Update from the Sunland
No.832
4.12.17 – 10.12.17
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To
all,
Well,
once again, our congratulations go to the Corps of Cadets at West Point—two
years in a row. Well done! Army
beat Navy 14-13. I also offer my
personal congratulations to my cousins: Greg [USMA 1974] and Sandy [USMA 1978]. It was a really good game played in the
snow of Philadelphia. Navy beat
themselves with two rare and crucial penalties on the final drive at the end of
the game, and a missed field goal . . . by a few feet. Nonetheless, a win is a win, no matter
how sloppy. Next year! Go Navy; Beat Army!
The follow-up news items:
-- The Supreme Court issued a brief written order granting
an administration emergency request to void lower court injunctions and let the
restrictive Trump travel ban rules [789
& sub] take full effect while litigation challenging the travel
restrictions continues. The Trump
rules cite national-security concerns and apply to eight countries: the
Muslim-majority nations of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, as well
as North Korea and some government officials in Venezuela. This action is related to the injunction
only and is not affirmation of the USG policy by the Supreme Court.
-- Senator Al Franken of Minnesota announced on the floor of
the Senate, “Nothing I have done as a Senator—nothing—has brought dishonor on
this institution.” He said,
“Today, I am announcing that in the coming weeks I will be resigning as a
member of the United States Senate.”
He also drew contrast to his action versus Trump [774, 807] and Moore [829]. We are a long way from being done with this topic.
The
seductive opiate of power over others knows few boundaries, although I must
observe it is predominately confined to males (the 1994 movie Disclosure
aside). Beyond the gender
affinity, there are few other discriminating factors. I am becoming progressively more troubled of the trial by
Press and public opinion that is far more punitive than due process of law and
trial by a jury of peers. A
precedent is de facto evolving—wait
until the statute of limitations has expired to make accusations of sexual
misconduct to achieve the greatest possible damage to a target individual; he
has little to no recourse. Whether
the Democrats are setting up the Republicans is irrelevant to me. Crucifying Franken and Conyers while
Moore garners Republican support presents a very stark contrast in political
morality.
Wow,
in recent days, I have listened to more than a few angry women who do not
flinch when they proclaim these victimized women were not given “due process”
why should the perpetrators whine about “due process.” So, in essence, two wrongs make a
right; we have a new world, or at least societal, standard to live by. This is beginning to feel like vengeance
and retribution, which is a very slippery slope to be on, and will quite likely
lead to unintended collateral damage (and may have already occurred, I suspect).
-- The U.K. and the European Union have reportedly reached
agreement on the Brexit [758] divorce
terms after six months of difficult negotiations. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU's
negotiating team will recommend to EU leaders next week that the process should
advance.
-- The Wall Street
Journal reported that some of Trump’s supporters are pressing him to take a
harder line in portraying Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation [804] as politically motivated. The President would not be well advised
to listen to such counsel, unless he intentionally wishes to taunt obstruction
of justice charges.
-- The Trumpian campaign phrase “Make America Great Again” [735 & sub] implies that the United
States is not great today, but was once great; and, only he and his buddies can
make it great again. Numerous
times I have wondered when that greatness existed in the eyes of Trump—he has
never answered the question. We do
know that Trump’s bosom buddy Roy Moore provided his answer during a campaign
speech in Fairhope, Alabama, on Tuesday. “I think it was great at the time when families were united —
even though we had slavery — they cared for one another. People were strong in the families. Our families were strong. Our country had a direction,” Moore publicly
stated. His imagination apparently
sees the ante-bellum era (prior to 1860)
as that idyllic time he wants to return us all to whether we agree or not. If he would ever answer the question, I
suspect Master Trump would say the same thing. They may well be correct, as long as you are Caucasian,
Protestant, male, literate, and quite likely a land/property owner—a rather
narrow definition of great, it seems to me. Do we really have political leaders who actually think like that? Are we going to elect future political
leaders who think like that? The
under-current behind such statements are strong and dangerous, especially if
you believe in equality, respect and dignity for all citizens regardless of the
social factors. We can only hope
Alabama voters do the right thing; we shall know in a few days.
The
issue of Israel’s capital has been simmering for decades. On Wednesday, President Trump
unilaterally announced the intention of the United States to abandon decades of
national policy and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as
recommended by Congress in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 [PL 104–045; 109
Stat. 398; 8.11.1995] [538].
Once again, I find myself in agreement with Trump . . . continuing to do
what we have always done, while expecting different results, is not a stable
state. As his predecessors have
done, Trump waived the directive for six months, which means his action was a
shot across the bow for the Palestinians to get serious about peace and
two-state negotiations. As
expected, the Palestinians did not react well to the warning shot.
Amazing! Congress passed yet another continuing
appropriations resolution. The
bill was introduced on the 4th and signed into law by the President
on the 8th; they certainly can move fast when they want to do so. The bill funds the U.S. Government
(USG) through the 22nd of December, presumably to give Congress a
couple of more weeks to pass a proper appropriations bill.
Comments and contributions from Update no.831:
Comment to the Blog:
“I am as cautious as I can bring myself to be about
convicting anyone without due process. All the same, I don't ignore what I know. Special Counsel Mueller follows the
process of criminal prosecution exceptionally well, and his investigation is
edging closer to Trump. I await
Trump’s disowning of Jared Kushner and Ivanka’s response to that with the same
fascination others have for soap operas.
“Odd trivia note: The New York Times' morning update today
(12-4-2017) points out that only one person has ever been Time Magazine's ‘Person
of the Year’ twice in a row. That
was Richard Nixon in 1971 and 1972 (shared with Kissinger in 1972). Trump's recent blowhard incident about
repeating that status is just plain weird. It's not evidence of anything at all, but it's a strange ‘echo’
of the Watergate era.
“We are largely helpless over the Congress's handling of the
tax (and social structure) bill currently headed to a conference committee. The Senate version of this passed with
no chance of anyone having read the whole thing, much less having studied it. The odds of anyone really understanding
a revised version by the Republicans' self-imposed Christmas deadline are
almost zero. I'm sure many of the ‘donors’
want it that way. Most of the
speculation I've seen says that the current version does include repeal of the
PPACA individual mandate, but who knows? Unpredictable changes will be made in the conference
committee, then both houses vote again.
“Trump made an appropriate symbolic gesture by donating his
pay toward intervention in the opioid crisis, but I want to see how much money
his party's Federal budget will devote to that effort and how that funding will
be directed.
"Your correspondent who seeks ‘religious reformation’ ignores
history. Historically, religion
and politics were synonymous. Among
many other things, that is the cause of Christ's crucifixion for those who
believe any of the Christian Bibles. That continued into modern times and still prevails in
several Muslim and Christian countries and one Jewish nation. If that writer follows any of those
religions, they should try living in one of those places for a year or two. They might regret their loss of freedom,
but that’s not our problem.
“I believe sexual harassment and assault have increased only
to the degree that women entered the work force after World War II, thus
becoming more vulnerable to attackers. What we are seeing now is women finally speaking up in large
numbers together, so that they can't be ignored any more. That begins a process that I believe
will improve society in many ways over the long term.”
My response to the
Blog:
I
share your caution. I am troubled
by the mounting examples of trial by Press & popular opinion, rather than
due process of law before a jury of peers. In the case of the current administration, we are well
within the statute of limitations.
Given the guilty pleas so far, I continue to believe whatever bad
conduct there was will be given due process of law. Unfortunately, with far too many of the sexual misconduct cases,
we are beyond the statute of limitations.
An
interesting and relevant mini-debate occurred this morning (Tuesday, 5.Dec.) on
CNN between lawyers Alan Dershowitz and Jeffrey Toobin regarding the
President’s vulnerability to obstruction of justice. On this one, I think Alan expressed the law, i.e., the
President cannot be prosecuted while in office. He is only vulnerable to impeachment by the House of
Representatives and conviction by the Senate, i.e., removed from office for
“high crimes and misdemeanors.”
However (although it has never been tested in court), once removed from
office by Congress, I believe he would be prosecutable in court for his
crimes. If as Toobin argued, the President
obstructs justice for corrupt purposes, he could only be prosecuted within the
statute of limitations once he was removed from office. It is conceivable that a president
could use the shield of his immunity of office to exceed the statute of limitations
even for a felonious crime.
The
fellow in the Oval Office does not have a good track record with Time magazine
covers, e.g., his fake cover in one of his properties. That said, Time has chosen Hitler and
Stalin as past persons of the year.
If they can justify those choices, they can justify the recognition of
the fellow in the Oval Office.
There is certainly little question or debate that fellow has dominated
the consciousness of the world. We
continue to debate his conduct virtually every single day since well before he
was rightfully elected.
Yes,
correct, we have little direct effect on Congress. We only have our votes for who represents us in
Congress. We can and should voice
our opinions to our representatives, but they have no obligation to
listen. Yeah, the Press continues
to report that the PPACA personal mandate repeal remains in the HR.1
bills. As I said, it is well
disguised. I have used all of my
search techniques and I’ve not found that repeal in either version. I do not have the capacity for a
word-for-word search to find it.
Quite so, unpredictable changes in conference committee will occur. We shall see.
I
share your concern for federal budgetary provisions for opioid
intervention. The President’s 3Q2017
salary is a pittance of what is needed, but it is a noteworthy gesture.
Additionally,
I share your apprehension regarding the injection of religion into the
political arena. We have far too
many examples of the oppressive product of mixing religion and politics. We do not need another example.
Certainly,
the entry of women into the workplace has been a contributing factor. I do not know about a direct
correlation. I do believe some of
what we bear witness today is a consequence of the changes in our ability to
communicate with each other, bypassing the traditional means centered upon the
Press. The Press knew quite well
about President Roosevelt’s disability and his affairs; they also knew quite
well about President Kennedy’s philandering; and yet, we heard nothing until
many years later . . . after the passing of both men. The restraints of the Press have been substantially overcome
by our ability to communicate directly.
Further, I believe the abuses in the workplace have been present for a
very long time. The victims
self-suppressed their accusations by their isolation. The warm embrace of the collective has given them voice,
finally. Lastly, on this topic, the
religious conservatives (Muslim, Christian & Jewish) contend and reinforce
their dicta of strict separation of the genders in the public domain for a host
of reasons, which adds to the headwind in rectifying this offense. Yet, we must endure, survive and grow
from the current catharsis. To me,
this issue is not about sexual harassment or the transgressions of weak men; it
is ALL about equality and respect for others regardless of the social
factors. We are in violent
agreement; we will improve society once we move through this period toward a
more enlightened state . . . that is conditional upon the social conservatives
not regressing society to a bygone era.
My
very best wishes to all. Take care
of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
3 comments:
Trump’s travel ban, regardless of its legal outcome, further convinces the Muslim world that the US hates them. It’s as if somebody wanted to keep the “war” going.
Senator Franken’s announcement that he will resign in the future struck me as unusual because he did not simply resign, either with that speech or in the future. He stated that he will resign later, which is not final. His comparison and response to others similarly accused was probably inevitable. Had he not done so publicly, many others would have done it for him.
I welcome the new awareness of sexual harassment and assault. I agree that the aggressors are primarily male, although I, as a male, have experienced the target side of that from women. The larger discussion might center on the dynamics of power rather than anything directly masculine or feminine.
I share your concern about false or exaggerated accusations. This is not only a phenomenon in politics and entertainment. The reports permeate our society, or they will shortly. Based on personal experience in many environments, sexual aggression pervades work places and many others. That makes it more important, not less, to seek justice for both the victims and those falsely accused. Even deciding what actions constitute harassment or assault will be difficult. No part of the process will be easy, but if we are to make progress rather than do further harm, we must do our very best.
In the discussion of “Make America Great Again,” we need to specify what we mean by “great.” You point out, accurately, that it differs for those who are “Caucasian, Protestant, male, literate, and quite likely a land/property owner”. I will add specifically not in poverty and perceived as heterosexual to the list of adjectives. Even for them, I submit the Eisenhower and Kennedy years were the greatest. That period was guided by Eisenhower, a Republican with very different policies than the Tea Baggers and with a clear understanding of the horrors of both war and the military industrial complex. For most of the rest of us, the 1970s were probably the best. We enjoyed much more of the post-WWII progress than we had before, and we had not yet been attacked as we have been by both parties since.
PS: I'm predicting low turnout in the Alabama special election, for the same reason as in our last Presidential election. People would rather not vote for either candidate.
Calvin,
I’m not so sure about “keeping the ‘war’ going”; however, the blanket ban affects a lot of innocent, good people, i.e., guilty by association. I suppose we could make the same association between Trump and the KKK. I still believe Trump’s blanket ban is wrong in every possible way, i.e., a nuke to swat a fly.
Franken’s quasi-resignation was indeed quite unusual. I suspect the results to tomorrow’s Alabama special election may have some effect on Franken’s action. He was the sacrifice at the altar of perceived rightousness.
I only note the gender propensity as an observation—not a control factor. Abuse of power and the sub-element of sexual misconduct is far more a consequence of the opiate of power rather than gender. Power over others tends to amplify character flaws especially in those who feel entitled by their birth, wealth or position, or some other contributing factor. I suspect we could track abuse of power back to childhood indoctrination; some children are raised to be abusers.
You are, of course, quite correct in that dealing with abuse of power is difficult in that it often blossoms from the private domain, i.e., he said—she said. Like virtually all of the morality issues plaguing modern culture, we must find the means to alter (mature) the mindset of all citizens to respect everyone regardless of the social factors.
I will accept your additional qualifiers, although I might broaden the inclusive envelope by using the term “conform to the social conservative normalcy.”
For argument’s sake, I might quibble with your 1970s as a candidate for the greatest era. I look back on that time as a valley rather than a peak in “greatness”—the debacle of Vietnam, racial unrest, Equal Rights Amendment, Watergate, the larger betrayal by Nixon, the Arab oil embargo, Islamic Republic of Iran, et al. I think Moore answered as he believes—the ante-bellum South. I have no idea how Trump would answer other than he thinks it’s a catchy phrase.
I truly hope you are wrong. If it is low voter turnout, I believe Moore will win the election, and we shall all suffer the consequences. Time shall tell the tale; we will likely know the outcome tomorrow night.
“That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”
Cheers,
Cap
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