Update no.972

Update from the Sunland

No.972

24.8.20 – 30.8.20

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

 

            To all,

 

            The Republican National Committee (RNC) put on their national convention and nominated the Bully-in-Chief (BIC) and Vice President Mike Pence for another term in office.  The convention with speeches and videos at Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC, on Monday evening.  Their opening rah-rah video was narrated by Actor Jon Voight.  The conclusion of the video proclaimed:

Four years ago, we faced a historic crossroad—career politicians promising change in every election and delivering emptiness.  We chose a different path, a man who is not a politician, a man who cares, a man who loves America and all Americans, a man who works tirelessly, for you, even tonight, during this nomination.  The results, jobs were created, embracing the undeniable greatness of diversity, prosperity, safe communities, protecting and serving, caring for one another.  Still, politicians spun their deceptions and obstructed progress, fanning the flames of lawlessness.  We all know that it is easy to criticize, but it takes a true leader to solve problems.  COVID-19.  While other criticized without solutions, [the BIC’s] swift actions saved lives.  And, as leading Democrats want to keep businesses closed down, our president is leading the way for a full economic recovery.  We are Americans.  Despite unpredictable events, we as Americans work together to overcome challenges and write our own story—the legends for our posterity.  America, land of promise, land of opportunity, land of heroes, land of greatness.

When you add in the noble background music and complimentary imagery, the video is inspirational and uplifting—very well done, I must say.  They even faced the elephant in the room head on, even though the espoused conclusion is highly questionable, if not an outright lie.  But, . . . if only!  The man depicted and referred to in the video failed miserably in so many myriad ways to live up to the spirit portrayed in the videos.  My opinions regarding the consequences of the man’s malignant narcissism alone are well known and plentiful; I do not need to bore you with regurgitation.  Charlie Kirk, Founder, Turning Point USA, offered the real essence to the whole convention, this time in our history, and the upcoming election.

I am here tonight to tell you, to warn you, that this election is a decision between preserving America as we know it and eliminating everything that we love.

I confined my transcription to that one sentence, but Kirk’s entire speech was simply an amplification of the above sentence.  He (they) chose to paint anyone who does not agree with the BIC as wrong, evil, destructive, and in sum, an enemy of the State.  Kimberly Guilfoyle’s vitriol was disturbing in the extreme.  The contradictions, hypocrisy, and falsehoods were breathtaking and understandable but disappointing.  They sought to focus on the good the BIC and his administration have accomplished, which is also quite understandable for politicians; every politician does exactly the same thing.  We must sort out the truth and our choices.

            Vice President Michael Richard ‘Mike’ Pence of Indiana accepted the party nomination at Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.

            Of course, the BIC chose his daughter to introduce him for his acceptance speech.  I must note an observation.  I was quite impressed by Ivanka’s skill with the teleprompter.  She is far more skilled than the BIC with the device.  Her speaking style is also far more polished than the BIC’s standard performance.  Unfortunately, we cannot trust a word the BIC, his family, or his sycophants utter, as his so-called and self-proclaimed “truthful hyperbole” has been repeatedly and consistently proven to be neither truthful nor hyperbole.  However, we can appreciate the showmanship of perhaps the greatest snake-oil salesman history has yet recorded.  We also witnessed another terrible example of why we are incapable of gaining control of the COVID19 pandemic—1,500 people in close proximity, without social distancing or face masks, except by a very few among the audience.  I hope no one gets infected as a consequence.

            So it is.  We enter the last phase of this silly season with nine (9) weeks to the election.  I hope and trust everyone is registered and ready to VOTE.

            The amount of money spent on the fireworks display alone could probably feed a small nation for years.  The audacity is breathtaking.

            The flag-waving, rah-rah videos were very well done in virtually every respect.  They were definitely feel-good videos that touted the American spirit.  They chose to feature most citizens of many and wide backgrounds to sing his praises.  There were far fewer politicians than last week.  I accept that the people who spoke believe what they said and their benefit they attributed to the BIC.  Taken prima facie, the BIC and his administration deserve credit.  He also displayed an unprecedented presidential pardon during the political event and naturalized five new citizens.  The BIC placed himself as an executive producer of the convention show (although I tried for quite some time to independently verify the information, I could not), and he deserves credit for putting on a great show.  Well done!

            Unfortunately, the false vitriol and excessive misinformation pronouncements darken an otherwise positive effort to focus on the positive.  Further, all of the rah-rah stuff cannot erase the man he is at the root.  Again, unfortunately, I have read:

-- Special Counsel’s Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election [22.3.2019;804, 898, 902, 904]

-- Intelligence Community whistleblower’s letter of 12.8.2019

-- House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence The Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report [3.12.2019; 935].

-- House Committee on the Judiciary Impeachment of Donald John Trump, President of the United States Report[9.12.2019; 935].

-- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election Report [18.8.2020; 971]

-- myriad indictments, court charging documents, and court rulings.

If only the BIC was a better man and lived up to the spirit and biased rhetoric presented in the BIC show.  He is not, and the leopard cannot change his spots.  He is what he is, and there is zero hope that he will change and become a better man and citizen.  I have not and will not forget or forgive his misconduct.

            At the end of the day, I return to my earlier observation.  If only the BIC was just a fraction of the man all those speakers claimed and declared him to be.  If only he was just a sliver of the man he is hyped to be—by himself and his believers.  Regrettably, he is not.  Some citizens choose to ignore the reality of the man he is, to believe he is the man they want him to be.  I freely confess to my inability to look beyond his malignant narcissism and his myriad character flaws.

            I thought about how to summarize reality versus all those videos and words of praise and adoration for the BIC.  Here is my conclusion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iimj0j4NYME

That clip graphically displays the Ugly American syndrome.  Those few seconds during the video shows the BIC pushing past Prime Minister Duško Marković of Montenegro on 25.May.2017, at a NATO summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium.  The BIC simply had to be in front and puff up his chest as if he is the biggest dog on the street.  He said no words; he only acted.  Those few seconds of that video clip show everyone why I refuse to refer to the president by his familial name.  He is the Bully-in-Chief (BIC)—the consummate Ugly American.  The prime minister of Montenegro and the president of the United States are equals; the nations are not the same size, but we are equals.  Let us not forget – “all men are created equal.”  Does the BIC’s actions that day in 2017 show the interaction of equals?  I think everyone knows the answer to that question.  I recognize that some American citizens probably see nothing wrong with the BIC’s conduct that day in Brussels, and many may very well cheer him on to represent American exceptionalism.  I am not and cannot be one of those citizens.  Ugly Americans and schoolyard bullies are NOT who Americans should aspire to be in life and in relations with our neighbors.  I do not need to hear about all the great things the BIC thinks he has done by himself alone.  That video clips says all I need to know.  The BIC is not the man I want to represent me on the world stage.  He can falsely claim destructive socialism, lawlessness, and despair are the alternative to him, but once again, he is flat-assed wrong . . . in every possible way and from every perspective.

 

            The headline on a conservative Blog on Wednesday stated:

Enemies of the State: Biden, Harris, Pelosi, and Schumer

Anytime Democrats invoke their oath "to support and defend" our Constitution, it should evoke herniating laughter!

Really?  Are there actually American citizens who believe this drivel?

            As noted above, this is precisely one of the themes of the RNC Nominating Convention this week.  In this context, I will also note that more than a few Democrats have engaged in similar extreme criticism of the BIC and his administration.  This is not new.  As noted in my review of the RNC Convention above, this is precisely reflective of the BIC’s Republican Party.  It is not an isolated thought or brain-fart.  It is systemic.  From my perspective, QAnon has taken control of the Republican Party thanks in no small measure to the BIC’s embrace and tacit support of the right-wing conspiracy theory group.  This sort of vitriolic nonsense is exactly the corrosive rhetoric that will destroy this once grand republic.  We have apparently lost the ability to disagree respectfully, to debate issues vigorously, and to seek compromise and solutions for the common good.  This is tribalism at its worst and must be condemned outright.

            You want a conspiracy theory?  What if the right-wingers like QAnon, neo-Nazis, Aryan Nations, KKK, and Republican operatives are the ones acting in or inspiring others to imbed themselves in otherwise peaceful protests in selected cities to create violence, chaos, and the image that Democrat mayors have lost control?  Such false-flag operations are not without precedent, e.g., the burning of the Reichstag on 27.February.1933 that brought dictatorship, and the Gliwice, Germany radio station pseudo-attack on 31.August.1939 that sparked war in Europe.  No, these operations are not new, but we may well bear witness to the latest application.  The BIC’s followers are so bloody desperate to hold onto power and preserve their privilege that false-flag operations are entirely possible and plausible.  We must remain ever vigilant and suspicious.  Protesters are not the problem; anarchists and agitators are the instigators of violence within peaceful protests.

            The leftists, socialist, or communists among us are NOT enemies of the State.  They simply hold different views and opinions regarding the governance of this once grand republic.  So, when I am presented with a choice between the soft, squishy, feel-gooders or the QAnon Party, my selection and vote is extremely easy to make.  Character matters.  Intentions do not amount to much.

 

            Category 4 Hurricane Laura, the most powerful hurricane in 150 years to hit the region, made landfall at 01:00 [S] CDT, Thursday, 27.August.2020, near Cameron, Louisiana.  The damage is widespread and extensive.  The storm center moved north, made a hard, right turn at Southeast Missouri, headed east, and is expected to clear the United States by Sunday on its way across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom and Europe.

 

            This week’s events signaled the demise of the once noble Republican Party.  The remnants are no longer the republican party; they are now the BIC’s party, or more properly the QAnon Party enabled by the BIC (because I cannot give that man that much credit).  I am undoubtedly late to that minor epiphany, but hey, better late than never.  Rest in peace, Barry Goldwater.

 

            There was a lot of drivel about the BIC being the greatest jobs president in history.  He loves to take responsibility for the new jobs created by businesses during his administration, and that is what presidents do.  But that is not the test of the man.  So where was he in taking responsibility for losing 30M (million) jobs during the pandemic.  Isn’t he just as responsible to losing jobs as much as he is for creating jobs?  He loves to take credit for the good times, but he refuses to take responsibility for the bad times.  The sword cuts both ways.  The reality speaks volumes about what the BIC thinks leadership is.  The BIC’s definition of leadership is not even similar to anything I recognize as leadership.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.971:

Comment to the Blog:

“DNC message: ‘We’re not Chump (but we might be Republicans).’  As an Ohioan, it’s disgusting to see K-Sick featured at the DNC’s convention.

“RNC message: ‘we’re Chump.’

“We already knew the Chump is deeply corrupt.  It doesn’t seem to change anything.

“It’s good to see Steve Bannon at least catch a felony or two.  He is as detestable as the Chump, and a damn sight shrewder.

“We are riding out the virus issue.  Like it or not, the most likely outcome in The United States is herd immunity, whenever that occurs.”

My response to the Blog:

            Thank you for your contribution.

            Thank you also for your opinion on the DNC message.  We shall respectfully disagree.

            The first night of the RNC convention was certainly red meat for the believers and consumers of the BIC’s magic snake-oil elixir.  Unfortunately, I do not and cannot agree that anyone who disagrees with the BIC is an enemy of the State.  You are spot on correct.  It does not matter what the BIC does; he thinks he has absolute immunity.  The BIC was spot on correct; he could actually shoot someone (any random innocent person) on Fifth Avenue and still not lose any votes.  We have to admire that kind of blind loyalty.  But, as he says, it is what it is.  We shall see in November.

            I share your opinion of Bannon.

            Yes, I suspect you are correct.  The window of containment has passed.  Now, we are left with no choice.  So, we must all ride it out . . . until an effective vaccine is available . . . for those who choose to take it.

 

Another contribution:

“Our youngsters return to school next week having been at home since the outbreak of Covid in March.  Of course, there are different sides as to the health issues involved but the majority approve the decision.  We all hope they are right.  It will be a long and hard struggle for the youth to catch up on their education.  This could indicate that we are on top of Covid falsely encouraging some people, mostly youths, to behave recklessly with street parties etc.  This must stop!  A fine of £10,000 is to be imposed on those organising such events.

“For an event planned by our village Legion to commemorate VJ Day I was given strict instructions not to invite more than 30 people with no drink of food and social spacing to be observed. Oh and no singing or musical instruments! We were allowed a bugle for the last post. It was a memorable event. I’m hoping to recommence our monthly meetings in October.

“Lots of cover here on those fires-not so far from you two.”

My reply:

            Yes, I’m afraid it is going to be very busy until this election is decided.

            The same is happening here.  I’m with you, I sure hope this situation does not go any more sideways than it already has.  Our country’s children are returning to school as well.  We need this to work.  As long as we have a segment of our society who see the counter-infection procedures as a measure of freedom of choice, we will not get ahead of the virus.  This has nothing to do with individual freedom; it is entirely about breaking the chain of infection until an effective vaccine is available.

            I hope your VJ Day commemoration was successful and safe.

            We have no fires close by at present, but our normally crystal-clear skies are dimmed by a heavy haze of smoke from the fires in Southern California.  This too shall pass.

 

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)