Update from the Heartland
No.591
8.4.13 – 14.4.13
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
As you
already know, this week’s Update is a smidgen late, and you will soon know it
is rather thin, as family deserved priority. We made the journey down to Austin, Texas, to be inspired by
Grandson Judson James and Granddaughter Avalon Mar . . . oh yeah, along with
their parents. ;-) As an associated but unimportant factoid,
we chose to drive through the night both ways – great for minimum stress from
the disrespectful drivers, but hard on consciousness the day after; needless to
say, we made it home safely. We
watched Judson execute a double play and hit the winning, ‘round-tripper, home
run in his T-Ball game on Saturday. The image of Judson is through the backstop, so not the best,
but it sure was fun to watch him.
Avalon is not yet three-years-old, but she is developing into quite the
character and personality, and of course a real cutie.
Judson
ready for action
[file:
Judson ready 130413.jpg]
Avalon
Mar
[file:
Avalon 130413.jpg]
Stubb’s
BBQ gospel band
[file:
Stubb's 130414.jpg]
Thank you so very much Melissa, Tyson, Judson and Avalon; we
had a most enjoyable weekend with y’all.
Thank you also to Trinidad for his extra effort.
Just an FYI: if you are ever in Austin, we recommend the
Stubb’s Gospel Brunch, but you definitely need reservations – limited seating,
two sittings (11:00 & 13:00), and a very popular local event.
From last week’s treatise by Dennis
Prager, we know that Judeo-Christian ideology espouses, nay demands, sexual
conduct should only be carried out within the confines of an adult, bilateral,
monogamous-for-life, heterosexual marriage – no deviations allowed. We used to have more laws to enforce
that ethos on private conduct, and we still have remnant laws to that
effect. Nonetheless, the moment of
conception is defined as the instant in time when the spermatozoa penetrates
the membrane of an ovum, otherwise known as fertilization. My question: How is a woman to know
when that moment occurs, so that she does not offend the moral sensitivities of
the Judeo-Christian majority?
While the gun control debate continues,
Senator Feinstein’s Assault Weapons Ban (S.150) has stalled for a host of
reasons, and the Senate has focused its legislative attention on a companion
bill – Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 (S.649) – the universal
background check provisions. The
Senate voted [68-31-0-1(0)] to open floor debate on the bill. I have read the summary but not the
full text of the proposed legislation.
I have not yet seen any provisions in the language to protect the
privacy of innocent citizens, thus I urge rejection of the bill until proper
protections are included.
Another opinion of interest in an
important public debate:
“A Conservative Case for Gay Marriage – Is the triumph of an
invidious distinction worth the price in unfulfilled or misdirected lives?”
by Bret Stephens
Wall Street Journal
Published: April 8, 2013, 7:14 p.m. ET
Since this Update is late being
distributed, I can only note the apparent terrorist bombings in Boston,
Massachusetts, that occurred circa 14:50 [R] EDT, Monday, 15.April.2013. The employment of multiple, near
simultaneous, shrapnel-enhanced, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) is a
hallmark of al-Qa’ida, although attribution has not been claimed or made as
yet. The lack of significant
numbers of fatal causalities suggests an individual, group, or groups other
than Islamo-fascists organizations like al-Qa’ida. I am fairly confident law enforcement will sort this one out
and bring the perpetrators to appropriate justice.
News from the economic front:
-- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the People’s Republic
of China (PRC) rose 2.1% in March compared to the previous year. Food price inflation in the PRC fell
back to a pace of 2.7%, which had surged to 6% year on year in February.
-- The PRC also reported 1Q2013 trade with the U.S. rose to
US$118.2B – 10.8% from a year earlier.
PRC trade with Europe declined, further evidence of an uneven recovery
in the global economy.
-- The U.S. Treasury Department acknowledged their active monitoring
of Japanese fiscal policies that have pushed down the yen to avoid competitive currency
devaluation. The mechanism is intended to make the
country’s exports less expensive in world markets. The exchange rate sits near a four-year low – near ¥100 =
US$1.
Comments
and contributions from Update no.590:
“Still following Update. Have you heard any news re: Soobzokov v. Holder
appeal and Aslan Soobzokov's quest for justice for his late Father?
“Also looking forward to next issue and comments re: gun
control hearings and meetings.”
My reply:
Glad
to know you are still with us. All
contributions welcome.
No,
I’ve not heard from Aslan, and no information available on the 3rd Circuit
website. I will forward your query
to Aslan.
It
looks like gun control is the cause de jure. I’m sure there will be many more opportunities for debate.
{PS: I have not heard from Aslan
Soobzokov, as yet. To the best of
my knowledge, his appeal – Soobzokov v. Holder [3CCA no.
11-2858] – has not been heard before the bar.}
Comment to the Blog:
“That article on Judaism’s and Christianity’s rejection of
homosexuality and demand that sex be confined to marriage falls short in many
ways. First, consider the source. ‘Orthodoxy Today’ is not a scholarly source,
as the ensuing load of nonsense demonstrates. I would almost buy as much of the
argument as you do, except I study history. The Greek and Roman Empires
subscribed to none of that Judeo-Christian morality, as you well know. The
Romans (at least the Imperial Court) eventually converted to Christianity, but
by that time they had already begun to decline. The “barbarians” put them out
of their misery. The Jews were a conquered people and remained that most of the
time until the United Nations finally granted them Israel. I cannot subscribe
to the notion that their specific morality somehow gave rise to what Prager
sees as civilization. How, then, does Prager explain China’s and India’s
empires or the modern-day success of Japan? I find his assumption that
Judeo-Christian religions are ‘higher’ religion offensive, as I do his
dismissal of others’ sacred sexual practices. Prager’s article is ranting, not
reasoning.
“Wehner’s article encouraging the Republicans to oppose drug
legalization seems intended as a strategy point rather than a real discussion
about drugs. He gives all the same claims I have been hearing for decades about
the damage he says drugs do, but does not offer any evidence for success of the
same old strategy that goes back to Lyndon Johnson. If Wehner intends to
influence Republican strategy, as I believe he does, he ignores the tide of
public opinion. The primary people who favor continuing the ‘war’ on drug users
are those who make money on it: people who operate private prisons and public
agencies pursuing, prosecuting or imprisoning users. We cannot know whether the
criminals currently controlling the markets for illicit drugs financially
support their continued prohibition, but they would not be breaking new ground
if they did. Al Capone was a major supporter of the Prohibition against
alcohol, and that paid off very well for him.
"'The Politics of Roe v Wade and Gay Marriage' is a good
article. I share the position that individual freedom is the central point of
this discussion.
"As you may have noticed, I do not support warrantless surveillance. FISA, the so-called PATRIOT Act and anything else that gives the government unrestrained control over the lives of Americans is just simply wrong.
"As you may have noticed, I do not support warrantless surveillance. FISA, the so-called PATRIOT Act and anything else that gives the government unrestrained control over the lives of Americans is just simply wrong.
"I do not know how you can call the Central Bank of Cyprus’s
decision 'slow death.' There’s no reason to believe it will be prolonged.
"The US 'stress test' a few years ago was widely criticized
and had no concrete results."
My response to the
Blog:
Re:
Prager. I believe he used the term
“Western civilization,” which can be generally thought of a Euro-centric and
would thus exclude the Eastern civilizations of Japan, China and India. We are agreed; the fall of the Greek and
Roman empires came on reasons far broader than hedonism.
Re:
Wehner. Yes, precisely; his
suggestion is a proposed political strategy to differentiate the Republican
Party from the other political parties.
He clearly does not understand or even comprehend the demand for use of
psychotropic substances or the criminal sub-culture that feeds that
demand. I would not be surprised
in the slightest that the drug lords and their production/distribution
infrastructure encourages and supports continued prohibition – it is their
business. Regulation of the drug
trade would almost overnight supersede their business.
Re:
individual freedom. Sadly, the
Republican Party appears to have been blinded by the conservative religious
right and the dictation of their moral oppression, which has made them
incapable of appreciating the essence of individual freedom. The Republicans have garnered
sufficient majority in Congress and shamed/coerced enough Democrats to pass the
myriad of morality laws attempting to prohibit private conduct. They have created a massive government
bureaucracy and deeply intrusive laws to enforce their professed morality, and
then they spit epithets at Democrats (actually, anyone who does not agree with
them) about being tax & spend liberals, socialists and worse. Even sadder for me personally, there
was a time when I swallowed that bitter pill. So, I say let them adopt Wehner’s proposal and continue to
fantasize about a nation at their mercy and dictation. Virtually all of the morality topics –
drugs, abortion, prostitution, gambling, non-heterosexuality, et cetera – are
simply and solely about individual freedom versus the oppression of a
moralistic majority.
Re:
warrantless surveillance. In
general, I agree; warrantless surveillance is the antithesis of the freedoms we
cherish. Yet, in the War on
Islamic Fascism, the enemy has effectively used our commitment to freedom and
the restraint of government. While
I am quite uneasy with the extraordinary power FISA, PATRIOT and other laws
have given the Federales, and even more so the
known abuses, I think they must have those tools to wage war successfully. The laws should be amended to insulate
the intelligence apparatus from the law enforcement and political systems; it
is simply too easy, and way too tempting to use war information for political
gain, as I believe we witnessed in the Elliot Spitzer travesty.
Re:
Central Bank of Cyprus. Slow is a
relative term . . . as compared to what?
They could prolong it as long as their captured funds last, or until the
EU/ECB inject significant funds.
Generally, banks do not survive long with really angry, betrayed
customers.
Re:
stress test. Perhaps, but that is a
matter of perspective and opinion.
Regardless, the necessary banking industry reform that is needed has not
occurred for a host of largely political reasons.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
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