Update from the Sunland
No.1027
13.9.21 – 19.9.21
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Another day of accomplishment has finally arrived. My latest book has been published and will be released on Monday, 20.September.2021. This one is quite different from my usual fare. This one was also much harder than normal for both the publisher and me to bring to release.
Indulgence
Indulgence Cover
In the near future, a beautiful courtesan, a determined detective, an attorney's troubled wife, and a precocious teenager test the limits of a world somewhat different than our own. They probe the boundaries of the new laws that show us what might be or could be different. Their society tries to handle an unquenchable demand for drugs that offer benefits and temptations to people with diverse private reasons and needs. The reforms in the law implement an array of changes including the strict regulation of specified controlled substances, the retail sales to adult citizens, and the establishment of what are called indulgence camps. These state-sponsored facilities are what their name implies—indulgences of consumption for those so inclined in exchange for their removal from peaceful, law-abiding society.
Prohibition will never succeed in a free society; freedom must be sacrificed to enable prohibition to work. Indulgence offers an intriguing glimpse into what might be a better way of dealing with psychotropic substance consumption. The substances are not new, but the societal trauma of the Vietnam War era and perhaps prohibition itself seemed to have stimulated and expanded consumption.
Wrapped around these dramatic changes in drug policy is a primal effort to remove the government from our private lives and choices. The new government focuses on the public domain while respecting every citizen’s fundamental right to privacy and freedom of choice—an enlightened tomorrow.
This book, like all my other books, is available in print and digital form from all retailers. If you have any difficulty acquiring a copy of your choice, please let me know. Also, as always, I look forward to any discussion or constructive criticism anyone wishes to offer—good, bad, or ugly.
For any human being with a heart and soul who believes 9/11 was some government conspiracy and/or Hollywood stunt, you must watch CBS 60 Minutes Season 54 Episode 1, broadcast on Sunday, 12.September.2021. All three segments dealt with the response that day of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), and the terrible cost they paid for the unprecedented attack. Frankly, every freedom-loving person should watch the full program to appreciate what so many did that morning and afterward.
On Wednesday, 15.September.2021, at 20:02 [R] EDT{17:02 [T] MST}, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 booster from Kennedy Space Center's historic pad 39A. On top of the booster sat the Inspiration4 Dragon spacecraft carrying four civilian (non-professional) astronauts into earth orbit. It reached orbit about 12 minutes later. They stabilized in orbit at 360 miles above the Earth, even further out than the International Space Station, which orbits at 240 miles. The Inspiration4 crew became the farthest any civilian has traveled from Earth so far. After three days orbiting Earth and enjoying the extraordinary view, Dragon and the Inspiration4 crew safely splashed down off the coast of Florida at 19:06 [R] EDT {16:06 [T] MST} on Saturday, 18.September.2021. The capsule was lifted on deck of the recovery ship, and then the crew emerged safe and sound. Another important milestone in human spaceflight has been attained. Congratulations to the crew and SpaceX for an excellent mission.
All of the mobile presidents, except the [person who shall no longer be named], attended 9/11 remembrance and commemoration ceremonies at the three sites of the attack 20 years ago. They all gave worthy speeches, but it was President Bush that sparked outrage among the fBICP believers. What on earth did he say to rile up the radical right, you ask? One sentence in his speech seemed to be the most irritating to the consumer’s of the magic snake-oil elixir (underlined below).
As a nation, our adjustments have been profound. Many Americans struggled to understand why an enemy would hate us with such zeal. The security measures incorporated into our lives are both sources of comfort and reminders of our vulnerability. And we have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.
The most odiferous of the fBICP responses I have seen was:
“George W. Bush's Odious 9/11 Address – When our 43rd president compared the January 6 rioters to the 9/11 terrorists, he disgraced himself, dishonored the dead, and divided the nation.”
by Douglas Andrews
Patriot Post
Published: September 13, 2021
Touchy, touchy, touchy! Andrews and other right-wingers must have a very guilty conscience. President Bush never made that comparison directly. The subtitle fairly well declares Andrews’ bias. The insurrectionists (of 6.January.2021) did not kill as many people as the jihadi attackers on 9/11, but they came far closer to bringing down the democracy of this once grand republic than the jihadis ever did or could even hope for with their aggression. On this one, I stand with President Bush, NOT Douglas Andrews or any of the other insurrectionists who await trial in a court of law.
The rally planned for Saturday the 18th at the Capitol in Washington, DC, in support of the (January 6th) insurrectionists fizzled, as the Capitol Police, DC Metropolitan Police, and the DC National Guard over-prepared for the potentially violent rally. We can only hope the noose around these crazies continues to tighten.
After the debacle of the conservative Supremes’ de facto ruling in Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson [594 U.S. 21A24 (2021); 1.9.2021] [1025], we have another court ruling in a potentially injurious case that was done properly so far. U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd of the Northern District of New York issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in the case of Dr. A. v. Hochul [USDC NDNY Case 1:21-cv-01009-DNH-ML (2021)]. The case involves 17 medical professionals who seek to block the COVID-19 vaccine mandate of Governor Kathleen Courtney Hochul of New York. The TRO expires on the 22nd with the preliminary hearing on the state’s motion to dismiss. The mandate does NOT force anyone to take the vaccine, but it does make vaccination a condition of employment in the medical field. I think the law empowers the executive to establish such conditions of employment and has been clear since 1905. I suspect the motion to dismiss will be granted.
There has been an awful lot of chewing of the fat in the aftermath of our withdrawal from Afghanistan. I have offered bits and pieces of my opinion, but now seems to be the time to draw it all together. What defines the time, you ask? From my perspective, it was the release of the Woodward/Costa book Peril that offers a view of those volatile, chaotic, and confusing months after the 2020 election along with the consequent insurrection stimulated, inspired, and encouraged by the [person who shall no longer be named].
Once President Bush pulled the trigger on Operation ENDURING FREEDOM [0014] that included displacing the Afghan government (Taliban), the die was cast. You broke it you fix it. We tried mightily to enable a democratic government in Afghanistan, but they proved themselves unworthy.
President Obama began the drawdown of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan from the peak of 100,000, shortly after bin Laden’s demise in the early morning of 2.May.2011 [489, 490, 503]. By the time the [person who shall no longer be named] became president, there were just 8,400 American troops in Afghanistan—hardly enough to secure a city, set aside a country. President Biden took office with just 2,500 troops in country and a deal by the previous guy with the Taliban (not the Afghan government) to withdraw completely by 1.May.2021. So, for the fBICP in all its forms to suggest that President Biden abandoned Afghanistan is nonsense in the extreme. If the fBICP wants to point accusatory fingers for the abandonment of Afghanistan, the man who deserves their condemnation is the [person who shall no longer be named], full stop!
It is important to note that we have U.S. troops stationed in Germany, Italy, Japan, and South Korea for the last 76 years. There should be little doubt that there are monumental differences between Germany, Japan and Italy, or even Vietnam, and Afghanistan. We have demonstrable interests in the other countries that we do not have in Afghanistan. The evaporation of the Afghan government validated the hypothesis that our presence was sustaining a corrupt, spineless, valueless government in a civil war—that is NOT in our interests. No matter what actions the Allies took in Afghanistan, we cannot induce the will for freedom, set aside democracy. While the Islamic fascist haven potential still exists, it does not justify permanently stationing and exposing our troops in Afghanistan.
By withdrawing U.S./Allied troops from Afghanistan [1025; 31.8.2021], we have transitioned to an intelligence/special operations war with the Islamic fascists who remain in Afghanistan. We do not have a plethora of good options in that the IRI is an obstacle to peace. Pakistan is hardly friendly. We cannot expect any help from the PRC. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are hardly bastions of allied support. It would appear the U.S. Navy is going to take on a more prominent role in prosecuting the war on Islamic fascism.
At the bottom line, President Biden had the moral courage and confidence to do what should have been done a decade (two administrations) ago. Thank you, President Biden.
The verbal, political attacks by the fBICP and radical right on General Mark Milley are contemptible in the harshest possible terms.
First and foremost, General Milley, along with all other military professionals, swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. None of them have ever sworn allegiance to any president and especially to the [person who shall no longer be named]. This republic may not be as grand as it once was, but we have never done what Nazi Germany did, despite the Herculean efforts of the [person who shall no longer be named], his fBICP, and his army of brainwashed believers.
Second, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he was dealing with an unstable, erratic, unpredictable, temperamental, volatile angry man who persisted in defying the Constitution and perpetuated the BIG LIE. The president was not defending the Constitution or even following the Constitution. Milley’s loyalty belonged with the Constitution. He was determined not to join the insurrectionists.
Third, we are blessed to have such officers at the head of the most powerful military force in the world. We should be thanking General Milley for his service.
Lastly, the commander-in-chief has confidence in General Milley and that is sufficient for me. ‘Nuf said.
Comments and contributions from Update no.1026:
Comment to the Blog:
“I saved myself some time this morning. As soon as I read ‘this edition appears to be all COVID-19 . . .’ I quit reading.”
My response to the Blog:
I am truly sorry last week’s edition did not inspire your usual contribution. I wrote what I felt. I hope this week’s edition fares better.
Another contribution:
“Thanks Cap, all received this side. My God-those seven [st]ages on Covid must open some closed eyes on the subject. Thanks for sending that, I will pass on.”
My reply:
Unfortunately, they must open their eyes to read. Far too many people have closed eyes, closed ears, and closed minds. They prefer ignorance to knowledge. Please disseminate far and wide.
A different contribution:
“One of your best yet!
“Thank you.
“Re vaccination:
“I am urging, hopelessly, our legislature to make it illegal for any unvaccinated adult to seek or receive medical attention for Covid at the expense of the state or federal government (the people, actually the minority who pay taxes) and imposing a judgment and lien on all such person's property, trust entitlements, and rights to inheritance for any such expense incurred by government for any such treatment.
“Fat chance any such common sense incentive would ever become statutory, right?”
My response:
Thank you for your generous words and contributions.
Well now, that is quite the shift. Yeah, not likely to become law, but an intriguing and appropriate proposal. When the unvaccinated venture out into the public domain, they threaten all of us. They open themselves to infection and enable the virus to mutate. The longer the virus enjoys fertile hosts to replicate, the sooner the virus will find a way around the vaccines and other obstacles to their reproduction. I fully support any person’s right to choose what goes into his/her body, but that right does not entitle them to threaten and infect the rest of us. Most of us have done our duty; some have not.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
Good morning, Cap,
I wish you well with respect to your new book. It is at least an interesting conjecture, which is the heart of science fiction.
I'll point out that the bulk of addicts are dangerous in only two ways. Those are getting their substance(s) by any means and the fact that too many of them drive while using. Some people with violent tendencies let those tendencies out while using, but their central problem is violence rather than addiction. We've seen all of that in the Prohibition of alcohol.
I don't understand how the heroism of the Fire Department of New York would have any bearing on a conspiracy theory, but then I don't buy into conspiracy theories in general. I remain aware that George H. W. Bush came to politics from the spy community and his son's Presidency was failing, but one person's possible actions don't make a conspiracy.
I don't care what Shrub said about the Chump. I don't respect either of them enough to pay attention to them. “The security measures incorporated into our lives” are more a new threat to Americans than a source of comfort for me.
All of this “nation-building” is bullshit designed to enrich the military-industrial complex, as is the war on Islam. Regardless of the debacles (Afghanistan, Vietnam, et al.), the Defense budget continues increasing, not in service of national readiness or even troop strength, but for sales of goods and services.
Have a good day,
Calvin
Good morning to you, Calvin,
Thank you. The new book is different; just something that has been percolating in my little pea-brain for several decades. It’s finally done—for better or worse. If you read it, please let me know what you think—good, bad, or ugly.
That is one of the central premises of the book & the story. The overarching object is freedom of choice and a citizen’s fundamental right to privacy. The conjecture is how do we make their consumption safer for them and safest for the public at large. The propensity to violence in some folks does present in the book, not in a big way, but it is still recognized. Again, the object is how do we make it the safest we can for everyone. Yeah, again exactly, our ancestors learned the reality of prohibition in a free society a century ago. It has been 50 years, and we still have NOT relearned that vital lesson. Foolishly, we tend to ignore what does not touch us directly. Most of us just do not recognize (or even wish to know) that the impositions upon freedom of choice affects us all. I have come to see that far too many “free people” choose ignorance over knowledge, and the USG was all too eager to exploit that reality, their morality, on everyone, like it or not.
Many hardcore conspiracists claim it was all fake. The USG brought down the towers and made it appear that 3,000 people died. I do not buy into conspiracy theories, period. I always search for hard evidence; not easy, but the search continues. I saw the live broadcast that day. There is no doubt in my little pea-brain what happened. OK, I’m curious, and I’ll bite. What did Bush 41 have to do with the attack on 9/11?
The point is, ‘W’ did not say anything about the [person who shall no longer be named]. There are an awful lot of guilty souls out there who jumped to that supposition, thus my comment about Douglas Andrews. His words express the defensiveness of guilt. I acknowledge that I may well be inadequately informed, so I eagerly await enlightenment.
There is NO war on Islam; never has been, never will be. The majority of Muslims are peaceful, friendly, respectful, law-abiding citizens of many countries including ours. There is a monumental difference between Islamic fascism and Islam, just as there was between Nazis and Germans.
Well, therein lies the mistiness. Since its inception, this republic has stood for freedom of commerce in all its forms and locations. Respectfully, I do not share what appears to be a rather pessimistic view of international relations. For the record, I do not absolve the United States of its mistakes, but to attribute U.S. international efforts to greed and avarice is not worthy, it seems to me.
Thank you for your contribution. Stay safe. Take care and enjoy.
Cheers,
Cap
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