Update no.1019

Update from the Sunland

No.1019

19.7.21 – 25.7.21

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

 

            To all,

 

We completed our Midwest family visit on Tuesday. We enjoyed our last supper with middle son and family at Matt’s El Rancho restaurant.

I was informed that the unnamed globular cluster I referred to in Update no.1018 was M13 (AKA NGC 6205, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, or the Hercules Globular Cluster). The image shown in this URL:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_13#/media/File:M13_crop.jpg

was roughly what we saw last Saturday night. Thank you, again, Bob.

Blessedly, the flight home was equally uneventful as the outbound flight—no delays, no turbulence, and no Karens.

We arrived home safely and were excited to see the dogs, who were very well taken care of at home. Thank you, Tori.

We are most grateful that we were able to visit with virtually our entire immediate family. Y’all made our 10-day visit perfect. We love you all.

 

Due to our travel schedule, we had to watch the launch of the Blue Origin, New Shepard, RSS First Step flight at the airport gate on the departure concourse in Austin, Texas. The passengers on the first manned flight (no pilots required) were:

-- Jeffrey Preston ‘Jeff’ Bezos né Jorgensen – the owner of Blue Origin

-- Mark Bezos – younger brother of Jeff

-- Mary Wallace ‘Wally’ Funk – a veteran aviator, Mercury-13 astronaut candidate, and now the oldest person to reach space

-- Oliver Daemen – 18-year-old son of Joes Daemen, formally joined the crew on 15.July, after the person with the winning US$28M bid in a 12.June auction [1016], declared “scheduling conflicts” and chose to fly at a later date. Daemen’s father had the second highest bid and elected to have his son take his seat. Young Daemen became the youngest person (so far) to reach space.

The spacecraft launched at 08:12 [S] CST on the NS-16 mission from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas, near Van Horn. They reached 351,215 feet (107 kilometers) at apogee and then descended by parachute to a soft landing. Congratulations to Blue Origin and their flawless mission.

Next up in this money space race is SpaceX mission SN16, which is reportedly being reconfigured for an orbital flight and reentry; no launch date or mission details have been disclosed, as yet.

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- The National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act (HR 3233) [1010] was passed by the House and sent to the Senate where it failed to achieve the necessary super-majority by Senate rules [1011], although six (6) Republican senators did vote for the act. As a consequence, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Patricia Pelosi née D'Alesandro of California decided that if the Senate fBICP members could block a bipartisan national commission on the facts associated with the 6^th of January insurrection, then the House would go it alone. The Speaker promptly appointed the commission members assigned to her. House Minority Leader Representative Kevin Owen McCarthy of California eventually put forth his five nominees for the Insurrection Commission in accordance with the rules:

-- Kelly Michael Armstrong of North Dakota

-- James Edward ‘Jim’ Banks of Indiana 

-- Rodney Lee Davis of Illinois

-- James Daniel ‘Jim’ Jordan of Ohio 

-- Troy Edwin Nehls Texas 

In accordance with the bill passed by the House, Pelosi objected to two of those nominees (in red above), rightly so; those two are hardly impartial seekers of the truth—and that is on the public record. Impetuously, McCarthy withdrew all five. Representative Cheney of Wyoming laid into McCarthy hard and rightly so. As of this writing, it is not clear whether Speaker Pelosi will appoint other Republicans to the commission in place of the five withdrawn members. With or without additional Republicans, the commission is scheduled to hear the first testimony this coming Tuesday.

Footnote: While I hold onto hope we shall eventually see the facts associated with the January 6^th insurrection, we must not forget that we bear witness is the corrosive acid of tribalism, and the continuing destruction wrought by the [person who shall no longer be named] and the fBICP he still commands.

 

I watched the CNN Presidential Town Hall with Joe Biden held at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday, 21.July.2021. CNN news anchor Don Lemon hosted the town hall event. President Biden’s hereditary speech affliction does not help him, but it is his use of fillers, e.g., “seriously,” “I’m not joking,” “I’m serious,” “here’s the deal (thing) (whatever),” “I really mean it,” et cetera, that offend my ears and sense of effective oratory. He has a good message, but he must work on his delivery. He has a good heart, but his use of fillers in his speech obscures that reality. The man has infinitely more compassion than his predecessor and displayed a quality I admire that was completely devoid in his predecessor—humility. All in all, it was a good event in my humble opinion.

 

A friend and former colleague offered up an opinion on Critical Race Theory (CRT), which has been made a hot-button issue for the fBICP and so-called conservatives. S/he made a Facebook post on the following article:

“Biden admin promotes radical group pushing critical race theory in schools – A critical race theory handbook is intended to disrupt Whiteness and oppression”

By Ethan Barton | Fox News

Published: 21.July.2021

https://www.foxnews.com/us/biden-admin-promotes-radical-group-critical-race-theory-schools?fbclid=IwAR0QAP0Pt9mjmrMfMRa8gLDadHdQVbDL_x3Mhx35V_HwoAri4qJbY2c-yE8

 . . . to which I replied:

Ignorance over knowledge

 . . . followed by this response:

“[T]his (CRT) is not helpful in anyway, it is creating division and essentially teaching kids to judge people by their skin color and their ethnicity…how will this impact the hundreds of thousand bi-racial families? Who get’s the label? Dad? Mom, Cousins? Brothers? Sisters? Grandparents? 

“Kids don’t give a damn about color, why teach them make it a consideration about their friends or anyone else?

“Ignorance is not understanding the long-term affect of categorizing people by their color or ethnicity and/or holding current generations responsible for acts/history from previous generations.”

 . . . and my follow-up reply:

I shall respectfully disagree. I think you are misreading the essence of CRT. First, CRT is not taught in elementary or secondary schools; it is a university level hypothetical intended to examine the issue. This is a boogeyman red herring. Second, children should be taught that white privilege is wrong. White folks, in general, are no better or worse than citizens with dark skin pigmentation. Children are taught hate; that is exactly how racists are created. To deny, the vast weight of institutional discrimination and white privilege is exactly choosing ignorance over knowledge. As Justice Brandeis who eloquently and succinctly stated, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

 . . . the exchange degenerated from here.

 

On Friday, 23.July.2021, we had rain for most of the day including flash flood warnings. The rain was a very welcome change. Lightning and thunder peaked in the middle of naptime, and then, just when the thunder was moving away, Sadie started barking—a habit she has when she needs to adjust her stomach. Oh well, I am grateful; we needed the rain. The rain continued off & on through the weekend. In a very unusual event, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning for a life-threatening situation, along with this warning, ”Do not attempt travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.” Our pool is close to overflowing. The last few days appear to be a “be careful what you wish for” occasion. The NWS has recorded more than six inches of rainfall in areas that will go a good way to filling up the reservoirs.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1018:

Comment to the Blog:

“I'm glad you enjoyed your family. It's a shame you have to travel so far to see them. I have not flown since the Department of Homeland Security was formed, nor will I.

“I have noted a large increase in 4-wheeler recklessness and have also seen news reports on that. The situation of trucks blocking all lanes of a freeway is something I've never encountered for more than half a minute.

“I have noted here that I have benefited from white privilege and been aware of it especially in police situations. I agree that we all need awareness of those issues. Critical Race Theory, in and of itself, doesn't address that and isn't what Republicans have been representing it to be. Their presentation is one more wedge issue.

“‘The Motherland’ like the Fatherland is a term with a history.

“The central difference between Hitler and the Chump is that Hitler's operation was more organized and coherent. That may be all it takes to defeat him, but the Internet is a major wild card.

“Term limits will not change the fact that power is for sale in DC. Only addressing the flow of money in politics will do that. Distributing that power via a “one voter, one vote” set of policies would help a bit. That said, I would like to see a mandatory retirement age of 70 or 75.”

My response to the Blog:

Yeah, it has been a bit of a journey, but well worth the effort.

I am sorry you have been limited in your travel options. I am not sure why the creation of the Department of Homeland Security is such a dramatic demarcation, nor why the resistance for commercial flight, but I certainly respect your choices. We went through the qualification process for TSA Pre-Check, which gets us about as close to pre-9/11 ease of airline travel as we can at this stage.

You are fortunate to have had a better roadway experience than what we encountered on this trip. I hope it continues to improve. We have a short journey to the airport and turn in our rental car for the flight home this morning. We are ready to be home with our dogs.

Exactly, the fBICP & QAnon crowd have maligned CRT to stoke the white fear, white rage and xenophobia that sustains the fires of hatred among that group. They are desperate to find any angle, any toehold, they can to divide us and mobilize the believers. They know they are a dwindling political party, and they need a force-multiplier. I am not yet a student of CRT, but I know enough to recognize the reality as you state it. Our future generations must be more knowledgeable and informed than we were.

Absolutely! We must not forget our history.

Excellent observation of history. Hitler’s NSDAP Nazis knew precisely what they wanted and had to do . . . become the state and use “state security” to enforce their ideology on everyone within their reach. One of their first objectives was the free Press, which they eliminated by assassination and imprisonment. Yes, the Internet is a monstrous wild card; the Web allows amplification of propaganda by orders of magnitude compared to what Hitler and Goebbels had available to them. We bear witness to the consequences. But, the answer is not censorship; it is knowledge and enlightenment.

I cannot disagree with your statement. Money corrupts, period, full stop. Yes, term limits alone will not solve the problem. Citizens United altered the political landscape substantially, if not monumentally. Stare decisis and the stolen seats (plural!) on the Supreme Court bench will block amendment or elimination of that myopic ruling, so only a constitutional amendment can produce the necessary reform. I think 70 or 75 is too much, but coupled with term limits, it might be useful.

 . . . Round two:

“The Department of Homeland [in]Security, from the name onward, is a menace to a free society. Both keywords of the name have long histories of abuse, and the nature and mission of the agency enable that.

“The issue about misinformation on the Internet is the multitude of sources. People can stay in that ecosystem of distortion and never realize that they are losing track of reality. For example, a Pentecostal friend sent me links to four articles yesterday. One came from Forbes and was at least worth reading. The other three were from Fox "News" and two unknown sources. The content of those three was not related to the reality that I know.

“I hope your trip to the airport and your flight go/went well.”

 . . . my response to round two:

“A menace to a free society,” well, I am afraid I cannot agree with that rather stark assessment. I can and will agree there have been abuses, but to me, those abuses are reflections of the flaws of the people charged with operations. I do not see DHS in any different light than I do DoJ and state AGs who zealously expand their interpretation of the law by their biases.

Spot on! The plethora of information places inordinate burden upon all of us much like intelligence agencies that must constantly evaluate and filter information of the accuracy and reliability of the sources, and relevance of the information. It seems to me, most folks do not take the time to perform that filtration process, which leaves them with affinity to validate their preconceptions. Regrettably and unfortunately, this reality offers a very fertile ground for misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and outright fraud.

 . . . Round three:

“It seems to be a common trait to assign blame for systemic failings to ‘a few bad apples’ or whatever term means individuals. The surveillance and control mission of DHS makes the abuses pretty much inevitable.”

 . . . my response to round three:

That is a fair criticism. However, as for me, organizations are like other inanimate objects. It is the people who work in such organizations that take actions and fail at their jobs. In my opinion, to say that there are systemic failings is like saying a rifle or pistol can fire itself. It is the checks & balances of good structures that are intended to restrain the over-zealousness of individuals. Let us focus on the root cause(s). The Department of Homeland Security, like the police, the FBI, the CIA, et al, serve an important and valuable purpose. Let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 . . . Round four:

“Yep, organizations are made up of people (duh). However, when those people are given organized authority and responsibility, the organization becomes an entity beyond the individual people, and it acts in ways the individuals couldn't and mostly wouldn't. Systemic change is called for.”

 . . . my response to round four:

It is other flawed human beings who exercise that authority as best they know how. An organization cannot act, just like a rifle cannot fire itself. I can agree that improvements can always be made. I suppose the issue for us in this particular topic is a matter of degree. What does systemic change look like regarding the DHS? It is this question that causes me to baulk. I have never been for change for change’s sake. I need to see the expected outcome. The DHS has had an extraordinarily difficult task to perform from the get-go. They have made mistakes in their zealousness to protect the homeland. As those mistakes have been discovered, corrections have been made. Change is slower, but less traumatic.

 . . . Round five:

“I see no good in the DHS as such. Its legitimate duties and personnel ought to be dispersed among the appropriate agencies in order to lower the risk of abuse.”

 . . . my response to round five:

It is unfortunate you feel that way. Needless to say, I do not agree. I still think the underlying reasons for the creation of DHS remain valid, just as there was a need for DNI. Your suggestion seems an awful lot like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

But hey, “That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-) 

Update no.1018

 Update from the Sunland

No.1018

12.7.21 – 18.7.21

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

 

            Toall,

 

Jeanne and I took our first journey this week since the COVID-19 pandemic exploded a year and a half ago—a 10-day trip to the Great Plains to visit all our chi’ren and grandchi’ren.

We chose to use Uber for our transport to Sky Harbor International Airport—our first use as well. I must say it is a very well organized, easy to use, convenient, and an easy transportation system.

The outbound flight was full, orderly and without even a hint of incident—no Karens! Everyone wore facemasks, some more properly than others. The instructions from the flight attendants were normal, except for the guidance to reposition our masks between sips and bites.

We spent a few days in Wichita, Dallas and Austin. We missed our oldest son Courtney, grandson Jack (Happy 21^st Birthday, Jack), and second granddaughter Tylyn. We offer a big shout out of gratitude to youngest son Taylor, Sherri and their son Wyatt for hosting the Wichita portion of the clan. Taylor did a magnificent job cooking up our feast on his five-burner griddle.

We rented a car (thank you, Sherri) for the drive to Dallas for our visit with our oldest grandchild and granddaughter Aspen Shae and her partner Jazelle. I must confess to being “out of shape” in dealing with people on the highway. People seem to be more aggressive, less patient, and more inconsiderate than I remember, but it was the tractor-trailers (the large semi’s) that really got to me. South of Waco, Texas, on Interstate 35 South, there are large highway signs that state,

No Trucks

In Left Lane.

Of course, we had to contend with these trucks occupying all two, or three, or in one instance four lanes across INCLUDING THE LEFT LANE. Of course, when the trucks block all lanes of traffic, tempers would flare and judgment would evaporate. Fortunately, for us, we were not under any time constraint, so we were able to wait patiently for the traffic clot to clear, although not devoid of an occasional demonstration of my frustration.

We visited Aspen’s apartment several times, played some card games, and enjoyed her beautiful pup Maya. We sampled the offerings at Aspen’s employment, the Happiest Hour (pub) at 2616 Olive Street, Dallas, Texas, met some of her colleagues, and enjoyed a nice evening under the oak trees. We visited the Dallas World Aquarium (DWA) at 1801 North Griffin Street, Dallas, Texas, which I must say, was well worth the effort despite the myriad children crowding the facility. The young’uns were well mannered and respectful, but it was the squadron of strollers with a good half dozen doublewides for infant twins that made navigation and progress more difficult. Nonetheless, the DWA was a most impressive establishment. The creators went to great lengths to the create feel and sight of rain forest inside at large building in Dallas, Texas. The walls and containment provisions were molded and textures to look like rocks. The selection of critters was interesting and attractive with a good mixture of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and a few cats. If you are ever in Dallas and have an afternoon to spare, I highly recommend the DWA for your exploration and entertainment. Thursday evening, we went to dinner at Terilli's restaurant (ristorante) at 2815 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Texas. Aspen and Jazelle conspired to treat us to an excellent Italian cuisine meal. It was not until il conto del pastoarrived that I realized she had already paid for the meal with an explanation that they wanted to do something for us after all we had done for them—very touching coming from our granddaughter. As a related footnote, returning to our hotel from Aspen’s apartment, we passed through Dealey Plaza a couple of times. Most folks do not recognize the historic significance of that particular location in Dallas; I was 15-years-old on that day in November 1963. I remember it well; I was in woodshop when the announcement came over the Public Address system. Thank you very much Aspen and Jazelle for a most enjoyable visit

Next stop was Austin, Texas, and the home of middle son Tyson and his family, Melissa, Judson and Avalon. On Saturday, we drove to the Hays City Store restaurant at 8989 Ranch to Market Road 150, Driftwood, Texas, for a delicious ‘linner’ (or ‘lunner’ depending upon your preference) – another dining establishment well worth the effort to enjoy. That evening, neighbor Bob has a 500-pound 500mm (20 inch) telescope inside a three-meter dome installed in his backyard. He invited us to visit Saturday evening for a demonstration. We looked at the lighted surface of the waxing quarter moon, the Ring Nebula (M57, NGC 6720, GC 4447), a globular cluster, and the Eagle Nebula (M16, NGC 6611, Sharpless 49, RCW 165, Cr 375, Gum 83, Star Queen Nebula). He patiently took the time to explain exactly what he was doing and how he was pointing the telescope at the precise spot in the night sky and employed an automatic tracker to hold the selected objects centered in the eyepiece despite the rotation of the earth. It was most impressive watching him work the telescope. On Sunday, after naptime, of course (hey, I’m an old man, don’t judge), I spent a good portion of the afternoon in the pool helping the kids with their swimming strokes and breathing technique as well as more time in the water than I have spent in 50 years chatting with Melissa. Tyson planned and cooked on his smoker an exquisite meal of baby back pork ribs, lightly breaded mac & cheese, and a light, tasty jicama & mango salad.

That is it so far; more to follow.

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- In a separate forum, a friend and I debated an opinion contention that Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) [1013] are compromising the U.S. Navy’s ability to perform its national defense mission. I thought I would share my response since it is relevant to contemporary debate.

Perhaps, nonsense to you . . . you're white. I highly doubt it is nonsense to those with dark skin pigmentation. I think General Milley [1015] was spot on correct. It is long past due that we all learn about the genesis of white privilege whether the genetic pigmentation in our skin is white, black, brown, red, yellow, or pink. Racism, individual and institutional racism, has been a part of our history for 400 years. Denial is NOT acceptable. We must understand our part in history. The Navy's problems today are far greater and deeper than CRT.

 

A friend, brother-in-arms, and contributor to this humble forum, who resides in the Motherland, sent along the following article of interest:

“Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley feared Trump would attempt a COUP after losing the election, warned of a 'Reichstag moment' and said the then-president was preaching ‘the gospel of the Führer’, new book claims”

“•            Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly feared then-President Trump would attempt coup after November election 

•            Claim was made in book titled I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year by Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig 

•            In days before riot at US Capitol on January 6, Milley confided to friends that he feared US was approaching 'Reichstag moment,' according to the new book

•            He reportedly told friends that Trump was preaching ‘the gospel of the Führer’ and that he was ginning up his 'brownshirts in the streets' 

•            Milley grew alarmed in the days after the election when Trump fired several senior officials from their posts at the Pentagon and installed loyalists

•            They may try, but they’re not going to f***ing succeed,' Milley told his deputies when discussing possibility they might try a coup

•            'You can't do this without the military,' Milley is quoted as saying. 'You can't do this without the CIA and the FBI. We're the guys with the guns'”

by Ariel Zilber and Nikki Schwab

Daily Mail (London)

Published: 21:51 EDT, 14 July 2021 | Updated: 08:09 EDT, 15 July 2021

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9789949/Top-general-feared-Trump-attempt-coup-losing-election-book-claims.html

After reading the article and doing a little more research to fill in the blanks, I responded with the following comment:

Thank you for sending that article along. It is accurate to the best of my knowledge. There are various similar versions moving around the American Press. Yes, we came dreadfully close to the “Reichstagmoment” as General Milley described it. Unfortunately, I suspect most Americans have no idea what General Milley was talking about in his comment. And, to the consumers of the magic snake oil elixir peddled by the [person who shall no longer be named], they will only deny all of it as pure fabrication intended to malign, denigrate, and discredit their messiah, the man who sold them the cure-all he claimed it to be. And, the worst part, we have a good chunk of the BICP [Bully-In-Chief’s Party] who are actively and aggressively trying to block any attempt at illumination by denying the insurrection ever occurred—“[Y]ou would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.” [Representative Andrew Scott Clyde of Georgia; 12.May.2021] As long as we have members of Congress in the Senate and House of Representatives who spew forth such bald-faced lies and choose ignorance over knowledge, the wounds inflicted by the [person who shall no longer be named] will not heal.

I gain no satisfaction from forecasting six years ago the destruction the [person who shall no longer be named] has wrought upon this once grand republic. The consequences and outcomes from his malignant narcissism were and remain entirely predictable.

“That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”

Clyde’s pronouncement represents not just the 9^thCongressional District of Georgia, but in a larger sense, his words reflect the public stance of the fBICP.

{Note to forum: I realized I have been using a descriptive term erroneously for some months now, and it is long past due that I update my usage. Instead of BICP (for the Bully In Chief Party, i.e., former Republican Party), the correct term should be fBICP (former Bully In Chief Party). Please accept my apology.}

I cannot predict whether the drivel vomited upon us all by Clyde and his cohorts can be overcome, but I must believe that the truth will eventually prevail despite their baseless yammering.

To which, the contributor responded:

“You paint a dismal picture of the future of your republic. You are so right things have to change, not an easy project when many of those who make the rules do not want those changes for their own personal gain. At the end of the day Cap it has to be the voters, the public, to generate those changes. Can that happen I wonder…?”

. . . and my reply:

I suppose it was a rather dismal opinion, but I do believe it accurately reflects my current perspective. The fBICP group prefers ignorance over knowledge and that to me is a deeply fatal flaw. Perhaps the greatest single element of the destruction wrought by the [person who shall no longer be named] is his sanctioning, legitimizing, and amplification of those ultra-right fringe groups who espouse a variety of extremist views, e.g., white supremacy, my way or the highway, radical moral projectionist intrusions upon our privacy and freedom of choice, et al. Yes, I hold sufficient belief in the resiliency of this once grand republic that broad public disgust with him, what he has done, and those who support him will eventually correct itself and return them to the obscure, dark shadows of the fringe margins of our society.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1017:

Comment to the Blog:

“Richard Branson may not have his name spread across his enterprises like the Chump, but let’s not kid ourselves about his having a big ego. If he were really concerned with customer experience, there are others better qualified who would have taken that seat. Elon Musk and several others play in that league, too, name or no name.

“I understand that you have great personal vitriol for the Chump, but let’s not go lightly on Giuliani. He chose the wrong vehicle, but Rudy did his insane best to support and participate in the corruption and power-grabbing.

“We’re having a great deal of hand-wringing here in Ohio about our relatively low vaccination rate, but the numbers are not spiking or anything close. Then again, our Republican governor is not a Trumpist, which makes him kind of an oddity.”

My response to the Blog:

I certainly have no disagreement. There is no question Sir Richard has a gargantuan ego and unbridled ambition. I am also under no illusion about his rationale for flying prior to certification that was a construct of convenience to satisfy the regulators. Many similar individuals, e.g., Howard Hughes, have done such things. I imagine most folks, male or female, who have attained that level of wealth, have a smattering of narcissism as well. My point was the egotism, ambition, and yes even narcissism that drive such men do not become malignant as in the case of the [person who shall no longer be named]. My advocacy is that citizens must learn to recognize those malignant forms and cull them from the herd before they can become destructive as in the case of the [person who shall no longer be named]. A man who treats people with such contempt deserves no respect whatsoever regardless of his station (real or perceived).

I have no intention whatsoever of going lightly on Giuliani; he deserves no quarter. I only note in the distant reaches of my mind that I hold a sliver of sympathy for the man largely due to his earlier accomplishments. He made a dreadful mistake hitching his wagon to such a despicable man, but such is life; and, he shall pay the consequences for that mistake. I just hope justice comes to the root cause of all this destruction before he passes. There is always hope until there isn’t.

You are lucky so far, but a low vaccination rate suggests considerable vulnerability to this virus. Hey, at least you are inoculated. Governor DeWine has been one of the saner people with an ‘R’ after their names.

. . . with a follow-up comment:

“As an interesting side note, Governor DeWine and his predecessor, Governor Kasich, are trying to carry on the legacy of Barry Goldwater, John McCain, and Republicans of that tradition. Whether they can keep that part of the party going remains to be seen, but they have not been destroyed as have so many others.”

. . . along with my follow-up response:

I have noticed and acknowledged the same phenomenon as well. They are not alone; we can add Kinzinger, Cheney, Dent, and others. Yet, it appears the Tea Party and fBICP faction of the Republican Party are dominating the disintegration of the Grand Old Party (GOP). I also agree with your prognosis. The perpetuation and amplification of the BIG LIE to feed the malignant narcissism of the [person who shall no longer be named] does not bode well for what was once the GOP. I watched a digital animation of what astrophysicists suggest is what the destruction (consumption) of a neutron star by a black hole might look like in space. The video is a perfect metaphor for what we bear witness to in contemporary politics.

 

Another contribution:

“As to Update 1017, please feel free to publish this response:

“Thank you for the excellent and informative commentary, Cap.  As you know from my previous defenses of us disappointed patriotic voters who opposed Trump in the primary but believed he was preferred over the ambitious Demogoddess in the general election, I agree that it was a huge mistake for the more recently suicidal GOP (Repandercrat Party) to nominate Trump. It is astonishing to see its floundering loyalty to the dishonored man today. Furthermore, I agree that his malignant narcissism makes him deserve a relatively low presidential ranking. I will always believe several of his achievements would not have come about under anyone else, but whether these were worth the national damage he allowed or encouraged will remain debatable. Lord help us if we cannot find a true conservative to lead a new GOP or a daring third party while we amend our great constitution to correct the oversight of the flawed but wise Founders, who could not imagine a need for term limits!”

My reply:

I recognize that we shall probably disagree, but compared to the highly destructive malignant narcissism of the [person who shall no longer be named], Hillary would have been a more appropriate president. At least, she would have acted like a president instead of a damnable Ugly American. I am no fan of Hillary as I have written many times, but when placed against the [person who shall no longer be named], she is a saint. Yes, the [person who shall no longer be named] should be ranked far below James Buchanan and he is last. We can debate the man’s “accomplishments,” but some of those are happenstance. I cannot see any benefit he may have contributed to or received credit for being even remotely worth the destruction that he has wrought on the very fabric of this once grand republic.

As I have also recently written, I once considered myself a conservative—a Barry Goldwater conservative no less; but not today. If conservative means imposing their values, their sense of morality, their beliefs on everyone, then I am adamantly and vociferously anti-conservative. Many years ago, I thought conservative meant small government, respect for individual freedom and rights, and support for the rule of law. Today . . . not so much. Nope, I abandoned conservatism long ago.

You are spot on correct. The Founders/Framers never envisioned term limits. There was no need. Life expectancy in 1790 was 33 years; in 2020, it was 80 years. Death limited their terms of office. The 22^ndAmendment(1951) was the first move to constitutionally impose term limits in office, but that was only for the president. Congress will not take the same initiative to self impose term limits on themselves, and there is no mechanism for We, the People, to do so other than our precious votes, and that is not likely. Local voters want to retain their representative, because the longer they serve, the higher they get in the congressional hierarchy, and then the more they get in pork barrel largesse from the national treasury. It is a vicious circle.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                        :-)

Update no.1017

 Update from the Sunland

No.1017

5.7.21 – 11.7.21

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

 

            To all,

 

After a weather delay, the Virgin Galactic Mother Ship (VMS) took off from Spaceport America, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, on Sunday, 11.July.2021, at 08:40 [T] MDT. The VMS carried Virgin Galactic Space Ship Unity22 slung under the center of its wing. At 09:24, at 46,000 feet and Mach 0.9, the VMS released Unity22. A few seconds later, the hybrid rocket motor ignited. They accelerated to Mach 3 and climbed straight up, reaching an altitude of 282,000 feet (53 miles). At 09:39, Unity22 landed successfully and safely on the same runway from which they took off.

As planned and expected, Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was aboard Unity22 along with three other “mission specialists” plus two pilots for what was technically still a test flight. Revenue flights are planned to begin in September of this year. Sir Richard is an ambitious, accomplished person who does not feel any compulsion to splatter his name in fauxgold on everything he owns or has licensed his name. There are reportedly several hundred passengers signed up to take commercial flights as soon as they are allowed.

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- The dominoes have begun to cascade for poor, hapless Rudolph William ‘Rudy’ Giuliani [1015]. On Wednesday, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals suspended his license to practice law in the District of Columbia pending the outcome of the original action imposed by New York State. Circumstances precluded my reading the two-page ruling by the DC court, but I will read it as soon as I am able. I like so many of the henchmen close to the [person who shall no longer be named], Rudy is paying a helluva price for his loyalty to the man who has shown no loyalty to anyone other than Ivanka, and even that bond may be questionable as she and her husband appear to be distancing themselves from the former president. What is wrong with this picture? Some may say, nothing. I say this is a direct consequence of the malignant narcissism of the [person who shall no longer be named]. In general, such outcomes were easily predicted five plus years ago. Malignant narcissism is a very destructive affliction.

 

As reported in last week’s Update [1016], the Supremes rendered judgment in an important voting rights case—Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee [594 U.S. ___ (2021)]. The alignment of the 6-3 split can be easily recognized in this specific ruling. Justice Alito’s majority opinion was quite predictable and not particularly noteworthy in its construct or content. The concurring opinion of Justice Gorsuch was comparably unremarkable. Justice Kagan wrote the only dissenting opinion. She observed, “Democratic ideals in America got off to a glorious start; democratic practice not so much. The Declaration of Independence made an awe-inspiring promise: to institute a government ‘deriving [its] just powers from the consent of the governed.’ But for most of the Nation’s first century, that pledge ran to white men only. The earliest state election laws excluded from the franchise African Americans, Native Americans, women, and [white men] without property.” Kagan went on to note, “Throughout American history, election officials have asserted anti-fraud interests in using voter suppression laws. Poll taxes, the classic mechanism to keep black people from voting, were often justified as ‘preserv[ing] the purity of the ballot box [and] facilitat[ing] honest elections.’” Criticizing the majority decision directly, Kagan said, “By declaring some racially discriminatory burdens inconsequential, and by refusing to subject asserted state interests to serious means-end scrutiny, the majority enables voting discrimination.” Spot on! Further, she added, “Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act to address a deep fault of our democracy—the historical and continuing attempt to withhold from a race of citizens their fair share of influence on the political process.” Kagan concluded, “This Court has no right to remake Section 2 {of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) [PL 89-110; 79 Stat. 437]}. Maybe some think that vote suppression is a relic of history—and so the need for a potent Section 2 has come and gone. . . . (“[T]hings have changed dramatically”). But Congress gets to make that call. Because it has not done so, this Court’s duty is to apply the law as it is written. The law that confronted one of this country’s most enduring wrongs; pledged to give every American, of every race, an equal chance to participate in our democracy; and now stands as the crucial tool to achieve that goal. That law, of all laws, deserves the sweep and power Congress gave it. That law, of all laws, should not be diminished by this Court.” Again, spot on!

At hand, the issue before the Court in the Brnovich case was two elements of the recently enacted Arizona voting reform law, namely, elimination of out-of-precinct vote counting and prohibition of anyone other than an election official, a mail carrier, or a voter’s family member, household member, or caregiver handling mail-in ballots. Prima facie, those sound like reasonable exclusions. However, as Justice Kagan carefully presented, such prohibition tacitly accept the reality that some number of citizens will be precluded from casting their vote. Therein lies the essence of my joining the dissent in this ruling. The majority is wrong.

For what it’s worth (FWIW), as is often the case with significant court judgments, I offer my observations and opinions. The reality with the Brnovich ruling, neither tribe is correct. The conservative extreme seeks to dictate a solution to an imaginary problem, while the liberal extreme appears to want unbridled access to the ballot box. Neither one of them is correct, and yet, both have valid points that deserve reform.

Soviet dictator Josef Stalin often stated that it does not matter who votes; it only matters who counts the votes. The contemporary corollary is, it does not matter what the law says; it only matters how the law is implemented or enforced. That is exactly the problem we are dealing with at present. A state law might specify that ballot drop off boxes are to be provided, but the executive chooses to provide one drop off box at a police station to service five million citizens—hardly a fair or equitable implementation of the law. Or, even if the law might say that a ballot drop-off box is required for every 100,000 citizens, a devious executive might install them all in one location. Federal election fairness laws cannot reach the details that affect the ability of an individual voter to cast her or his ballot. Fifty-six (56) years after the VRA legally ended 88 years of Jim Crow laws, and

151 years after ratification of the 15^thAmendment,

153 years after ratification of the 14^thAmendment,

and four bloody years of a horrific Civil War,

here we are still dealing with efforts by one political party to suppress or dilute the voting rights of a portion of our citizenry. Restrictions may not be outwardly or blatantly racist with intent, but their practical consequence is racist in all aspects except perhaps facial intent. I have been blessed with income, resources, and most of all an ability to adapt to changing polling station locations, operating hours, voting process changes, and such. My blessings have not been bestowed upon all citizens. Just something as innocuous and facially unimportant as polling station location becomes an insurmountable obstacle for a citizen with less resources than me. Today’s voting restriction legislation may not be overtly seeking racial discrimination and marginalization; however, when constructed as they are, they are politically discriminatory. The consequences are the same. The new laws are not facially racial, but the majority of the current Supreme Court fails to recognize or acknowledge the economic access to the ballot box can be a de factoracial bias.

 

COVID19 infections, hospitalizations and fatalities are rising again in states with low vaccination rates. From a scientific perspective, this reality is inevitable. Viruses are generally very effective at mutating and evolving to find more efficient means of reproduction—it is what they do. As long as the virus can find fertile hosts to infect, they will change to improve their ability to infect others, and even eventually overcome vaccines and other protections.

To me, this is yet another example of the collective security and well being of the community paying a very expensive and heavy price for individual freedom. It is also a prime example of selfish, every-man-for-himself nonsense fostered by the [person who shall no longer be named]. I absolutely believe in and advocate for freedom of choice and every individual’s fundamental right to privacy. No one should be forced to take the vaccine against his or her wishes. Conversely, those individual rights do NOT give any individual the right to endanger others by their actions. The refusal of inoculation is a slow version of Russian roulette, verging upon suicidal— almost a death wish. While I believe the individual has the fundamental right to decide such things for themselves, they absolutely have no rights whatsoever to impose that choice on others. That said, I am not in favor of or advocate for mandatory, imposed inoculation, however, I do support restrictions upon those unvaccinated individuals. I condemn Governor DeSantis’s directive prohibiting cruise lines from asking for or requiring proof of vaccination from their passengers; his directive is the ultimate in insanity.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1016:

Comment to the Blog:

“I am less conservative than most people. Consider, though, what ‘conservative’ really means. The idea behind it is that society’s current (or imagined past) institutions and concepts are ideal, hence the need to ‘conserve’ them. Due to the imperfections of humans, conservatives are always wrong on some (or many) issues. Hence their irrational opposition to anything they’re not used to, such as Gavin Grimm using the boys’ restroom.

“On ranking Presidents: I would drop Reagan further for the same reasons you cite. Clinton would lose more points in crisis leadership, vision/setting an agenda, and pursued equal justice for all. I’d put him well below the median, say 35^th. I’d put Carter around 20, for various reasons including sabotage (see Reagan). Buchanan was a drunk and it showed, but I also would put the Chump last.”

My response to the Blog:

Likewise, my friend; I used to think of myself as conservative. I shifted decades ago, calling myself fiscally conservative, socially liberal. Today, I refer to myself as a socially liberal moderate. I agree with your assessment of conservatives. This republic has never been perfect, and never will be perfect. We will be a work in progress in perpetuity; today’s political debates are the prime example.

Yeah, the Grimm situation was quite sad in so many ways, not least of which was the fact that the students did not have a problem with Grimm, only the adults holding onto their antiquated ignorance and prejudice. We shall overcome; the courts took the correct step forward.

Yeah, the ranking of the presidents offered an intriguing medium of debate. Carter-sabotage . . . I do not understand. Agreed equally, to my knowledge, none of the presidents except one actively sought to destroy or marginalize vast portions of the federal government and vigorously attack the very essence of our system of governance. Buchanan was incompetent; he was not destructive. The [person who shall no longer be named] has been and continues to be destructive, and as such, he should be dead last in so many ways, off the chart so to speak.

. . . Round two:

“The goal of the Iran-Contra affair was to delay the release of the American hostages in Iran until after the election to the detriment of President Carter. Unfortunately, the conspirators succeeded.”

. . . my response to round two:

Whoa now, dawgy! I think the timeline is skewed a smidge. Reagan and his cohort had no authority until 20.January.1981. The U.S. hostages in Tehran were released that day, arriving back in the U.S. on the 25^th. To my knowledge, the Iran-Contra scheme was not hatched until circa 1985 to circumvent the continuing funding restrictions imposed by Congress in the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 1983 [PL 97-377; 96 Stat. 1830; 21.12.1982], specifically Title VII; §793 [96 Stat. 1865] {AKA Boland Amendment}. Do you have better, more accurate information?

. . . Round three:

“I may have the name of the scandal wrong (there are so many), but study the background of the hostage release.”

. . . my response to round three:

I have, but perhaps not deeply enough. I still do not see any connection. A clue would be helpful.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                        :-)