Update from the
Heartland
No.719
21.9.15 – 27.9.15
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Jeanne
and I took a long weekend trip to Austin for a visit with our middle son and his
family – always a pleasure. The
drive down during the daylight hours of Friday was not a pleasant experience. Numerous I-35 construction zones were
bad enough, but it was the few idiotic drivers who endanger those around them that
make the drive truly painful. Melissa and Tyson recently moved into
their new home – a magnificent house on a large country plot of land in the
Hill Country of Texas. We had the
privilege of watching Grandson Judson’s fútbol match on Saturday and Granddaughter Avalon’s gymnastics
exercise on Sunday. I also had the
pleasure of playing a couple of games of chess with eight-year-old Judson. He is impressively good. Judson fought me to a stalemate. I had never experienced it. In fact, I did not know the state existed,
or who to call the game. Tyson had
to Google it, so we could all learn.
Well done, Judson.
Judson & Poppi
matching wits in chess
Judson & Poppi
chess 150926.jpg
Our time with Melissa and Tyson always seems so short, but
we are grateful for every moment we have.
To our surprise, they arranged for a celestial spectacle for us – a perigee
lunar eclipse . . . a so-called Super Blood Moon – on Sunday evening; and, the
next perigee lunar eclipse in the United States will not occur until 2033. We were invited to view the eclipse
through Neighbor Bob’s excellent telescope with the benefit of the anti-light-pollution
regulations of Dripping Springs, Texas.
Unfortunately, high cirrus clouds kept us from enjoying the full
effect. We could see the Earth’s
shadow pass over the Moon, but the clouds obscured the reddish hue imparted by
the Earth’s atmosphere. Since we
could not take images of our view, I have inserted an interesting sequence to
show the blood moon portion of the eclipse from Ibiza, Spain.
Supermoon Total Lunar
Eclipse and Lightning Storm
Image Credit &
Copyright: Jose Antonio Hervás
LightningEclipse_Hervas_960.jpg
We watched through the peak, and then departed, driving
through the night. While driving
all night is never easy, it was substantially easier than the daylight drive
down. The only glitch was a
serious, night-time, construction zone detour north of Fort Worth – a little
disconcerting in the middle of the night but as we proved . . . navigable. We did take a short break for fuel and
a nap; well, I took a nap while Jeanne availed herself of the Winstar Casino
just across the Red River in Oklahoma.
We all have our priorities.
We had a great weekend.
Thank you so much, Melissa, Tyson, Judson, Avalon . . . and Bob.
I am so confused.
We have presidential candidates who demand we place fundamentalist
Christian dogma above the Constitution and virtually in the same breath demand
Muslims must reject the supremacy of their interpreted religious dicta in order
to become or even run for president.
The demonstrated, public hypocrisy is mindboggling. Article VI, Clause 3 of the
Constitution of the United States of America states, “. . . no religious Test
shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under
the United States.” Those words
have remained unchanged since the Constitution was ratified in 1788. That
language seems pretty clear to me. What is so difficult to understand here? The struggle to find the proper balance
between secular governance and religious faith has been with us since before
the Constitution was ratified, and as we see during this silly-season, the
separation of church and state has reemerged to full flame. So, let the debate proceed.
On
Friday, Speaker of the House of Representatives John Andrew Boehner of Ohio
resigned his seat in the House of Representatives and thus the speakership. He
has made this resignation effective Friday, 30.October.2015. Boehner is not the
first Speaker to resign. The Tea
Party conservatives finally pushed him over the edge into the abyss. The prognosis for the majority
leadership is not so clear and may give us a preview of politics ahead of
us. We need to pay attention to
this one, as well as we are able to see into the selection process.
Comments and contributions from Update no.718:
“Regarding the Russian build-up in Syria, I would place it in a
move by Russia for Russian interests- and not against the U.S. They are
very concerned with ISIS becoming more successful and moving into the Caucasus-
where Russia has been fighting Islamic radicals since 1996 on and off. They are also concerned with what will
happen if secular Syria is taken over by ISIS forces. Below is something on this point from
Col. Pat Lang’s blog - as you know he is a MENA expert, Arabic speaker and long
time DIA senior official. I have
had conversations with colleagues from the former Soviet Union who are very
fearful of ISIS moving into the Caucasus and getting a foothold in the ‘Stans.’”
[Reprint]:
“The Sunni
jihadis have made a shambles of that (the plans for regime change in Syria)
policy. JAN and IS are the real enemies of all moderation and
multiculturalism in the MENA area. The destructive U.S., Saudi, Turkish
and Israeli insistence on the downfall of the Syrian Government has created a
situation in which the jihadis have a real chance of being the next governing
force in what is now called the Syrian Arab Republic.
“Russia has
decided that it will not accept such an outcome. The people who are babbling of Russia's desire for Syrian
ports, air bases, and the humiliation of the United States are simply wrong. What Russia wants is the survival of
secularism and the Syrian State. The real possibility that jihadism would emerge as a threat
to the Russian state is unacceptable to Russia. To that end the Russians will
seek to build up the position of the Syrian government through equipment
deliveries and if necessary direct participation in combat against the
jihadis. The ultimate goal is a multi-confessional, multi-national
coalition against the jihadis.
“The U.S.
and Russia are natural allies in that fight. There will now be de-confliction talks between the U.S. and
Russia. Most military people are
practical people. De-confliction
talks will inevitably lead to coordination of operations if the military people
are allowed to try to make sense of the situation.”
My response:
The
Russians should rightly be concerned about ISIL. There is fertile ground in the Caucasus and the ‘Stans,’
going back to at least 1917, perhaps more appropriately the 1500s and Ivan the
Terrible. Stalin did NOT make nice
with the Circassians, and there are many generations of resentment.
The
Wall Street Journal reported today
that diplomatic sources have evidence Russia and IRI are working together to
shore up the Assad regime.
I
have no expertise to argue with Pat Lang’s assessment. I do agree that replacing the secular
State with a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy ala the IRI would not be a
positive outcome.
Regardless
of Russia’s motives and objectives in Syria, not coordinating anti-ISIL
operations with allied C&C is an invitation to disaster, misunderstanding
and escalation . . . in different directions regardless of ISIL. Yes, Russia & U.S. are natural
allies in anti-ISIL operations . . . IF they work together. I sure hope the military leaders in
theater are allowed to coordinate, and perhaps even amplify their efforts.
Another contribution:
“I wish I could get as far with apparently simplistic solutions as
did that multi-talented communicator Ronald Reagan, but I am doomed by lack of
credentials and political savvy, as evidenced by my record of one election and
three defeats in my efforts to get the bench in Mississippi's antiquated
judicial selection process (popularity contest). Of course, I will chime
in anyway:
“I wish our leaders could be brave and principled enough to
announce that as January 1, 2016, the middle east will be left to middle-easterners,
without U.S. aid or intervention of any kind (no boots, advisers, aircraft,
munitions, dollars, etc.) except a promise of 100% backing of Israel with all
resources available, including nuclear, in the event of an attack on our only
real friends in the area. If the
Russians really want Syria, let them have it. If the Muslim nations are not
willing to stop Isis, let them suffer the consequences. We can take care
of the threats that result, if we merely secure our own borders and get serious
with pursuit of radical Islamic sympathizers here. It would help of
course, if leaders would not worry about being politically correct and loudly
demand action from so-called freedom loving Muslims worldwide. Yes, Dr.
Carson said the wrong thing, but he could have explained that until Muslims
agree to junk those portions of the Koran that are incompatible with our
Declaration of Independence and Constitution, they are not qualified to be
President.
“Like you, Cap, I could be wrong, but I'm jus' sayin.'”
My reply:
I
certainly understand your sentiment.
A
couple of thoughts for your ruminations:
1. I shall
convey my thought in the form of a couple of questions. What if Franklin Roosevelt had been a
committed America Firster in 1940?
Would Hitler have been satisfied with domination of the UK and USSR in
addition to all the rest of Europe?
2. You know, I
might actually agree with you with one small substitution – replace ‘Muslims’
with ‘all religions.’ First, not all
Muslims are subscribers to the violence of radical fundamentalist
Islamo-terrorists. If fact, only a
small minority are bad guys.
Further, I do believe most Muslims do not subscribe to the strictures of
Sharia Law, either.
Just
some thoughts.
. . . follow-up comment:
“1. It was different in 1940. We were helping real
friends. Most Middle Eastern nations are not our friends. Let them
duke it out among themselves, I say. I guess the real question always is
what are the threats to long-range freedom and liberty.
“2. The problem I have is with Muslims who do not actively
and loudly condemn and visibly contribute to the demise of Isis and the Koran
dictate of worldwide Sharia law. They are very similar to the silent
German majority who let Hitler prevail. "Tch, tch tch, my my, why
doesn't someone (else) do something?" Finally, I don't see how any other
religions could have any influence on the problem of Sharia Law or any aspect
of the Koran, so I don't agree with your substitution.
“3. Keep on keeping on...”
. . . my follow-up
reply:
I
did not articulate my point well.
If
FDR had not done what he did, we most likely would have been forced by the
Germans to fight on their terms.
Even as it played out, the margin of error was small. There are several decisions made by
Hitler that proved fatal and could have easily had far worse outcomes. First, not finishing off Great Britain
in the Summer of 1940, when they were their weakest and most vulnerable. Second, turning on Stalingrad instead
of pressing on to the oil fields of the Caucasus. While FDR was hesitant to engage by supplying Britain, he
made the commitment before the RAF had won the Battle of Britain. The safe play was to withhold support,
to remain truly neutral. Even as
it happened, U.S. logistics support prior to U.S. entry into the war was
dangerously late arriving. My point
was, FDR took the bold move to project U.S. power, to take the fight to the
enemy as best he could given the constraints of the day. Better to fight on our terms rather
than theirs.
Sharia
is an interpretation by clerics just as there were detrimental interpretations
by clerics in other religions, e.g., the trial of Galileo. Judeo-Christian dogma has a six-century
head start on Islam. I believe
Islam will mature in time. It is
only a matter of that time and how much pain we and future generations must
endure to allow that maturation.
I
do agree that Muslims must reject and condemn the extremists subverting their
religion to feed the megalomania of the extremists. That is precisely part of the maturation process, just as it
had to occur in Judaism and Christianity.
This
Grand Republic was founded on secular governance of the public domain and
sufficient separation of religion to the private domain of individual
citizens. Fundamentalist Islam
interpretation that places Sharia law above the secular State clearly is
inconsistent with the Founding principles of this Grand Republic. My point here was, we bear witness even
today that fundamentalist Christians seek to place their religious beliefs
above secular law, e.g., Kim Davis et al.
So, I see this in broader terms than Islam and Sharia Law.
Another contribution:
“Love that choice of words there Cap: FILTRATION. Beautiful!
“Trump was complaining the temperatures in the last debate were
too high.
“Trump is high on talking points, but very low on substance, no
doubt.
“Of course the seismic news on Friday was House Speaker Boehner
calling it bye-bye, just one day after meeting the pope. Wow!
Now the scramble for someone to fill the void is going to get interesting in
that area we call the Beltway (let's hope the belt on the pulley will not
break).
“On Russia, interesting times indeed. Putin I understand,
will be on 60-Minutes (CBS) on Sunday night. I intend to view that.
Plus Obama is due to meet with Putin here in USA, what, next week?
The potential for error is risky when we are not communicating from any kind of
unified command in Syria, with Russia, with various nation-state fighter jets
doing air strikes, supposedly on ISIS/ISIL, and now to add in Russia to the
mix, makes one wonder how can we operate in such a risky format?
“From the news feeds I am seeing, it appears USA and China are
forging perceived alliances and economic (and climate change) compacts. I
wonder if this is alienating Russia, since we have all those sanctions slapped
against them (which may be rightfully so given there advance on Crimea).
“On USA accepting more Middle East refugees, this is what I wrote
on a friend's Facebook
page commenting on how many Muslims were coming out at our local amusement
park:
"Hi [Anon.], I see it too with an
explosion of Muslims coming out of closets or recently arriving in San Diego.
The key question is do they assimilate well into our values, culture and
Christianity? The answer is no, in fact many are in direct conflict to us. Many
are tapping social services yet hate America. Look at the mess France has with
immigrants from Muslim hubs, that do not at all embrace their host, but deplore
her."
“Weird times Cap! Geopolitics/geostrategy and what I coin as
geoeconomics, is certainly faster than SPEED NORMAL.
“Glad the pope, so far, has been kept safe. I had a bad
feeling about his NYC visit, though he got through it.”
My reply:
Thank
you for your contribution.
Re:
the current leading Republican candidate.
This is one of those moments in history where we simply must have faith
that the American people (and at the moment, voters who identify as Republican)
will eventually realize exactly what he is. It seems to me that his perceived success so far is more
about protest than substance – not a good rationale.
Re:
Boehner. I have not had access to
my usual news feeds this weekend, so I’m not exactly sure why he has chosen
this rather drastic action. This
is a particularly rare event, kinda like a CNO committing suicide in
office. He is not waiting until
his end of term either, so this will likely be a more illuminated replacement,
selection process, and further I suspect the Tea Party extremists will make it
a point of demonstrating their ire with the party establishment. Fasten your seat belt and hang on; it
is likely going to be a rough ride.
Re:
Putin. I heard. I probably will not be able to watch
the interview until next week.
Yes, Obama & Putin are to meet in NYC during the UN General
Assembly. Yes, the risks at
present in Syria are mounting rapidly from my lay perspective. There are reports Russian operated
combat aircraft are intentionally switching off their transponders, so allied
C&C aircraft and facilities cannot see them – a very dangerous
situation. Perhaps this is exactly
what he desires and intends – somebody (anybody) gets shot down – to
demonstrate Russian power projection.
Re:
refugees. I am in favor of helping
refugees . . . over there. I am
not in favor of admitting people into this country who do not wish to accept
and enhance our society, our culture.
I will not include religion in that objective of assimilation. France is demonstrating exactly what
happens when assimilation is not a criterion for admittance.
My
very best wishes to all. Take care
of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment