Update no.428

Update from the Heartland

No.428

22.2.10 – 28.2.10

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

To all,
The follow-up news items:
-- Najibullah Zazi [406] – an airport-shuttle driver in Aurora, Colorado, who was arrested last fall on suspicion of terrorist activities – pled guilty to various counts of conspiracy to commit mass murder and providing material support to a terrorist organization. He admitted to being an activated sleeper, al-Qaeda suicide bomber. Hopefully, he will become a guest of the United States for the rest of his life.
-- As many will recall, Air France flight 447 [391, 394, 411] disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean last spring on a scheduled, revenue mission from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The investigation continues. The most descriptive rendition of the aircraft’s final minutes was published this week in a German newspaper.
“Death in the Atlantic – The Last Four Minutes of Air France Flight 447”
Der Spiegel
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,679980,00.html - ref=nlint
Many aviation professionals continue to worry about an emerging phenomenon called “ice crystal impaction,” a compromise of the pitot-static system (airspeed & altitude) commonly seen well-above conventional icing conditions and usually in the vicinity of cumulonimbus cells. With the significant automation of modern jet aircraft, pilots seem to be less aware or prepared to deal with the compromise of the airspeed determination and the cascading effects on the aircraft systems. To my knowledge, Air France 447 is the first aircraft loss due to such a phenomenon (if it is proven). A growing number of other similar events have focused the attention of the aviation engineering and regulatory communities on illumination of the phenomenon and application of corrective action. The Air France 447 circumstances must have been compounded by their penetration of an area of thunderstorms common to the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) with its serious turbulence, and in this case at night.

I noticed the pronouncement from an Italian court. Three Google executives in Italy were convicted of privacy violations for allowing a video of an autistic boy being abused to be posted online. Beyond the sensitivity regarding Internet freedom, my interest came from the judge who convicted the executives – Judge Oscar Magi [412]. You may recall the judge’s name, the one who convicted CIA agents in absentia for the judge’s belief that they were instrumental in the rendition of Egyptian Islamist cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr [412]. Me thinkst this judge may not look kindly on things American; we shall need to remain attentive to the name.

A separate thread from a different forum that I will not include here due to its length sparked some protracted rumination on my part. The catalyst was the Joe Stack crime in Austin, Texas, last week. More than a few chose the event to voice their resentment over the performance of our government and specifically the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). One citizen praised Stack for taking action against a malevolent governmental agency. The whole exchange, to which I contributed in part, left me thinking about many aspects of the Tea Bag movement, the aggravation of a growing number of citizens with government, and the almost mindless chat of some politicos for “lower taxes.” Members of Congress leave me with only one conclusion – they are deeply and perhaps irreparably infected with “get re-elected” disease. Further, they are wedded to the dogma of their political party to feed the infection. If the two main political parties are so polarized, calcified and dogmatic that they see any attempt at compromise as weakness, then I can derive only one conclusion – we must abandon those political parties and leave them to a slow death. I can find no rational justification for violence to achieve political ends within this Grand Republic (perhaps someday, but I cannot see that very distant boundary). Consequently, as a former warrior, I consider myself bound by the oath I took all those years ago to defend this country against “all enemies, foreign or domestic.” My advice in the aforementioned thread was to channel our anger and frustration at the root cause, not at the symptoms. The IRS is simply a symptom. The root cause is our representatives that have failed us. They have been seduced by and become addicted to the power of money, while they have become infected by “get re-elected” disease. It is our representatives in toto who make the laws that the IRS enforces. This government works for us – We, the People. If it is not performing properly, then we must change the flawed men that make the laws.

Readers of this humble Blog recognize my consistent and relentless criticism of Congress and the now becoming perpetual polarization, calcification, corruption and general dysfunction. A friend and contributor forwarded a list of eight proposed changes intended to improve Congress; the author of this particular version was not provided. Some of the elements are certainly not new; a few are. The anonymous author offered this skeleton for a Congressional Reform Act of 2010:
1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
A. Two Six year Senate terms
B. Six Two year House terms
C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms
2. No Tenure / No Pension – A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security – All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1.January.2011 – The American people did not make this contract with congressmen; congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Works for me! The author repeatedly reminded us that “Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serv[ing their] term(s), then go[ing] home and back to work [real work].” How true! The model for public service was established by Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519 BC – 430 BC) – a renown, Roman citizen-soldier-leader – and refreshed by George Washington during the infancy of this Grand Republic. The above reforms will not cure the greed and megalomania of those who make it to Congress. Congressmen have proven once again that human beings are flawed and not able to resist the seduction of greed and power. Congress has few checks on their ability to spend the Treasury, especially when we have presidents unwilling to perform their duties and check the foolish, unwarranted, unreasonable and unsupported largesse of Congress. Nonetheless, I am not naïve enough to believe passing such congressional reforms would be easy or quick. We have a mid-term election approaching this fall. Let us put our shoulders to the task.

News from the economic front:
-- The Conference Board, a private research group, reported that U.S. consumer confidence plunged 10.5 points in February to a reading of 46, the lowest since April 2009 and far below economists’ expectations, raising concerns about the outlook for consumer spending and the strength of the recovery.
-- The Commerce Department reported that new home sales dropped 11.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 309,000 units in January, the lowest level on records going back to 1963, and yet another negative surprise to economists, accentuating the significant challenges in front of the housing industry as it tries to recover from the worst slump in decades.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in his semiannual monetary policy testimony to Congress said the U.S. economy still needs record-low interest rates for at least several months. He also said the jobs market is expected to remain weak and inflation subdued over the next couple of years.
-- The Commerce Department reported the biggest gain in durable goods orders since July, growing 3.0%, after an upwardly revised 1.9% in December, as civilian aircraft bookings soared but slipped excluding transportation. We like increasing aircraft orders – send more.
-- On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported, “Some heavyweight hedge funds have launched large bearish bets against the euro in moves that are reminiscent of the trading action at the height of the U.S. financial crisis.” Now, don’t we all feel better? This simply must stop. In a different forum, I wrote, “Bankers are human, like politicians, clergy and such. They are just as flawed and corruptible as any human being is. Greed is just another form of power, which is precisely why we must have the appropriate level of regulation, i.e., there must be laws for injurious behavior, or we will return to jungle rules of the Wild Wild West, fastest gun wins, and survival of the fittest . . . not my idea of a civilized society. To my knowledge, Greece was like the proverbial kid in the candy store who has no idea that the bill will come due and all that candy would make him very sick.” So far, Congress appears to not have the stomach to take on the bankers. Unless something changes, we are destined for much more punishment.
-- The Commerce Department also reported U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose 5.9% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in the fourth quarter, compared to an initial reading of 5.7% growth, the strongest growth in more than six years. Another positive sign!
-- The National Association of Realtors reported sales of previously occupied homes decreased 7.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05M from a downwardly revised pace of 5.44M in December – the second straight month, another sign the housing market's recovery is faltering.

L’Affaire Madoff [365]:
Federal agents arrested and charge Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC director of operations Daniel Bonventre, 63, on fraud and conspiracy charges for his alleged assistance to Bernie, overseeing the back-office record-keeping staff since at least 1978. I trust he will join his boss for a long stay of incarceration.

Comments and contributions from Update no.427:
“I am replying to make a suggestion. Instead of ‘predominately social conservatives’ you adopt a term I 1st heard in Dan Strange's column (he's a gay Ann Landers) the term is ‘American Taliban.’ I feel it is an appropriate term for the religious right that is attempting to insert their political view into our lives and bedroom. We both know what they are trying to do to gays. However, mention needs to be made of what they are trying to do to str8s. Forcing rape victims to carry the child to term. Denying people the morning after medication to prevent that unwanted child etc etc.”
My response:
I understand the sentiment, and I would agree some are approaching that level; yet, to my knowledge, the fundamentalist Christians have not stoned a woman to death for talking to a man or for being raped. In the context of trying to impose their beliefs on other citizens, yes, they are very much similar and could be called the “American Taliban.”

Another contribution:
“Frank Rich has a point. Whether cunning or just plain clever, Sarah Palin is no fool. Anybody with knowledge of the military knows that being Governor of Alaska put her close to some of our most potent weapons and forces placed in Alaska, a strategic location for defense. She clearly knows how to keep a secret as well as fool her detractors into thinking she's not the brightest bulb in the box. I find her folksy style refreshing for a change since I originally hail from Missouri (pronounced Mizzourah by my crowd). Ironically, she listened to the idiots who control candidates in a losing election, thereby causing her enemies to underestimate her. It will work in her favor over time as will all the hate sent her way by the crowd not admired by most Americans. Folks can disagree with some of her positions, but to underestimate her only makes her stronger. Let us hope her enemies continue their folly.
“Here's a WSJ article that reminds us that objective science is far superior to agendas. Unfortunately, under the umbrella of "a sucker is born every minute," former VP Al Gore became a billionaire anyway.”
“Climate Change and Open Science – In the Internet age, transparency is the foundation of trust.”
by L. Gordon Crovitz
Wall Street Journal
Published: February 22, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704757904575077741687226602.html
My reply:
I don’t like her message, but I do appreciate her style – a much more personal touch. Unfortunately, I can never subscribe to her socially conservative agenda. I would also agree that many seriously underestimate Sarah. Yet, bottom line, I just cannot imagine her being electable nationally.
As I have said many times, weaning ourselves off of fossil fuel consumption and being more respectful of our precious environment must be our clear, focused, unwavering objective. Whatever reason gains support for transitioning to clean energy works for me. Resisting for the sake of the status quo is simply not acceptable or even tolerable.
. . . round two:
“As a lifelong conservationist, I follow the objective evidence, not the status quo.
“Palin is an unlikely national candidate who probably is not electable. Regardless, trashing her and her family as well as taking her lightly is foolhardy.”
. . . my reply to round two:
I am with you as a conservationist, and I will add as an environmentalist, based on objective, scientific, unemotional evidence.
I also agree . . . those who discount Sarah Palin do so at their peril.
. . . round three:
“Clean energy is right no matter which side of the climate debate you are on. We are way behind in nuclear energy compared to the Europeans. Time we catch up.
“On a different note, Sen. Jim Webb is attempting to get a Blue Ribbon Commission together to address the failed drug war. A short clip from him is available at www.leap.cc and the more big name people we can get on board, the sooner we will come to our senses and legalize drugs and send our law enforcement people out to catch criminals, not users.”
. . . my reply to round three:
Nuclear energy is a necessary transition step, but fuel supply is not boundless either. We must move beyond the consumable energy sources. At least nuclear is comparatively clean.
I was not aware of Webb’s Blue Ribbon Commission. I am an advocate for legalized / regulated use of whatever substance an adult citizen chooses, like alcohol and tobacco . . . and I will throw prostitution in the mix, just because . . .
. . . along with a concluding comment:
“Agreed on the legalization of prostitution and drugs. Enough nonsense. It is time for common sense.”

A different contribution:
“That ruling by Obama's Justice Department doesn't surprise me in the least. Just another example of how these people don't take the war on terror seriously. They probably think yelling at people is torture. If denying someone sleep or throwing a bug in their room can break up an impending terrorist attack, I'm for it. Obama and his minions need to realize you're not going to defeat terrorists by being nice to them.
“As for the killing of that Hamas scumbag in Dubai, all I have to say is go Israel. They know how to really handle stuff like this.
My response:
As much as I have advocated for an aggressive intelligence apparatus to wage war successfully in the War on Islamic Fascism, there are limits – a delicate balance between freedom and security, between privacy and surveillance, between the citizen and the State. Sadly, flawed human beings have proven themselves unworthy of unchecked power and the skewing of the balance. The same holds for interrogation of captured battlefield captives. I remain an advocate for the retention of enhanced interrogation techniques in the tool kit for our intelligence operatives, if they should prove necessary. I am not interested in treating our enemies with love & kisses, but a respectful enemy deserves respect; conversely, this enemy is the antithesis of respect; they do not fight with honor, but rather the most disgusting of tactics – terrorism.
Re: al-Mabhouh. I do not know how the decision was vetted, but from what I do know of the Israelis’ decision process in such cases, they carefully weighed the cost / benefit balance. Assassinations are a very thin line, i.e., preemptive action by the State. I do not know the details. He was one of the bad guys; I loose no sleep over his death. I just hope the Israelis did not step into the gutter to get him.

Another contribution:
“You are right on wrt the Smith ordeal. I too think there is more to this story than we are reading. I also want to have the 'right to fly with the arm rest down" which is the only defense to having a large person ‘seep and ooze’ into my seat space.”
My reply:
Spot on, brother. We all have a right to the space that we paid for. I have no objection to fat people; it is their choice. However, their size does not entitle them to half of MY seat. Another element of the Smith case, he apparently paid for two seats on his scheduled flight, but chose to take an earlier standby seat on a full flight. I would say Southwest’s actions were laudable and appropriate.

A different contribution:
“I’ve never heard of your Kevin Smith but your comment did remind me of an ‘escape artist’ during my days in the RAF.
“The aircraft was a Handley Page Hastings, a four piston engined work horse carrying freight/passengers/ paratroopers/ Dangerous air cargo.
“We had a Flight Engineer who was a large man, broadly built. The Engineer’s station was on the starboard side behind the pilots. There was an escape hatch in the fuselage at his left elbow.
“While landing at an RAF unit in Libya the undercarriage collapsed.
He escaped through the escape hatch described. When he returned to our base in Cyprus we could not under any circumstances get him through that same escape hatch! There’s a word for this…’lucky’.
My response:
Kevin Smith is a movie director of limited and questionable success. I’ve not seen any of his movies, and I do not find any particular interest or curiosity to do so.
Re: your RAF colleague’s evacuation experience . . . indeed, quite lucky.

A contribution from the Blog:
Unfortunately, corporations are in fact citizens in too many legal senses. They have many of the rights of citizens without most of the responsibilities. I will state my disagreement with this outrageous situation; that is, however, the situation.
Other than that, I will state that I didn't watch the Palin video. I do not have the patience to watch such a spectacle. I can take ten seconds of Palin, maximum. I will, however, draw your attention to the venue for this. The Tea Party is dramatically unorganized and incoherent. Probably it will remain so due to the fact that so many of its members resist any form of authority or governance to the logical extreme that they will not allow themselves to be organized even for the causes they advance so fervently.
My reply to the Blog:
Re: corporation = citizen . . . yes, thanks in large measure to the Supreme Court . . . with Citizens United [424] being just the latest truss support for that foolish notion. We are in agreement. We must find a way to return corporations to their proper place within our society. I’m afraid it will take another constitutional amendment, which in itself is a very tall order.
We are each entitled to interpret people and events as we wish. Yes, there are some in the Tea Party movement who are far closer to anarchists than they are Libertarians, but at least they are out in the open. What I see in the Tea Party movement is an attempt to coalesce the anger and resentment of a growing number of citizens toward the obscenity that Congress has become and indeed the whole of the Federal government, and to a lesser degree state and local government (the closer they get to us, the more accountable they tend to be – there are exceptions of course). Hopefully, the Internet will enable more of us to collect into a common force against the corruption of the political parties and their minions. We need independents that feel directly the will of We, the People, and are held directly accountable by us.

My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)