Update from the
Heartland
No.614
16.9.13 – 22.9.13
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
The follow-up news items:
-- The United Nations’ Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) released their report confirming the use of chemical weapons
in the Ghouta District of Damascus, Syria, on Thursday, 21.August.2013 [611]. The report concluded: “the environmental, chemical and
medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that
surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were used in the
Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Zamalka in the Ghouta area of Damascus.” Five impact sites were identified and
examined. The rocket-propelled
cannisters used were essentially the same, with Cyrillic markings, and each
device was approximately 2 meters (6 feet) in length and carried 56 liters (15
gallons) of the organophosphorous compound known as Sarin (GB). Inspectors estimated the total amount
of Sarin material deployed that day was 350 liters (92 gallons) – enough to
kill quite a few people, well actually any living creature in the area. Trajectories could be established on
only two of the impacts sites and appeared to have been fired from the same
location northwest of the target area, probably using a multiple launch
system. Although the OPCW/WHO team
made no attempt to attribute responsibility, I think there is very little doubt
where responsibility lays.
-- The engineer in me simply cannot pass up the
extraordinary achievement of the salvage team working on recovery of the SS Costa Concordia [527]. At 04:00 [A]
EuDT, Tuesday, 17.September.2013, the team completed the19-hour critical parbuckling
operation after the ship struck a rock, grounded and capsized [13.January.2012]. They erected the 50,000-ton ship onto a
manufactured and installed sub-surface platform to stabilize the wreckage and
prepare to refloat it without doing any more damage to the fragile coastline. Ya gotta love it. Most impressive!
Another long-term, mentally disturbed
individual decided to demonstrate his anger or frustration with a firearm. This time it was Aaron Alexis, 34, who
managed to get a Remington 870 shotgun into Building 197 at the Washington Navy
Yard – home of the Naval Sea Systems Command. He bought the weapon legally, and then sawed off the barrel
and stock to fit it into a duffel bag he carried past security into the
facility. He killed 12 people and
wounded at least a dozen others before he was terminated by security
services. Initial reports had him
using an assault rifle and semi-automatic pistol, which is turns out he took
off a security guard he shot.
Of
course, as always, opinions abound.
I selected two:
“Another mass murder, another conversation”
by Kathleen Parker,
Washington Post
Published: September 17 (2013)
and
“After Navy Yard shooting, RIP for gun control – Why can’t
conservatives just take the win on gun rights?”
by Dana Milbank
Washington Post
Published: September 17 (2013)
We can continue to yammer on about firearms and how nasty these
weapons are, or we can move on to the root cause of these events. The choice is ours.
The
root cause in so many of these mass shootings, as it appears in this latest incident
is the troubled minds of these characters. They are created, both genetically and environmentally, or
any combination thereof. They
exhibit signs of disturbance within; yet, we tend to ignore them – the Genovese
Syndrome [13.March.1964]. If we
are going to stop, intervene or eliminate these tragic events, We, the People,
must acquire the will to find and help these troubled souls before they erupt
into serious collateral damage.
Parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, and just acquaintances have
nowhere to turn for help. Mental
health has not been addressed seriously, especially in the screening and
intervention of troubled souls.
Locking them up or isolating them is probably not the answer, but
segregation to prevent collateral damage might at least address the immediate
threat, and it must be combined with bona fide treatment to stabilize and
normalize the individual.
The
issue and its remedy have similarities to the equally moral abortion question
(among others). How much do we
intrude into the private lives of individual citizens? The consequences and objectives are
elimination of the tragic collateral damage. We have not found balance as yet.
“It Takes a Marine Corporal: Presentation
on Porn & Suicide in the Military”
by Lance Corporal Drew Hicks, USMC
Posted on YouTube: 23.8.2013
The Hicks presentation attracted quite the hype. It is intriguing that a young lance
corporal garnered such attention.
He offered a contemporary version of a perennial, popular, social
conservative theme – only they can decide what is best for everyone. While Hicks makes his point with a
compelling condemnation, he does not offer a solution that respects the privacy
and freedom of choice that are the bedrock of this Grand Republic. It was an impressive presentation, but
I do not buy it. Pornography does
not cause sexual assault or suicide.
Once again, we are asked to focus on the symptoms rather than the root
cause.
“Gay Marriage Collides With Religious
Liberty – Owners of small businesses are finding that honoring their faith can
get them in trouble.”
Wall Street Journal
Published: September 19, 2013, 6:59 p.m. ET
I own a restaurant, and I do not want to serve anyone who
does not have Caucasian features and skin color. Does my status as a business owner give me the right to
discriminate against anyone based on any one or a combination of the social
factors?
News from the economic front:
-- J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. will pay US$920M in penalties
to UK and U.S. authorities as part of a settlement related to the bank’s
handling of the "London Whale" trading loss last year. The bank is also expected to admit
guilt as part of its settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC). Regulators accused the firm
of failing to adequately supervise traders and for lacking sufficient internal
policies to prevent an alleged cover-up of their losses on the gambling bets
the made, which ultimately lost the company more than US$6B. Now, they must add nearly a billion of
additional losses, which will undoubtedly be passed along with shareholders and
customers.
-- The Federal Reserve decided to keep its US$85B-per-month
bond-buying program in place, citing their need to see more evidence that the
economy can sustain improvement before scaling back the stimulation.
London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) Debacle
[552]:
--
Two former Barclays plc employees agreed to a deal with UK & U.S.
authorities. Details have not been
disclosed, as yet. I suspect this
deal is part of the prosecution’s line-up of smaller fish witnesses as they go
after the bigger perpetrators in this nasty, odiferous pond.
Comments
and contributions from Update no.613:
Comment to the Blog:
“I believe the people have pretty much already spoken on the
Syria issue. It would be convenient to formalize our refusal to go to war, but
better to wait until the negotiations end and the process is underway. The fact
is, we care about people worldwide but recognize the need to deal with our own
issues first. In addition, rhetoric aside, nobody has shown who used that sarin
gas.
“I thoroughly agree with you on the Virginia sodomy statute
or any similar measure. Anyone who claims this is a free country when someone
can poke their nose into my bedroom is not paying attention. The case smells
like nonsense. I expect that you are aware that Attorney General Cuccinelli is
running for governor. More than likely, he will use this case to court the
votes of the less rational.
“In a more thoughtful world, the U.S. brass in South Korea
would recognize the failure of punitive measures in addressing prostitution and
human trafficking. The legitimate issue of human trafficking could be far
better addressed by your suggestion of legalization and regulation. If
prostitutes were required to register and show ID, that might just end human
trafficking for the most part.
“Your post for last week did not refer to territorial gain,
which is outdated in any case. You referred to abusing our authority. We have
abused power in those places I mentioned for control of governments and, thus,
of natural and human resources. Territorial gain is long out of fashion as a
way to enrich the home country.
“I remember the Kitty Genovese case well enough. The outrage
was over bystanders not interfering in a murder. In the case of Syria, we don’t
know who is doing the killing, or rather who is using which weapons. Beyond
that, we have attempted to be the world’s policeman (usually for corporate
profit) for far too long. It’s time to let someone else or better yet a group
of nations take over the losses of money and lives that we as a people have
suffered since World War II and let the corporations making the profits take
care of themselves.”
My response to the
Blog:
Re:
Syria. The techniques of
obfuscation and procrastination are chronicled quite well in history – Hitler said
he came in peace and just wanted this one more little sliver of land with
ethnic Germans taken from him by that damnable treaty, or the ayatollahs of the
IRI, or grand dear leader umpa-lumpa in the DPRK. You are correct.
We have no proof beyond a reasonable doubt who pressed the button to
fire those sarin laden rockets into the Damascus neighborhood. The details in the UN report leaves
very little doubt, but still does not unequivocally link those rockets to
Bashar al-Assad’s finger pressing that launch button. Hitler never visited Auschwitz, but is there any doubt who
is responsible for releasing Xyklon B into those “shower” rooms? To me, there is very little doubt who
pushed the button. Nonetheless, as
you say, We, the People, have spoken . . . we don’t care. Oh well, such is life . . . and so it
goes.
Re:
Cuccinelli. Yes, quite aware. The more we can illuminate the moral
projectionists among us, the more quickly we can return to the freedom we
expect.
Re:
prostitution. My opinion as
well. Prohibition in a free
society will never work.
Legalization after prohibition is almost as wrong as the original wrong. Regulation is necessary and required to
protect providers and customers, and exclude the criminal element – the
consequences of legalization without regulation appear to be unfolding in
Colorado. As you note, licensing
of practitioners is mandatory for a host of reasons, including the one you
suggested.
Re:
standing by. Her problem. Their problem. Not my dog. So it shall be.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
Your statement, “Although the OPCW/WHO team made no attempt to attribute responsibility, I think there is very little doubt where responsibility lays” is irresponsible and unsupported. We know no more than we did before about the source of the attacks.
The articles to which you link about the Navy Yard shootings deal with gun control, not mental illness. Funding to treat mental illness has been cut again and again, often by the same characters who attribute mass shootings to that cause rather than deal with the abundance of firearms. They could be right about disturbed minds causing at least some of the killing, but I have a question. If they perceive mental illness as the cause of these tragedies, why do they not increase funding to find and treat at least the most dangerous of the mentally ill?
The Marine Corps corporal’s presentation on porn and suicide to which you linked is 38 minutes long. I cannot spare that much time.
The link to the story about gay marriage supposedly conflicting with religious liberty did not work for me. (Windows 7, Chrome 29.0 browser) We have discussed this topic before. My position is simple. If a person opposes gay marriage, that person ought not to marry someone of the same gender. If they are clergy, as I am, they already have the choice of whether or not to perform the marriage ceremony for any couple that requests it, including same-sex couples. I assume those whose religious convictions oppose same-sex marriage will continue to refuse to sanctify such marriages. I will pick up their slack in my local area.
However, they have no say in anyone else’s marriage, nor should they. I recommend boycotts for dealing with small businesses that insist on a bigoted stance. They need to know that customers control their success or failure. Thus, they are free to remain prejudiced and act on their bias so long as they are willing to pay the price. I doubt many will cling to their stance long enough to go bankrupt, but I could be wrong. Either way would benefit society.
Calvin,
Re: responsible. In most investigations – accidents, engineering, criminal – there is rarely the smoking gun. Investigators must examine the available evidence, connect the dots, and derive the probably cause as best they can. Given the facts we know, without the proverbial smoking gun, we must ask who had the capacity, capability and motive? Is it possible the rebels acquired a multiple rocket launcher capable of launching Russian chemical rockets and attacked their supporters? Yes, of course. It is also possible the IRI did it to instigate the U.S. to attack? Yes, of course. Is it possible the United States made the chemical attack to create an excuse for military action? I suppose that is possible as well. However, given the potential perpetrators, who is the most likely? Thus, my opinion.
Re: gun control. The point I apparently failed to make in last week’s Update [614] was it is time to move on from the incessant debate about firearms and focus our energies on the root cause – mental health screening and treatment. You asked a very pertinent question. My answer: I have no freakin’ idea. Perhaps it is because mental health intervention is not politically popular. Part of the difficulty is health treatment is broadly a state burden, although Medicare and PPACA are federal health related laws. With the struggle to mature PPACA, it will be virtually impossible to get the attention of Congress. We can debate as much as we wish.
Re: Hicks presentation. Yes, it is long, but he does scholarly case for conservative morality, albeit decidedly biased rather than expansive. It’s there if you ever get the time or curiosity.
Re: gay marriage. Your opinion should be the standard for all morality questions – if you don’t approve, don’t do it, and leave others to their pursuit of Happiness. Religious beliefs do NOT give anyone the right to impose their beliefs on others . . . that was the point.
Re: boycott. The action is a personal choice. The law has long recognized that business open to the public cannot discriminate based on any of the social factors. The conflict in this case stands upon company-paid benefits. It is a misty line worthy of public debate.
Cheers,
Cap
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