Update from the Sunland
No.930
4.11.19 – 10.11.19
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Semper Fidelis, Marines! I trust all of the Teufelshunde among us celebrated 244 years of glorious history in service to this Grand Republic and We, the People, on Sunday.
On the day of publication of this week’s Update, we celebrate Veterans Day in the United States, and Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth countries—the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month every year since 1918—the end of the Great War, the War to End All Wars. May God bless the immortal souls of all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom!
Here are a few related, relevant queries:
Is being a father based solely upon genetic material, or about loving and teaching children who come into your life for whatever reason? Is fatherhood, at least in contemporary terms, a legal definition? How does fatherhood fit into the paternalism of Victorian morality?
The BIC and his bevy of supporters persistently chant their current mantra: “Read the transcript.” I seriously question whether any of them have read the summary memorandum released by the White House. Why you ask? Just a simple reminder, the caution at the bottom of the first page clearly states the summary is NOT a “verbatim transcript.” [924] I have read the entire summary with its omissions and there is zero doubt in my little pea-brain what the BIC intended and sought in his choice of words. The bellicose bully is the leader of the chants, and he undoubtedly believes the vast majority of American citizens will, in fact, NOT read the summary statement, or believe the testimony of those who contradict him. Or, like Big Brother of “1984” infamy commanded everyone “to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears,” we are to believe only what the BIC tells us to believe. The impeachment inquiry by the House of Representatives is due to enter the next phase of the process next week as public testimony begins. One of the experts scheduled to testify next week is Bill Taylor. I read his opening statement for the closed-door testimony [928], but listening to his words should have greater value. I remain concerned about the process; it is as much about convincing 20 Republican senators as it is about convincing, We, the People. The problem we have is there is so much material that deserves to be in any articles of impeachment, to make a historic and demonstrative statement regarding the BIC’s intolerable conduct for history and future presidents. This behavior is not acceptable for a president of the United States, or any other public servant. I suspect the House must see the impeachment evidence as too voluminous to digest in a timely manner, such that they will concentrate on what they believe is most likely to succeed.
Comments and contributions from Update no.929:
Comment to the Blog:
“I have had a busy time, and I forgot to check the ‘Spam’ box until now. Sorry
“Every criminal and their henchmen resist the consequences of their actions. Why would anyone expect something else of the GOP?
“Those people whining about undoing the 2016 election need a reminder that the election itself overrode the will of a majority of the voters.
“I never saw Bill Clinton's conduct as reaching the level appropriate to impeachment. Addressing criminal conduct justifies Nixon's impeachment per the law and made a beginning toward cleaning up politics that was undone by Ford's pardon. Neither of them ever committed as many or as serious crimes as the Chump.
“I have no idea why you keep referring to ‘fairness’ as if that had something to do with politics.
“The notion of Death with Dignity makes sense. I'll note that it addresses a mental/emotional state rather than a physical one. Too many people I know choose to live as well as they can with pain and disability for me to see those as the cause for choosing to die. (I spent my weekend helping two women in wheelchairs and both in pain move to a different city. They don't want to die.) That said, I would leave the choice open to the suicidal, but with very strong precautions to prevent anyone (doctors, heirs, people with resentments) from influencing my choice or simply choosing to end my life ever.”
My response to the Blog:
No worries; better late than never.
The GOP is not alone in criminal, unethical and inappropriate conduct among politicians. The BIC did not invent such behavior, but he certainly amplified it to unprecedented and unimaginable levels; thus, the necessary cleansing.
We have discussed the Electoral College; nothing has changed on that front. The Electoral College issue does not justify the Republican whining either. As of this moment, 16 states have passed national popular vote measures {National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC)} [279, 780] to circumvent the Electoral College mandated by the Constitution; 8 more states have legislation pending. By my tally, the signatory states bring 196 electoral votes to that end, with another 90 electoral votes pending. The threshold for success is 270. I do not see the threshold being surpassed by 3.Nov.2020. We are likely to face a repeat of the 2016 election in that the Electoral College map favors Republicans at the present time, and only 50-state comprehensive campaigning can overcome that apparent bias.
Re: impeachment. I do not agree regarding Bill Clinton. I wrote two relevant essays 20 years ago; my opinion has not changed since then.
THOUGHTS REGARDING THE BEHAVIOR OF BILL CLINTON (20.Sep.1998) –
http://www.parlier.com/essay-1.html#Clinton
http://www.parlier.com/essay-1.html#Clinton
ABUSE OF POWER (20.Sep.1998) –
http://www.parlier.com/essay-1.html#abuse
http://www.parlier.com/essay-1.html#abuse
IMHO, Clinton committed impeachable offenses to the office he was elected to occupy. Nixon most assuredly did, as his conduct was indeed criminal and a disgrace to the office. Andrew Johnson is the only one in history, so far, that was questionable in my mind and understanding of history. I think Rep. Lindsey Graham said it spot on correctly. Impeachment is NOT about criminal prosecution; it is all about cleansing the office of inappropriate conduct. Prosecution belongs in a court of law. POTUS is the only one holding a temporary immunity, which in this case, the BIC has abused in an egregious manner. Impeachment is the means by which we remove an offending POTUS from office, so that he then becomes prosecutable. Yes, absolutely, I view the BIC’s pervasive, consistent and persistent conduct as orders of magnitude more offensive than any previous president, including the three other impeached presidents.
LOL. I suppose the only explanation is, I am obsessed with fairness. LOL
I have not read all of the Death with Dignity laws. However, of the handful I have read, all are overly cautious to ensure the individual is of sound mind, rational, informed, and singularly decisive, i.e., no one is influencing the decision. I refuse to use the word suicidal in this arena, as It carries such a negative connotation. I have had to make life-significant health decisions and I am certain there will be more. Stephen Hawking’s latter life poses the most prominent example of that ultimate decision. I have always (so far) taken the decision for longevity. I want to live and be productive as long as I possibly can. To me, the key is cognition, communications and appreciation of life. When I lose those faculties, it is time to move on. The hard part will be that decision opportunity; it can pass in an instant or gradually. I currently live in a non-respectful state. I have done everything I can do within the law to protect my dignity and avoid the suffering of my loved ones. We have discussed our actions should that Death with Dignity decision loom closer; we do not yet have a clear path. I am with you.
Another contribution:
“The political chaos hasn’t declined over here [UK], the Brexit argument goes on and on and now with our democracy in total tatters an election has been called. Will that sort things out? Most people think not. You’ll remember weeks ago I said we need a Churchill to sort things, but they don’t come 10 a penny do they. One problem which underlines the dismay of the public to the disreputable behaviour by our politicians is that many people we speak to and hear talking is one of non-interest and are intentional sadly on not voting at all.”
My reply:
The PM chose a path that had an inevitable conclusion. I suspect he took a bold move (suspending Parliament) as a long shot before resorting to an election as a backhanded means to revisit the Brexit referendum. I suspect Brexit will be campaign issue no.1 for the upcoming election. I certainly do not see a leader emerging to inspire all factions to a common objective. There are so many “what ifs” in this affair, not least of which is: what if the people elect a significant majority number of MPs who are against Brexit? The dimensions of what is to come are quite daunting. Then again, perhaps people just do not care anymore, which if so, injects considerable uncertainty to what lies ahead.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
Cap,
Your email came to my in-box today. Thanks.
I don’t cling to the genetic definition of fatherhood. Others do. That produces the bizarre sexual ethics of polygamous religions, among other results.
Those people telling us to read the “transcript” (summary) don’t want us to read that any more than the worst kind of Christian preacher wants us to read the Bible. Neither wants us to use our minds independently. See also the Mueller Report.
Unlike the Democratic National Committee, I remember Nixon’s process. Democrats lost nothing in extending that process, and they aren’t this time either. Chump’s base can’t re-elect him in any case without other voters who don’t support him now. He’s campaigning according to the Electoral College, but that can only do so much. The DNC is mostly concerned with the grassroots chipping away at their perceived base. (That’s what their sponsors tell them.) Odd as it seems, I think the DNC is just embarrassed at standing up for themselves. That same attitude costs them votes every time they fail to take a stand on any issue.
If this process lasts long enough to reach Chump’s resignation or elimination in the primaries, it will have served its political purpose. New York State and other jurisdictions can then carry out the law. (There’s also a chance the Chump’s health will stop him.) Should Mitch McConnell stall an impeachment trial for a while, that’s even better because of the attention on McConnell. In the long-term analysis, McConnell does more damage to the nation than Chump. We need that to be more obvious. We’re not likely to need a Senate conviction, but I also remember that a turning point came with the Republican Senators in the Nixon Administration. It wasn’t this early in the process.
Great Britain has been the scene of internal strife dating back to 1066 CE. That has been primarily low-level discontent in recent centuries (other than Ireland), but there’s no reason to believe they will find harmony. That saddens me, especially since one of those mail-in DNA tests tells me they dominate my ancestry.
Calvin
Good afternoon to you, Calvin,
My apologies for the delay.
I think the eMail problem was on my end. I upgraded my Mac OS, and somehow some obscured, remote, buried file got corrupted during the upload/install. Our middle son solved the problem; everything seems to be working fine and normally now.
There are many knock-on consequences of the paternalism that has dominated our evolving cultures, perhaps the worst version stemming from the Victorian era—“ bizarre sexual ethics of polygamous religions” being just one adjunct [FYI: Victorian morality staunchly condemned polygamy and sex in the main (for an reason other than for procreation)].
Well said, ignorance is the desired medium for dictators and megalomaniacs of any form including religious, e.g., Big Brother and The Party of “1984” infamy (fiction) and Catholic condemnation of the printing press (non-fiction).
I can agree with your political assessment, although it is only a fraction of the electoral variety in play today. Whomever makes it through the nomination process and to the actual election campaign must not ignore the constitutionally mandated Electoral College process. The popular vote (at least for now) is not what matters. Until the rules are changed, any candidate must play by the rules.
The BIC’s vast personality flaws will not allow him to resign, no matter how bad it gets, and I do not see any even remote possibility of him being eliminated in the primaries. Given the BIC’s personality flaws, I am more than remotely concerned about what he might do if he is defeated in the 2020 election—the worst condition being a confused or ambiguous outcome like 2000 or 2016, although he might well try to reject even a landslide defeat. Yes, I do not agree with just about everything McConnell has done; his unilateral stonewalling of the Senate confirmation of President Obama’s last Supreme Court nomination being one of the most egregious. I am not sure why you suggest a Senate conviction might not be necessary. I simply cannot imagine the BIC resigning for any reason; he will likely be defiant to the end.
The Brexit situation is precarious. I have studied fractious times in British history before. I do not recall a more threatening time tearing at the very fabric of the country. They have overcome adversity in the past; I trust they will do so with this contemporary version.
“That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”
Cheers,
Cap
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