Update no.576

Update from the Heartland

No.576

24.12.12 – 30.12.12

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

To all,

Here is the last Update of 2012, and so begins the New Year.  Happy New Year to one and all.

The follow-up news items:

-- As indicated last week [575], I completed my review of the State Department’s Accountability Review Board (ARB) unclassified summary report on the Benghazi attack [561] that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glenn Doherty.  The appointed ARB members were:

·      Ambassador Thomas Reeve “Tom” Pickering (Ret.) – ARB Chairman – former ambassador to the United Nations

·      Admiral Michael Glenn “Mike” Mullen, USN (Ret.) [USNA 1968] – ARB Vice Chairman – former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

·      Catherine Ann Bertini – former Executive Director of the World Food Program, United Nations, and currently Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University

·      Richard J. Shinnick – former Director, Overseas Building Operations, State Department, and Vice Chairman of the Board, American Foreign Service Protective Association

·      Hugh Turner (appointed by Director, National Intelligence) – former CIA operations officer

The unclassified report gives us few, new details of the attack, and to be frank, offers us little more than vanilla insight.  The publicly offered report is untitled, undated and not signed by any member of the ARB, so it can hardly be labeled definitive.  The ARB did note that the FBI criminal investigation continues.  They made no attempt at attribution for the perpetrators of the attack, presumably leaving that action to the FBI, Congress or others.  The ARB reported communications from Benghazi were good without specifying the content or quality of the messages.  Significantly, the ARB noted, “[Chris Stevens’] status as the leading U.S. government advocate on Libya policy, and his expertise on Benghazi in particular, caused Washington to give unusual deference to his judgments.”  As a result, security provisions, planning and procedures were woefully inadequate and well short of established State Department standards for ambassadorial visit / occupancy.  Some assets had been allocated and delivered, but not yet installed due to conflicting priorities with scares technical resources.  As noted in the Press, attention focused on mid-level management in Washington; several senior individuals resigned or were reassigned – scapegoats, if I may say so.

            Taking the report as a whole, I am struck more by what is not said.  According to the ARB summary report, the Regional Security Officer (RSO) in the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) of the Special Mission Compound Benghazi (SMC) was communicating their status and the progress of the attack to the Annex Benghazi, Embassy Tripoli and Washington.  Yet, there are critical details missing from the unclassified report, e.g., the exact time Washington received communications regarding the attack and the content of those communications; inter-agency communications, especially with the Defense Department and specifically with Africa Command (AFRICOM), were distinctly missing.  There is little doubt in my little pea-brain that the State Department and the White House knew the severity of the attack; protests do not use explosives, Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) or mortars.  Further, the report does not address the involvement (I might even add culpability) of Congress; they write the laws, dictate the requirements, and control resources.  The ARB did not address the enormous juggling exercise the State Department and other agencies must continue perform in distribution of scarce resources across multiple, global, threat locations.

            The baffling part of this whole affair . . . why on God’s little green Earth did the administration instruct Ambassador Rice to publicly claim the Benghazi attack was a rogue protest gone awry?  They sacrificed an exceptionally capable diplomat for little purpose, and in fact made the credibility situation far worse.  Beyond the deaths of Stevens, Smith, Woods and Doherty, the needless sacrifice of Ambassador Rice to the gods of public opinion is the most disgusting aspect of the Benghazi attack.

Two days after the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy [574], another gunfire incident occurred at the Santikos Mayan Palace 14 theaters in San Antonio, Texas, that was eerily similar to the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting [554/55], and yet we heard nothing about the event.  I was alerted to the incident by just one of many news networks to which I subscribe; the reference link went to a Blog.  Corroboration and confirmation took more than 30 minutes to attain – an indication of how little the event was covered by the Press.

“Two wounded in theater shooting”

by Hollie O'Connor

San Antonio Express-News

Updated 9:26 am, Monday, December 17, 2012

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Two-wounded-in-theater-shooting-4122668.php - ixzz2GOP72zBX

Normally, I would not even mention such an incident; after all, only two people were wounded; no one was killed, not even the perpetrator, and it was just another crime involving firearms.  The obvious question: so why did I choose to mention it now?  Answer and only reason, the crime had the potential to be as horrific and destructive as the Aurora theater event; however, an armed, off-duty, Bexar County Sheriff officer, who was working at the theater, engaged the shooter and stopped him.  Unfortunately and to my thinking, the defender was not a better shot.  You know what comes next. 

            If we are going to debate the 2^nd Amendment and more importantly restrictions and constraints on the rights of every single citizen in this Grand Republic, then we cannot edit, censor, or otherwise filter or truncate the content of the debate.  I have conceded [575] that firearms of all kinds [312] must be part of the debate; the debate must be open on both ends of the spectrum.  While I cannot and will not suggest the San Antonio incident was a perfect, contrarian occurrence, it does suffice to make the point that a diligent, armed citizen can make a dramatic difference and save lives in the face of a crazed individual intent upon destruction and harm.  The Press may not be able to stomach the notion, but We, the People, must do so, as we are debating the rights of ALL citizens, not just those who choose to possess and use firearms.

Comments and contributions from Update no.575:

Comment to the Blog:

“I disagree with your position that the tools killers use do not matter. To draw a parallel to Newtown, a man in China walked into a school recently with murder on his mind, but his ‘tool’ was a knife. He managed to injure 26 people, but killed none. That shows the difference between firearms and other weapons. The nature of the weapon is not the only issue here, but it is an issue. The Second Amendment so cherished by anything-goes gun advocates refers to ‘a well-regulated militia,’ not to ‘anyone who can reach a gun show with cash in hand.’ Also, our current armed-to-the-teeth citizenry has not prevented or remedied the PATRIOT Act, NDAA, or the other infringements on our liberties by our government.

“All parties need further study of the background of that amendment and the Founders’ opinions. Much of that has to do with the fact that the fledgling nation could not afford the type of standing military force that European monarchies had and not to the fear of the US government going rogue. And perhaps we should study other nations that have been more successful in limiting violent deaths rather than interviewing children.

“The so-called ‘fiscal cliff,’ let’s remember, was agreed upon as a common-sense solution to the partisan bickering. My taxes will go up a bit along with most other taxpayers’ payments once the politicians prove they cannot do anything better, and that is a good thing. Americans want roads, law enforcement, the military, and many other government services that we must buy; they do not occur without people being paid to provide them any more than you or I work for free.

“It is shameful that some of the banks involved in the LIBOR investigation are buying their way out of trouble. At least a few of the individuals have been charged; that’s better than nothing.

“I cannot understand why people who claim to advocate in favor of marriage oppose giving access to that institution to gay people. The gay people and the advocates seem to be the only ones still interested in supporting it.

“Removing limited liability from a corporation may not be the most effective method of imposing a ‘death penalty’ on the most severe wrongdoing by the corporation, but some means of permanently dissolving such corporations should be sought. This would indeed impose a penalty on investors in such corporations; that’s the point. The idea is to encourage caution in investment and close oversight by investors.

“Monkeying with the exact manner of paying enormous salaries will only result in counter-maneuvers that defeat a given accounting technique. A more all-encompassing method of placing limits might help, but that should occur only after a lengthy and probably heated international public discussion.

“Let us hope that 2013 will be quieter and saner than 2012. At least the level of political advertising should decline for a while.”

My response to the Blog:

Calvin,

            Re: “tools.”  The PRC knife attack has been used quite generously as justification for a prohibition on certain firearms.  To my knowledge, what we do not know is the type of knife used or the attacker’s motives.  A knife is certainly a deadly weapon.  Again, the key element in efficacy of any weapon is the skill and will of the assailant – the man, not the tool.

            I shall concede the point that I am all in favor of and would support taking every means possible to keep all deadly weapons out of the hands of violent felons, mentally ill citizens, or other disturbed individuals.  I simply cannot support a blanket prohibition on a class of firearms, magazines or ammunition for ALL citizens, because We, the People, do not have the will to focus on the root cause(s) of these violent crimes.

            Re: 2nd Amendment.  You have mentioned two of many federal laws that have chipped away at the freedom and rights of American citizens.  Whether the right to bear arms is ever used again for its original intended purpose is yet to be seen.  Certainly the laws you mentioned moved us closer to the threshold.  A few of us are prepared to tolerate the offense of the PATRIOT ACT, NDAA, and the other intrusive laws as a necessary consequence of the War on Islamic Fascism; however, the moment of truth will come when the exigencies of the War are no longer justification.

            If you wish to understand the 2nd Amendment more than just the words, I recommend starting with Justice Story’s “Commentaries” §§ 1889-1891.

            Re: “fiscal cliff.”  Congress created this cliff with passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011 [PL 112-025; 125 Stat. xxxx; 2.August.2011] [503, 504].  I believe the intent was to force spending reduction, tax reform, and better budget planning.  I fully agree, we all need to pay taxes.  We need government to work for the benefit of We, the People, and this Grand Republic.  The challenge is always balance.  Political partisan parochialism has contaminated and corroded that noble purpose.  We will survive this obstacle as we have all the others.

            Re: LIBOR scandal.  Spot on, brother.  At least UBS traders Hayes and Darin shall face a jury and the law.  We can only hope and expect there will be more.  Yet, I refuse to believe mid-level traders at these banks are the perpetrators.  Perhaps they will roll on their bosses, who made the decisions.

            Re: non-heterosexual rights.  You are not alone.  One day we shall mature as a society and move closer to achieving the noble objectives of this Grand Republic.

            Re: limited liability corporations.  Hard to argue to the contrary.

            Re: salary caps.  Yes, absolutely.  Salary caps are quite like price caps or other expense controls.  I do not think it is the path, but it does reflect the revulsion over the bankers’ contribution to the Great Recession, the EU debt crisis, the mortgage debacle, et cetera.

            We can all hope your prayer comes to fruition.  Merry Holidays and Happy New Year.

 . . . follow-up comments:

“I will leave most of this for another day, but I still want to make my point about the tools available to a given killer. Perhaps a more personal analogy will help. Let us set up a race. The current world champion bicyclist will ride the best racing bicycle in the world from Wichita to Oklahoma City. An hour after he departs, I will begin the same trip by the same route on a borrowed motorcycle.  I don’t own a motorcycle, and I probably have ridden less than 100 miles on motorcycles, but I will win the race. The choice of tool matters at least as much as the will and skill of the person, and that analogy holds up with weapons. No knife, arrow, or blunt object can compete with any firearm in killing people.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

            Agreed.  A motorcycle is a more efficient tool of transportation than a bicycle.  I will also concede that a firearm is a more efficient killing tool than a knife . . . although I must add that a knife in the hands of a skilled assailant is quite effective. 

            The debate continues within our family.  Our youngest son admonished me that I cannot deny that a firearm was part of the equation in the Sandy Hook crime.  Yes, it was.  I never denied that the perpetrator used a Bushmaster 0.223 caliber long rifle.  In fact, I acknowledged the evidence and still do.  I just do not want the Sandy Hook debate to narrow its focus to the weapon, when mental illness, inadequate security, and community complacency are so important in the outcome.

            In our tools debate, I will also concede we could amend the current law that prohibits firearms in the hands of violent felons, to include mentally ill or troubled citizens.  I simply do not see the reason to prohibit firearms for ALL peaceful, law-abiding citizens.  So, our task is how we identify those folks who are not stable and might use firearms to injury other citizens.

            I must admit the central, primary focus of my opinion is what I would label scope creep.  A goodly portion of the broadcast Press, more than a few politicians, and a variety of talking heads clamor for stricter laws prohibiting the possession or use of assault rifles and large capacity magazines.  For the sake of our discussion, please allow me to dissect this concern.  An assault rifle is generally defined in part as having a selectable feature for semi-automatic (one trigger pull = one shot, with automatic feed) and automatic (one trigger pull = multiple shots) operation.  The Bushmaster 0.223 caliber rifle used in the Sandy Hook crime did not have that selectable feature; it looks like an assault rifle, but it is not an assault rifle, despite what misinformed folks like to say.  So, if the Bushmaster rifle is included in the proposed prohibition, then we are talking about semi-automatic firearms.  If so, then it is a very short step to include semi-automatic pistols.  And, if we expand the ban to pistols, then next might be large caliber pistols.  Where do we stop?  BB guns?  Sling-shots?

            So much of my worry is over-zealous law enforcement or prosecutors who abuse the law . . . we give them an inch, they take a mile.  Case in point, Mayor Bloomberg says his objective is to keep “these weapons” out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.  At face value, I think we all can and would agree with that objective.  Unfortunately, his definition means anything that fires a projectile.  I share his objective, but not his path.  There are many things we can do to make schools safer before we entertain mucking about with the Constitution.

   Just some more thoughts for your rumination.

Cheers,

Cap

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

Cheers,

Cap                        :-)