade Thrives, 36 Years and Billions of Dollars into Fight"
Misha Glenny
Former BBC Reporter; author of "McMafia: A Journey through the Global Underworld," scheduled to be published in April of next year.
Washington Post
Monday, August 20, 2007; 12:00 PM
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RH02B68E51A059C0E3931205FC30
The failure of the U.S. war on drugs has been as predictable and inevitable as the sunrise in the East . . . from day one. The failure is not for want of effort by the Federal government; quite the contrary, the expenditure of national treasure on this folly pales almost any Federal effort held along side. The reason for the failure and extraordinary wastage of resources is actually quite simple – freedom. What on God’s little green Earth makes us think or believe the outcome of this version of prohibition would be any different from its 1920 predecessor. The parallels are deep and precise. As long as individual citizens seek and enjoy “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” guaranteed by the Constitution, free people will seek to exercise their discreet, distinct and sacred freedom of choice. Ingestion of psychotropic substances harms no one other than the individual just like alcohol, tobacco, gambling, et cetera . . . unless they take their intoxication into the public domain or neglect children or others in their care . . . again, just as with other intoxicants like alcohol. My parents’ generation and extended into our generation failed to recognize this reality. Fortunately, our grandparents’ generation was quicker on the uptake; it took them 13 years to undo the tragedy of the 18th Amendment and Prohibition. The question to our generation . . . how many more years of abuse, wastage, and violations of our freedom shall we endure before we right this wrong. The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 must be repealed, and American drug policy and enforcement drastically reformed. We created a vast, dangerous, criminal subculture by denying our citizens freedom of choice just as our ancestors did 87 years ago. We can still correct this travesty before relinquishing the reins of government to our children. I shall hope and pray we eventually see the light and quit this foolishness.
I have tried to avoid discussing the Michael Vick dogfighting case in this forum, just as I have sought to avoid Barry Bonds and all the disgusting athletes gone wild. Vick will reportedly plead guilty on Monday to federal interstate commerce for the purpose of dogfighting and avoid the other serious charges including gambling. He faces up to five years in federal prison. I hope the judge gives him the maximum sentence possible, and he never plays football or reaches public awareness again. Why do I say this? My answer is multi-fold. Abuse of animals is one of many telltale signs of serial killers and abhorrent social behavior. He will not get the punishment he deserves due to his plea deal. And, he has yet to stand up and take accountability for his bad decisions.
Comments and contributions from Update no.297:
Well, not many contributions this week; in fact, only this query regarding an non-attributed essay about Barak Obama:
"This came to me and I was wondering if you heard about any of this ... suppose it's true??? Didn't want to forward it around until I got advice from the expert!!
[The essay title was: "Who is Barak Obama?" I choose not to forward it as noted below.]
My response:
The basic facts are correct. I cannot corroborate the religious background information with any reputable reference material. The source of the essay is not identified, and non-attributed writing, especially of this nature, I find quite suspicious. The tone, content and interpretation of the subsequent ‘exposé’ leads me to only one conclusion – IMHO, it was written by a political opponent and probably a religious bigot. I remember the brouhaha regarding John F. Kennedy and his Catholic faith in the late 50’s and lead-up to the 1960 election; this diatribe reminds me of that ridiculous nonsense. Even if he is a closet Muslim, when did we become so religiously polarized that we exclude anyone not a Bible-thumping, card-carrying, mainstream, Christian sect evangelist? To me, this is a sad indictment of a fundamentalist portion of our society. Lastly, even if the contention was true, the President is not a king . . . despite what W’s political opponent spew; there are constitutional checks and balances to anyone including the President. In short, the essay was a juvenile hatchet-job.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
We watched our oldest grandchild play several football (soccer) matches over the weekend. The pitch was adjacent to the Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO), and it just so happened, a weekend airshow flew demonstrations both Saturday and Sunday. What a challenge it was to focus on the match with various airplanes flying in front of us and overhead. Toward the end of Aspen's championship match, we received the following text message from our youngest son: "1600 miles, four states, a national park, an Indian reservation, swimming in a waterfall pool, two warnings for excessive speed, and the largest steak I have ever consumed, all in 48 hours, now that is a road trip." Ah, yes, ain't it great to be young.
A friend sent this video clip . . . the Marine Corps Hymn as you have never heard it like sung before.
http://www.e27marines-1stmardiv.org/videos/Marines_Hymn.wmv
Bless their little hearts.
The follow-up news items:
-- A few months ago, I praised the U.S. Mint’s production of the new, gold, Washington dollar coin [281]. I acknowledged an error in referring to the Sacagawea dollar as the Pocahontas version [283]. Now, it seems, humble pie is on my menu. Just four months hence, after lauding the Mint’s nice, shiny, gold finished, dollar coin, I must confess I spoke too quickly. With only modest use, the new Washington coins tarnish rapidly to the same, dull, penny-brown, color as the Sacagawea dollar. Perhaps unbridled hope was too much that the U.S. Mint had solved the coating and luster retention problem. We are still ordinary.
-- Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-118) landed safely at Cape Canaveral a day early, due to Hurricane Dean and despite the heat shield tile damage [297]. The crew completed their shutdown of the vehicle, debarked, and immediately took a look at the re-entry shield, ceramic tiles that caused such a commotion after launch. Experience with tile damage on previous missions as well as the incredibly detailed on-orbit assessment of the current version [297] helped them determine that a repair was not needed; and, they were spot on. The proof of their assessment landed without incident.
-- Michael B. Mukasey, writing for the Wall Street Journal, offered an interesting observation of the Jose Padilla conviction [297]. He wrote, “[Padilla] will be sentenced – likely to a long if not a life-long term of imprisonment. He will appeal. By the time his appeals run out, he will have engaged the attention of three federal district courts, three courts of appeal and on at least one occasion the Supreme Court of the United States.” This is one of many reasons I have argued for so long that battlefield captives should not be given access to the criminal justice system. Can you imagine thousands of Padilla’s flooding our courts?
-- The dreadful toll of the Qahtaniya [297], now stands at 500+ dead, 1,500+ injured – men, women and children, not soldiers, innocent human beings. This is the enemy we face.
Some of you may wonder why I spend the time to read court rulings. The simple answer is, because I can. Only a few years ago, I would have had to go to a distinct law library or subscribed to special mailings of court rulings, all of which took considerable time and reduced the relevancy. Today, the higher court rulings are available on-line virtually the day they are released. Congressional legislation as well as similar bills in many states are accessible on-line. So many folks want to focus on the sins of the Internet – child predators, pornography, et cetera – and yet, I choose to stand as high as I can and shout as loudly as I can that the Internet has become perhaps the single, most powerful tool for democracy since the Gutenberg Press. While the titillating and lascivious elements of the Internet garner headlines and attention, let us not lose sight of its extraordinary power for good.
The Central Intelligence Agency concluded an internal review of intelligence collection and analysis processes prior to the 9/11 attacks. I have not read the report; I doubt I ever will be able to read it; and, according to various news sources (Washington Post, New York Times, et al), the CIA report heaps criticism on the collection and analysis process. Well, duh!! The intelligence system failure has demonstrable proof in the lives lost that day. Yet, to point the figure at George Tenet is a travesty. Certainly, he bears responsibility and should be accountable for the intelligence failures of those days. However, the roots of this particular intelligence failure sought their grip in the soil 50+ years ago during the depths of the Cold War when the ends justified the means and our leaders compromised ethics and morality to defeat our adversaries. Adding rich manure to the growth of the bramble bush, we can point to the abuses of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and my usual target, the Church Committee [84, 111, 133, 142, 215, 286, et al]. We, the People, bear some of the responsibility for electing individuals who did not understand the intelligence business and still do not understand it. Every administration from Eisenhower to Bush (43) bear responsibility. We still do not have the intelligence services we need, and the prognosis for remedy is not encouraging.
This interview triggered my opinion:
"Outlook: The Quagmire on Drugs - The Narcotics Trade Thrives, 36 Years and Billions of Dollars into Fight"
Misha Glenny
Former BBC Reporter; author of "McMafia: A Journey through the Global Underworld," scheduled to be published in April of next year.
Washington Post
Monday, August 20, 2007; 12:00 PM
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RH02B68E51A059C0E3931205FC30
The failure of the U.S. war on drugs has been as predictable and inevitable as the sunrise in the East . . . from day one. The failure is not for want of effort by the Federal government; quite the contrary, the expenditure of national treasure on this folly pales almost any Federal effort held along side. The reason for the failure and extraordinary wastage of resources is actually quite simple – freedom. What on God’s little green Earth makes us think or believe the outcome of this version of prohibition would be any different from its 1920 predecessor. The parallels are deep and precise. As long as individual citizens seek and enjoy “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” guaranteed by the Constitution, free people will seek to exercise their discreet, distinct and sacred freedom of choice. Ingestion of psychotropic substances harms no one other than the individual just like alcohol, tobacco, gambling, et cetera . . . unless they take their intoxication into the public domain or neglect children or others in their care . . . again, just as with other intoxicants like alcohol. My parents’ generation and extended into our generation failed to recognize this reality. Fortunately, our grandparents’ generation was quicker on the uptake; it took them 13 years to undo the tragedy of the 18th Amendment and Prohibition. The question to our generation . . . how many more years of abuse, wastage, and violations of our freedom shall we endure before we right this wrong. The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 must be repealed, and American drug policy and enforcement drastically reformed. We created a vast, dangerous, criminal subculture by denying our citizens freedom of choice just as our ancestors did 87 years ago. We can still correct this travesty before relinquishing the reins of government to our children. I shall hope and pray we eventually see the light and quit this foolishness.
I have tried to avoid discussing the Michael Vick dogfighting case in this forum, just as I have sought to avoid Barry Bonds and all the disgusting athletes gone wild. Vick will reportedly plead guilty on Monday to federal interstate commerce for the purpose of dogfighting and avoid the other serious charges including gambling. He faces up to five years in federal prison. I hope the judge gives him the maximum sentence possible, and he never plays football or reaches public awareness again. Why do I say this? My answer is multi-fold. Abuse of animals is one of many telltale signs of serial killers and abhorrent social behavior. He will not get the punishment he deserves due to his plea deal. And, he has yet to stand up and take accountability for his bad decisions.
Comments and contributions from Update no.297:
Well, not many contributions this week; in fact, only this query regarding an non-attributed essay about Barak Obama:
"This came to me and I was wondering if you heard about any of this ... suppose it's true??? Didn't want to forward it around until I got advice from the expert!!
[The essay title was: "Who is Barak Obama?" I choose not to forward it as noted below.]
My response:
The basic facts are correct. I cannot corroborate the religious background information with any reputable reference material. The source of the essay is not identified, and non-attributed writing, especially of this nature, I find quite suspicious. The tone, content and interpretation of the subsequent ‘exposé’ leads me to only one conclusion – IMHO, it was written by a political opponent and probably a religious bigot. I remember the brouhaha regarding John F. Kennedy and his Catholic faith in the late 50’s and lead-up to the 1960 election; this diatribe reminds me of that ridiculous nonsense. Even if he is a closet Muslim, when did we become so religiously polarized that we exclude anyone not a Bible-thumping, card-carrying, mainstream, Christian sect evangelist? To me, this is a sad indictment of a fundamentalist portion of our society. Lastly, even if the contention was true, the President is not a king . . . despite what W’s political opponent spew; there are constitutional checks and balances to anyone including the President. In short, the essay was a juvenile hatchet-job.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
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