Update from the Heartland
No.566
15.10.12 – 21.10.12
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
We thoroughly enjoyed a long-weekend, road trip to Austin,
Texas, to visit the southern contingent of grandchildren and their parents as
well as celebrate their magnificent new patio and Mom’s 29th
Birthday (wink-wink). A great time
was had by all. Now, we must
return to the daily routine. The
Update is late and needs to be published, and the salt mine beckons.
The second presidential debate of this silly season took
place on Long Island, New York, at Hofstra University in a town hall format,
moderated by Candy Alt Crowley of CNN.
This event was a more testy and raucous affair than the first one. The one topic that stuck out to me was
all the wasted time surrounding whether the Benghazi attack was a spontaneous
protest gone violent or an outright, planned and executed, assault by an
al-Qa’ida affiliate – a ludicrous waste of time and intellectual capacity. Still to this day, the facts associated
with the Benghazi attack have not been made public. What bloody purpose does this damnable labeling crap
serve? A Benghazi cover-up . . .
you’ve got to be kidding me! Why
is it folks are so attracted to conspiracy theories? Is it the entertainment value? Is it rabid curiosity?
I have a hard time understanding this obscene penchant for
conspiracy. My assessment that
week [561] was not far off based on
the public information available at the time. I was rather surprised when Crowley called out Romney
regarding the President’s statement in the Rose Garden the day after the
attack. Ambassador Rice calling
the attack a protest gone violent seems to be irrelevant, from my
perspective. I would like to hear
arguments for the significance of this whole labeling kerfuffle.
News from
the economic front:
-- The consumer price index for the People’s Republic of
China (PRC) rose 1.9% from a year earlier, slightly down from August’s 2.0%
rate. The producer price index
declined 3.6% from a year earlier, slightly lower than August’s 3.5 % decline. Inflation has come down from a high of
6.5% last year and analysts expect it to remain relatively low for many months
to come.
-- The PRC’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 7.4% in
3Q2012 from the same period last year, marking the 7th consecutive quarter of
slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The data indicate the PRC is on track for its weakest annual
growth since 1999, due to slowing domestic investment and weak demand from
major export markets, primarily the EU, which has been the largest recipient of
Chinese exports for years.
Comments and contributions from Update no.565:
Comment to the Blog:
“The questionable timing of the Benghazi investigation
continues a pattern of rabid partisanship that has already cost the United
States much in the opinion of the rest of the world, and that translates into
major problems in economics and international relations.
“I also have no use for the Presidential debates or for
their lesser examples in other races. I took advantage of my opportunity to
vote early the day before the first debate.
“I take Mr. Franck’s whining about having to follow the law
with respect to others’ rights as one more example of some (not all) Christians
trying to present themselves as a kind of persecuted majority for not being
allowed to control the rest of us. His citing of a Vatican document as somehow
equivalent to the US Constitution in US law is at once ludicrous and insulting.
His opinion is unworthy of further attention. Justice Story gets more of my
attention and respect. He was closer to the origins of this country and
apparently put much more effort into his study of the issue. I had not been
aware of Justice Story; I will learn more of him.
“Felix Baumgartner’s spectacular parachute jump provided
entertainment for several million people. I suppose there must be some other
significance to it, but that eludes me.
“The rule of law in the United States, which invented the
concept, continues to decline. President Obama has followed President Bush (43)
in seizing power, Constitution be damned. The damage is not limited to them,
though, as you point out with regard to Minnesota’s extrajudicial detention of
people it fears.
“My comment on the economy: I have concluded that taxes need
to rise even on near-poverty incomes such as mine. Americans continue to want
road maintenance, police protection, and many other government services but
have somehow been convinced that we need not pay for those services. Nonsense!
“In your comment on Southern Europe, you say they are, ‘. .
. way too far down the socialist spectrum, verging on anarchy.’ You need to take one side or the other;
socialism and anarchy are opposites.”
My response to the
Blog:
Re:
Benghazi investigation. Spot on,
brother! The timing was suspect
from the get-go, but the theatrical performance of some representatives on the
panel was downright nauseating.
They could care less about the facts; they are only interested in making
the sticky bomb stick. I find it
incredulous that some folks sop up that tripe.
Re:
voting. Good for you. I’ve requested my absentee ballot (just
in case) but not here yet.
Re:
Franck essay. Again, spot on! I decided to include my review simply
because I could not believe he tried that hard to mask his parochialism in
studious trappings.
Re:
Story Commentaries. His opus magnus is worth the reading effort,
especially if you are interested in history and/or the genesis of the
Constitution. I’ve read chunks of
the Blackstone Commentaries [on English common law], but I decided to read all
of the Story Commentaries [and took notes] as they more directly apply to
Americans. As a side note, I
continue to be amazed at how little, influential history is covered in
conventional American history teaching.
I read sections on the Commerce Clause and the Amendments several times.
Re:
Baumgartner jump. Far more data
were collected than on the Kittinger jump. I would say the significance is the science &
engineering involved in preparation and execution.
Re:
extrajudicial detention. I presume
your accusations toward President Obama are focused on the Guantánamo Bay
detention facility. If so, my
criticism would be quite the opposite.
We released far too many jihadi battlefield combatants, allowing them to
return to their indiscriminant killing.
Fortunately, we have killed some, although many more remain on the
loose.
Re:
taxes. Once again, spot on! The Tea Party folks apparently want to
choke spending by slashing revenue.
This debate will boil down to what do we spend the treasury on? They want spending on their stuff, but
not the other guy’s stuff. And,
rather than find appropriate compromise, they spend on all of the above.
Re:
take a side. LOL Nicely done! I should have been more explanatory with my words. I did not intend to imply socialism and
anarchy were adjacent milestones on the same continuum. Anarchy can be one of numerous outcomes
in a failure of socialism, or capitalism, or fascism for that matter. Greece in particular is verging on
anarchy as we speak. The people
suffer the inevitable pain of austerity, and yet the corrupt politicians and
wealthy continue to defy the law and suck down precious resources to pad their
wealth. The politicians, being the
crafty devils they are, have convinced the people that Germany is the root
cause of their suffering. I
believe the bill will come due eventually and that will be anarchy, as the rule
of law breaks down completely.
. . . a follow-up contribution:
“I find voting at home much more relaxed than voting in a
booth. I can take the time to find my chosen candidates, to follow a sample
ballot carefully, or in my case some of each. Nobody waits in line to vote
after me and no talk and other noise distracts me.
“Re extrajudicial detention and related abuses of power:
Obama has taken what Bush built and extended it. For US citizens, Guantanamo is
no longer the central issue. Obama claims as his ‘right’ the power to do
anything, up to and including killing, to anyone with no judicial process of
any sort. That, I submit, reaches beyond the level of power that any human
being can handle with integrity and wisdom. The Founders of this nation foresaw
that and put due process into the Constitution.
“Thank you for the clarification that you see Greece’s
government as “socialist” and them facing something nearing anarchy from their
people as what you feel is the result of that socialism.
“It’s interesting that you put your comment on the Greek
situation as you did. ‘. . . The corrupt politicians and wealthy continue to
defy the law and suck down precious resources to pad their wealth’ could be a
description of what is happening here as as easily as there. Germany
in the Greek case parallels to the ‘too big to fail’ bankers here rather
neatly.
. . . my follow-up response:
Re:
voting. I’m not partial to lines
or crowds either. Yet, I always
worry about whether my vote will be counted.
Re:
extrajudicial detention. We shall
continue to respectfully disagree.
President Obama finally came around to doing what has to be done. The Commander-in-Chief is fighting a
war than must be fought; he has a lot of latitude in wartime. Due Process does not apply in
warfighting and especially to extranational battlefield combatants, who are
operating outside any established law (well, other than a rabid fundamentalist
interpretation of Q’uran-ic law).
Re:
Greece & Germany. Wow! That is quite a leap. Germany is not Europe’s banker. Germany is a sovereign nation in a
confederation. California is about
the closest we have to a Greek state.
I wonder how we would handle California going bankrupt. I think Germany has been helping Greece
and the others more for the EU than for any altruism for the southern
states. If Germany played some
part in Greece’s financial situation, then it might have some obligation;
however, I am not aware of any such connection. Thus, Germany has no obligation, and Greece is acting like a
drowning man – desperate and able to bring down anyone who tries to help.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
I’m glad you spent time with your grandkids. That’s one of life’s joys.
Conspiracy theories give people something to do other than face their own lives. Kind of like getting drunk without the hangovers. The Benghazi discussion comes as an opportunity to those who seek electoral victory at any cost to the nation.
China’s economic slowdown is a short lesson in macro-economics. The Chinese economy depends on EU and US consumption. Their interdependence with other economies disproves the notion that we all compete with each other. The fact is, Adam Smith’s picture of small shopkeepers and local consumers has given way to cargo ships, automation, and worldwide instant communication. “Our” interests and “their” interests, as nations, have a great deal in common. Unfortunately, we have yet to learn how to harmonize for the general benefit.
Calvin,
Re: grandchildren. Thx mate. There are all treasures and life’s reward.
Re: conspiracy theories. Well said, indeed! Spot on! This whole “who shot John” kerfuffle is a non-productive distraction from the real issues, and as you said, a blatant partisan political ploy to gain votes. I do not take kindly to such nonsense.
Re: world economics. Agreed. Yet, there are other factors that mutate the interdependency model, e.g., national political factors, hegemonic pressure, et cetera.
Cheers,
Cap
Post a Comment